When POS Attack

H/T BLACKFIVE

5 on 1 seems like a fair fight to me, especially when you're holding a gun on the guy while you kick his ass. What a bunch of cowards. A bunch of worthless POS driving around in their mom's SUV looking to beat up some National Guardsman...NICE dude.

National Guardsman Brutally Attacked In Pierce County

POSTED: 4:33 pm PDT August 30, 2006
UPDATED: 6:15 pm PDT August 30, 2006

PARKLAND, Wash. -- The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon.

The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.

The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.

“And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

The suspects were driving a black Chevy Suburban-type SUV.

“This is something new for us, we have not had military people assaulted because they were in the military or somebody's opposition to a war or whatever,” Troyer said.

The driver is described as a white male, 25-30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavy build, short blond hair, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and armed with a handgun.

The vehicle's passengers are described as white males, 20-25 years old. Some of the suspects wore red baseball hats and red sweatshirts during the attack.

I'm Sure This Was On the News...

David Smith displays his father's Medal of Honor as Birgit Smith addresses the audience during a dedication ceremony of the Paul R. Smith Middle School in Holiday, Fla., August 25. Smith died in combat April 4, 2003, as he fought off Iraqi attackers near Baghdad International Airport. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously April 4, 2005.

I must have just missed it.

In a time where media like the NY Times complain about the lack of heroes, and the administrations failure to highlight the valor of our soldiers in the field, we have THIS!

Middle school dons name of Medal of Honor recipient
By Master Sgt. Steve Valley

HOLIDAY, Fla.(Army News Service, Aug. 29, 2006) What began last year as a suggestion by retired Maj. Gen. Fred Raymond came full circle last Friday during a dedication ceremony of the new Paul R. Smith Middle School in Holiday, Fla.

More than 500 family, friends, Soldiers, veterans, legislators, county officials and students were present.

They must have been too busy running around chasing a "Child Killer" that really wasn't or hanging out at the TV awards...NICE...dude...NICE.

People Seperated By A Common Language

It seems that in some places "RUCK" doesn't mean what it does in the Army...and that the phrase "Hump a ruck." is now redundant.




H/T WizbangPop

NICE Dude!

Given that I will be a customer of AMC soon...this patch doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Flyboys Preview

This movie is coming in late September...except for the smoke trails of the bullets it looks pretty good.

Terrorists Lie!

This and other news like Bank Robbers steal money from the Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore Sun
August 29, 2006

Terrorists Lie, Rumsfeld Says

Defense chief says they use U.S. media

By Associated Press

FALLON NAVAL AIR STATION, Nev. -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that he is deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in "manipulating the media" to influence Westerners.

"That's the thing that keeps me up at night," he said during a question-and-answer session with about 200 naval aviators and other Navy personnel at this training base for Navy and Marine Corps pilots.

Rumsfeld was asked whether the criticism he draws as Pentagon chief and a leading advocate of the war in Iraq is an impediment to performing his job. He said it is not and that he knows from history that wars are unpopular with many Americans. "I expect that," he said. "I understand that.

"What bothers me the most is how clever the enemy is," he continued, launching a broadside at Islamic extremist groups that he said are trying to undermine Western support for the war on terror.

"They are actively manipulating the media in this country" by, for example, falsely blaming U.S. troops for civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.

"They can lie with impunity," he said, while U.S. troops are held to a high standard of conduct.

Later, at a Reno, Nev., convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Rumsfeld made similar points.

"The enemy lies constantly - almost totally without consequence," he told the veterans group, which was presenting him with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award. "They portray our cause as a war on Islam when in fact the overwhelming majority of victims of their terrorism have been thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims - men, women and children - they have killed."

He said, "While some argue for tossing in the towel, the enemy is waiting and hoping for us to do just that."

Rumsfeld often complains about what he calls the terrorists' success in persuading Westerners that the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are part of a crusade against Islam. In his remarks at Fallon he did not offer any new examples of media manipulation; he put unusual emphasis, however, on the negative impact it is having on Americans in an era of 24-hour news.

"The enemy is so much better at communicating," he added. "I wish we were better at countering that, because the constant drumbeat of things they say - all of which are not true - is harmful. It's cumulative. And it does weaken people's will and lessen their determination, and raise questions in their minds as to whether the cost is worth it," he said.

Worth a Re-Visit

Given the story going around started by a story in a UK paper about how Matt Stone and Trey Parker said they were told that Marines guarding Saddam forced him to watch the Southpark movie over and over...I thought I'd re-post this...

Guard reveals Saddam's jail life (Likes Cheetos)
BBC ^ | June 20, 2005

Posted on 12/22/2005 4:21:54 PM PST by Shermy

Saddam Hussein still believes he is president of Iraq, is obsessed with cleanliness, makes bad coffee and loves Doritos, an ex-guard has revealed. The deposed leader, set to face trial for massacres and killings during his time in power, also washes his clothes and cares for birds in his prison yard.

US National Guardsman Sean O'Shea, 20, gave GQ magazine in the US a unique look into Saddam Hussein's daily life.

The former president was captured near the city of Tikrit in December 2003.

Despite officially being in Iraqi custody, Saddam Hussein is guarded by US troops at a secret location.

Specialist O'Shea, who joined the Pennsylvania National Guard a year before the US-led invasion of Iraq, was one of five guards who told GQ their memories of guarding the world's most famous prisoner.

Spartan regime

Spc O'Shea gave the magazine a detailed portrait of the monotony of life in jail.

He described the former leader's daily routine of toilet visits, mealtimes, recreation and regular medical check-ups.

In his cell there was a bed, a toilet, a chair, a towel, some books and a prayer rug.

The former leader would often spend silent days writing in Arabic on legal pads, Spc O'Shea said.

The guard described how Saddam Hussein spent each day watering plants and was obsessive about cleanliness, continually wet-wiping the cutlery he used to eat his meals.

He did not want a treadmill that guards installed in his cell, asking instead for a table-tennis table. The request was turned down.

He enjoyed Raisin Bran Crunch for breakfast, but refused to eat Froot Loops.

He liked to snack on Cheetos, until someone brought him a bag of Doritos, which he took silently into a corner and ate in a hurry.

'President Saddam'

Although physically weak, there was also evidence that the son of a farmer from near Tikrit had not lost his confidence.

He enjoyed Cuban cigars, and sometimes offered Spc O'Shea blunt advice, including how to find a "good woman", and how to "keep her in line".

He told stories of how he brought prostitutes in for his son, Uday, the night before his wedding.

The guard described how Saddam Hussein walked out of a meeting with Iraqi prosecutors, disgusted at them for wanting to try him for crimes against his country.

"Ministers? Ministers of what," Saddam Hussein raged in his cell.

"I'm still the president of this country."

He went quiet when Spc O'Shea told him that former US President Ronald Reagan - who used to sell Iraq planes and helicopters, he remembered - had died.

Unsurprisingly, neither former President George H W Bush or the current US leader ranked highly with the man they both went to war against.

Yet Spc O'Shea said his prisoner wanted to meet President Bush, "to make peace with him".

But the reality was more mundane: the man who once lived amid endless wealth in colossal palaces had to use the toilet under the gaze of a teenage soldier from small-town Pennsylvania.

