Friday, 18 May 2007
 

Peacenik arrested for impersonating a real man
Contributed by Bill Faith

[If I'd had more coffee in me before I started blogging for the day I'd have updated and bumped this post instead of creating the new one here. Since that didn't happen I'm moving the body of this post below the fold where it will be easier to scroll past. If you read the Jesse MacBeth post farther up the site feel free to skip past this one.]

Breaking: Anti-war fraudster Jesse MacBeth arrested
By Michelle Malkin

Got a tip from Tacoma, Wash. that our old friend Jesse MacBeth, the fake Army Ranger who was briefly a poster boy for the anti-war movement, has been arrested. My source says he was released from the Pierce County Jail--for assaulting a woman--and then taken into custody by federal law enforcement officials. He is facing federal charges of fraud. ...

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports tonight that MacBeth has been charged with falsifying his military record. Finally:

A man who tried to position himself as a leader of the anti-war movement by claiming to have participated in war crimes while serving in Iraq is facing federal charges of falsifying his record.

Jesse Adam Macbeth, formerly of Phoenix, garnered much attention on blogs and in some alternative media after he began claiming in 2005 to have been awarded a Purple Heart for his service, which he said included slaughtering innocents in a Fallujah mosque. His story was contradicted by his true discharge form, showing that he was kicked out of the Army after six weeks at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2003 because of his "entry level performance and conduct."

A complaint unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle charged him with one count of using or possessing a forged or altered military discharge certificate, and one count of making false statements in seeking benefits from the Veterans Administration...

His past criminal history includes "false emergency reporting, criminal trespass, domestic violence and fraud, and he is wanted by the Safford County sheriff's office in Arizona for illegal credit card use.

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 18, 2007 at 07:27 PM in Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, 15 April 2007
 

Military Order of the Purple Heart & Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Bill Faith

The following article was written by Henry J. Cook III, Senior Vice Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. It was intended for use in their organizational publication. In light of certain parties claiming that they had convinced MOPH to drop their support, Mr. Cook asked that it be posted on the GOE blog as a reaffirmation of MOPH’s support for the Gathering of Eagles. Thank you William "1stCav" Page for bringing it to my attention.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Gathering of Eagles
Henry J. Cook, III

More than one year ago the international A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition began planning two major anti-war rallies in Washington, D.C. The first was held in January of 2007. From their rally point the various anti-war, anti-American groups marched on our nation’s Capitol. Upon arrival at the Capitol they proceeded to spray paint their slogans and anti-American sentiments on the Capitol steps. Apparently the Capitol police felt it was better to allow them to do their mischief and clean it up later than confront them physically to stop their actions. Some of the groups went to the U. S. Navy memorial and desecrated the Lonely Sailor memorial.

Who were these people ? A.N.S.W.E.R. , purely an arm of the communist party of the United States , joined by Code Pink, the National Council of Arab Americans, the Muslim American Society, the 9-11 Truth Movement (They claim 9-11 was a hoax.) a number of Palestinian and Lebanese support groups, pro-Castro and Che Gueverra groups, the Viet Nam Veterans against the war, at least one Anarchist group and a number of hippie-throwbacks, all receiving encouragement by Hanoi Jane Fonda, Ramsey Clark, Sean Penn, Ed Asner with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and the newest anti-war poster child, Cindy Sheehan.

After their performance in January, A.N.S.W.E R. let it be know that their next rally and parade was to begin with a rally at the Viet Nam Wall on March 17, 2007 and would end at the Pentagon.  ...

Read the whole thing.

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 15, 2007 at 08:37 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 09 April 2007
 

No fury like a mother scorned-- The Movie
Contributed by Bill Faith

I've had several emails about this and just haven't gotten organized enough to post about it yet, so now I'm gonna be lazy and just let Allahpundit do most of the work:

Video: War supporters confront Democratic congressman in office

It’s Paul Hodes, a freshman from New Hampshire who cast one of the 218 votes that pushed Pelosi’s withdrawal bill over the finish line — barely. Here’s video from Granite Grok of a few of his constituents having a word with him about that. Their points are all familiar; the novelty is watching a leftist having to sit there squiriming and respond without being able to call them a bunch of chickenhawks and storming off.

Levin and Schumer said yesterday that if Reid really thinks he and Feingold are going to answer Bush’s veto by cutting funding, he’s kidding himself. According to Schumer, “We are not going to leave the troops high and dry, plain and simple” — which is completely incoherent given the Democrats’ insistence that keeping them deployed the middle of an allegedly unwinnable war is what’s really left them “high and dry.” As always, they’re trying to have it both ways to minimize the number of voters they might alienate. Even the Onion’s fed up.

Click the image to watch.

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 9, 2007 at 01:16 PM in Caring about our troops, Dem Dumbness, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 07 April 2007
 

Anti-gun zealots oppose Navy SEAL memorial statue
Contributed by Bill Faith

SEAL statue frightens parents
Greyhawk

Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz Jr., fell in action in Afghanistan in 2005:

Petty Officer Dietz, 25, was awarded the Navy Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor, for fighting off an ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan despite being mortally wounded. His actions were credited with helping a fellow Navy SEAL escape.

Littleton, Colorado, plans to honor his sacrifice with a statue:

Plans for the memorial began last summer when the city started working with Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, and the Dietz family. The family raised $42,000 to cover the costs, with no public funding involved.
<...>
A bronze sculpture of Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz Jr. showing him cradling his rifle across his chest is scheduled to be unveiled July 4 at Berry Park here, where he grew up and attended school. The statue was modeled after a photo of the young serviceman.

Some of the locals are, of course, protesting:...

See also:

• Danny Dietz - Navy SEAL Hero's Memorial Opposed

• Anti-gun zealots oppose Navy SEAL memorial statue

• "Danny belongs to the nation"

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 7, 2007 at 10:37 PM in Caring about our troops, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 29 March 2007
 

"I'm Tired"
Contributed by Bill Faith

This isn't exactly new, but when Boomer mailed it to me I didn't recognize it and had to ask my research assistant Mr. Google where it came from. It's worth reading again even if you've seen it before:

A word from Col. Repya
Scott Johnson

We've written here several times about Minnesota's Lt. Col. Joe Repya, who volunteered to return to active duty for service in Iraq at age 59. Joe's previous service includes command of a rifle platoon in Vietnam and flying helicopters in the first Gulf War.

Joe is a classic citizen patriot and activist. He first came to public attention in March 2003 when, disturbed by the anti-war campaign mounted by Minnesota liberals, he arranged for the production of lawn signs saying "Liberate Iraq -- Support Our Troops." His effort garnered a lot of publicity, and Joe eventually distributed 30,000 signs.

