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September 28, 2007
Walter Reed FReep 127 - September 21, 2007 - "Darth Cheney"
Tonight we had a special appearance by Darth Cheney, who was ready to slay liberals anywhere!
THE RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY IS BACK AND IT'S BETTER THAN EVER!
Honor Roll of Attendees:
Tom the Redhunter, A Conservative Realist, Albion Wilde, Kristinn, tgslTakoma, Jimmy Valentine's Brother, Mr & Mrs Trooprally, Fraxinus, Sensi Ern, VictoryNY, Lurker Bill, 2nd Class Citizen, BillF, Plea Deal, Cindy-True-Supporter, VAFlagWaver, PrezUSA222, Brad & April with friend DellBabe68, all from Texas, Ingrid, Eric and daughter Carolyn, all from Hagerstown MD, and of course "Darth Cheney", aka 3DJoy
As is our usual custom, we gathering in the parking lot across from the main entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in northwest Washington DC. We set about assembling our many flags and banners, and before long Old Glory (or should I say Glories?) was waving above the MOAB
Things really got rollong when our greatest cheerleader for the troops arrived, VictoryNY! Here she is, letting out one of her war cries
VictoryNY! lends a lot of enthusiasm to our gathering. Her voice booms throughout the intersection, and I'm sure the Pinkos down the street hate her. So much the better.
The Out-of-Towners
Here is April and her friend DellBabe68
, both from Texas. We see April every month or so when she's in town, but this is DellBabe68's first time.
And here's Brad
In the foreground is Carolyn, and behind her dad Eric and mother Ingrid.
Something for the Libs to Think About
During all their blather about "peace", have they ever considered the truisms in this sign? No.
They forget that the Civil War was quite controversial at the time, the Democrats having bailed by 1864. Yet who today could imagine not wanting to free the slaves? While today we remember World War II at least partially as a war to end the concentration camps, few thought of it that way at the time.
National POW-MIA RecognitionDay
I didn't know it at the time, but as it turns out, Friday was National POW-MIA Recognition Day
You can download the official poster here
What It's All About
Here are the busses with the troops and their families. No matter what the weather, and whether we are many or few, we make sure we give them the most enthusiastic welcome possible.
If you can't get to D.C. to join us but would like to do something for the wounded, you can find a wealth of ideas by FReepmailing Albion Wilde, Cindy-True-Supporter, VAFlagwaver, or PleaDeal.
Come join us every Friday night between the hours of 6:30pm to approx 9:30pm.
Directions to our Walter Reed freep location from the Takoma metro station
* You can find all of Mrs Trooprally's photos for this Freep on her Photobucket site.
This post can also be viewed at Free Republic
* Thank you to BufordP for maintaining the BIG LIST of all Walter Reed FReeps.
* Thank you always to Kristinn and tgslTakoma for all the work they do. Kristinn is president of the DC chapter and our chief organizer, and tgslTakoma hauls the MOAB, flags, most of the signs, and our "picnic table" back and forth every week. Thank you to Mr & Mrs Trooprally because they also transport and store many of our signs and banners.
* Tom the Redhunter blogs at The Redhunter
* Plea Deal blogs at Sempter Gratis
Posted by Tom at 10:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 27, 2007
Ahmadinejad's Other Message
It's taken me longer than I wanted to get this posted
There's been a lot of talk about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech(or here) earlier this week at Columbia University. What you may have missed is what he said at the beginning of his talk
AHMADINEJAD: In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful...TRANSLATOR: The president is reciting verses from the holy Koran in Arabic.
AHMADINEJAD: Oh, God, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those to attest to his rightfulness.
My guess is that most people skipped right through this part. I however, think it very important to understanding who he is and what we are up against.
And the bottom line is that we are dealing with a madman. One who if present trends continue will have nuclear weapons at his disposal.
The Doctrine of Mahdism is as follows
According to Shi’ite tradition, the Twelve Imams, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali Ibn Abi Talib, were endowed with divine qualities that enabled them to lead the Shi’ite believers and to function as Allah’s emissaries on earth. However, when the Twelfth Imam Muhammad Al-Mahdi disappeared in 941 CE, his connection with the Shi’ite believers was severed, and since then, the Shi’ites are commanded to await his return at any time.In the meantime, Shi’ite senior clerics are considered to be the representatives of the Imams, and thus have the authority to handle the affairs of the Shi’ite community, mainly in the religious and judicial spheres, until the Hidden Imam returns to lead the Shi’ite community and deliver it from its suffering.
According to Shi’ite belief, during the period of the Mahdi’s absence (termed ghaibat or “occultation”), no one but God knows the hour of the Mahdi’s return, and no man can presume to foresee when this hour will come. Upon the Mahdi’s reappearance, all wrongs will be righted, divine justice will be instated, and the truth of Shi’ite Islam will be acknowledged by the entire world. (Mahdism).
So far so good. I have no problem with any of this and want to make clear that in no shape way or form am I "making fun" of Shi'ite end times theology. As a Christian I believe that the book of Revelation is accurate and will one day occur. We Christians are also fond of saying "Jesus is coming soon", so neither am I criticizing Ahmadinejad when he said that he wished to "hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi".
So if that's all there was to it, then no issue. But that's not all there is too it. With Ahmadinejad, there's a lot more.
Continuing from the same MEMRI report linked to above
Immediately upon assuming the presidency, Ahmadinejad began to assert his belief in the imminent return of the Mahdi as the basis for his political activities. Despite the traditional belief that no one can foresee the hour of the Mahdi’s return, Ahmadinejad frequently stated that his coming was nigh, and even gave a more specific prediction. During a meeting with the foreign minister of an Islamic country, he said that the crisis in Iran “presaged the coming of the Hidden Imam, who would appear within the next two years.” In a December 2006 speech in Kermanshah, Ahmadinejad wished the Christians a merry Christmas and said: “I hereby announce that, with God’s help, the day is not far off when Jesus will return at the side of the Hidden Imam.”Not only has Ahmadinejad wished to proclaim the imminent coming of the Mahdi, and thereby to legitimize his policy and actions by associating them with Hidden Imam - but he has also presented himself as being directly connected to God.
...Ahmadinejad has also presented himself as being privy to God’s intentions and actions, as reflected in his statement that “God has appointed the Hidden Imam to be our supporter.” His claim of having a direct relationship with God was also evident in the speech he made upon his return to Iran after addressing the U.N. General Assembly in 2005. Ahmadinejad claimed that, as he was delivering his U.N. address, he felt himself “surrounded by a halo of light” symbolizing the messianic nature of his message to the nations of the world.
Again, though, I'm just setting the stage. Stay with me. Here's more from MEMRI
In his just-published memoirs, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy relates the story of a meeting between three European foreign ministers together with Javier Solana of the European Union and President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The meeting, which took place at the United Nations on September 15, 2005, dealt with what Douste-Blazy characterized as "the generous European offer" to Iran regarding its nuclear program. Ahmadinejad was characterized by Douste-Blazy, a surgeon and a professor of medicine by profession, as stubborn, and the meeting was described as leading nowhere. Suddenly, Ahmadinejad changed the course of the conversation with the following aside: "Do you know why we should wish to have chaos at any price?" he asked rhetorically. "Because, after the chaos, we can see the greatness of Allah."(emphasis added)
Do you see where I'm going with this? Let me spell it out: Ahhadinejad is a sympathizer of the Hojjatieh. Who are they? Well, the Hojjatieh are a sect of Shii Islam that is so radical that it was banned by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1983, if that gets your attention.
Here's where I'll wrap it all up. Read this carefully
But rooted in the Shiite ideology of martyrdom and violence, the Hojjatieh sect adds messianic and apocalyptic elements to an already volatile theology. They believe that chaos and bloodshed must precede the return of the 12th Imam, called the Mahdi. But unlike the biblical apocalypse, where the return of Jesus is preceded by waves of divinely decreed natural disasters, the summoning of the Mahdi through chaos and violence is wholly in the realm of human action. The Hojjatieh faith puts inordinate stress on the human ability to direct divinely appointed events. By creating the apocalyptic chaos, the Hojjatiehs believe it is entirely in the power of believers to affect the Mahdi’s reappearance, the institution of Islamic government worldwide, and the destruction of all competing faiths.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has clearly indicated that he is a true believer in this faith.
It has been reported that he has told confidants that he anticipates the immanent return of the Mahdi. When he previously served as Mayor of Tehran, he advocated for widening the roads to accommodate the Mahdi’s triumphal entry into the city. One of his first acts of office as President was to dedicate approximately $20 million to the restoration and improvement of the mosque at Jamkaran, where the Mahdi is claimed to dwell.
The short version of all this is that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad belives that he can prompt the return of the Mahdi by creating bloodshed and choas on earth.
See now why I said he was a madman?
Don't think that Ahmadinejad is the only one in Iran to hold such beliefs. At least one other senior Ayatollah, Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi (aka "Professor Crocodile"), who is "the Iranian President’s ideological mentor", also buys into this stuff.
Do you understand now why under no circumstances can we allow these people to obtain nuclear weapons?
Posted by Tom at 9:29 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
From Muslim Foot-Baths to Muslim Smoking Rooms
This post by Mark Steyn over at The Corner highlights a situation that is sadly becoming all too typical
Okay, Muslim foot-baths in Kansas City airport, gender-segregated swimming sessions at French municipal pools, banning pork from Aussie hospital menus, no eating donuts for Belgian cops during Ramadan, no seeing-eye dogs or alcohol in Minneapolis taxi cabs, fine, fine, fine. Must be sensitive and all that.But this is an amazing victory. In Vancouver, infidels can't smoke but Muslims can:
Vancouver's hookah-parlour owners are celebrating after winning an exemption Thursday from a proposed new bylaw that will ban smoking on most sidewalks in commercial districts, in bus shelters and even in taxis passing through Vancouver.In giving the bylaw unanimous approval-in-principle, Vancouver city council members bowed to arguments that hookah lounges provide an important cultural space for the city's Muslims and granted them a temporary exemption...
[Emad Yacoub] said hookah lounges are essential for immigrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home.
Where do the rest of us go to deal with depression? As Jay Currie asks, "What about my culture?"By creating a special exemption for Muslims - who do seem to be the only immigrant group actively demanding these sorts of “cultural accommodations” we are basically declaring our Muslim citizens worthy of special treatment and, at the same time, unworthy of the health concerns which are purported to be the basis of general smoking bans.The state, in other words, is prepared to treat Muslims as free-born adults who can weigh the "cultural value" (ie, the pleasures) of smoking against the health risks. But not the rest of us.
Posted by Tom at 8:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 26, 2007
An Anti-Salafist We Need
If we are to win the War on Jihadism we need to enlist and encourage as many reform-minded Muslims as possible. Right now it seems that the jihadists have the upper hand, but there are some Muslims trying to change all that. One was profiled by the Washington Times today
Exiled Egyptian cleric Ahmed Subhy Mansour, whose teachings have earned him dozens of death "fatwas" from fellow Muslim clerics, uses the English translation for al Qaeda — meaning "the base" — to describe a plan to defeat Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, who he says have seized control of Islam."Suppose you have here [in the United States] a base to counter al Qaeda in the war of ideas?" Sheik Mansour asked during a recent luncheon at The Washington Times.
"You could convince a large number — millions of silent Muslims. We can convince them very easily that the real enemy is not the United States. It is not Israel. The real enemy is the dictators in the Muslim world and the culture of the Wahhabis and Muslim Brotherhood," he said, referring to the dominant arbiters of Islamic orthodoxy in Saudi Arabia and Egypt respectively.
Sounds like my kind of guy.
He certainly says all the right things. First, he he properly identified the enemy as Wahhanism and the Muslim Brotherhood. They make up the first two branches of the jihad, the third being the Khumeinists. Either way, he isn't like so many who only see the enemy as being al Qaeda.
Most interestingly, Dr. Mansour has founded his own branch of Islam
Sheik Mansour is the founder of a small Egyptian sect that is neither Sunni nor Shi"ite. They call themselves Quranists because they believe that the Koran represents the single authentic scripture of Islam. They especially anger Sunni Muslims by rejecting the Hadith and Sunna, purported sayings and traditions of the prophet Muhammad.
Before you laugh and dismiss him as a nut who won't get anywhere, recall that not too many centuries ago they said the same thing about Martin Luther and John Calvin. Recall also that they did not succeed overnight, but that their efforts took tens of years, even centuries, to pay off. If they and others could reform Christianity, I see no reason why men like Dr. Mansour can't reform Islam.
Long story short, Dr. Mansour was a former professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. He was dismissed in 1987 on charges of being a heretic, and eventually fled to the U.S. in late 2001 where he was granted political asylum.
His organization is called the International Quranic Center. From their website, their goals are to
1) To advocate peaceful reform in the Muslim world based on democracy and human rights and to offer practical strategies for such change;2) To mobilize on the web and convene in person open-minded scholars of the Quran to share research demonstrating the consistency of Islam with democracy;
3) To communicate the value of ecumenical democracy to Muslims of all denominations;
4) To initiate a real inter-religious dialogue among Muslims, Christians, Jews, and members of all religions who believe in creating societies based upon tolerance and justice.
5) To educate Muslims in America to understand and interpret Islam as consistent with American democracy.
Works for me.
No Moderates Wanted
I am not interested in Muslims who claim to be moderates.
I am interested in Muslims who want to reform their religion.
If you're not clear on the difference between Muslim moderates and Muslim reformers, here it is, and why the former are part of the problem:
An act of terror is committed by a group which says it is acting in the name of Islam- The moderate Muslim condemns the act in no uncertain terms but then says that Islam has nothing do do with it. He says that the terrorist group hijacked Islam or misinterpreted it.
- The reformist Muslim condemns the act in no uncertain terms but then says that Islam as it is interpreted and practiced today is part of the problem. He says that Islam needs to undergo a reform in the same way Christianity was reformed by Martin Luther et all 500 years ago.
This is a tough thing to say but the fact is that Islam has a problem with violence and the theory of the jihad and needs to be reformed. Christianity underwent this reformation hundreds of years ago, but Islam never did. Until this occurs we will have problems.
It is also why I champion people like Irshad Manji and Dr Mansour.
Where In The World...
So why did I find out about Dr Mansour and his organization from the Washington Times? Why are he and others not like him like Irshad Manji not invited to the White House every week?
For that matter, why do I not see any other politicians from either party inviting him to their events? If they were I think I would have heard about it by now.
Part of the reason why such reformers are ignored is that the Saudi govnerment tells soothing lies that too many in our government, and especially in the State Department, believe. They urge us to shun true reformers and insist that Wahhabism is peaceful. The purpose of the Saudi government is to act as a "cover" for their Wahhabists, to pull the wool over our eyes, as it were. They are all to successful.
One of the biggest failures of the Bush Administration has been it's utter failure to use our country's vast reservour of "soft power" to influence world events. As part of this, one of the things they should have is a program to encourage reformers like Dr Mansour. Instead, President Bush is locked into only dealing with traditional Muslim groups, many of which end up having suspicious links to the radicals.
For that matter, where are groups like the National Organization of Women (NOW)? From what I can tell their excuse is that they're only concerned with women in the US, hence the "National". Ok, but can't they help a little bit?
To be sure, it would be nice of someone at the White House or in the Democrat party would think to try and enlist them. Sure, I'm miles apart from NOW on just about every domestic issue, but surely they would be great allies in fighing the horrible abuse of women in most of the Muslim world.
I was listening to Glenn Beck today and one of his ideas was to hae Dianne Sawyer and Oprah Winfrey highlight the plight of women under Islam in most of the Muslim world. I've long thought that one way to undermine the Salafists is to highlight their abuse of women through a human rights campaign.
I'm straying from my topic a bit, but it's really all part of the "soft power" I mentioned earlier. Islam needs to be reformed, and the reformers need our help. Some of it can come from the government, and some from private individuals and institutions.
Can we please get started?
Posted by Tom at 8:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 24, 2007
Ahmadinejad at Columbia
I was able to tune into Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about halfway through his address at Columbia University earlier today. What struck me was what a poor speech it was. He rambled and seemed not to be able to stay on any one topic for long. I was unimpressed.
Much more interesting was the question and answer period which followed. He is the master of evasion, able to take just about any question and turn it into a soliquoly on "justice" for the Palestinians. When asked whether Iran was building nuclear weapons he engaged in moral equivalence; "you have them and you tell others they can't have them?" Sadly though unsurprisingly, many in the audience applauded him.
Playing to Western leftists, he tried to portray Iran as the a victim; of terrorism, Western imperialism, of economic sanctions for no reason, and of Iraqi chemical weapons.
The last is at least true, although no doubt many leftists will simply use this as an excuse to attack the United States. All we want is justice and freedom, he insisted.
Many students were having none of it, there being many reports of anti Ahmadinejad demonstrations outside of the lecture hall. And many in the United States who haven't paid much attention to him will rightly be offended by his insistence that more "research" is needed to determine whether the holocaust occured or not.
Also President Bollinger (whom I heard later on the Sean Hannity show) did attack Ahmadinejad pretty good during his introduction, and to their credit many students applauded him. On the flip side, they should have just boycotted the whole thing.
Here's how I think it will play out from a public perception standpoint
This is win for Ahmadinejad in Iran and in Muslim countries, as they will only show him at his best. They won't show Bollinger's introduction. They'll also show the students applauding Ahmadinejad. The mere fact that he spoke at a major American university give him legitimacy and standing.
Further, this invite and his speaking at Columbia feeds into the fantasies of the jihadists. The Khumeinists believe that they can declare jihad and create a regional Imamate. They believe that they can pull the wool over our eyes as to their true intentions. This event today encourages that belief.
On the other side, some in Muslim countries will hear Bollinger's introduction (from one source or another), and this will be damaging. Also, more people in the United States will now realize what a dangerous man this guy is.
The real shame here is on Columbia University for inviting him in the first place. I don't buy their excuse that everyone should be given a forum. Dean Coatsworth even said that they would have invited Hitler if he had been willing to debate. This is absurd. There are some people so extreme we need not listen to them. Grand Wizards of the KKK are an example. Anyone who denies the holocaust and has repeatedly said that Israel should be wiped off the map is another.
Unfortunately, this is the same university that allowed Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minutemen, was literally chased off stage by leftist idiots in October 2006. According to his website, he was supposed to return this year but the deal was nixed. It's unclear why, but Gilchrist said that the Columbia Political Union succumbed "to pressure from anti-freedom-of-speech gangsters." It wouldn't surprise me.
While I'm sure Ahmadinejad had great security, I'm sure he had nothing to fear from any students at Columbia. Conservatives don't storm stages or disrupt speakers, and leftists will tolerate anyone who hates the U.S.
And anyone who wonders where the faculty of Columbia's sympathies lie need only consider that this is a university that has banned ROTC and military recruiters, yet has no problem inviting a man like Ahmadinejad.
Rather, I think the Editors of National Review have figured out why Columbia invited Ahmadinejad
Ahmadinejad’s visit to Columbia has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Rather, it is one more capitulation in series of victories for anti-Israel sentiment at the university. Columbia has long had problems with professors’ intimidating students who disagree with them about Israel’s right to exist, and its Middle East–studies department is a hotbed of anti-Israel hysteria. The sad reality is that there isn’t much daylight between Ahmadinejad’s positions on the legitimacy of the founding of Israel and those of Columbia professors Joseph Massad and Gil Anidjar.
I think they have it about right. Bollinger and other academics prattle about "free speech", but the experience of conservative speakers at universities over the past 30 years has put the lie to this. Recall also that these academics are the same ones who pushed onerous speech codes (most of which have fortunately been overturned by the courts).
In the end, sometime in the next year or so we'll have to face the Iranian quest for nuclear weapons and their sponsorship of terrorism. Hitler had no shortage of apologists in France and Britain in the mid-30s. After he took Czechoslovakia (and certainly after Poland) most people came around, though it was nearly too late. Let's hope it's not so close this time.
Posted by Tom at 9:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 23, 2007
Iraq Briefing 21 September 2007
Major General Joseph Fil, Commanding General of Multi-National Division-Baghdad and First Cavalry Division, spoke with Pentagon reporters from Iraq on Friday. Maj Gen Fil spoke from Camp Liberty in Baghdad. He assumed his current command in November of 2006.
Here's the transcript, but as with all these briefings I urge you to watch the video.
In trying to understand the situation in Iraq, I think it important to get your information from a wide variety of sources. Traditional newspapers, like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times, are important. Whether you're conservative or liberal, both CNN and Fox News are valuable. Independent journalists like Michael Yon and Michael Totten provide unfiltered on-the-ground reporting from Iraq. And sometimes the best analysis can be found on the internet.
Likewise, it is a good idea to find out what our military leaders think. The Pentagon Channel is the best way I know of to view press briefings. Best of all, it is on-demand, so that you don't have to wait until the next showing on C-SPAN. They also provide a transcript of each briefing, the full list of which can be found here.
Finally, I think that the press has gotten a lot better with their questions. I remember the early days of OEF and OIF, when sometimes it seemed that the reporters were trying to outdo each other with stupid questions. No more.
Excerpts from Maj Gen Fil's Briefing
Here are some of the most important parts of Maj Gen Fil's briefing
Attacks are Down
GEN. FIL: Attacks are down in the city. The temporary barriers we've (emplaced ?) around markets and the densely populated areas have caused the terrorist attacks to be less lethal over the past months and allowed life to grow inside the barriers. Baghdad currently has the lowest level of attacks within the 10 security districts since we first arrived here more than 10 months ago.Since Fard al-Qanun began back in mid-February, there's been more than a 50 percent reduction in overall attacks per week. Small arms fire attacks are half of what they were in February. The number of car bombs per week is well under half of when this operation began, and the ones that do detonate are much much less lethal than they were initially. Likewise, mortar and rocket attacks have declined by way more than 50 percent in the same period. We've also seen a steep overall decline in the number of IED detonations and a corresponding increase in the number found prior to detonation. I believe that these trends indicate that our arrests of key IED cell members, combined with an increased ability to find IED caches, is having an overall impact on the enemy's ability to build and use these murderous weapons of terror.
Now, while attack trends are down over all, the level of violence is still too high. We're still seeing attacks against the population and our forces despite recent calls for a stand-down. Our reports show that during the first two weeks of September, extremist groups conducted mortar, rocket and EFP attacks, RPG attacks against tanks and surface-to-air missile launches.
...
Control of Baghdad Neighborhoods
Q General, hi. It's David Cloud with The New York Times. In the past in speaking to us you've given us a breakdown of your assessment of the Baghdad neighborhoods and whether they're cleared, held, retained -- and there's one more category which escapes me at the moment. Can you run through that again with us, or what the status of those are now, and just give us a sense of your rough timetable for moving into the latter categories?GEN. FIL: Yeah, thanks. I can, and I'll just run through them. The the four categories that we track as we progress through the evolution of security in the city is, first of all, disruption, then clearance, followed by a control phase, and then finally, retain, which is the one in which Iraqi security forces are primarily in the lead.
We started off with 70 percent of them in disruption, and about 21 percent of them in clearance last February. We're now down to about 16 percent in disruption and about 30 percent that remain in clearance. But the number in control and retain now are, of the 474 muhallas in Baghdad, well over 250 of them are in control and retain, some 56 percent.
...
So I would expect that, you know, in the next several months, we would continue this progress and would be well over the 56 percent or so that we're at right now, and control and retain.
The IED Threat
Q General, this is Anna Mulrine with U.S. News and World Report. I'm just wondering, what do you feel like is the toughest part of what you're doing in Baghdad today? What's your biggest challenge right now in the city? ...GEN. FIL: It continues to be the IEDs that are the -- really the biggest threat to our soldiers. They're the biggest killer. It's a very tough weapon to find because there are many ways to disguise them, even putting them into concrete and simulating the curb from the side of the road. So we're working very hard against these, not only against them when we find them, but against the networks that are putting them in there and those networks that supply them. So that continues to be the main effort, frankly, offensively.
And I do think we've had, you know, huge progress. The numbers of these IEDs continue to come down and their effectiveness, and now we're finding many more of them than are actually being used against us. But it's still a challenge, and it's the number one killer of soldiers over here.
...
The Militia Threat
Q General, Julian Barnes from the Los Angeles Times here. I was wondering if you could tell us about the willingness of local police to move against militias in their neighborhood, particularly these local volunteers that you spoke of. Are they willing to take actions against entrenched militias?GEN. FIL: They've been -- well, first of all, these forces -- we're not using them offensively, and so they are -- right now they are to serve as security volunteers, and they are helping us to keep people out and to serve -- the militias out and to serve as an early warning network in coordination with the police and the coalition forces and the Iraqi army forces that are in these neighborhoods. But we are not right now using them offensively to actually fight against al Qaeda or militias in the cities.
And to answer your question, are they willing to? Yes, they are, and they want to. And as they are eventually incorporated into the Iraqi security forces, whether it be the police, the Iraqi, you know, Police Service, the national police or the Iraqi army, we'll certainly use them that way.
..
MRAP: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle
Q And just one other question about -- you mentioned the IED threat -- IED threats. I'm just curious how many of the MRAPs, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, you have, how many more you need, and do you think they make a different -- a big difference in the U.S. casualty rate in your area of responsibility? GEN. FIL: We have not -- although we have RC-31s and some of the route clearance equipment that we've had, you know, for some time here, and it's very effective, we in the 1st Cavalry Division, Multinational Division-Baghdad have not yet received the MRAPs. We do expect to be getting it shortly, and one of our districts is a priority for General Odierno and the allocation of these. And so we do expect to be receiving them shortly.General Odierno has looked at the entire nation, and he has -- based on the different brigade combat teams across Iraq, and the threat that they have faced, he's prioritized them and then made the allocations according to that prioritization.... So we're satisfied that it's the right way to get them distributed here. And again, they're coming fast.
Posted by Tom at 9:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 22, 2007
The War Against al Qaeda is in Iraq: But the Left is Giving Encouragement to the Enemy
This post by W Thomas Smith Jr on The Corner is so right-on it's worth reprinting in it's entirety
At "The Corner," Victor Davis Hanson considers the fact that:
Although it is taboo to say so, it really is true that Afghan veteran terrorists like al-Masri and Zarqawi did flee from Afghanistan to Iraq where they often ended up dead.There is no question but that this is true. War is all about finding, fixing, and destroying the enemy; and that often means maneuvering around him, thrusting, feinting, luring, forcing him to turn, withdraw, or perhaps move to a position that he believes is the best ground from which to engage us. When in fact, we have — by virtue of our own positioning — forced the enemy to that ground he wrongly believes is best-suited for him. That is exactly what we have accomplished (among other things) by invading Iraq.
The Left says we are in a quagmire in Iraq. For Heaven's sake, Al Qaeda is in a quagmire. AQ is suffering huge losses in that country, and it is having an enormous impact on their ability to wage war against us elsewhere in the world.
Doesn't mean AQ isn't fighting us elsewhere in the world. They are. But their focus is on Iraq where we and the Iraqi security forces — which by the way are getting stronger all the time — are chewing them to pieces. AQ has to win in Iraq — which they won't — because losing in Iraq would be disastrous for them globally.
No thanks to the gutless, propagandizing Left in this country, who I've now grown beyond the stages of simple intellectual disagreement. I'm now truly angry at them because they've hurt the American military effort in Iraq. They've constantly condemned it: Said it was a "failure," a "disaster," and "lost," even as Anbar was turning around (and we now see the success of Anbar is spreading to other provinces). They've mercilessly ridiculed the commander-in-chief. Accused the senior commander on the ground in Iraq of "betrayal." And attempted to publicly convict the rank-and-file riflemen — of whom Jack Murtha said killed innocent civilians in "cold blood" — prior to any charges being leveled against those riflemen in a case that is still being argued.
In that sense, the Left has stiffened the backbone of the enemy. Made him fight harder than he should have. Made him believe there is hope for his own success at driving us out of Iraq, when the enemy should ALWAYS be made to feel there is no hope of defeating the United States anywhere on earth.
The left just doesn't understand that if we pull out of Iraq without finishing the job it will be seen around the world as a huge victory for al Qaeda and a huge loss for the United States. They'll use it to bolster their numbers, and no country will trust the United States to protect them from anyone.
But I don't think they really care.
Posted by Tom at 9:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 19, 2007
Hot Air comes to Walter Reed
Last Friday we were privileged to have Michelle Malkin and Bryan Preston join us in our weekly pro-troops rally outside the main entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. Since I can't say it better myself, I'll refer you Bryan's post and video over at Hot Air
Every Friday night, dozens of people gather outside the main gate at Walter Reed Army Medical Facility in Washington to show their support for the wounded troops who are being cared for inside. On Friday, September 15, we joined them. Anti-war protesters from Code Pink were also demonstrating down the street, just as they do every Friday night.
By the way, the night’s head count was patriots 109, Code Pink 12.
Thank you, Michelle and Bryan!
For details on this weekly rally outside of Walter Reed, go here, here, and here.
Posted by Tom at 8:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2007
Hanging with Laura Ingraham
Ok, so I didn't really hang out with Laura Ingraham today, but the title sounds good.
I went over to the Arlington Costco to her book signing, where I got an autographed copy of Power to the People.
Unfortunately I forgot my regular camera, so was left with the camera on my cell phone, which is only VGA quality. The Costco lady accidentally hit the button too soon, and since there were a lot of people waiting it wasn't appropriate to reset it for another try. It doesn't really matter though, I really just wanted an autographed copy of her book
Although I obviously haven't read the book yet, I did skim through sections while waiting in line, and she has talked a lot about it on her radio show. In her book she talks about negative social trends that are harming our country, such as the "pornification" of the culture. As you may imagine, I'm completely in sympathy with her.
It seemed like people of all ages were waiting in line. It was especially encouraging to see younger people, those who looked to be in their teens or 20s, as they are the ones who need this the most, since they are under the most peer pressure.
The man behind me was with his two preteen daughters, and he was telling them about Laura and her message, as they are obviously in school when she is on the air. But he was telling them that he was going to have Laura sign it to them as well as him, and in the coming months they were going to learn about her and her message.
There's a man who loves his daughters. Sometime small things give me great hope for our country.
Posted by Tom at 10:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 15, 2007
Gathering of Eagles III - The Fight for Victory Tour and Counter to A.N.S.W.E.R.
Today I was fortunate enough to be able to be at the Gathering of Eagles III in downtown Washington DC, it was the culmination of Melanie Morgan's Fight for Victory tour across the USA.
Several groups, of course, participated in making today's Gathering of Eagles possible. Among them Morgan's Move America Forward, Protest Warriors, and Free Republic. For a full list and details see my post on the run-up to today.
Of course, in addition to us International ANSWER held their protest as well. If by some chance you're not familiar with exactly who they are please see their profile David Horowitz' DiscoverTheNetwork. Wikpedia also has a decent entry.
Order of Events
To provide a structure and get things started, today's events can be broken into three parts:
1) Morning - The Gathering of Eagles held a rally on the Mall, and at the same time ANSWER held a rally near the White House
2) Early-to-mid afternoon - ANSWER (finally) marched down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol building, and on both sides of the street Eagles showed them that they were not the only one's in town that day.
3) ANSWER staged their "die in" on the lawn and steps leading up to the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Some Eagles went to watch, I was among them.
Part I - The Gathering of Eagles
I got uptown just before 10, made my way to the Gathering of Eagles. Here are some views of the crowd
This one gets you an idea of crowd size
Two of my heroes, Bryan Preston and Michelle Malkin were there. They also came to Friday night's FReep outside of Walter Reed. Their post on Walter Reed is here, and here's their initial report on today's GOE III. I'm sure they'll have more up later, and I'll link to it when I see it. I'll also link to the Free Republic After Action Report on Friday when that's up.
While all this was going on I ran into one of my favorite bloggers, Tantor of Conservative Propaganda. I didn't get his photo as I'm not sure he would want it published. As of this writing I don't see that he has his post up about today yet, but be sure to visit his site over the next few days. He told me that after spending some time atGOE III he was going right up to the White House and do an infiltration of the moonbat crowd. He'll have an excellent photo essay sometime in the next day or so I'm sure.
Here's a sign that would no doubt infuriate the moonbats later on
Many Vietnam veterans of Rolling Thunder where there. I got a chance to speak briefly with some throughout the day, and shook their hands and said "thank you for your service."
My general impression is that they come to counter the war protesters not because they necessarily believe lock stock and barrel in what the Bush Administration is doing, but because they remember having to come home to the anti-war hippies themselves and have said "never again". They have a great distain for anti-war types, believe you me.
Here are three from the front and back
Kristinn Taylor of Free Republic was emcee, and as always did a masterful job of keeping things on track. We started off with the pledge of allegiance and a prayer, something I'm sure the ANSWER people didn't do.
Taylor and Morgan had secured a very impressive list of speakers for the event. Some were more inspirational, like Lt Col Robert "Buzz" Patterson, and others were Gold Star mothers and fathers who of course had more somber and emotional presentations. One father recounted the last phone call he received from his son, which was quite moving.
Here is audio of part of Melanie Mortan's speech
Another speaker was Dr. Kimberly Kagan, president of the Institute for the Study of War. Check out her latest on NRO, where she and others analyze President Bush's speech last week on Iraq.
Then we had a surprise speaker; presidential candidate Rep Duncan Hunter (R-CA). I am a fan of Hunter, and wish he was doing better in the polls. I think he'd do well against any of the democrats, and would probably vote for him in a primary if I could.
My little camera doesn't have much of a zoom, so here's the my best photo of him
Here is audio of Rep Hunter's remarks.
I walked around to the side after the rally, and he was good enough to speak for a few minutes with me and some others. He shook our hands and I wished him well.
We finished right on time at 12 Noon, with Kristinn dismissing the crowd and giving everyone directions to Pennsylvania Avenue. Everyone slowly filed out and made our way a few blocks away to where we would spend the next 3 or 4 hours.
Part II - The March and the Counter
We gathered up and down both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, taking up several blocks on each side. All this was part of a pre-arranged plan; the organizers of GOE III (as well as ANSWER) having negotiated with the DC government over permit areas for weeks if not months before this event.
And we waited
And waited
If you're not reading ThreatsWatch...
...you're not fully informed.
During what seemed an interminable wait, I finally got to meet my good friend Marvin Hutchins, who was in town with blog partner Steve Schippert. Marvin is the creator of ThreatsWatch, and Steve is a contributor. Steve also contributes to National Review Online, where you can find his posts on The Corner and The Tank.
They were in town attending some security conference, and as they would be here over the weekend of course wanted to drop by and see real life moonbats in action. They weren't disappointed.
FINALLY, at 2:45 they showed, a good 2 1/2 hours behind schedule. Here they are: Moonbats on parade!
It was, as always, a circus freakshow that would have made P.T. Barnum proud. I'll never figure out what it is about lefties where they think they have to dress up in costumes and carry all manner of vulgar signs. This one wasn't actually as bad as some I've seen in the past (see "Rallies and Protests" under "Categories" at right), but was a show nevertheless. Many of them carried preprinted ANSWER signs that their masters leaders had given to them.
Here's a good wide-angle shot so you can see that at times the street was thick with them
I think I've seen this contraption at other ANSWER demonstrations
The Chants
The leftists:
Iraq for Iraqis, U.S. Out Now!
Bush Never Served! Bush Never Served!
Strengh Through Peace!
Apparently flying F-102 Delta Daggers for 2 years doesn't count, but none of these people would know an F-102 if it hit them on the heard.
One of our number, a FReeper who calls himself "Dr Raoul" was shouting at the moonbats with his megaphone
End the Occupation, Commies Out of DC!
There was shouting on each side, and some folks let their emotions get the better of them, and occasionally tempers flared. I've learned to remain calm in the face of provocation, but it's something you have to prepare for.
A few marchers wore bandanas over their faces. I think this is the so-called "Black bloc" of anarchists, but am not sure. I'll do some research tomorrow.
Many Eagles would holler at them to uncover their face, calling them cowards. Sometimes they did, making my wonder why, if they gave in so easily, why them covered themselves in the first place.
Pardon the vulgarity but these people need to be exposed. You'll never see this photo in the MSM
They are a creative bunch, I'll give them that. Too bad they don't put it towards something useful
I'm not sure but I think this is supposed to be Hillary
There were your Palestinian sympathizers, who of course insisted that they just wanted "justice for the Palestinian people".
And no leftist demonstration these days is complete without the 9-11 Truthers
The whole thing was over by 3:30. Huh? I looked at my watch in disbelief. Past demonstrations had gone on for a few hours. If I have it right (and I'll check my recorder tomorrow) this bunch went past us in just under an hour.
ANSWER flopped.
Many of us made our way to the US Capitol, only a few blocks away, to see this "die-in", that ANSWER had been advertising on their website.
Part III - The Moonbat "Die-In"
At the Capitol both groups got somewhat mixed up. GOE didn't have a permit area establised, so we wandered around in small groups, trying to figure out where the moonbats were going to do this die-in.
Here you can see the yellow ANSWER signs in the background by the Capitol
Not being quite sure what to do, our group walked around to the right. We headed up a path to the Capitol, but ended up on the wrong side of where they were doing this "die-in". One of our number told me that the moonbats were on the other side. Since the people I was with seemed content to stay where they were, this left me with a decision.
Hanging with the Moonbats
I took the plunge, and with flag in hand (I was carrying an American flag on a 10' pole), as well as with a American flag shirt, and a "Surge to Success" button, I waded into a veritable sea of leftists over to the other side of the gathering.
Ok, so I wasn't really "hanging out" with the leftists, but there was no way they could mistake me for anyone on their side of the political spectrum.
Sure enough, after a hundred yards or so I came upon a bunch of them lying down. I asked if this was the die-in and they said yes.
Most didn't exactly look dead. And of course the girl in this photo has a vulgar sign on her back. What is with them that they can't put forth their message in a civil manner?
A guy with a bullhorn was trying to get more to lie down, but most just milled about. Why, I wondered, didn't they just all lay down? That was why they were here, wasn't it?
A hundred feet or so past this spectacle was more of them laying on the other path up to the Capitol. Again a guy with a bullhorn was urging them to lay down in this play-dead thing, but most seemed more interested in watching. The guy with the bullhorn here had on a Che Guevara shirt. But of course.
Despite the fact that my appearance put me very out of place in this crowd, no one bothered me a bit. I got some odd looks, but that was about it. I think at this point everyone was pretty tired anyway, having spent their emotions at the morning rallies and afternoon march. I know by this point I was pretty spent, and I could see it in the people around me too. Nevertheless, I wanted to get a few more photos and wanted to see if anything really interesting happened, so I hung out for a bit.
This woman brought her little girl to the die-in. Wonderful.
Finally, as I was leaving, I met this sweetheart.
Just the sort of girl you want to bring home to mom.
Important Update
via Wake Up America WRAL is reporting that 190 Moonbats were arrested
Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested. ...The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they called a "die in" - with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.
Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."
Idiots. Looks like all this went on farther up towards the Capiol than where I was. I don't know if it happened when I was there or not, as I was aways down and couldn't tell what was happenening up closer to the Capitol.
Do I even have to say that no Eagles were arrested?
ANSWER has a list of those arrested on their website
Among the arrested were Adam Kokesh, Liam Madden, Jeff Millard, and Garrett Reppenhagen of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism); Ann Wright, former U.S. Army Colonel; Michael Prysner, Iraq war veteran and ANSWER activist in Florida; union president Gloria La Riva; and Eugene Puryear, Howard University student and National Coordinator of Youth & Student ANSWER.
Imagine, a former US Army Colonel degrading herself by hanging out with these loons, and then getting herself arrested in a war protest. If you want to say the war is wrong, fine, but don't hang out with this bunch.
All Photos for Today
You can see all of the photos that I took today on my Photobucket site.
Others Blogging
Age of Hooper as usual has great photos and video
Michelle Malkin has an Us vs Them photoblog up, and has seen fit to include one of my photos. Thank you, Michelle!
This Ain't Hell was in Lafayette Park (which is by the White House) with the Moonbats in the morning and has excellent photos and commentary also.
Victory Caucus has tons of photos. Be sure and check them out.
Media Attention
Washington Post: "Dueling Protests"
Washington Times: "Protesters Slam War"
Fox News: "Thousands March in D.C. War Protest"
New York Times: "Anti-War Protest Ends with Dozens of Arrests"
Videos
At the risk of making this post too big, here are two videos of the Moonbats at the Capitol Building.
The first is by the Hot Air team of Michelle Malkin and Bryan Preston. At the end they use my photo of the girl with the "F#@% War" shirt.
The second was taken by Mario Loyola of National Review and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Posted by Tom at 8:35 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Fight for Victory Tour - Sept 15 in Washington DC
This post will stay at the top until September 15.
Updated Sept 4! Scroll to bottom of this post for the latest
General Petraeus will make his report to Congress Sept 11-15. On Saturday, September 15, thousands will gather in our nation's capital to show their support for our troops and their mission.
Melanie Moran's Move America Forward will lead a cross-country caravan called the Fight for Victory Tour. They will leave Sacramento California on September 3 and end up in Washington DC on September 15. Along they way they will stop in 25+ cities, holding a rally in each one. There they will partner with other groups in holding what promises to be a large rally on the mall. Before reading on, please watch her message
Thousands of communists from International ANSWER will also gather in Washington DC to show their distain for our troops, our country, and everything that is right, good, and true.
We must NOT let them have the day to themselves. This past March 17 ANSWER held a war protest in Washington DC. A Gathering of Eagles met them and effectively countered them. We need to do this again.
Try to participate in one of the rallies if at all possible. Here is the current list of cities in which rallies will be held:
* Carson City, NV
* Sacramento, CA
* San Francisco, CA
* Modesto, CA
* Fresno, CA
* Los Angeles, CA
* San Diego, CA
* Yuma, AZ
* Phoenix, AZ
* Tucson, AZ
* Las Cruces, NM
* El Paso, TX
* San Antonio, TX
* Waco, TX
* Crawford, TX
* Dallas, TX
* Oklahoma City, OK
* Wichita, KS
* Kansas City, MO
* Des Moines, IA
* Cedar Rapids, IA
* Chicago, IL
* Indianapolis, IN
* Cincinnati, OH
* Columbus, OH
* Pittsburgh, PA
* Washington D.C.
More information can be found on the Move America Forward website.
I will be in Washington DC that day with the Patriots. Hope to see you there. If you can't make it to DC, see if you can make it one of the rallies in the other cities.
Update - Aug 16
The communists have been putting these posters all over Washington DC. I've seen them driving to Walter Reed these past few Fridays. Turns out they didn't follow the law in putting them up, and and the DC government has fined ANSWER some $10,000. The ANSWER folks are all in a snit over it.
Heh heh
August 24 Update
The bravest blogger there is, Michelle Malkin, is on the case with a post titled The Return of the Eagles
They’re coming back to Washington, D.C. Will you stand with them? As you’ll recall, the first Gathering of Eagles in March to counter the White Flag mob drew unprecedented masses to the nation’s capital in support of the troops and their mission. In 33 days, the Eagles and a number of similar organizations plan to answer the ANSWER crowd again.
Flashback time: Here's Michelle's Hot Air video report from the March GOE
August 28 Update I
It would appear that some in the anti-war camp are trying to say that the White House is going to tell General Petraeus what to say. The charge is rubbish, and Blackfive explains why.
August 28 Update II
These are the organizations partnering with Move America Forward in the Fight for Victory Tour
* Vets for Freedom
* Gathering of Eagles
* Eagles Up!
* OpposeReid.com
* Protest Warriors
* Free Republic
* American Patriot Council
* Mil. Order of Purple Heart
* Freedom's Watch
* Families United
August 29 Update
According to this report posted at Free Republic ANSWER has received a second $10,000 fine from the DC government. I can't confirm if this is true or not, but the ANSWER folks and their leftist allies are squawking over the first fine as it is. Of course, they're not saying why they were fined, just complaining that their First Amendment rights have somehow been violated.
Sorry guys, but it's not unreasonable for the DC government to regulate how and where you put your posters.
August 30 Update
Michelle Malkin gives the Gathering of Eagles a plug in her column
As retired Army Col. Harry Riley explains, “Unlike the ‘60s and ‘70s, the antiwar lemmings will not have the streets or the political stage to themselves. This time, Eagle Americans — we who support our troops, understand the stakes in the War on Terror and the true nature of our enemy, who aren’t blinded by an insane hatred of our way of life and our form of government — will also be in Washington, D.C., to show Congress that we will not tolerate another betrayal of our own forces or our allies. . . . While the anti-democracy forces are well-funded by pro-left, anti-Americans, we Eagles have steadily been building our own coalition to stop ANSWER in its tracks, and keep Congress focused on winning the war, not their political ambitions.”I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Neither would I.
September 1 Update
Via Burkean Reflections (also newly added to my blogroll) comes this new ad from Freedom's Watch
September 4 Update
The caravan is rolling! Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter spoke at the Carson City rally. Now don't you feel bad if you live within driving distance and didn't go? Hunter is one of my favorites, though so far he can't seem to break out of the second-tier.
Check out Move America Forward's Daily File for the latest.
Posted by Tom at 7:01 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
September 12, 2007
The Fascists of Code Pink
If you haven't seen it before, here is the video of two members of Code Pink getting thrown out of the Petreaus/Crocker hearing on Monday. The Pinko sitting in back taking videos with her cell phone might be Gael Murphy.
Let's get one thing straight right up front; this is not just some harmless protest that we can all laugh at and go on with our business. This is an attempt by a bunch of fascists to destroy American Democracy.
And good for Rep Ike Skelton for taking matters firmly in hand. The Pinkos have continued to disrupt the hearings, at periodic intervals one or more of their members would stand and scream some inanity.
What gets me is how they seem to think they have a right to disrupt the hearing. Unlike traditional civil rights activists who have engaged in civil disobedence, the Pinko in the video above actually fought with police as she was dragged from the room. She apparently thinks she has some sort of right to just stand there and be allowed to scream.
I've had my dealings with Code Pink outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (and here), as well as at many Rallies and Protests in Washington DC (look under "Categories" at right). Nothing they do surprises me anymore.
A quick Youtube search turned up another instance in which Code Pink disrupted a committee hearing on the hill. In this video, dated May 10, 2007, Pinko Medea Benjamin is the one ejected from the room.
As usual, the New York Times gets it all wrong
For that matter, (the American people) deserve more than what was offered by Representative Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. When protesters interrupted the hearing, Mr. Skelton ordered them removed from the room, which is understandable. But then he said that they would be prosecuted. That seemed like an unnecessarily authoritarian response to people who just wanted to be heard.
What utter nonsense. The members of Code Pink didn't just want to be heard, they wanted to disrupt a vital institution of our democracy. They have the same rights the rest of us have, and the same opportunity to be heard. They can start a newspaper or magazine, and can stand on streetcorners handing out literature. They can and have received many permits to hold demonstrations in Washington DC and elsewhere. It is right and proper that every group, no matter how offensive, be allowed their First Amendment rights.
But this does not mean that we have to listen. And just as one cannot cry "fire" in a theater if there isn't one, we simply have to have standards of decorum in parlimentary proceedures if democracy is to continue. Code Pink thinks that they can disrupt our representatives when they are conducting official business. They are wrong and must not be allowed to get away with it.
This is not at all to say they should be treated harshly. Far from it, I'm sure the Capitol Hill Police performed their duties professionally, and that whatever penalties the Pinkos receive will not be oppressive. This, too, is as it should be.
Note that in both videos above it was a Democrat who threw them out, so no one can claim partisanship. This is not, or should not, be a Republican-Democrat or Left