"He was a very bad man," Spc O'Shea told GQ. "But when we had him, he was a broken man."

I have no doubt that someone told Trey and Matt that this occurred, but given all the crap that has occurred over the course of the war about the treatment of prisoners does anyone actually believe that this would happen?

While many of us would wish that this were true and that Saddam would be being tormented on a daily basis...will just have to wait until he gets to the afterlife for his torment, and from what I hear that will be for eternity.

Are You Ready For The Football?

I know a lot of people don't care for the Dallas Cowboys...like I give a fat rat's ass.

Sundays and sometimes Mondays in the fall during my childhood meant watching Coach Landry's team or getting ready to watch Coach Landry's team play. Those were the days you could be really proud to say you were a fan of the Cowboys...were it true today.

I'll still watch, but it doesn't hold the passion for me that it once did...maybe I just grew up. This video is a trip down memory lane...

It's Cavalry not Calvary

I had recently contacted some guys in the USAF to get some training materials...they were very supportive and responsive to my request, willing to get what I needed even though they didn't initially have the exact products I was looking for. I filled out the forms they required and e-mailed them to the appropriate address. I got an e-mail back stating that my request was being processed and that I could expect to receive the requested products shortly...the 11th to be exact.

I finally received the products last week. Everything I requested was there, and they did a great job that is greatly appreciated. Then I saw it, the address label, Outlaw 13, 1st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, TX. Frankly knowing out the Army works I was surprised that my stuff didn't end up in the Chaplain's office.

I realize that it's asking a great deal to expect anyone in the USAF to know something that occurred before 1948, or to be even more generous before the Wright Brothers. But is it too much to ask that someone could remember the difference between people who ride into battle first on horses and then on tanks and helicopters and the hill where Christ was crucified? And this is from a Military
Intelligence orginization...pretty funny that!

This about says it ALL

From Day By Day

Purrfect Angelz in Iraq

Dancers Land in Iraq. Marines Offer No Resistance.

By MICHAEL R. GORDON, The New York Times

HADITHA DAM, Iraq (Aug. 26) — One by one, the marines took the stage for one of the most coveted photo opportunities of the war. Tanea sat on a knee of an eager marine while Laurie rested on the other.

Hands on their miniskirted hips, Amber and Renee posed at each side. Dani stood behind and held the marine’s rifle as the camera snapped the photo. Some of the young marines who lined up for the memento were so mesmerized by the experience that they had to be reminded not to leave their weapons behind.

The Haditha Dam is in a hostile stretch of the Euphrates River 140 miles northwest of Baghdad where the marines do battle with insurgents in the oppressive heat. But for a few hours this summer, the chow hall inside the dam was transformed into a theater for five shapely dancers who seemed to be the embodiment of many a young marine’s fantasy.

It was all part of a program to keep up morale in a war that is more dangerous than ever. There is a long history of providing entertainment for troops in war zones, including performances by attractive starlets. Bob Hope toured with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in Korea. Raquel Welch and Ann-Margret performed in Vietnam.

But at Haditha Dam, the marines have the Purrfect Angelz, as the dancers are known. Their tours, which organizers say are paid for by the military, have occasionally stirred some controversy. During the group’s 2005 visit to Baghdad, a female Air Force officer complained that the dancers’ wardrobes and routines encouraged insensitive attitudes toward women in the military.

I hope these ladies have much future success in whatever career they choose...they deserve it. Note the author of the article just couldn't leave well enough alone...he had to point out that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE was offended by this...WOW there's a shocker.

"Interesting" Post on the Eve of the 5th Anniversary

Ace of Spades has a link to a POST where a Mr. Russel Shaw asks the question if another 9/11 type attack would be worth it if the end result was Republicans being removed from power.

While the article is one of the most vile things I've read that was proposed by a US citizen, the real revealing information lies in the comments section at both sites.

The comments if you remove the words "Republican", "Democrat", "Conservative" and "Liberal" are virtually the same...and therein lies the problem. Too many people are more than willing to point a finger and blame the other guy for all the troubles in the country and the world, and if only the voters would see the light and vote for my side, things would be peachy keen.

HEY! THIS IS FOR EVERYONE...IF WE DON'T START WORKING TOGETHER AS A NATION AND QUIT SABOTAGING EACH OTHER FOR OUR OWN NARROW POLITICAL GOALS THIS NATION IS DOOMED TO SUFFER AND SUFFER MIGHTILY.

I tend to look at things from the mostly conservative side of things, but all this shouting at each other, undermining one side to accomplish political goals accomplishes nothing other than put those in battle at greater risk and encourage our enemies...but since when did most of these political hacks give a damn about any of us on the pointy end of the spear anyway.

So while there are people abroad plotting and praying for our nations eventual demise, continue your bickering, whining and undercutting while you can...because Lord knows most of you don't have the stones to pick up a weapon and stand post to do the real work necessary to protect this nation. Every day that goes by that I sit and read this political bitching from both parties makes me want to have nothing to do with either side. It's especially galling in the light of my impending re-deployment to Iraq.

The INTERNET is a great place where you can write things about people, that if you said it to their faces you'd probably get your lights punched out...maybe if more people would quit thinking about more and better ways to insult the other side and sit down and think about the danger we actually face as a nation...and actually present a united front to our enemies... we might actually prevail in a timely manner...but I guess that's a utopia that I'll never see.

What the HELL is Wrong With People?

First you have kids on a leash and now we have people strapping dogs to their backs...WTF?!?

VIA: Wizbang Pop

Puppy purse the ultimate accessory for pooch lovers
Everybody's yapping about the ultimate in hands-free walkies


by CHRIS BROOKE, Daily Mail

It's the ultimate fashion accessory for people who "love their dogs a bit too much."

Imported from the United States, these colourful and stylish "doggie bags" enable devoted dog owners to carry their puppies and little pooches wherever they go.

Designed to be "lightweight" with an adjustable strap, the "PuppyPurse" is exactly as it sounds.

More here...

It's Girl Friday

Nikki Bishop is the "Girl Firday" for 25 AUG 06...Have a great weekend.

The 8th of November

Big and Rich honors the 173rd Airborne BDE...good stuff!

'Half of America' uses it...

Soooo if I'm not using it that must mean that...

Via Ace of Spades

Evidence ruled sufficient in penis pump case

August 24, 2006

BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter


The female airport security guard held the small, black, squeezable rubber object she'd just plucked out of Mardin Amin's backpack, and eyed it suspiciously.

Standing next to his mother, an embarrassed Amin whispered out of one corner of his mouth that it was a "pump" -- as in a penis pump. The guard misunderstood the Iraqi man and thought she heard the word "bomb," Amin's attorney told a Cook County judge Wednesday.

"He told her it's a pump," attorney Eileen O'Neill-Burke said as a cluster of burly, snickering police officers watched the court proceedings. "He's standing with his mother. Of course he's not going to shout this out."

But after listening to the female guard testify she heard Amin "clearly" say the word bomb during the Aug. 16 incident at O'Hare Airport, Judge Gerald Winiecki decided there was enough evidence for the case to move forward. Amin, 29, is charged with felony disorderly conduct and faces up to three years in prison if convicted.


'Half of America' uses it

"Come on -- what do you think?" said Amin, who lives in Skokie and works for a janitorial service.

Amin may not want his mother to know he has a penis pump, but he said he doesn't consider it an unusual device to own.

"It's normal," he said. "Half of America they use it."

Amin is due back in court Sept. 13

The man was heard to say as he was being lead away, "That's not mine...It's not my bag baby."

Attack Sub Texas Comissioned

NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense

No. 804-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2006
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public/Industry(703) 428-0711

Navy Commissions Attack Submarine Texas

The Navy will commission the USS Texas, second ship of the Virginia attack
submarine class, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at the Port
of Galveston piers in Galveston, Texas.

As the Navy's next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia-class submarine is the
first class specifically designed to counter post-Cold War threats, providing the
Navy with the capabilities required for safeguarding the nation's interests in the
21st century.

Texas has improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special
warfare enhancements that enable it to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements.
With a modular design, Texas along with its other sister submarines of the
Virginia-class, will be able to accommodate technology upgrades throughout its
life.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Laura
Bush, first lady of the United States, serves as the ship's sponsor. In the
time-honored tradition of commissioning U.S. naval ships, she has been invited to
give the order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

This is the fourth ship of the Navy to carry the name Texas since the original ship
was commissioned in 1895. The second USS Texas was a battleship, which took part in
both World Wars. The most recent ship named Texas was a nuclear-powered guided
missile cruiser, which was decommissioned in 1977.

Texas can attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and
conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters and other sea
forces. Texas also has superior anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare capabilities,
is able to provide special forces delivery and support, and can conduct mine
delivery and minefield mapping. With enhanced communications connectivity, Texas
will also provide important joint task force support and full integration into
strike and expeditionary group operations.

Capt. John Litherland, a 1982 graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle,
will become the first commanding officer of the ship, leading a crew of
approximately 134 officers and enlisted sailors. Texas will be homeported in
Groton, Conn., as a unit of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Texas is 377 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 34 feet, a navigational draft
of 32 feet, displaces approximately 7,800 tons submerged, can dive to depths
greater than 800 feet, and can sustain speeds of more than 25 knots when submerged.

The ship is also designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling
during the planned life of the ship - reducing lifecycle costs while increasing
underway time.

The superior capabilities of Texas and other Virginia-class submarines will help
ensure the Navy maintains undersea dominance well into the 21st century.

For more information regarding the commissioning ceremony, please contact the
commander, Submarine Force Atlantic Public Affairs Office (757) 836-1650. For more
information about Virginia class submarines, visit
http://www.subforce.navy.mil/html/texas775.html .

They'll Rouchambeau You For It!

From Wizbang Pop

"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have set two live-action films at Paramount.

Parker and Stone, who have re-christened their Par-based shingle Important Pictures, will first make the Jeff Roda-scripted high school comedy "My All-American." They plan to follow with "Giant Monsters Attack Japan!," a film scripted by J.F. Lawton ("Under Siege") that will combine live-action with the "rubber suit" techniques made popular in Asian imports like "Godzilla."

Parker will direct each film and Stone produce; both will work on the scripts with the writers. Sean Daniel and Nickelodeon will also be producers on "Giant Monsters."

Parker and Stone are aiming for a 2007 production start, timed to a hiatus from "South Park," which this week launched its 10th season.

I just hope these movies are more "Orgazmo", "Team America" and less "Baseketball"

I Are A Soldier

What a lovely article that misses the point entirely...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
August 20, 2006
Pg. B3

Dumbing Down G.I. Joe

'Be polite, be professional and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.'

By Kevin Horrigan

Last Wednesday, Bryan Bender reported in the Boston Globe that the Pentagon quietly has begun reviewing its mistakes in Afghanistan and Iraq. A major goal is improving counter-insurgency tactics; that is, fighting a low-grade war against insurgents who disappear into an indigenous population.

Col. Peter Mansoor commands the Army-Marine Counterinsurgency Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The story quotes him thusly: "The challenge is to train the force not what to think, but how to think. Counterinsurgency is a thinking soldier's war. It is graduate-level stuff. There is public relations, civil affairs, information operations. It is not easy.

"To read Bender's story is to be reminded -- and to be grateful -- that the Army has a corps of super-bright young officers who know how to read a scoreboard. Unfortunately, they're not in charge yet.

Also on Wednesday, David Wood of the Baltimore Sun reported, "At a time when the Defense Department is calling for the 'best and the brightest' to fight today's tricky and unconventional wars, the Army is quietly signing up thousands of low-scoring recruits, who historically have performed less well, in order to meet its recruiting goals."

Let's see . . . one of the lessons of the last three years is that we're going to need smarter soldiers. So let's lower the standards...

What this guy fails to point out is that each job in the Army has a GT score requirement. Just because the Army lowered the minimum score to join doesn't mean that next week you'll be seeing 8th grade dropouts with a GED as the point man for a LRSD team. This is such a disingenuous article...once again never let the actual facts get in the way of a good story.

Amen Brother!

H/T Cowboy Blob

Apple users are the Pious Prius owners of the computer world...get over yourselves and you can shove that stupid ad up your 4th point of contact.

Get with the program (no pun intended), you will use the Borg's software and you will like it.

Great Idea!

And someone thought it was a good idea to let this individual teach kids...

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Stuart Middle School teacher burns U.S. flags in class
Lesson causes uproar in Jefferson

By Chris Kenning
ckenning@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class during a lesson on freedom of speech, Jefferson County Public Schools officials said.

Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes Friday and asked students to write an opinion paper about it, district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said.


A teacher in the school district since 1979, Holden has been temporarily reassigned to non-instructional duties pending a district investigation. The district also alerted city fire officials, who are conducting their own investigation...

That'll teach 'em about free speech! BRIILLLIANT!

Protesters picket outside Fort Hood

Coming back from lunch today I spotted these worthless f8@ks carrying their signs outside the East Gate.

I was with our S6 who became quite agitated at the sight of these oxygen thieves, who were actively encourage soldiers to bail out on their brothers and sisters in arms and quit, desert or go AWOL...whatever.

Sorry, I didn't have my camera with me...so you can see what worthless scum really look like.

Protesters picket outside Fort Hood

By Robert Nathan
Killeen Daily Herald

Nearly 30 protesters from Crawford and as far away as California pitched tents and held signs outside the east gate of Fort Hood on Friday to raise awareness of the GI Rights Hotline Network.

Lynn Gonzalez, a network counselor, said the group chose to protest near Fort Hood because it believes the military is taking away soldiers' individual rights

DeDe Miller, of Los Angeles, said she was picketing for her nephew, Casey Sheehan, who was killed April 4, 2004, in Sadr City, Iraq, shortly after his arrival with the 1st Cavalry Division.

F-22 Moving Forward

This one is for Andy

He Wants To Dance With Somebody...

It hard to decide who to root for in this senario...

OSAMA bin Laden has more on his mind than just the destruction of the United States - the world's most wanted terrorist is obsessed with Whitney Houston, so much so that he's even mulled a hit on her hubby, Bobby Brown.

For the rest go the guys at Wizbang Pop

Printer Issues

This is how some people take out their frustrations with their printer. Thanks for your high speed tech support HP!

Flags Of Our Fathers Trailer

Coming this fall!

Dogfight!

Weird Stuff I Can't Understand

Militalia or Military relics consist of old uniforms, equipment, insignia,etc...etc. Being the military geek that I am, I collect military patches, more specifically aviation unit patches...especially US Army Aviation (for donations to my collection feel free to e-mail me...I also buy!). Any how...in an attempt to add to my collection of aviation insignia I attended today, a militalia show in Belton, TX.

On display at the show were all manner of uniforms, helmets, boots equipment of various types but very few patches...and none I wished to purchase. But also on display were people of a type that I have seen at these types of shows before but have never been able to resolve in my mind at least why on earth someone would do what these people do.

What is it you say, that these people are doing? There are many folks who seem to enjoy dressing in these old uniforms as well as selling them. That in and of itself is not especially troubling, sad but not troubling. The people that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up are the guys who stand there in full Nazi regalia...Waffen SS...the whole nine yards and sell all sorts of Nazi crap to all comers.

First I'm not even going to assert that these people are in fact Nazis, I'm going to assume that they view wearing these uniforms as some sort of historical tableau, like a civil war re-en actor. The problem I have with the whole deal is what that uniform they are wearing represents...those ideals are so heinous and evil I can't understand why someone would willingly dawn one of those uniforms unless you were appearing in a WWII movie or production of some sort...but then again I'm the guy who as a child I refused to build models of German or Japanese aircraft...because they were the bad guys. But I guess I'm kinda weird like that.

Tweaking the Religion of Peace™, we present: Girl Friday

After Dancing with the Stars, some soap opera and Playboy Playmate of the Month, Kelly Monaco becomes our "Girl Friday" for 18 AUG 06...a proud moment for her parents I'm sure.

Monks brawl at peace protest

You can't make stuff like this up...

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Protesters calling for an end to recent violence in Sri Lanka found themselves brawling with hardline Buddhist monks Thursday, after a rally dubbed a "peace protest" turned unexpectedly violent...

Saddam and Osama

From TV Funhouse!

Fiasco Revisited

OK, I admit that I hate it when people review something without actually looking at it, so in the interest of being fair, I've had a look at a book that I said bad things about recently without having read it. No I didn't pay for it, I obtained the copy through a friend before he could burn it.

Fiasco, The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks of the Washington Post is a book that has a definite point of view. That view is summed up quite well on page three where Mr Ricks writes,"President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 ultimately may come to be seen as one of the most profligate actions in the history of American foreign policy. The consequences of his choice won't be clear for decades, but it already is abundantly apparent in mid 2006 that the US government went to war in Iraq with scant solid international support and on the basis of incorrect information-about weapons of mass destruction and a supposed nexus between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda'a terrorism-and then occupied the country negligently."

He then lays out the case that the policy of containment was working, that Operation Desert Fox came close to toppling the Hussein regime (page 19). The Army is/was at odds with the SECDEF because of his misguided policies in regards to the administration of "transformation". But then the soldiers who are smart enough to dislike the SECDEF are too stupid to manage/fight the insurgency in Iraq.

Out of curiosity, I flipped to the index to see what had been written about a significant event in my life...the fight in Sadar City which culminated in AUG of 2004. The events there were covered on pages 337-338 and mostly concentrated on the fact that 1st BCT patrols from the 1st CAV encountered a lot of resistance, and the FOBs got hit with a lot of indirect fires. He fails to mention that by the time 1st CAV left the AO, the area around Sadar City had pretty much settled down and numerous civil affairs projects had or were taking place in that section of Baghdad.

That in a nutshell is the problem I have with the entire book. Mr. Ricks has found a conclusion and has found events and people who support that conclusion. He doesn't present the ENTIRE picture and at times presents only part of the story. I tried to read this book hoping that like the book Cobra II I could find some documentation of events that would be worth putting up with the authors obvious political leanings. As far as I could find there is no such reward in his book, only the condemnation of our efforts and damnation of anything to do with or in support of the current administration.

Frankly I'd rather read the instructions for my wrist watch than wade through 439 pages of this predictable crap.

OOPS!

It's just an irreplaceable piece of history, don't worry they'll turn up somewhere.

NASA can't find the original recordings of Armstrong's walk on the moon


I've got an idea, look in that box where you guys stashed the Ark of the Covenant.

Unauthorized Road Work

Here's what happens when you get caught digging in the road when you don't have a work permit. H/T ROFASIX

It's a FACT

Here a question for ya'. If morale is really as bad as some folks claim it to be in the recent past, why is THIS happening?

Making quotas
The Army announced yesterday it has met its monthly recruiting goal for the 14th straight month.

"In the first ten months of fiscal year 2006, more soldiers have re-enlisted in the Army, 109,056, than can fit in the Rose Bowl. Two out of three soldiers eligible to re-enlist, continue to re-enlist," a statement said.

And They Don't Do Windows

This article from The Washington Times column, "Inside the Ring" just goes to show you, that even in the Special Ops community people can get their feelings hurt.

'House cleaners'
Army Special Forces soldiers are expressing outrage, among themselves, over purported remarks made by Lt. Gen. Dell Dailey last week at a meeting with new U.S. ambassadors at U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom) in Tampa, Fla...

...Special Forces soldiers are quoting Gen. Dailey as telling the ambassadors that U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), home to Delta Force and Navy SEALs, are the warriors, while Special Forces are the "house cleaners."

(As background, it should be noted their are some ill feelings between Green Berets and the Delta Force-SEALs. Special Forces soldiers complain that JSOC teams wait at bases until intelligence finds a target to hit. Green Berets say it is their "A" Teams who go out into the countryside for days at a time to find intelligence and fight insurgents.)

When the "house cleaners" remark reached some Special Forces soldiers, they reacted with anger. "This is proof that JSOC has outgrown their own egos," commented one. "They obviously forgot their roots and heritage."

But a Socom spokesman told us the soldiers have it all wrong. Yes, Gen. Dailey did meet with ambassadors and did use the term "house cleaners."...

A senior special operations forces officer, who asked not to be named, said Gen. Dailey was showing the ambassadors an organizational chart of Socom, with the commands under it responsible for training and equipping the force. It was these commands that he labeled the "house cleaners." No units below those commands were included.

"He meant that in an affectionate way," the officer said. "To the people who were present, they understood the context of what was said."

Uh, yeah...OK, whatever you say SOCOM dude.

Despite Their Best Efforts...

Despite the best efforts of the ACLU and the "loyal opposition" to undermine our security efforts, the terrorist plot to bomb multiple airliners flying out of the UK was foiled by Scotland Yard and other members of the UK security apparatus last week.

Via ThunderTails we are treated to this opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal. Please take the time to read it!

"This wasn't supposed to happen today," a U.S. official told the Washington Post of the arrests and terror alert. "It was supposed to happen several days from now. We hear the British lost track of one or two guys. They had to move." Meanwhile, British antiterrorism chief Peter Clarke said at a news conference that the plot was foiled because "a large number of people" had been under surveillance, with police monitoring "spending, travel and communications."

Let's emphasize that again: The plot was foiled because a large number of people were under surveillance concerning their spending, travel and communications. Which leads us to wonder if Scotland Yard would have succeeded if the ACLU or the New York Times had first learned the details of such surveillance programs.

Well, I think most of us can figure out the answer to that last question. The real question is will it ever get to the point where they will be on OUR side. At what point will things get so bad that they will finally see the threat for what it is and jump on board to try and defeat these people who wish us all dead. Maybe never. Maybe when it's too late.

At least some people are beginning to recognize these weasels for the collaborators that they are.

Interesting things from Down Under

From a piece in The Australian News via Castle Argghhh!

Honouring Long Tan
Veterans of the battle at last get the recognition they deserve

ALMOST exactly 40 years ago this weekend, the men of Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, left their base at Nui Dat, southeast of Saigon, and entered hell. As the patrol pushed into a rubber plantation, with the 29 men of 11 Platoon leading the way, the Diggers suddenly found themselves in the midst of a huge encampment of North Vietnamese troops. What happened next was a battle that represented the most important contribution of Australia to the Vietnam War. Officially, Delta Company took out 245 Vietcong; unofficial reports suggest the enemy death toll was far higher. Yet the Vietnamese did not acknowledge their defeat. After the battle, Radio Hanoi broadcast that communist troops took out an entire Australian battalion. It was a slap in the face to the men who were there, but as Cameron Stewart reports in The Weekend Australian Magazine, times have changed. The Vietnamese, specifically the men who commanded the troops, who brutally outnumbered Australian forces and by all rights should have eliminated them, recently uttered the words Australia's Long Tan veterans had waited 40 years to hear: "You won."

The gist of the article is that not only did he Aussies win a battle during the Vietnam War but their nd our presence there has been deemed a good and even necessary thing. WOW!

Bush Makes Promise

I've seen the report on this incident, there's no good reason why the parents shouldn't be able to see the info if they so desire. It's a shame that the President of the United States has to get involved just so these folks can get closure.

Bush Makes Promise to Dead Soldier's Mom
Says He'll Get Her Reports on How Son Died

CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (Aug. 12) - Nearly three years ago, Beth Karlson's son died in Iraq. Barely a day after meeting with President Bush, the mother said Friday that she's much closer to getting some answers about the incident that killed her son...Karlson, 63, said that during her and her husband's "very personal" meeting with the president, she brought up her frustration in obtaining the official Army report about the crash.

Karlson said Bush promised that he would look into the matter and get her the reports...

..."It was a very private meeting and that is the way we want to keep it," she said Friday. "He is a wonderful man. How many other presidents have sat down with the families? None that I know of."

Hansen is one of 58 members of the U.S. military from Wisconsin killed in Iraq since the war was launched in March 2003. At least 2,595 members of the U.S. military have died in the war, according to an Associated Press count.

Karlson, a retired school food services manager, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Bush greeted her with a "great big bear hug," gave her a presidential coin, signed a scrapbook she has about her son and constantly held her hand during the meeting that lasted at least 20 minutes.

Speaking of Valor

In honor of that OP/ED in the NYT decrying the lack of medals or awards for valor in the GWOT...

SF Soldiers honored for combat valor
By Paul D Prince
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
August 10, 2006


FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2006) – Thirty-one Soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) were decorated with honors to include three Silver Star Medals for valorous actions in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in a ceremony here, Aug. 8.

The three Silver Star Medal recipients were Master Sgt. Keith Logsdon, Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Holmes and Staff Sgt. Matthew Keefe.

The Silver Star Medal, the Army’s third highest award for combat valor is awarded to Soldiers for distinguished gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during military operations.

Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, U.S. Army Special Forces Command commanding general, presided over the ceremony and awarded each honoree with their respective medal(s).

“This is a great day to be a part of the Special Forces Regiment...” said Csrnko. “Today we acknowledge valor and sacrifice of individuals who displayed a level of bravery and courage in combat beyond the call of duty and who epitomize quiet professionals.

“Everyone on this field today is a hero, because their commitment and dedication to this global war on terrorism contributes to the successes which encourage the development of freedom,” Csrnko added.

In addition to the Silver Star Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal for valor were awarded to the remaining 28 Soldiers in the ceremony which was held on Meadows Memorial Parade Field, adjacent to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Headquarters.

The recipients of the Bronze Star Medal were Capt. Mir Ali, Capt. Christopher Augustine, Sgt. Jonathon Bennett, Sgt. Concepcion, Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Craig, Sgt. 1st Class Euclid Cruz, Chief Warrant Officer Bruce Defeyter, Sgt. Trent Garner, Capt. Roger Gavriluk, Sgt. 1st Class Donald Grambusch, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Green, Master Sgt. Van E. Hines, Sgt. First Class Jerry Hochstedler, Master Sgt. Rob Latham, Sgt. 1st Class Troy A. Lettieri, Staff Sgt. Donald C. Maguin, Staff Sgt. Richard Moore, Staff Sgt. James Parsons, Master Sgt. Brian E. Penrod, Sgt. 1st Class Mario A. Ramirez, Sgt. 1st Class Jared B. Reesor, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Thibeault, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Vires, Master Sgt. Ricky Wigent and Sgt. 1st Class Shaun Womack.

The recipients of the Purple Heart were Capt. Mir Ali, Sgt. 1st Class John Fairfax, Master Sgt. Patrick Fensom, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Garrett, Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hotchkiss, Staff Sgt. David Pickford and Capt. Damon Robins.

The recipients of the Army Commendation Medal for valor were Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Batson, Sgt. 1st Class Scott A. Brady, Sgt. 1st Class Leonard L. Bussius, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Clarke, Sgt. 1st Class Theodore Cordano, Sgt. 1st Class Euclid Cruz, Staff Sgt. Stephen Declay, Sgt. Anthonie Deyo, Chief Warrant Officer Scott Dyer, Sgt. 1st Class William Edson, Staff Sgt. Jared Eldred, Master Sgt. Patrick Fensom, Staff Sgt. Eric Frye, Staff Sgt. James Gaston, Sgt. 1st Class Gene Harris, Capt. David Hodges, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lebron, Sgt. 1st Class John McDonald, Staff Sgt. Jerry Parker, Sgt. 1st Class George Perez, Sgt. 1st Class Jay Pope, Master Sgt. Larry Reis, Capt. John W. Sannes, Sgt. 1st Class David Smith and Staff Sgt. Matthew Summers.

I'm sure there were big write-ups in all the newspapers...I just missed them. I'm sure this was ignored because of some legitmate reason that some newspaper/meda lacky could makes us all aware of. Some reason other than they just don't care about things like this of course.

Tweaking the Religion of Peace™, we present: Girl Friday

Kimberly Spicer stops by to say hello and wish everyone a great weekend!

Iranian Doctors Say They Cloned a Sheep

There's a joke in here somewhere...but I'll let someone else make it.

Iranian Doctors Say They Cloned a Sheep
Aug 09 11:33 AM US/Eastern
By NASSER KARIMI
Associated Press Writer


TEHRAN, Iran


Iranian doctors have overseen the country's first animal cloning _ a lamb that died minutes after birth _ and plan future experiments in genetics and stem cell research, a member of the team said Wednesday.

Iran's program is part of the Islamic regime's ambitions to become a regional center for medical, aerospace and nuclear technology _ which has led to an international showdown over Western claims that Tehran also seeks atomic weapons.

New Link!

I added a new link to the sidebar, and I would encourage y'all to visit Thunder Tails.

This is the blog belonging to fighter pilot/author Ed Rasimus. I highly recommend his two books Palace Cobra and When Thunder Rolled. For anyone interested in the history of the air war in Vietnam and the culture surrounding Air Force Fighter Pilots there is no better place to start than those two books.

There are no videos, or Girl Friday's over there, so don't expect what you get here...just reasoned discussion about world events and such. Give it a shot and check six!

I Can't Get No, Inspiration

I was looking over at RANTINGPROFS today and found this little piece entitled: "Inspiration"

Inspiration
Well, Brian Chontosh is finally mentioned in the New York Times. He shows up in an op-ed piece where the author argues that the Pentagon hasn't been awarding enough Medals of Honor during Afghanistan and Iraq. (Which morphs into a demand made of President Bush -- is the choice between a Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor up to the White House or the Pentagon?)

We need to be inspired by our heroes, the author writes. In an earlier age men like Brian Chontosh would have been given ticker tape parades, he writes...

Isn't odd that the only time newspapers like the NYT want to point out the heroism of the troops is when they can use them as a prop for some kind of off hand criticism of the President?

Let's for one moment consider what the writer of the OP/ED proposes to be a valid course of action for the President.

POTUS picks up the phone and calls the SECDEF.
"Rummy, we need to hand out some more medals in that GWOT."
"I'll get right on that Mr. President."

Yeah, can you imagine the wailing that would ensue when the "loyal opposition" found out about that phone call...which they would...maybe not right away, but when they did the crying about political props and using the blood and sacrifice for political gain...it wouldn't stop.

As to the assertion that too few awards have been given out...if the NYT honestly believes that there are Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen or Marines that have been given short shrift then write a story about them, hell, write ten stories.

Does some of this blame lay with DOD? Of course it does. DOD does a horrible job of highlighting the individual accomplishments and acts of heroism in the current conflict. As to why this happens? Who really knows. I doubt it's some sort of plan...the root of the problem if I had to guess would be that for major awards for valor it takes time to get all the paperwork straight and all the i's dotted and t's crossed. By the time that has taken place the story, no matter how compelling is now months old, so it gets OBE.

As to why only one MOH. Who knows how many are in the works, I've heard of at least one more or maybe two. But since when do we quantify the amount of heroism in a conflict by the number of awards? I guess we do when we think it can make a President we don't like look bad.

"Actress" wishes to visit Iraq

Now is this about the troops or is this about her?

NEW YORK Aug 8, 2006 (AP)— Lindsay Lohan says she wants to go to Iraq with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and entertain American troops there.

"I've been trying to go to Iraq with Hillary Clinton for so long. Hillary was trying to work it out, but it seemed too dangerous," the 20-year-old actress says in an interview in the September issue of Elle magazine, on newsstands Wednesday.

Lohan, whose screen credits include "Freaky Friday," "Mean Girls" and the upcoming "Georgia Rule," says she hoped to emulate Marilyn Monroe, who performed shows for about 100,000 troops stationed in Korea in 1954.

"It's so amazing seeing that one woman just going somewhere, this beautiful sex kitten, who's basically a pinup, which is what I've always aspired to be," Lohan tells the magazine, adding that she would prepare for her trip to Iraq by taking shooting lessons with her security guard.

Yeah, way to ruck up Ms. Lohan, if you get "dehydrated" on a movie set, you're going to have a tough time wearing body armor in 120+ heat...and by the way you're no Marilyn Monroe...I looked it up, yeah it says right here, she was better looking and had more talent than you. Nice try though.

You Gotta Love The Free Enterprise System

It seems the fans or ex-fans have spoken...

Dixie Chicks Cancel 14 Shows on Tour

Aug 8, 7:11 AM (ET)

By JOHN GEROME
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Several concerts on the Dixie Chicks'"Accidents & Accusations" tour have been canceled after slow ticket sales, but the group says it has replaced them with other dates.

Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis, Memphis and Knoxville are among 14 cities no longer on the original schedule released in May, according to a revised itinerary posted Thursday on the Dixie Chick's Web site.

Other shows, including Nashville, Los Angeles, Denver and Phoenix, have been pushed back to later dates.

The North American leg of the tour kicked off July 21 in Detroit. Billboard magazine and other trade publications have reported lackluster sales in some markets, particularly in the South and Midwest.


Group spokeswoman Kathy Allmand said Monday that the total number of North American dates remains the same, with several Canadian cities added in place of the U.S. shows.

The trio released a statement last week attributing the changes to attempts to "accommodate demand" and said more dates might be added next year.

Seems the common sense required to just be a singing group and not piss off the people who pay you has somehow continued to evade these ladies. Have fun in Canada.

Speed And Angels

Here's the trailer from a documentary on the last F-14 Tomcat RAG class...



For more on this go to the WEBSITE

Why doesn't anyone ever make one of these things about Army Aviators? I guess we're too ugly or not charismatic enough...and we swear too much. And don't forget the anti social behavior. I think I've answered my own question.

This is awesome...

Maybe there's hope yet.

From time to time I look at the stats on my site. Today I spotted this, a visitor from:

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

guidons.blogspot.com/2006/07/girl-friday_21.html
guidons.blogspot.com/2006/07/girl-friday_21.html
www.google.com/search?q=pennelope jimenez

Someone in crazytown was asking Google for information on a Playboy Playmate...
This Playmate:



Hope your circut board didn't explode, dude. Peace, out!

Arlington School Says, Stop With The Strip Show Already!

H/T to the The Texican Tattler on this one. Yeah, I haven't been to high school in quite sometime, but I'm quite sure that some guys had a difficult time concentrating on their studies even without that glimpse of boobage. Hell, the high school across town (the rich kids) had a dress code that included hair of a certain length and shirt tails tucked in and darned if they didn't have people making out in the parking lot as well.

Check out the quote from the Eddy Haskel wannabe, Tyler Edwards...

“I think it's good that they're doing it,”

...of course Tyler could be gay or a girl so maybe I should reserve judgment.

Texas School District Bans Cleavage
(CBS) ARLINGTON, Texas With a new school year about to begin, some female students in one Texas school district may have to rethink their wardrobes.

Teen fashions often leave parents a little disgruntled. Arlington Independent School District parent Frances Henson said, “I'm thinking that our daughters are growing up a little bit too fast these days.”

Arlington School Board members agree with parents and this summer, they adopted an unusual amendment to the student dress code.

The new dress code reads, in part, “The display of cleavage is unacceptable. Low cut blouses, tops, sweaters, etc. with plunging necklines are not allowed."

“It's gotten bad enough that, unfortunately, our young males are looking at more than their English book, their speech book, their science book,” says school board president Sherri Wade. “And it's kind of nice to have something left to the imagination.”

Even some teenagers agree there is a problem. “I think it's good that they're doing it,” said student, Tyler Edwards.

Others students say it makes back-to-school shopping more difficult. “I just have to be more careful with what shirts I buy. Change my style a little,” said student, Maria Lopez.

That's right Maria keep those things locked up till you get old enough to get that job at the strip joint over on Northwest Hwy! What the hell kind of clothes is she buying for school anyway?

The worst or best thing (depending on your point of view) we had in high school were those tight blue jeans the girls liked to wear, and there was that one girl who preferred not to wear bras very much....uh what was I saying?!? Oh yeah...HEY YOU KIDS! QUIT LOOKING AT BOOBS AND GET BACK TO YOUR STUDIES!

He's Not Laughing With You, He's Laughing At You...

I haven't seen "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby", but I have seen many Will Ferrell performances both during his time on Saturday Night Live and in movies like "Anchorman" and "Old School". While he can be howlingly funny, he also has a mean streak (his impression of GWB as a coke fiend, his take on singer Robert Goulet are some of the mean spirited things, funny but mean spirited he's done). Judging from the trailers that have been on TV and the INTERNET, I got the impression that this movie might be indeed funny but the jokes aren't being done with any appreciation or love of what is being spoofed. I got the distinct impression that the people making this feature view the people they are spoofing as rubes and idiots. Sort of backing up my impression is this review from Entertainment Weekly...

Will Ferrell has a mission, if not an obsession — to celebrate, and satirize, the pumped-up folly of American manhood — and he has found a customized vehicle for it in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. As Ricky, a NASCAR racer with major daddy issues who grows up nursing one thought (''I wanna go fast''), Ferrell uses his steady-silly baby-fat gaze and impervious ego to make gleeful fun of the tacky bravado of ''outlaw'' Southern car culture.

How arrogant a yokel is Ricky? He can't stop preening about his skills (''I wake up...and I p--- excellence!''), he's so greedy for sponsors that he plasters a Fig Newton decal on his windshield, and he turns the act of saying grace into a competitive sport. He also won't let his best friend, the boobish rube Cal (John C. Reilly), win a single race. Talladega Nights takes some very funny cheap shots, especially when Ricky faces down his new team member — a gay, French, Camus-reading-behind-the-wheel Formula One driver played, with a leer worthy of Peter Sellers, by Sacha Baron Cohen.

I'm not a big NASCAR fan and I've been known to refer to it as NeckCAR from time to time...but I can understand why a lot of folks find the races an exciting and fun way to spend a weekend. So far this weekend a lot of people have attended this picture, and really I hope they enjoyed themselves (there's nothing worse than going to a movie and them having to deal with one that sucks...who the hell am I kidding there's a lot of things worse than that, but anyway)...I hope that I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that he's laughing at you and not with you...all the way to the bank.

Great Speech, Great Soldier

In case you missed it on BLACKFIVE

This is the best speech I have had the pleasure to hear in quite sometime...LTC White is the MAN!



A couple of quotes...

...THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST ARE NOT NECESSARILY ON CAMPUS OR IN THE CORPORATE BOARDROOM RIGHT NOW. THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST ARE YOU MEN! …YOU OUT THERE ON THE PARADE FIELD. DON'T EVER THINK THAT THE KIDS RUNNING AROUND ON SOME COLLEGE CAMPUSES PROTESTING AND WHINING HAVE ANYTHING ON YOU. YOU ARE PRIVILEGED TO HAVE THE ONE ADVANTAGE THAT ALL COVET... YOU WILL KNOW MANY OF LIFES TRUTHS – YOU'LL KNOW ABOUT THE GOINGS ON IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, DJIBOUTI, THE PHILIPPINES, THE BALKANS AND MANY OTHER PLACES. YOU WON'T HAVE TO GUESS OR BASE AN OPINION ON SOME BESPECTACLED SO CALLED EXPERT, OR HOLLYWOOD “PROFESSIONAL PRETENDER” WHO DEFINES DANGER AS CROSSING THE STREET, LEAVING CAMPUS, OR HAVING A DECAF LATTE INSTEAD OF A REGULAR. YOUR HEAD WILL NOT BE FILLED WITH THE EMPTY THEORY OF THE OLD PATHETIC SLACKERS WHO TEACH ON MANY CAMPUSES... THE ONES WHO RAN TO CANADA, OR HID OUT IN EUROPE, WHILE MANY OF THE VETS WITH US HERE TODAY PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE IN A PLACE CALLED VIETNAM. THE SNIDE ARROGANT CROWD WHO SPEND THE DAY BLAMING AMERICA FOR EVERY WRONG IN THE WORLD BEFORE GOING HOME TO SLEEP AT NIGHT UNDER THE BLANKET OF FREEDOM PROVIDED BY BETTER MEN! ...BETTER MEN SUCH AS YOU STANDING ON THE GRADUATION FIELD...

...A DECISION THAT YOU MAKE UNDER DURESS; WITH LITTLE TIME FOR REFLECTION OR THOUGHT, MAY QUITE LITERALLY IMPACT THE ACTIONS OF POLICY CUSTODIANS IN OUR NATION'S CAPITOL. - - - - - THAT'S NOT HYPE FELLAS…IT'S A FACT. you're the latest band of brothers miles away from “the flagpole” and making things happen in the very best way that you can…SOMETIMES MAKING IT UP AS YOU GO. THE TECHNO WANNABEES IN THE CORPORATE WORLD CAN'T BEGIN TO IMAGINE THE VAST RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU HAVE ACCEPTED. YOU WILL BE scrutinized like no warriors before YOU. Expected to eradicate our enemies, pacify the critics, and abide by the rules of land warfare as we ARE committed to doing. YOU'LL hold more responsibility and do more in the NEXT few years than most people will do in an entire lifetime. High expectations to be sure...but YOU will succeed...BECAUSE YOU ARE THE 21 ST CENTURY SPARTAN....SOMETIMES ALONE, BUT NEVER AFRAID...YOU'LL QUELL ANY STORM AND ALWAYS RIDE THE THUNDER, YOU'LL BE GREAT DAILY, AND ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT WHEN FACED WITH ADVERSITY...THE STEELY EYED, KNUCKLE-DRAGGIN, FLAT BELLIED, OAKLEY WEARING, DOOR BUSTING, AND WHEN APPROPRIATE --- COMPASSIONATE AND KIND UNITED STATES INFANTRYMAN.

Apache P0rn

In light of my upcoming deployment here's some pictures from my last middle eastern adventure...

A little bit of truth

I got this via e-mail from a "friend" of mine...

A tourist walked into a pet store and began looking at the animals on
display. While he was there, a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant from the local Air Station walked in and said to the shopkeeper, "I'll take a 6114 Monkey,
please."

The clerk nodded, went to a cage at the side of the store and took out a monkey. He put a collar and leash on the animal and handed it to the Gunny, saying, "That'll be $1,000." The Gunny paid and left with the monkey.

Surprised, the tourist went to the shopkeeper and said, "That was a very expensive monkey. Most of them are only a few hundred dollars. Why did that one cost so much?"

The shopkeeper answered, "Ah, that 6114 Monkey, he can rig aircraft flight controls, score 300 on the Marine Corps PFT, set up a perimeter defense and perform the duties of SDO with no mistakes. It's well worth the money."

The tourist spotted a monkey in another cage. "That one's even more expensive--$10,000! What can it do?"

"Oh, that one is a "Maintenance Supervisor" monkey. It can instruct at all levels of maintenance, supervise maintenance at the O & I and Depot level, and even do most of the paperwork. A very useful monkey indeed," replied the shopkeeper.

The tourist looked around a little longer and found a third monkey in a cage. The price tag read "$50,000". The shocked tourist exclaimed, "That one costs more than all the others put together! What in the world can it do?"

"Well, the shopkeeper said, I've never actually seen him do anything but drink beer and play with him self, but his papers say he's a pilot."

Tweaking the Religion of Peace ™ We Present Girl Friday

Former Playmate, Star Search Model, now artist Christy Thom welcomes this weekend.

Damn It's Hot In The Summertime

I've about had it up to here (I'm holding a hand over the top of my head) with the pissing and moaning about how hot it is. It's unbearable! The world is coming to an end! ETC. and so on.

I seem to recall a time (the 1980's) where it was over 100 degrees for many many days in a row...and somehow we survived and the polar icecaps remained in place.

A quick INTERNET (you know that thing Al Gore invented) search yield the following info:

The record in Texas for the most 100 degree days in a summer was 82 in the city of Corsicana in 1954. The next closest is 69 by DFW in 1980. Coming in third is Waco (in 1980, YEA!) and Mineral Wells (in 1956)

All time high temperatures 118 in McKinney in 1936 followed by 115, Paris also in that blistering summer of 1936. Mineral Wells had 114 in 1980.

So what am I getting at? It's hot in the summertime and it always has been. In the 80's it really wasn't big news because Al Gore was badgering "Twisted Sister" about the nasty lyrics in their songs instead of making lame documentaries based on junk science. In the 30's people were too worried about the Great Depression and where their next meal was coming from to get too worked up about the heat.

To top it all off, the President is on vacation at the ranch in Crawford and the pussy press is already bitching about the heat and other things. Last year I noted the "comic" stylings of Fox News' James Rosen in my post entitled James Rosen, Comedian?!? where he whines, bitches and cries about how Central Texas isn't like Washington DC. With reporting acumen like that it's no wonder he's the go to guy at FOX for chasing the Secretary of State all over the planet. Thanks Master of the Obvious. I salivate at the thought of all the insightful commentary I have to look forward to as this years reporting twits bloviate about Texas weather and the "quaint" (read backward) community that the President chooses to call home.

Maybe its the heat that makes them that stupid...another thing caused by global warming.

In Case You Missed It...

I know you wouldn't know it from watching the news but there still is a war going on in Iraq.

Two press releases today from Iraq. Four kidnappers dressed
as Iraqi Policemen arrested by MND-B Soldiers. Iraqi Army capture four
Terrorists. Click the links below to find the press releases.

IA SOLDIERS CAPTURE 4 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS, FIND WEAPONS

MND-B SOLDIERS CAPTURE 4 SUSPECTED KIDNAPPERS

U.S. Central Command
Public Affairs

Bob on the FOB

A Powerpoint presentation is making its way around the Army here's one slide...
Some of you may recognize this individual...



For more of these go to BOB on the FOB

A Bridge Called Chuck

The mother of all bad-ass bridges...the two main support columns are named "Law" and "Order"

Chuck Norris leads the way in Budapest bridge-naming vote

If Hungarian voters have their way then Budapest could be the home for the first bridge in the world to be named after Chuck Norris, the high-kicking star of countless action movies.

The Ministry of Economy and Transport could well be kicking itself after the star become an early front runner in an online poll organized by the ministry to name a new bridge across the Danube.

Almost 9000 people have voted for the "Chuck Norris Bridge".

For the rest see This article in the Sydney Morning Herald.

H/T Ace of Spades

Are You Too Hooah?

Even though I hate the word Hooah (What is the sound of a mind slamming shut? Hooah!) I thought I'd post this oldie but goodie...

Are you too Hooah?
Your wife's two favorite shades of lipstick are light green and loam.
You go to a barbecue and insist that your family feed in a tactical chow line at five meter intervals
Before you hit the road on vacation you conduct rehearsals, backbriefs, PCI, and cover your convoy checklist.
Your children clear their hand receipt and housing before they go to college.
Your wife has more jumps than most LTs in the company.
Your kids call the yard their MWR area.
You require your mechanic to replace the sandbags in your floorboard as a part of a tune-up.
Your station wagon is equipped with blackout lights, OVE, OVM, and has to be properly dispatched.
Your kids call their mother "Household 6."
Your kids use the "F" word at least five times in every sentence.
Your kids volunteer to pull air guard on the school bus.
Your doorbell sounds off with the current challenge and password.
Your house has sector sketches posted by every window.
You give the command "Fix Bayonets" at Thanksgiving Dinner.
Your kids show their meal cards at the kitchen door, except the oldest, who is on separate rations.
You make your daughter sign out on pass on Prom Night.
Your kindergartner calls recess "smoke break."
Your wife calls foreplay "prepping the objective."
Your wife conducts an "hot wash" after sex.
Your wife "takes a knee" in the checkout line at the Food Lion.
You do your "back to school" shopping at the U.S. Cavalry store.
Your kids call the tooth fairy "Slicky Boy."
Your son fails the third grade but tells everyone he was a "phase three recycle."
Your kids salute their grandparents.
Your wife's "high-n-tight" is more squared away than your commander's.
Your kids get a LES for their allowance.
Your grandmother won "All American Week" and "Best Ranger."
All your kids have names that start with AR, FM, TM, or DA Form.
Your pick-up has your name stenciled on the windshield.
Your kids are hand-receipt holders.
Your older kids call the youngest one "Cherry."
Your kids recite their ABCs phonetically.
Your wife keeps Mermites in the China cabinet.
You DX'd your wife and then you held a "Change of Command" ceremony.
You call your in-laws the "Slice Elements."
Your dog's name is "Ranger."
All your possessions are military issue.
Your kids call their sandbox "NTC or CMTC"
You have pull-up bars outside the kitchen door.
Your daughter's first haircut was a flattop.
Your kids pull fireguard.
Your newborn's first words were "all OK Jumpmaster."
You "bum dips" from your four year old daughter.
The only channels you get are FOX, The Military Channel and ESPN.

Are You Ready To Go Back?

The other day my boss asked me if I was ready to go back to Iraq. My immediate answer was an empathic "NO".

He said to me,"You could have taken a few seconds before you answered."

I laughed and waited a few seconds before telling him, "Just because I don't want to go back doesn't mean I'm not willing or don't understand why I need to be there. And just because I'm willing to go doesn't mean I should be happy that I am leaving behind family, friends and everything else that is nice and good in the world for that place...the place I may not come back from standing up."

My job as a senior Warrant Officer in my Battalion is a position of some responsibility not only to the Battalion mission but to my fellow Warrant Officers and aviators. To teach and mentor them to the best of my ability, to insure that they are prepared for what lies ahead. Since May we've been going non-stop trying to prepare for the war ahead...and it's tough sometimes to get everything done that needs to get done (at least as far as I'm concerned). Add to that things like aerial gunnery, my Annual Aviator Proficiency Readiness Test (AAPRT), flight physicals, US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Aviation Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and a few other things and you might understand why I feel worn down and not at all enthusiastic about going to the sand box again.

But in spite of all that, I understand the need and accept the responsibility involved with moving to and commencing operations a combat zone. Hopefully we won't be required to do this too many more times. But no matter how many times we are required to answer the call there will always be a soldier standing there ready to pick up the slack...just don't expect us to be happy about it.

And People Complain About American TV

"I'll Rochambeau you for it!"