Today he writes:

Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq in January to finish my tour. I left Baghdad and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired:

I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican who lack the courage, fortitude, and character to see these difficult tasks through.

I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough.

I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they "Support the Troops" by wanting them to "Cut and Run" before victory is achieved.

[...]

Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation didn't learn from history that there is no substitute for Victory.

Sincerely,

Joe Repya
Lieutenant Colonel
U. S. Army
101st Airborne Division

Is anybody listening?

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 29, 2007 at 09:37 PM in Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity, Politics | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 28 March 2007
 

From Boomer: Black & Right
Contributed by Bill Faith

Boomer emails:

Got eight minutes of time to spare?   

I sure hope so, because if you miss watching and listening to this veteran's 'message' you've missed a lot. Trust me, the time will pass quickly.

Listen for when he comments about statements made by the one time hippie and anti-war demonstrator who preceded George W. Bush as POTUS and some of the other politicians now bemoaning and criticizing the war in Iraq.  Yes, even nancy pelosi herself recognized the threat Saddam posed.  The concern was those missing WMDs that the left make such an issue of today.  Have they all now suffered a memory lapse of what they said in the past?  All this BEFORE Bush was even elected to office.  Now they blame him for doing what they once viewed as a serious threat?   What we are seeing is all anti-Bush and this seriously impairs their judgment and drives their agendas.  Frankly, they are a sickening lot and sadly now find themselves in positions of power.  Many in the media need to take a look in the mirror too and think long and hard about their reporting of the news.  The Hollywood Bunch should simply butt out and stick to entertaining.

The man speaking in this video hits every nail on the head.  You MUST listen to this one. ..

***

Oops, just realized R J Del Vecchio emailed me about this before Boomer did but people were sleeping so I didn't watch the video at the time, then forgot it by morning. Sorry for the slight, Del.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 28, 2007 at 08:33 PM in Boomer, Caring about our troops, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Cowards in Congress and on Main Street
Contributed by Shane Briscoe

The abject cowards in Congress who voted for a date-certain pullout from Iraq are going to have blood on their hands one day, and it is my fervent hope that they will face criminal charges for guaranteeing the next, even more horrific 9/11.  Of course, they won't be held accountable.  These days, you can literally get away with murder.

That's what the cut-and-run crowd is doing.  By refusing to recognize that Iraq is but one campaign in the greater clash between Western Civilization and unreformed, radical Islam, they are setting the stage for the equivalent of a new Afghanistan under the Taliban--a democracy-free-zone where rag-headed baby killers can plot and plan the next big attack on the United States.  By revealing all our secret intelligence intercept programs and undermining our rendition program and the terrorist prison at Guantanamo, they are condemning you and me, or our children and grandchildren, to death.  Yes, death.  By doing everything they can just to win the next election--damn national security, even in wartime--they are selling out their country and its citizens.

In today's politically correct, decadent, Euro-weak America, it is not even acceptable to call a spade a spade.  Even conservative commentators twist themselves into Gordian Knots to avoid using the "AA" word, as in anti-American, or the "T" word, as in traitor, in characterizing members of our government who want America to lose this vital battle.  But that is what they are.

Mark this down, people.  Unless the president gets tough and takes out Iran and puts the world on notice that another attack on America will result in nuclear Armageddon for the Irans and Syrias and North Koreas of this world, thousands, if not millions of Americans are at grave risk of being slaughtered.  There WILL BE another 9/11.  And this time, it may be thermonuclear.  Those sniveling un-American cowards on the left who hate George W. Bush more than they hate the terrorists or love the United States are doing their level best to tie his hands and undermine every weapon he has against people who want to saw your babies' heads off! 

What is it that you don't understand?  Go to the internet and type in Daniel Pearl or any of the other victims of the terrorists' butchery and watch the videos.  Listen to the screams of people having their heads sawn from their bodies.  Look at the blood.  Listen to the perverted calls for Allah's blessing on these barbaric acts.  Then tell me that George Bush is Hitler and Dick Cheney is Satan and the Administration is out of control.

The people who ought to be out of control are the surviving relatives of the next 9/11, who, when their loved ones' bodies are smoking on the ground in a million tiny pieces of charred flesh, ought to storm Capitol Hill with pitchforks and torches and drag out the Frankenstein monsters posing as Senators and Congressmen and deliver some old fashioned justice. 

The men and women fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan or serving on the front lines in Korea, or on military bases--active, reserve and National Guard--around the world deserve far better than the worthless bunch of Senators and Congressmen who are Hell bent on selling them out.  And they deserve far better than the foolish, impatient, selfish, mind-numbed citizenry who elected those fools.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their ilk aren't worthy enough to lick dogshit off an infantryman's boots.  And there are a lot of Americans who are just as craven.  If this bunch had been around during the American Revolution, we'd all be drinking tea and eating crumpets.  If they'd been in charge during the Civil War, we'd all be slaveowners, drinking mint juleps on the veranda.  And if they'd been running things in World War II, we'd all be speaking German and drinking schnapps toasts to the Final Solution for a race that once existed known as the Jews.

I honestly don't understand any of this madness.  I am thoroughly disgusted with the left, the Congress, the media and the public.  You are going to reap what you have sewn and you are not going to like it.  But, oh, boy, will you deserve it when some Jihadist comes banging on your door with a grenade in his hand.

Contributed by Shane Briscoe on March 28, 2007 at 05:21 PM in Dem Dumbness, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity, Shane Briscoe, War? What war? | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Arch Arthur: Re: Portland Iraq War Demonstration
Contributed by Bill Faith

In response to the piece of crap below the fold Arch wrote:

Mister Mayor:

At Gathering of Eagles in Washington DC, we had 30,000 pro-victory veterans and 10,000 anti-war demonstrators exercising their first amendment rights and no one saw fit to defecate on the American Flag or burn a US Soldier or in effigy.  The act of burning an effigy is symbolic.  It is meant to diminish the target's value and make it easier for followers to move from symbolic to actual harm.  If someone burned an effigy of a drag queen or a black police officer, would you call it hate speech?  Would you permit the KKK to burn a cross in front of city hall?  Where does your administration draw the line?

If the young man pictured defiling the flag was arrested, his identity should be made available to the public.  This "tiny band of anarchists" has succeeded in attracting attention.  Are they associated with the Black Bloc, WWP,  ANSWER,  Code Pink, or some other identifiable group? 

I assure you that the country is indeed focused on the real issues facing our country.  The question is, "Is Portland?"

Arch Arthur

Office of Mayor Tom Potter

City of Portland

On Sunday, March 18th, as many as 20,000 people gathered in Portland to protest the continuing war in Iraq. Almost all were both peaceful and respectful of our young men and women in service, and concerned about the future of our country.  I spoke to the crowd, as did a number of elected officials, and expressed our gratitude for the troops.

Unfortunately, a few media personalities have focused on the activity of a small handful whose actions at the end of the afternoon are protected as free speech under Oregon's Constitution, in much the same way that burning the flag is protected by the U.S. Supreme Court. Portland police have monitored the protests closely, and made arrests when appropriate.

It is also important to recognize that the intent of this tiny band of anarchists is to provoke a strong response and generate attention. I would hope most people will continue to focus on the real issues facing our country, and not the actions of a minority or the media circus that feeds off them. Though I do not support our military's presence in Iraq, I do support our troops and wish them all a safe return home.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 28, 2007 at 04:34 PM in Arch Arthur, Caring about our troops, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 26 March 2007
 

Poem: A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Bill Faith

Marsha Burks Megehee left this as a comment on Awesome Gathering of Eagles video but it deserves better than to languish there unread:

Dear Old War Dogs,
I wanted to share my special poem with you -
"A Gathering of Eagles."

It's my way of saying "WELL DONE!" Thank you all for protecting our national treasures, and speaking up for the millions of us who could not be with you.

God Bless You All!
& God Bless the USA!

A GATHERING OF EAGLES

A Gathering of Eagles, Old Glory flew,
POW Flags....thirty thousand of you!
A Band of Brothers gathered around,
Protecting truth and hallowed ground.

The pinko crowd across the way
Had come to town to have their say,
"The War on Terror's just like Nam,
Surrender! We can stop the bombs."

Their CRS prevents recall
Of seeing Southeast Asia's fall,
Of genocide, the Killing Fields!
"Cut and Run." Who's fate was sealed?

POWs, refugees,
Re-education, If you please!
The vocal crowd- the Great Unwashed,
Non-violent? Oh my gosh!

Millions lie in jungle shrowds,
Johnson bowed to the protest crowd.
Ask the Hmong, if they were saved?
By the anti-war crowd's rant and rave?

God Bless You Eagles! Thank you all
For guarding freedom and The Mall.
For standing tall and drowning out,
Three thousand retro-pinko shouts!

Marsha Burks Megehee
sarpoet@datastar.net

***

Update: Marsha has sent me several more poems, of which I'll plan on posting one every few days at http://www.oldwardogs.us/marsha_burks_megehee/index.html, and I'm impressed enough that I've offered to create a separate blog for her if she says she'd have time to post to it. More on that later if she accepts my offer.

***

Update 2: It turns out there's already a nice collection of Marsha's poetry at http://poetwarrior1.tripod.com/. I'll still plan on posting a lot of what she emailed me and also posting excerpts and links to that site as time goes on.

***

Update 3: Marsha has seen the light about the advantages of having both a blog and a static web site. I haven't made any promises about when I'll have it ready but I'm going to set up a blog for her under my TypePad account. Address and details to be announced later.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 26, 2007 at 03:57 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Marsha Burks Megehee, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, Poetry, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sheez!
Contributed by Russ Vaughn

With apologies to Joyce Kilmer (and America on behalf of Charlie Sheen)

I think perhaps I’ve never seen
A fool as big as Charlie Sheen.
This fool’s career is sorely prest
To accept this role far from the best.
A fool who drinks and whores all day,
And sells his sordid charms for pay.
A fool who will on screen free share
That nest of vipers ‘neath his hair;
Upon whose bony chest now weighs
Insane denials of September days.
Poems come from fools, like me, unseen,
Only Hollywood can make a Charlie Sheen.

Russ Vaughn

Contributed by Russ Vaughn on March 26, 2007 at 10:43 AM in Peacenik Stupidity, Poetry, Russ Vaughn | Permalink | Comments (0) | 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

Reflections on the Gathering of Eagles (Epilogue)
Contributed by Bill Faith

  Reflections on the Gathering of Eagles (Epilogue) 
March 21st, 2007 by CJ

I wanted to first bring something out I'm not sure many people caught. First, listen again to THIS audio of Brian Becker, member of International A.N.S.W.E.R.'s steering committee and a front group for the Communist Workers World Party (WWP). Pay attention to what he says in the middle of the clip.

"Let Bush and the Pentagon and their puppets (I'm a puppet) know that the people of this country are sick and tired of this [expletive deleted] war. LET'S BRING THE WAR HOME!!"

This is something I want everyone to understand. He doesn't say "let's bring the troops home." They don't support the troops. If they did, we wouldn't be seeing this in Portland:

[image]

He said this while he was trying to get everyone to move up to make their numbers look more bloated. They aren't interested in any victory. They want the terrorists here in this country. If he had his way, he'd pay for a state visit for Bin Laden. Those five little words say more than any speech ever could. Yet, even though every news outlet known to man was licking their shoes, this wasn't mentioned anywhere. ...

***

See also: Smash - The Infiltrator

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 22, 2007 at 01:06 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 20 March 2007
 

A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by Russ Vaughn

The commies came, the commies saw,
The commies skulked away,
A Gathering of Eagles
Just spoiled their Big Red Day.
The ANSWER Coalition,
Led by Head Red Brian Becker,
Declined to find out if these birds,
Might have a bigger pecker.

Our eagles gathered by the Wall,
Their talons well extended,
Standing strong and standing tall,
Their war dead well defended.
With eagle eyes they watched
The rats swarm Sheehan’s feet,
Pink mice, their march so botched,
These pinkos squeaked defeat.

A thing we all must understand,
Even though they always lose,
The Reds among us in this land,
Are the darlings of the news.
Their claims to serve the masses,
May bring the media’s attraction,
But these pinkos lose their asses,
When it comes to real-life action.

Fly high you Eagles, soar, from your lofty, special station,
Know this is true forever more; you’ve the blessing of your nation.

Russ Vaughn
An Old War Dog who’s now an Old War Bird

Contributed by Russ Vaughn on March 20, 2007 at 10:58 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Leftists Supporting the Troops
Contributed by J D

Discovered by a reader at Indymedia, this was the scene yesterday in Portland, Oregon, as “anti-war” demonstrators burned not only a US flag, but a US soldier in effigy.

See it all at Little Green Footballs.  Then get angry.  Then tell Mayor "Tom" how you feel about his fair city.

Contributed by J D on March 20, 2007 at 06:30 AM in Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 17 March 2007
 

EAGLES UP!
Contributed by Bill Faith

This post will remain at the top of the site for the remainder of the day. Please scroll down for possible newer content. Actual timestamp 2007.03.17.00:02. I know of at least three people who'll be at The Wall with my phone number programmed into their cell phones and they know I'll be anxious to know how things are going, so here's hoping. Click the Eagle to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series.

"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
To defend our long-dead brothers;
And understand you ain't layin' a hand
On our Wall you leftie mothers."
(Click here to listen to the .mp3) 

EAGLES UP!

*** 08:10

My feet hit the floor at the absolutely gawdawful (for me; I usually blog till all hours then sleep well into the day) hour of 07:45 CDT. The closest I can come so far to finding any GOE coverage of any sort, or any mention of the moonbat convergence that necessitated GOE, is this at Michelle's, written a couple of hours ago:

The silent guard of America's memorials 
Michelle Malkin

Bryan Preston and I are headed down to the Gathering of Eagles. Hope to see you there, too. I'll blog when my fingers and connection aren't frozen.

*** 09:37

Just got an email from J D Pendry. He says Fox & Friends did a segment on the moonbat convergence and The Gathering Of Eagles. Also says he got a call from one of his old troops who estimates there are about 5,000 vets gathered around the wall and says the moonbats are staying well clear of the area so far.

*** 10:35

FOX, at least, is giving fairly balanced coverage. I watch very little TV but my sister just had me come and look at what FOX had on.  If anything, the good guys may have gotten a little more screen time than the moonbats. Apparently things have been calm so far, with the moonbats scheduled to set out for the Pentagon in about an hour.

*** 10:42   

Just got a call from Bob K. (our newest Dog, btw; I just had the pleasure of welcoming him into the pack) who says things have been calm so far and that he thinks J D's 5,000 number is way out of date.

*** 12:32

Just heard from The Gray Dog a few minutes ago. He says if anything the good guys have the moonbats outnumbered. Says the estimates he's heard were around 10,000 on each side. No major incidents of any sort. Getting close to time for the moonbats to move out for their little protest at the Pentagon, well away from our Wall. He says he got to thank Michelle Malkin for showing up but didn't see her headed his way in time to get his camera out of his pocket. I'll be looking forward to her coverage of the event.

I was grabbing a short nap when The Gray Dog called and haven't checked the news sites or other blogs for a while but I'll do that now.

***

CNN: Crowds gather to denounce, support war

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators and supporters of the U.S. policy in Iraq shouted at each other Saturday from opposite sides of a street bordering the National Mall as protesters formed a march to the Pentagon to denounce a war entering its fifth year.

The anti-war group carried signs saying "U.S. Out of Iraq Now," "Stop Iraq War, No Iran War, Impeach" and "Illegal Combat." The other side carried signs saying "Peace Through Strength," "al Qaeda Appeasers On Parade" and "We Are At War, Liberals Root For the Enemy."

Police on horseback and foot separated the demonstrators, who were on opposite sides of Constitution Avenue in view of the Lincoln Memorial. Barriers also kept them apart. ...

Police on horses ensured anti-war protesters and counterdemonstrators stayed apart at the staging area. Several thousand people, many of them service members, rallied in support of the war. They played "The Battle Hymn of the Republic;" the anti-war crowd danced to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."

Veterans, some from the Rolling Thunder motorcycle group, lined up at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. ...   

Surprisingly balanced coverage for an AP piece, although it you read the whole thing some slant does come through.

*** 16:30

Don't know why FOX isn't giving this more coverage on their web site but they're doing a good job with it on air, including some good pics of the Gathering Of Eagles and Rolling Thunder crowd and the first on-air use I've heard of the words "Gathering Of Eagles." Sounds like the day ended with no violence beyond a couple of shoving matches. I shudder to think how things might have gone if the Eagles and RT hadn't been there in the numbers they were. Sounds like some anarchists got themselves arrested at the Pentagon but nothing major at all happened anywhere near The Wall. Color this Old Dog relieved and very, very grateful to the patriots who made the trip I wasn't up to, and especially to Bob K and The Gray Dog for taking time to call me in the midst of all that was going on.

***

From CNN.com, would you believe (click the pic to read the article):

***

R J Del Vecchio called a few minutes ago to let me know things went well. He thinks the patriotic counter-protests may become a regular thing. I hope he's right. He promised me an After Action Report by email by sometime tomorrow. Watch for it.  [Update: Click here.]

Don't miss Antimedia's reports here and here.

***

Blogburst: Gathering of Eagles
Michelle Malkin

It was a breath-taking, historic, and emotional day in Washington, D.C. You won't know it if you tune in to the usual MSM channels. But new media--bloggers, conservative documentarians, Internet activists, FReepers, citizen journalists, photojournalists, and talk radio hosts--turned out in full force to participate and cover the Gathering of Eagles counter-protest. Thousands upon thousands turned out despite freezing temperatures and hairy travel conditions. We met bikers who drove up all night from Huntsville, Alabama; a retired NYC firefighter who arrived here at 2am; college students who traveled from Massachusetts; a Vietnam veteran's wife who bought plane tickets at the last minute from San Francisco; and countless participants who arrived as part of Move America Forward's cross-country caravan.

A pure, grass-roots effort, the Gathering of Eagles' volunteers matched the massive Soros-funded anti-war machine sign for sign, chant for chant, and marcher for marcher. The contrast was most stark right before the entrance to the Memorial Bridge, where Eagles gathered with a field of American flags--while anti-Bush, 9/11 conspiracy nuts wrapped themselves in a figurative blanket of yellow "Out of Iraq" placards. Several of the vets shouted, "Yellow! How appropriate!" in between spirited chants of "U.S.A! U.S.A!" While the classless Cindy Sheehan ranted profanely, the Eagles raised their voices in polite, but roaring disapproval and raised their American flags in answer to the ANSWER socialists' Che banners and peace pennants.

Why did the Eagles come? One common refrain: Vietnam veterans, some fighting back tears, told us they came to show the kind of support for the troops that they did not receive when the surrender lobby marched on the Pentagon 40 years ago today.

Mission accomplished. ...

***

Bob Krupienski, our newest pack member, left this as a comment but I'll move it here so it doesn't get overlooked:

What an exciting day. Sorry I only called you once today Bill.

Today was a very emotional on for me. It was the first time that I had been to the Wall. There were many tears, including my own. There was a GoE determination that "We Are Back To Stay".

At the very least, we matched their numbers though I did hear a rumor that FoxNews said we had the punks by 3 to 1. It is really hard for me to say because we were spread out. We had folks at the GoE rally, we had long lines at the Wall, and we had folks along the punks parade route. My personal feeling is that we had them outnumbered.

I only saw one incident. One of the punks was dragging our flag on the ground. Of course, our side took exception to that and took the flag away from the punk. Just a little action but justified. The flag is in safe hands now.

Our non-Vet supporters get a big thanks. Behind us and our troops 100%. Our Milbloggers get a big thanks too. Without them, the word never would have gotten out. I mean, thousands of us got the word in a very short period of time. Oh, got to thank Michelle Malkin and Bryan for being there.

I spent the day with Kim from Rolling Thunder. RT had one heck of a turnout. They were everywhere. There is a rumor that I will be contacting my local RT chapter about joining. Patriots to the bone.

Got to close this for now. I have a wake-up call in 6-1/2 hours. Plan to drive back to Chicago in the morning.

I just took a few pictures and I will send them your way when I am home and rested. Kim, my RT buddy took a lot more and we will get his to you as well.

***

Spongebob Sheehan & the Eagles 

Sorry brothers, that I wasn’t with you defending the Wall today. Bit far from sunny, warm Encinitas (beach town between San Diego and Camp Pendleton). Took my almost 7-year old son Jason for a walk on the beach to collect sea shells, then went for pizza. The usual crowd of young, beach-going tatooed’s and a few comparative geezers like me scattered in. Watched TV in the pizza parlor, and someone turned to CSPAN. Cindy Sheehan came on ranting, as pizza eaters cracked up when one beach youth just up from surfing said Cindy looked worse than Spongebob Squarepants after a bad day. A grayed pony-tail geezer nearby commented that without sex, drugs and rock-‘n-roll during the ‘60’s to blur the senses these protestors looked truly bored at the rants, and that if he wanted to be yelled at that’s what he had a wife for. Probably why the shivering small crowd in D.C. looked like the fuzz-faced who didn’t yet know better about getting ranted at and angry grandma’s who miss having husbands to rant at. Vietnam vet, who runs the Army surplus store, came in for a slice, asked why the Gathering of Eagles wasn’t being shown, instead of the Cackling, and returned to work. Jason and I went back to the beach. Made a game of looking for our friend, the funny Spongebob. Had enough of the scary one. ...

***

I just posted R J Del Vecchio's After Action Report as a separate post: Defending The Wall.

***

Once-a-Marine-always-a-Marine Curt has some great pics and quotes here. Fine pup, that one. If he was older I'd try to recruit him as an Old War Dog.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 17, 2007 at 11:59 PM in Bob Krupienski, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, R J Del Vecchio, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 14 March 2007
 

Gathering Storm
Contributed by Bill Faith

March At The Wall
Vietnam Vets & The New Protestors
By Thomas P. Evans. (Helmet tip: Smash)

March 13, 2007 -- MENTION Jane Fonda to any 10 Vietnam veterans, and at least seven of them will have some sort of conniption right on the spot. Spread the rumor that Hanoi Jane will be leading the anti-war protest march from the Vietnam Memorial Wall to the Pentagon on Saturday, and a battalion of 60-year-old Vietnam veterans is ready to do battle again.

Rumors are flying over the Internet.

The Vietnam Wall is sacred ground, how dare they stage their march in front of it? Didn't anti-war protestors recently spray-paint graffiti on the Capitol steps? We'll form a human wall in front of the Wall to protect it.

Cops should body-search every protestor, looking for spray-paint cans and chisels. Have the bail bondsmen ready.

We might be white-heads and chrome domes with bellies bigger than B-52 thousand pound bombs, but we know how to deal with people who protest policies set forth by our duly elected government officials.

And who's going to guard the Korean War and World War II Memorials? Our brothers from those wars are too old to do it. We have to organize like this is a military operation.

And on and on, the e-mails go.

St. Patrick's Day marks the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, and the 40th anniversary of the massive Vietnam era anti-war march on the Pentagon. Where were we on March 17, 1967?  ...

We tend to remember only dates that were significant to us - the battles, the first impressions, the funny moments. All the other dates blend together. So it's hard to say exactly where we were or what my platoon was doing on March 17, 1967. Perhaps we were out on patrol in a rice paddy or a jungle - "beating the bush," as we called it. Perhaps we were on one of the firebases near the DMZ, a respite from the constant patrols - cleaning gear, getting a hot meal or a haircut or writing a letter home.

Not many Vietnam veterans were around for that march on the Pentagon 40 years ago. We were in a different world, a world few anti-war protesters could even imagine. Maybe because we missed all that four decades ago, we want to be there this time. ...

EAGLES UP!

Click here to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series in one place.

***

Re: Gathering Storm
By Greyhawk  

Smash, that quote from the Vietnam vets preparing to make a stand reminds me of Philip Caputo's account of an Iwo Jima veteran's "visit" to Northwestern University in the wake of the Kent State shootings:

The scene could have been lifted from a Delacroix painting of the French revolution. A young man stood atop a barricade of furniture and cars and saw-horses, his long hair tousled by the Lake Michigan wind, one hand grasping a pole flying a red flag and an upside-down American flag (a distress signal) as he exhorted some twenty-five hundred students massed behind him to "Strike! Strike!"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a burly, black-haired, middle-age man dressed in a workingman's khaki trousers and a flannel shirt. Mounting the barricade, he tried to wrest the flag pole from the student. "That's my flag!" he yelled. "I fought for it. You have no right to it." ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 14, 2007 at 09:40 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 13 March 2007
 

GATHERING OF EAGLES RALLY - PERMIT UPDATE
Contributed by Bill Faith

GATHERING OF EAGLES RALLY - PERMIT UPDATE
(Hat tip: Michelle)

The National Park Service has issued a permit for the Gathering of Eagles demonstration and rally on March 17 in Washington, D.C. as illustrated on the Eagle web site “Maps” link under “Sections”.

BOTTOM LINE: AS UNACCEPTABLE AS THE PERMIT GRANTED IS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL

We view the permit decision unacceptable and will be taking immediate steps to appeal what we believe is an unworkable decision. If the National Park Service is unfavorable to our appeal, our legal arm will pursue immediate court action to acquire an equitable, realistic solution.

The good news is the Park Service is granting the Eagles large amounts of territory adjacent to the Vietnam Memorial as well as along the march route of the antiwar protesters. We are being given the use of the western side of Constitution Gardens, which is contiguous to the Vietnam Memorial, thus giving us controlling ground. That permit is for an estimated 10,000 people. If things stand as they are, we will use that as a staging area for our people to cycle along the pathways, visiting statues and the Vietnam Memorial which comprise the Memorial area. (The maps are included below for convenience and are also available under “Sections” on the Eagle web site - click on the “Maps” tab and look at maps 1 and 2 for illustrations of areas permitted for each group)

Bad news is the Park Service decided to grant the other half of Constitution Gardens to the so-called antiwar group ANSWER, with a no man’s land in between. This is unacceptable and will be challenged in our appeal. ...

Read the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series here.

On a closely related note:

Meet Ben
By Smash

Hi, I'm Ben, a 25-year-old white guy from rural Virginia. I used to be a directory assistance operator, but now I work at the Wal Mart in Waynesboro. I still live with my parents.

Sometimes, I like to go it the big city and play in the streets. My favorite game is to dress up in black, and run around town with my friends. We block traffic, yell at shoppers, and call the cops "pigs." They don't seem to like it very much, but they're powerless to stop us, because we're protected by the First Amendment! [image]

Oh, did I mention that I'm a Black Bloc Anarchist? [image]

Hey, let's go charge up the Capitol steps! The pigs can't stop us! It's our Capitol, too! [image]

Aw, shucks. Looks like we can't go any further. Hey, does anyone have spray paint?

"All Cops are Pigs!" That's brilliant! But don't worry, it'll wash right off... Let’s get out of here! [image]

Hey, now what should we do? I know, ...

BE THERE PEOPLE!

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 13, 2007 at 02:16 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, 12 March 2007
 

Iraq/Vietnam/Antiwar Movement
Contributed by Bill Faith

R J Del Vecchio emails:

This lady was kind enough to say that she got some ideas for this column (which I think is just GREAT) from reading Whitewash/Blackwash.  Now that makes me happy!

Iraq’s only Similarity to Vietnam: Its Dangerous Anti-War Movement
Janet Levy

Contrary to media reports and the perception of a majority of Americans, the United States was winning the war in Vietnam following the successful watershed battle known as the Tet Offensive.  Sadly, the Vietnam War was not lost on the battlefield.  The carnage and repressive regimes that followed the U.S. exit may have been avoided had the truth been known by the American public.  The United States was defeated by a carefully conceived, multi-pronged propaganda campaign that set the stage for America’s eventual failure in the region. 

The ingredients for the U.S. defeat consisted of the funding and encouragement of the anti-war movement by Hanoi and Communist splinter groups, enlistment of “useful idiots” in Hollywood to publicize and popularize the movement, media complicity with negative portrayals of the war, anti-American proselytizing by professors and students on American university campuses, denigration and demonizing of the military and, ultimately, withdrawal of support and appropriations by the U.S. Congress.  All these factors led to the perceptual reframing of the Vietnam War as an ignoble imperialistic atrocity, a far cry from its launch as a fight to extinguish communism in Southeast Asia.

Today, many of these same elements have reappeared as the United States struggles to defeat Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and to apprehend a fifth column of jihadists at home.

Inherited from the Vietnam experience, they are now evident within the new conflict.  This time, the risks to our country’s future are even greater should they succeed.

Anti-War Groups

As was true during the Vietnam War, today’s anti-war groups hide their anti-Americanism behind the politics of peace.  Recruiting others on a platform of “peace,” they ally themselves with radical Islamists, glorify the enemy’s goals and identify themselves as “freedom fighters,” battling an imperialistic world power.

In the lead up to the war against Iraq, anti-war activists effectively mobilized some of the largest protests and demonstrations since the Vietnam War.  They attacked the war effort abroad and security measures at home, sympathized with Saddam Hussein as a victim of American war-mongering and even served as strategically-placed human shields.

Although Operation Iraqi Freedom was welcomed by the vast majority of Iraqis and succeeded in liberating 25 million people from the ravages of a murderous despot, anti-war protestors decried the U.S. “occupation” of Iraq and the alleged subjugation of the Iraqi people.  Their steadfast position was that any use of American military power was an attempt to establish American hegemony in the region and exploit Iraq’s oil resources.  The discovery of Saddam’s mass graves and torture chambers were ignored by the anti-war movement in the service of demonizing the actions of the evil, American empire.  ...

[Read the whole thing]

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 12, 2007 at 05:28 AM in Dem Dumbness, Islamism Delenda Est, Peacenik Stupidity, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Saturday, 10 March 2007
 

American Vietnam Vets Ending 40 Years in the Wilderness
Contributed by Bill Faith

R J Del Vecchio emails:

Great summary on the war and the upcoming mass reunion of Vietvets at The Wall next week.  I'm getting more and more up for this.

Del

http://www.ronaldwinterbooks.com/blog/2007/02/american-vietnam-vets-ending-40-years.htm

American Vietnam Vets Ending 40 Years in the Wilderness
Ron Winter

It has been 40 years, on average, since most Americans served in Vietnam, and for most American Vietnam veterans the last 40 years have constituted our own version of wandering in the wilderness.

Starting with the fighting in Korea, the so-called "Forgotten War," escalating to a fever pitch during Vietnam, and continuing right up through those currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, America's veterans have been relegated by many in our country to something far less than second-class citizen status.

Vietnam vets especially have been dealing with a country that never knew or understood the magnitude of our victories there. Our politicians cut our legs out from under us and our allies from South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand repeatedly, until ultimately the communists were able to take advantage of the political and military vacuum created by our Congress and overthrow the democratic south in 1975.

American and allied troops had left that country years before, after twice driving the communists to the edge of surrender, and twice seeing them bailed out by American politicians.

As a result, the communists gleefully signed a weak and unenforceable "Peace" agreement in 1973 that was negotiated by Henry Kissinger and approved by the US Congress. That travesty and the slaughter of some 4 million Southeast Asians by the communists in the years that followed have been falsely labeled a military defeat ever since by the media and the very politicians who caused it.

Those same politicians and the media also falsely claim the American military was not up to the level of previous generations, even though we were the best educated, best led and most effective ever and never lost a single major engagement.

As a result, many Vietnam vets labored for years in an atmosphere of distrust, misunderstanding and outright hostility from the very country we fought to preserve.

But that could all change on March 17, at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. ...

We have wandered in the wilderness for far too long. It is time to come home. And home, the land of milk and honey, will be represented on March 17 by a tiny piece of land in our nation's Capitol where a black granite wall and two statues bear witness to the honor and sacrifice of more than 58,000 of our brothers and sisters.

We should stand shoulder to shoulder around those memorials to preserve the honor and dignity of our brothers and sisters, just as they stood shoulder to shoulder with us, 40 years ago.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 10, 2007 at 01:44 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, 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, 07 March 2007
 

Moonbat dress rehearsal in Tacoma
Contributed by Bill Faith

The "Peace" Brigade vs. the Stryker Brigade
Michelle Malkin

My column this week looks at the moonbat dress rehearsal in Tacoma as the massive anti-war march on Washington looms.

The latest from the mob scene:

Police arrested three people for investigation of third-degree assault this morning as they protested the shipment of Iraq-bound Army equipment through the Port of Tacoma.

The three were each being held on $10,000 bail at the Pierce County Jail, where they were booked shortly after 3 a.m., according to jail records. The protest involved several dozen people, participants said, and concerned the shipment of Stryker vehicles and other equipment from Fort Lewis.

Meanwhile, a disrupter at the local city council meeting wouldn't shut up:

[...]

They are making their way to Washington on March 17.

The Gathering of Eagles will be there to meet them. How about you?

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 7, 2007 at 02:51 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

"Bring Some Paint"
Contributed by Bill Faith

Just read it. It's too short to excerpt and I'm too pissed to even try. (Hat tip: Michelle)

***

Confederate Yankee has more here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 7, 2007 at 12:32 AM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 28 February 2007
 

Thank you Michelle!
Contributed by Bill Faith

The Gathering of Eagles: A public service announcement
Michelle Malkin

From my column today [Better copy here -- BF]:

How many times have you sat in front of the TV over the last four years, watching anti-war activists march on Washington, chase the ROTC off your local college campus, vandalize war memorials, insult the troops and wreak havoc under the surrender banner?

How many times have you thought to yourself: What can I do?

Here is the answer: Get off the sofa and join the Gathering of Eagles on March 17 in Washington, D.C.

On that day, well-funded, celebrity-studded anti-war groups plan to march to the Pentagon on a protest route that will take them past the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and climax in calls for immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, destruction of America's "global military machine," shutdown of the enemy-detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay and impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney (plus an end to "colonial occupation" in "Palestine, Haiti and everywhere" for good measure).

Last time the left-wing, peace-loving fun bunch came to town, their minions gone wild threw rocks at a military recruitment office in D.C's Dupont Circle neighborhood and at a local Fox News van, broke through a Capitol Hill police security cordon, spray painted the Capitol Grounds with impunity, desecrated the Lone Sailor statue that stands watch at the U.S. Navy Memorial and reportedly spat at disabled Iraq war veteran Josh Sparling as he voiced his support for his fellow troops.

Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators were at that event last month. How many showed up with Sparling to counter the far Left? Forty.

Now, imagine our troops getting word of that count. They're walking the talk, committed to the long, hard mission of counterinsurgency in Iraq and abroad, risking life and limb - and only 40 of their fellow Americans bothered to represent them in the nation's capital?

Don't get mad. Get moving. ...

Click here to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series on one page.

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 28, 2007 at 12:36 PM in Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 24 February 2007
 

Army refiles charges against cowardly peacenik deserter
Contributed by Bill Faith

Army refiles charges against cut-and-runner
Michelle Malkin

An update on the Ehren Watada case from the Seattle Times:

Undaunted by an initial mistrial, the Army on Friday refiled charges against 1st. Lt. Ehren Watada, a Fort Lewis officer who faces up to six years in prison for failing to deploy to Iraq and alleged misconduct.

"These are serious charges, and the next step will be to set a trial date," said Joe Piek, a spokesman at Fort Lewis, where Watada continues to serve as an active-duty officer. ...

I'd say ten years of making big rocks into little rock, followed by a quick hanging, would be about right. The "man" is a waste of perfectly good oxygen.

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 24, 2007 at 05:34 PM in Bill Faith, Peacenik Stupidity, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 15 February 2007
 

The Kerry Doctrine
Contributed by Bill Faith

De-legitimizing the Troops
By Ray Robison

The claim of the anti-war left that they "support the troops" is getting threadbare. The next phase of anti-war playbook: De-legitimize the soldiers.

It is no coincidence that NBC reporter Richard Engle, who has long offered slanted reporting from Iraq to portray American actions in the worst possible way, and Bill Arkin of NBC and the Washington Post have made recent gaffs' in their reporting. It should have been expected as part of the anti-war coalition information offensive. It is easy to recognize this progression when put into context.

Whereas Colin Powell gave us the doctrine for winning wars, the left has created and enacted a doctrine for losing wars. I think that since it was instantiated during the Vietnam War by John Kerry during his congressional testimony and was more recently revitalized for a new generation during his presidential candidacy, it is more than fair to call this policy, the Kerry Doctrine.

Let's take a look at what it takes to loose a war. The best way to examine the Kerry Doctrine is to compare it to its inverse, the Powell Doctrine: ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 15, 2007 at 05:36 PM in Bill Faith, Caring about our troops, Peacenik Stupidity, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 14 February 2007
 

Can we really support these troops?
Contributed by J D

Written by : June Scorza Terpstra a lecturer at Loyola University in Chicago.

During a heated debate in a class I teach on social justice, several US Marines who had done tours in Iraq told me that they had "sacrificed" by “serving” in Iraq so that I could enjoy the freedom to teach in the USA. Parroting their master’s slogan about “fighting over there so we don’t have to fight over here,” these students proudly proclaimed that they terrorized and killed defenseless Iraqis. They intimated that their Arab victims are nothing more to them than collateral damage, incidental to their receipt of some money and an education.

Each day, another name makes it on my list.  This tripe, and it get's better, comes from someone teaching American kids.  After you puke, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear what you have to say.

Contributed by J D on February 14, 2007 at 06:59 PM in J D Pendry, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Let's Be Specific
Contributed by Bill Faith

Jimmy L. Cash, Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret. (Hat tip: R J Del Vecchio):

Due to the thunderous applause that I received from the far-left over the “I Am Tired” letter written by one of our troops in Iraq, I thought it prudent to follow up with one last attempt to be very specific about what I have observed and actually personally encountered during my 36 years of service to this Great Country. This will be a one time attempt to reach some of those who are confused by the far-left and their ilk’s unethical rantings and give some insight through my personal experience as a professional military officer over the years. These examples are but a few. In real life there were many more which space and time will not allow. ...

I realize there are different points of view on war, and I do not believe the meek will inherit the earth, at least not in the next few hundred years. To those of the far-left, who will undoubtedly respond to this letter, let me say, “This is a strong country!!!” It has survived the uneducated thinking of the far-left before, and I’ll just bet it will again. Regardless of who is President, the people will not tolerate mass explosions on a daily basis, as our good friends in Israel have been forced to do. To protect that position of power, even Hillary will be forced to become a true hawk. To guarantee a few more votes Ted Kennedy may be forced to begin supporting a strong military. One more attack on America might even wipe the giddy, ‘I-am-finally-somebody’ grin from Nancy Pelosi’s face, and make her realize that is not about votes and personal power. IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING THIS GREAT COUNTRY FROM ALL ENEMIES, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.

Read the whole thing.

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 14, 2007 at 06:12 PM in Peacenik Stupidity, R J Del Vecchio | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Murtha and the Democrats: A new low
Contributed by J D

Top House Democrats, working in concert with anti-war groups, have decided against using congressional power to force a quick end to U.S. involvement in Iraq, and instead will pursue a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration’s options.

Read the rest at Hot Air and get real angry.

Contributed by J D on February 14, 2007 at 05:31 PM in Dem Dumbness, J D Pendry, Peacenik Stupidity | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sunday, 11 February 2007
 

A Gathering of Eagles
Contributed by The Gray Dog

You may notice that for this particular post that there are a lot of 'categories' selected. The problem with BLOGs in general is there are often not enough categories.  For this one, I need to click over 58,000 more. 

By now, you have all heard about the veteran movement to defend the memorials in Washington D.C. on March 17, 2007.  If you are still undecided about making the effort to go, please watch the following:

A Gathering of Eagles: We'll be There!

Contributed by The Gray Dog on February 11, 2007 at 02:58 PM in Caring about our troops, Coming home, Current Affairs, Dem Dumbness, Gathering of Eagles, Music, Patriot Guard Riders, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, Politics, The American Warrior, The Gray Dog, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Video, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Saturday, 10 February 2007
 

R J Del Vecchio: The WSJ roasts Lembke
Contributed by Bill Faith

Del emails:

The debunking of Lembke's bunk has now made it all the way into the big time.  NOW will the idiot defenders of his 100% biased writings finally back off?  The answer is NO, because you see, he MUST be right, the antiwar people MUST be clean, pure, living at the highest peak of moral ground, they have to go into fanatic resistance to any of the sad but real history of the bad treatment that too many antiwar people (be fair, not all of them) gave to vets and encouraged everyone else to give to vets.  Their insecurity is demonstrated by the screaming passion of their attacks on anyone who points out the facts of the history and the falseness of Lembke's book. ...

From the Wall Street Journal Opinion page:

Spit or Myth?
James Taranto

An item yesterday referred to a column by Slate's Jack Shafer, in which he asserted that the "myth" that Vietnam War opponents spat on veterans has been debunked. Shafer rests this claim on Jerry Lembcke's 1998 book, "Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam," which Shafer says he has made his "best efforts to publicize":

Lembcke found no news accounts or even claims from the late 1960s or early 1970s of vets getting spat at. . . . Then, starting around 1980, members of the Vietnam War generation began sharing the tales, which Lembcke calls "urban myths."

But Jim Lindgren, blogging at The Volokh Conspiracy, says he "easily found many accounts published in the 1967-1972 period claiming spitting on servicemen." They include articles in the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as smaller papers. Here's just one example:

Among the journalists who gave first-hand accounts of spitting on soldiers was James Reston, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Spitting was one of the actions tame enough for Reston to describe in his New York Times front page story covering the October 21-22, 1967 Washington anti-war demonstrations: "It is difficult to report publicly the ugly and vulgar provocation of many of the militants. They spat on some of the soldiers in the front line at the Pentagon and goaded them with the most vicious personal slander. Many of the signs carried by a small number of militants . . . are too obscene to print."

If such stories existed, why did Lembcke fail to find them? Another Lindgren post offers this quite plausible explanation:

Having done literally thousands of WESTLAW and LEXIS/NEXIS searches, I can say that when something starts appearing in the press in the early 1980s, that is almost always a function of when these two news services started including the full texts of major newspapers.

We recall once editing an article in which the author claimed that some idea gained greater currency because an Nexis search for it turned up more references with each passing year. The trouble is, Nexis includes more publications with each passing year, so that results like this will be deceptive unless you limit the search to publications that have full Nexis coverage for the entire period of interest.

Did Lembke, a sociologist at Holy Cross University, really make such a basic error in methodology?

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 10, 2007 at 03:27 PM in Caring about our troops, Peacenik Stupidity, R J Del Vecchio, Viet Nam | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, 08 February 2007
 

R J Del Vecchio: Why Can't They See It?
Contributed by Bill Faith

Del emails:

Today there was an interesting blurb on the AOL website, a video clip from an interview with Celize Theron by a CNN reporter, focused on the phenomenon of rap music in countries other than America, most specifically, in Cuba.  In the course of the discussion, it came out that the composers had to submit their lyrics to Cuban government officials for approval before they could be performed in public, and that there were severe penalties for anyone who defied the rules and presented anything the government found somehow inappropriate.

The reporter at one point said, casually, something like "So, you found there are controls on free speech in Cuba?"  To which Theron replied instantly to the effect that after all, the same thing exists in the USA. The reporter, clearly taken aback a bit by this, went on to question her basis for such a statement, and she referred to having heard that some people in media jobs had been fired for expressing antiwar views.  The reporter then went on to ask if she really saw such alleged incidents as being equivalent to the type of controls in Cuba (and to be fair, the tone of his voice and his delivery clearly expressed his own feeling that this seemed a bit over the top).  She replied without hesitation that yes, she sees no difference.

This is one more example among so many of assorted public figures, mostly Hollywood/media/academic types, freely opining that whatever defect any other society has, the USA is no better (and in some cases, worse).  It is also an example of real obtuseness, if there is no difference between a government policy of official censorship of performing artists and some individual employer imposing (fairly or unfairly) restrictions on what employees can say in public, then every society now and in history has always been equally repressive.  Ms. Theron may be quite intelligent and talented, and certainly impressively beautiful, but she's still incapable of objective, reasoned thought on some issues.

What she doesn't see, what none of the social critics seem to see, is that whether they intend it or not, they play directly into the hands of those who hate and despise us, and intend to do as much harm to us as they possibly can.  Every time any public figure criticizes this country, that gets picked up and added to the massive propaganda that washes over all of Islam and much of the rest of the world.  It's proclaimed far and wide as rock solid confirmation by enlightened Americans of the total corruption and decadence of the society, which of course fans the enthusiasm of those who want to see us and present us as the Great Satan.

When Lt. Watada makes statements that if he went to Iraq at all, he'd automatically be guilty of partaking in war crimes, Bin Laden et al. jump for joy and it makes headlines all over the Moslem world, and elsewhere. When Micheal Moore and others say the war is only about stealing Arab oil and persecuting Moslems, the flames of hatred and fanaticism get fanned wonderfully.

No, we aren't perfect, then again, who the hell is or ever was?  No, that doesn't excuse our flaws and mistakes, but it does call for some kind of balanced view rather than the orgy of self-recrimination and general ignoring of the evils of those with whom we are in conflict.  The West can self-destruct, and too much of what we see going on in the USA and other Western societies seems to indicate we're sliding in that direction.

God knows I hope I'm wrong.

Del

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 8, 2007 at 08:09 PM in Peacenik Stupidity, R J Del Vecchio, Unclear on the concept | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack