Monday, 28 May 2007
 

Today is Memorial Day....
Contributed by antimedia

....the day that America remembers her fallen, those men and woman who have selflessly given their lives in the cause of freedom — from the beginnings of our country to the present day. It is a day for reflection not recrimination, a day for mourning not politics, a day for thinking about what makes America great.

The men and women of this country who have given their lives in the cause of freedom are not supermen or a special genetic class gifted with a super gene of courage. They are and were ordinary Americans, from every walk of life, who, when confronted with terrifying options, chose to risk their lives in the service of their country and to save and protect their fellow warriors.

Many Americans live selfless lives of sacrifice, toiling away in anonymity, building this country brick by brick, story by story. America's heroes are their inspiration, their hope. Their stories, and the greatness of this country that those stories represent, are what drives others to work long hours and sacrifice for their families.

When you read the stories of Medal Of Honor recipients (they are not winners!), you are struck by the similarity of their stories. Without regard for their personal safety and fully aware of the extreme danger which they were encountering, they pressed forward toward a goal; taking a ridge, saving a buddy, destroying the enemy, defending their position.

From the famous, and even legendary, to the unknown and the almost forgotten, from youngsters who lied to enlist to aged warriors fighting in their n^th conflict, from the dispossessed to the disenfranchised, these men and women exemplified the best of America; the willingness to take on insurmountable odds, the refusal to accept defeat under the worst of circumstances, the indomitable spirit that built this great country and sustains it still.

All of these are values we, as Americans, should not only celebrate but strive to emulate. When we refuse to celebrate the lives and sacrifices of these men and women, when we allow others to denigrate them and insult them, when we ignore them and don't think about what their lives mean to us personally, we cheapen America. Bit by bit, piece by piece, we chip away at the edifice these men and women fought to defend.

Abraham Lincoln, who himself gave his life for this country, once said, "Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure." His words, spoken more than a century ago, are more important now than at any time in our history.

This nation cannot long survive if it continues to forget what, and who, made it great.

Crossposted at Media Lies.

Contributed by antimedia on May 28, 2007 at 03:42 PM in Antimedia, Memorial Day | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 22 May 2007
 

A consistent theme of the supporters....
Contributed by antimedia

....of the awful Senate immigration bill is, "If you think it's bad come up with something better." The corollary is, "No one who criticizes this bill has offered a better solution."

Here's mine:

1. Enforce the existing laws.  Once you have done that, we can talk about what to do with the illegals still in the US.
   1. Enforce the fines and criminal penalties that you said you would enforce against companies that hire illegal aliens.  Right now "enforcement" is a joke.
            
   2. Stop giving government benefits to illegal aliens.  They haven't earned it, and you passed laws making it illegal.  Should we have you arrested for defying the law?
            
   3. Enforce the laws against harboring that you said you would enforce when landlords rent to illegal aliens.  No one is ever arrested for harboring any more.
         
   
      
2. Close the border. Really. Stop the influx of illegal aliens. Prove you mean business. Earmark some money for increasing the border patrol to the point that it's no longer possible to enter the country illegally. Build a fence. Increase surveillance. Until you stop illegal entry, what's the point of dealing with the existing illegal population?
      
3. Reform the immigration process so that it doesn't take ten years and multiple visits (starting over from scratch) to become a legal citizen
   

After you've done that, we can talk about what to do with the illegal aliens that remain in the country. Of course, by that time most of them will have left because they can't find a job or a place to stay and they can't get government benefits, but we do have a place where the ones that remain can get three squares a day and a place to sleep — prison.

Read the rest at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on May 22, 2007 at 11:50 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Don't look now.... (Bumped)
Contributed by antimedia

....but there hasn't been a major terror attack in Baghdad for over a week.   

There hasn’t been any major security incidents in Baghdad since the attacks on three bridges in both its northern and southern suburbs on Friday May 11, more than a week ago. This doesn’t mean Baghdad is essentially calm: there are episodes -albeit minor and limited- still happening from time to time. They often go unreported, so there’s no information on whether they leave any casualties. Anyway, we do hear small blasts and bursts of machine guns a few times a day. In most cases it’s impossible to know whether those were raids by security forces or attacks by militants.

While there’s a decline in significant violence in the capital, there has been an increase in mortar and rocket attacks on the Green Zone as well as heavy attacks on other provinces, namely Diyala and Mosul. In Diyala the increase in violence is just relative, since the province and Baghdad were racing against each other in terms of violence. On the other hand, Mosul has recently been the scene of organized, large-scale attacks after months of relative calm. Mosul is luckier than Diyala, though, as the security forces have usually managed to repel the attacks and limit the losses.

Repeat after me — the surge isn't working, the surge isn't working, the surge isn't working....the war is lost, the war is lost.....we need to get out of Iraq now....

Crossposted at Media Lies

Tags: Iraq surge Baghdad

[Original timestamp 2007.05.21.20:59]

Contributed by antimedia on May 22, 2007 at 12:31 PM in Antimedia, Iraq | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 05 May 2007
 

Session III - MIlblogging Conference....
Contributed by antimedia

....During lunch Chuck Ziegenfuss talked about how the Valour IT project got started.  It was absolutely hilarious. 

I'm excited about this year's upcoming fund raiser. Last year we raised $235,000. I threw out the number $1,000,000 as a goal for next year. I really believe it's possible if we prepare well enough.

The afternoon began with the rapid-fire session, and a reporter was on the panel. He gave his argument for why he thinks the media isn't biased against the US and/or the military. He spoke about a bias toward sensationalism, a bias toward the negative and a bias toward skepticism toward the government. (More on that later.) But he insisted that the media was not biased against America or the troops and that they are not aiding and abetting Al Qaeda. I'm sure he was sincere.

The main discussion centered around blogging, opsec and the military public affairs system. The online conference attendees were blistering the PAO system over the slow response, according to John of Castle Arghhh, for the failure to offset the Al Qaeda media blitz and the byzantine rules they use for approving press releases.

A DoD official stood up, strode to the mike and said they're trying to learn, they're eager to engage milbloggers and they want the story to get out. Then a PAO officer came up and spoke about the efforts they're making to engage and the difficulties of providing real time reports without violating op-sec and with accuracy.

We'll see.

Regarding the reporter, I got a large round of applause when I confronted him about his bias. I pointed out to him that his claim of skepticism about the government doesn't seem to apply to anonymous leakers and people with an agenda against the government. Afterwards, several people thanked me for what I had said and claimed that they had thought the same thing when he spoke.

The final session is about supporting the troops in real, tangible ways. Appropriately, Chuck Ziegenfuss is moderating and Patty Bader and other Soldiers Angels folks are on the panel. It's amazing how many different groups have arisen on an ad hoc basis to provide support for troops; care packages, mail, email, support for wounded warriors and those with long term disabilities, support for spouses and families of deployed soldiers, support for the bereaved family when a soldier dies in theatre.

All these groups need financial support, but they also need physical support. If you can help, consider finding a way to get involved in your area. Go to America Supports You or any of the other organizations in the right sidebar and find a way to help doing something you enjoy.

Cross posted at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on May 5, 2007 at 02:31 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The second annual Milblog Conference....
Contributed by antimedia

....is underway and going strong. Right now we're listening to a spouses and loved ones panel discussing what it's like to have a loved one deployed and at war. The first panel was milbloggers who blog or blogged from in theatre. Sgt. Hook, Bill Roggio, Doc in a Box and Bill Ardolino were on the Panel and Matt Burden of Blackfive was the moderator.

There was a lot of discussion about PAOs and how the Marines are great and the Army sucks. Then some people stood up for some of the Army PAOs that they know personally. Like anything else, there are great ones and not so great ones, but the military really needs to get on board with the 21st century. (The Army PAO that contacted me for an interview has never responded to my emails. I'm sure he's busy, but really! It's 2007!)

There was a lot of discussion as well about how things are going in Iraq and how there are good reporters in the field who submit stories every day, but their editors back in the US never publish them unless they are sensational. One questioner walked up to the mike and began by sarcastically saying that we'd been discussing the media for 45 minutes and not once had we mentioned Paris Hilton. So the conference is obviously a failure.

A small anecdote, true, but very to the point. Our media isn't interested in telling the truth. They're interested in telling sensational stories that will generate revenue, and they particularly like the ones that portray the US in a negative light.

The second panel has been sharply critical of the jerks that leak deployment information before the families are notified. Yes, the media bears some responsibility for this, but the real culprits are the self-centered jerks in the Pentagon who put their personal pride ahead of the feelings of the military community.

They've also discussed PTSD and other problems that military families have to deal with routinely and how we need to make the people of America more familiar with the problems that military families endure. Vickie of Some Soldiers Mom made an incredible statement - "not all the wounds our troops suffer are visible".

Now Robert Stokely, who lost his son in Iraq, is speaking about how the milblog community "gave him his life back" after his son died. He said, "I get asked all the, 'Is Iraq worth it?'" His answer is, "Ask the little boy who grew up to be a man and gave his life for Iraq."

Cross posted at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on May 5, 2007 at 12:41 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Friday, 27 April 2007
 

If you're at all concerned about justice....
Contributed by antimedia

....you should be reading this update on the Haditha story.  It's far too long to quote here, and there's extremely important information in this account.

The prosecution's case keeps getting weaker and weaker. They have now offered immunity to over half the people involved. Furthermore, the prosecution withheld crucial evidence instead of giving it to the defense.

In a nutshell, the case exploded when an intelligence officer dropped a bombshell on prosecutors during a pre-hearing interview when he revealed the existence of exculpatory evidence that appears to have been obtained by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and withheld from the prosecutors.

Read the rest at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on April 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM in Antimedia, US Marine Corps | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

And to think that he was once....
Contributed by antimedia

....the Counterterrorism Czar!  Richard Clarke wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News that is an amazing exercise in non sequiturs.

Does the President think terrorists are puppy dogs? He keeps saying that terrorists will "follow us home" like lost dogs. This will only happen, however, he says, if we "lose" in Iraq.

The puppy dog theory is the corollary to earlier sloganeering that proved the President had never studied logic: "We are fighting terrorists in Iraq so that we will not have to face them and fight them in the streets of our own cities."

That would be in opposition to Clarke's preferred method of fighting terrorism — the ostrich method.

Of course Clarke never explains how the terrorists have managed to overcome the laws of physics so they can be in two places at once, but never mind, Bush is wrong.

Of course, nothing about our being "over there" in any way prevents terrorists from coming here. Quite the opposite, the evidence is overwhelming that our presence provides motivation for people throughout the Arab world to become anti-American terrorists.

Because America has simply been flooded by terrorists since we entered Iraq, right?  The evidence really is overwhelming, isn't it?

Read the rest at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on April 27, 2007 at 08:26 PM in Antimedia, War? What war? | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

You have two choices. You can take the media's....
Contributed by antimedia

....word for what's going on in Iraq, or you can listen to Gen. Petreaus reporting on developments in Iraq. The Democrats have chosen the former.

It wouldn't hurt to read Steve Schippert's report on Iraq as well. Steve is a military expert with extensive contacts in the area and an astute understanding of the cultures and religions of Iraq.

Contributed by antimedia on April 27, 2007 at 04:01 PM in Antimedia, Iraq, Media Perfidy | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 25 April 2007
 

If you are one who believes....
Contributed by antimedia

....that our government was behind 9/11 (a really stupid thought), then perhaps this will help cure you of your disease of idiocy.

HH: Mr. Wright, back to the situation at hand. In the United States, how, how deep is the penetration of al Qaeda into the American Muslim community?

LW: Oh, we are so fortunate, Hugh, by comparison with the situation in Europe. And people are always asking me, you know, what makes us safe? Are we safer? And what makes us safe is not the contact lens solution they might take away from you at the airport. What makes us safer is the fact that the average American Muslim makes a higher wage than the average American, is twice as likely to go to college, is much less likely to go to prison. Compare that with the situation in France, where you have about 10% of the population is Muslim, 50% of the prisoners are. The degree of alienation and marginalization that is felt in the Islamic communities in Europe is so stark by comparison with the integration of American Muslims into our society. That is just…it’s a profound difference. And there are radicals in America, plenty of them. But I remember one night in Birmingham, England. I was having Iftar with a group of radical Islamists, and one of them, this was maybe 2004, and one of them was talking about how he approved of the kidnapping and beheading of aid workers in Iraq. And as he was saying that, I thought you know, this guy is dangerous, and I know there are guys like him in the U.S. But I looked around the room, and there were these other people nodding their heads in agreement. And I thought it’s those nodding heads that are really dangerous, because they surround him with an approving community that allows him to conspire, and allows him to think these wicked thoughts. And that’s the difference, I think, between the Europe situation and the American. We don’t have the nodding heads. We might one day, but that’s the thing that makes it so difficult for sleeper cells and that kind of thing to organize in this country, because they don’t have the approving community they do in Europe.

HH: Do you, from your conversations with American intelligence analysts and police officers, do you believe that the cooperation with American authorities within the American Muslim community is to such an extent that we can spot and prevent jihadi attacks, as opposed to London where they say it’s a matter of time before they get hit again?

Read the rest at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on April 25, 2007 at 10:53 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 14 April 2007
 

A country gone mad?
Contributed by Bill Faith

From Media Lies:

I've been searching for two days.... 

....for a way to express what I'm feeling right now. I think almost half the country has gone completely mad, and if Steven [sic] is right, the Kennedy assassination is the touchstone of that insanity. In the past few days I have read some of the most insane "reasoning" you can possibly imagine.

I'll confess. For a long time I believed in the possibility that a conspiracy was behind Kennedy's assassination. For many years that thought lingered in the back of my mind, never consuming my thoughts but festering nonetheless. That all changed, however, when I watched the PBS special that aired on the 40^th anniversary of that tragic event. Once the facts were presented, there was no question in my mind that Oswald acted alone. The facts were too overwhelming to leave any doubt.

For many people, however, the Kennedy assassination (and the subsequent assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King) shattered their faith in government forever. Now they are willing to believe any wild story that comes along. So much so that the fact that they actually watched planes fly into the World Trade Center buildings doesn't deter for one second their willingness to believe that the government blew the buildings up as a pretext for war. ...

***

SEEING THE UNSEEN, Part 2 
Bill Whittle

Occam’s Razor is the idea that when confronted with competing theories that explain certain data equally well, the simplest one is usually correct. It’s called Occam’s Razor, and not Occam’s Hypothesis, or Occam’s Theorem, or Occam’s Bit of Useful Advice, because it is a razor – it cuts cleanly and with great efficiency.

And though it pains me to say so, this culture is in desperate need of a shave.

IT’S A CONSPIRACY!

I want to forgo the niceties of the hot towel and go straight for the jugular on this one. My goal here is not to bust any of these four conspiracy theories; that has all been done much more effictively elsewhere. What I am trying to do here is to build a chain of evidence to show a progressively deteriorating epidemic of world-wide insanity, of truly diseased thinking -- not just a misunderstanding or difference of opinion but real, diagnosable mental illness.

I want to get to that disease in a minute -- and the cause of it too – but first let’s examine what some people claim to believe in and the mountains of sand one has to carry in order to bury one’s head so deep.  ...

9/11 and The Birth of a Notion

Of course, all of this is just the soup for the main course.

Recently, Rosie O’Donnell said on national television that she believes 9/11 was orchestrated by the US government.

Well, that’s why we went through the steps above. If you believe that the government lied about the moon landing, you can believe they lied about killing JFK. If they lied about JFK, then they can lie about chemtrails. And if they are willing to poison the entire population with aerial spraying, what are a few thousand people in four airliners and a couple of buildings?

Rosie O’ Donnell making such a claim on a major network is a national disgrace. The fact that much of the audience cheered and applauded is nothing less than a national catastrophe.

To her, and to her audience, it is taken as granted that the government is capable of such things. As if “the government” was operated by cyborgs grown in Haliburton vats, rather than by well-meaning and patriotic people that love this country.

"This is the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel," she said. This is a statement of such pristine and perfect idiocy that it surely must be emblazoned in stone across the entrance to the Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History. But mastery of physics and engineering requires some intelligence, some perseverance and some discipline: none of which are in evidence in this buffoon. Everything is a conspiracy to a mind this far gone. The 15 British sailors kidnapped at sea? All a plan by our evil (but incompetent!) government to get the next war it so desperately needs. “Gulf of Tonkin! Google It, people!” she said on national TV.

And I will, Rosie. I promise. As soon as I finish googling MAD COW DISEASE.

I will make the point yet again because I believe it is the crux of the issue: what kind of moral universe do you have to inhabit to be able to believe that your own people – airline personnel, demolition experts, police and security forces, faked witnesses and all the rest – are capable of such a thing? How much hate for your own society do you have to carry in order to live in such a desolate and ridiculous mental hell? What psychoses must a mind be riddled with in order to negate what was perfectly obvious and instead believe a theory of such monumental fantasy? How much pure constant hatred does that take?

What, in short, is the miserable black hole of self-loathing that drives a person like Rosie O’Donnell and millions like her?

You know who I blame for this pathetic state of affairs? I blame Leonard Nimoy. ...

[Read the whole thing.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 14, 2007 at 07:28 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 24 March 2007
 

This is absolutely classic....
Contributed by antimedia

...Al Gore recently testified before a Senate committee. It was a blatant attempt by the Democrats to give Al some face time and allow him to promote his money-making global warming scam. They even made sure that the Republicans didn't get much time to question Al, and when they finally got to, Al gave lengthy, long-winded answers to keep them from asking too many questions.

One Senator, however, got in a very revealing zinger.

Gore has been criticized for excessive home energy usage at his residence in Tennessee. His electricity usage is reportedly 20 times higher than the average American household.

It has been reported that many of these so-called carbon offset projects would have been done anyway. Also, carbon offset projects such as planting trees can take decades or even a century to sequester the carbon emitted today. So energy usage today results in greenhouse gases remaining in the atmosphere for decades, even with the purchase of so-called carbon offsets.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people who adore you and would follow your example by reducing their energy usage if you did. Don’t give us the run-around on carbon offsets or the gimmicks the wealthy do,” Senator Inhofe told Gore.

“Are you willing to make a commitment here today by taking this pledge to consume no more energy for use in your residence than the average American household by one year from today?” Senator Inhofe asked.

Senator Inhofe then presented Vice President Gore with the following "Personal Energy Ethics Pledge:

As a believer:
    ·        that human-caused global warming is a moral, ethical, and spiritual issue affecting our survival;
    ·        that home energy use is a key component of overall energy use;
    ·        that reducing my fossil fuel-based home energy usage will lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions; and
    ·        that leaders on moral issues should lead by example;
I pledge to consume no more energy for use in my residence than the average American household by March 21, 2008.”

Gore refused to take the pledge.

In one fell swoop, Inhofe put the lie to all of Al's bloviating, exposed his hypocrisy for all to see and made Al admit that he doesn't, and won't, practice what he preaches.

Oh I wouldn't expect Al to reduce his energy consumption to the same level as me. I've done quite a bit of work to reduce my energy consumption. I can't afford not to. But Al could have made a promise to reduce his consumption by some amount — 10%? 20%? Something!

Instead he refused. Good old Al. Just as tone deaf as ever. In one way, Al fits right in. He's just like the smarmy preachers who raise tons of money from their gullible followers and spend them on mansions and limos and private jets, laughing at the rubes while being driven to the bank. His is just a different denomination.  (Crossposted at Media Lies.)

Contributed by antimedia on March 24, 2007 at 09:47 PM in Antimedia | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Thursday, 22 March 2007
 

Despite my distrust of the media....
Contributed by antimedia

....there are a few that get it right.

......it turns out that the best reason to hit the pavement on Saturday was over in Washington, D.C.

You would have been hard-pressed to hear so in most media coverage, but Vietnam veterans and other concerned Americans showed up from as far away as Hawaii and Alaska - one unofficial estimate pegged their numbers at 30,000 - to ring and defend the war memorials in the nation's capital, easily outnumbering the ANSWER protesters who drew the bulk of the coverage.

Kristinn Taylor, D.C. coordinator and spokesman for Gathering of Eagles, said anti-war protesters tried to break through their lines and reach the memorials, but "they were not successful." Taylor said the Vietnam vets came together and took a stand for an important reason: "They do not want to see this generation of American servicemen and women be put through what they went through."

As a frequent protest crasher, I'm sorry I missed this sea change in the tired old script of Iraq demonstrations. It was even more uplifting to read messages left afterward on the Eagles' blog by participants.

"Forty years lost in the wilderness," wrote one. "Forty years in exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in the air. I can feel it. ... We have to care enough to save it. I have hope again."

The quote is from my good friend, Bill Faith. His expression reflects the feelings of many Vietnam vets. For most of their adult lives, they have quietly gone about their business, avoiding the limelight and staying far away from the turmoil of politics. Scarred by their experiences returning to a nation that rejected them and despised them, they wanted nothing more than to go home and be left alone.

Read the rest at Media Lies.

***

Bill Faith adds:

Thanks, Anti. Del emailed me a copy of that column and I decided to take a short nap before I posted about it. I'm glad I did. You handled it much better than I would have.

Contributed by antimedia on March 22, 2007 at 10:33 PM in Antimedia, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 21 March 2007
 

What's going on in Iraq?....
Contributed by antimedia

....Victory.  Yes, that's right.  Victory.

In late February and early March 2007, the London dailies Al-Hayat and Al-QudsAl-'Arabi reported on an escalation of the conflict in western Iraq between the local population and the Al-Qaeda in Iraq organization. Fierce battles were reported in Al-Amariyah and Al-Falluja between Al-Qaeda and the local Al-Anbar tribes, resulting in the death of dozens of Al-Qaeda fighters and in the weakening of Al-Qaeda in these areas.

Thus, for example, Al-Quds Al-'Arabi reported: "For the past five months or so, fierce battles have been raging in the cities of Al-Anbar province between tribal [forces] and Al-Qaeda in Iraq, with dozens of fatalities on both sides... [According to the tribes,] Al-Qaeda accuses anyone who tries to help the police force to maintain security and stability of being an agent of the occupation…"

"On February 25, 2007, a truck-bomb exploded near a mosque in Al-Habbaniyah... killing over 50 people - most of them civilians - and wounding over 100... The local inhabitants said that the imam of the mosque... had criticized Al-Qaeda in his Friday sermon the day before the bombing... About two weeks earlier, a car bomb exploded in a market in the village of Al-Bu Alwan, killing 10 people and injuring 12... A leader of the Al-Bu 'Isa tribe said that his tribe has formed armed militias [in the region] between Al-Ramadi and Al-Falluja that keep strangers from entering the area out of fear that they may be suicide bombers." [1]

Read the rest at Media Lies.

Contributed by antimedia on March 21, 2007 at 09:30 PM in Antimedia, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 20 March 2007
 

I don't attempt poetry often....
Contributed by antimedia

....I hope you enjoy this.

America the beautiful, sweet land of liberty
Our Fathers fought and died for her, for you and you and me
Down through the ages they have come to stand and die for us
For them the priceless freedom's gift was worth the personal cost

No man who fights in hellish war would volunteer to die
Far less would face the fearsome fire to champion a lie
Yet many brave have stood and fought unto the bitter end
For freedom and America, their brothers and their kin

What do the living owe these men who gave their lives for us?
What could we ever say or do to compensate their loss?
If from Valhalla's halls they came to speak to us at last
What would they say to us but this - hold fast, my friend, hold fast

When howling winds bring fear your way and darkened clouds have formed
When enemies are all around and building is the storm
When all seems lost and you're alone surrounded by the foe
Hold fast, my friend, once more hold fast, just as we have done

For freedom's never easy friend, nor for the weak of heart
Its treasured savor's tasted best by those who stand apart
Refuse to bend, refuse to yield, stand firm once more for me
When darkest seems the storm, my friend, ahead is victory

Inspired by the Gathering of Eagles and the vision of my many brothers in arms standing, at the memorials, for those who could stand no more.  (Crossposted at Media Lies)

Contributed by antimedia on March 20, 2007 at 10:55 PM in Antimedia, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Poetry | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

If you want to win a war....
Contributed by antimedia

....you must know your enemy and his tactics if you are to succeed in conquering him.

"Raiding American Forums is Among the Most Important Means of Obtaining Victory in the Fierce Media War… and of Influencing the Views of the Weak-Minded American"

"There is no doubt, my brothers, that raiding American forums is among the most important means of obtaining victory in the fierce media war... and of influencing the views of the weak-minded American who pays his taxes so they will go to the infidel American army. This American is an idiot and does not [even] know where Iraq is... [It is therefore] mandatory for every electronic mujahid [to engage in this raiding]."

"It is better that you raid non-political forums such as music forums and trivia forums... which American people... favor... Define your target[ed forum]... and get to know it well... Post your contribution and do not get into... futile arguments..."

Read the rest at Media Lies

Contributed by antimedia on March 20, 2007 at 09:23 PM in Antimedia, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 18 March 2007
 

Gathering of Eagles video
Contributed by antimedia

Here's some video from the Gathering of Eagles.

Contributed by antimedia on March 18, 2007 at 12:25 AM in Antimedia, Gathering of Eagles | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Saturday, 17 March 2007
 

The Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by antimedia

Today's Gathering of Eagles was a great success!  I hardly know where to begin.  There were tons of vets in attendance - so many that the protesters were intimidated by them.  We were standing in line waiting to go into the Wall, and anti-war protesters were passing by us heading east.  To a man (or woman) they were silent and carried their protest signs pointed down toward the ground and facing in so no one could see what they said.  I think they were stunned and intimidated by the size of the crowd of veterans!

Around every memorial, the WWII memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Wall, the three grunts and the nurses, vets were standing guard.  Silent and respectful, they made it very obvious that no one was going to be defacing our memorials today.  The protesters left their show and headed toward the Pentagon like sheep - no shouting, no braggadocio, no false bravado.  And every step they took they had to face proud vets, some disabled, some not, standing like a gauntlet of honor through which the cowards had to pass.  And pass they did, quietly and quickly.  They knew they were outnumbered.  They knew they were outclassed.  They knew they were beaten.

One of the highlights of the day was a WWII vet who spoke briefly.  It was very cold today in Washington, cloudy and windy, a blustery day.  He said he hadn't been this cold since March of 1945, when he was in some forest in Germany (don't recall the name) killing the enemy.  For me, that said it all.  The communists who put these anti-war marches together have no concept of the price of freedom.  They don't understand that sometimes it's necessary to kill the enemy so that men can be free.  But the vets understood.  And they cheered.  Loudly.

It was a good day to be a vet.  A good day to be welcomed home.  The Vietnam Vets are a force to be reckoned with, and they will change the course of this nation.  Never again will we allow the cowards an uncontested platform to spread their lies.  Crossposted at Media Lies

[Webmaster's note: This post continues at More Gathering of Eagles (immediately below if you're on the main page of the blog)]

Contributed by antimedia on March 17, 2007 at 05:36 PM in Antimedia, Gathering of Eagles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by antimedia

I said it was cold.  It was.  But we were warm.  We dressed in layers and we brought plenty of food and water.  I suspected it would be that way for many vets.  It was.  The weather didn't keep the vets from showing up, but it apparently drove the moonbats away.

Police no longer give official estimates but said privately that perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 anti-war demonstrators marched, with a smaller but still sizable number of counterprotesters also out in force. An hour into the three-hour Pentagon rally, with the temperature near freezing, protesters had peeled away to a point where fewer than 1,000 were left.

Wimps.  If the protesters had 10,000 to 20,000, I'd like to know where they hid them.  From what I saw, it was a few thousand at best.  Everywhere that I looked, I saw vets.  :-)

We did run into some protesters on the Metro when we were going home.  They looked to be about 10 or 12 years old.  They had armbands with Impeach Bush on them and a number of protest signs.

One woman who spoke at the Gathering of Eagles was the mother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq while helping to recover Casey's body.  She didn't have any kind words for Casey's mother.

Another speaker said that he wanted to remind us that there were porta-potties along the sidewalk behind the stage, just in case we need to "take a Sheehan or a Fonda".  :-)

We got up at 0530 this morning and saddled up just a little while later.  When we got to the Metro station, we ran into Debbie and Ron Stevenson.  Debbie and Ron are recently retired Air Force - Debbie just back from a tour in Iraq and 20 years served, Ron with 27 years.  My kind of people.  We spent the day together, took a lot of pictures (which I'll post on my blog as soon as I get back home and get the film developed) and generally enjoyed the day immensely.

The vets clearly owned the day.  The news reporting seems to delight in finding the one vet in a hundred who thinks the war is wrong and ignoring the 99 others who think we should complete the mission and bring the boys home victorious.  So much for "fair and balanced".  The FoxNews satellite truck was parked over at the moonbat express and never bothered to come see our little affair.  Once again, the media ignores all the good in this country and focuses on the handful of bad.

The protesters have a right to protest.  We gave it to them and ensured they would have it unimpeded by  a fascist government.  Now we will ensure that they don't steal it from our children through appeasement and cowardice.  They can jabber all they want, but we will be jabbering back now, demanding our day in the media, insisting Congress consider our views and demanding that our government uphold the Constitution that some of us fought and died for.  (Crossposted at Media Lies.)

Contributed by antimedia on March 17, 2007 at 05:32 PM in Antimedia, Gathering of Eagles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 16 March 2007
 

Guest Dog
Contributed by Bill Faith

OK, so here's the deal. The post just below this one was written by someone who isn't listed on the sidebar or in the Who Are We? post. How'd that happen? Glad you asked.

I've been a regular reader at Antimedia's "Media Lies" blog for as long as I can remember and he was leaving comments and trackbacks at Small Town Veteran way before Old War Dogs was here. I'd noticed the MilBlogs button on his sidebar way back but had it in my head for some reason he was younger than he is. Figured out I might be wrong about that when I read the Gathering Of Eagles post he wrote a couple of days ago. U.S. Navy, '68 - '74 as it turns out. About the time I was ready to feel him out on joining the pack his site got hijacked, possibly as retribution (my theory, not his) for that GOE post. So, here we have a vet on his way to DC for GOE and no place to write about it. We'll talk about long-term plans later but for now my fellow vet and blog buddy Antimedia will be posting on Old War Dogs. Kick off your boots, Anti. Sit a spell.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 16, 2007 at 10:36 PM in Antimedia, Site Notes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What a Day!
Contributed by antimedia

This is antimedia.  My site has been hijacked, so Bill gave me temporary posting privileges here so I could keep everyone updated on the Gathering of Eagles.

I left Dallas this morning on American Airlines, headed for Richmond.  When I got to the security gauntlet, I discovered my drivers license had expired in September of last year!  (Actually, the TSA rep pointed it out to me.)  Why the state never notified me is a question I'll have to get answered when I get home.  But it sure caused problems.  I had to remove everything, get patted down, wanded, searched and bomb-sniffed before they would let me go to my gate.

Then, when I arrived in Richmond, I couldn't pick up my rental car, because my license was expired.  :-(

One of the things you learn in the military is "adjust, adapt and overcome".  There I was in Richmond.  I needed to get to Mechanicsville, MD (home of my Marine buddy, John and his lovely wife Peggy.)  So, I started asking people at the rental car counters if they were headed to Washington.  In about fifteen minutes, I was on my way, riding with Gary.  Gary is an Army vet - seven years, NBC-trained, two tours in Germany, yada, yada.  He was headed to New York in a rental car because all the New York flights were canceled due to weather, so "of course" he'd take me along.

Gary dropped me off in Washington, where my Marine buddy, John, picked me up, and we headed for his house.  I offered Gary money for the ride several times.  He refused.  Said he was going that way anyway.   Next time I'm in New York, I'm buying dinner.

On the way to Washington from Richmond, we saw numerous cars and pickups with POW/MIA stickers, Vietnam Vet stickers, American flags and many other signs that made it certain we wouldn't be alone at the Wall tomorrow.  In fact, I think there's going to be a huge number of vets there.

The weather is miserable.  Cold.  Rainy.  Sleet.  Drizzle.  Perfect weather for the Gathering of Eagles.  Vets have been through worse many times, so a little bad weather just motivates us to stand tall.  The protesters, on the other hand, may wimp out, preferring to stay indoors with their lattes and cappuccinos rather than brave the cold.

No matter.  John, Peggy and I will be up at 0500, on the road by 0600 and on the Metro at 0700.  At the Wall before 0800, ready to stand guard and join the throng of vets in Washington to honor and pay respect  to our fallen brothers.

It's gonna be a great day tomorrow.

Contributed by antimedia on March 16, 2007 at 10:20 PM in Antimedia, Gathering of Eagles | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack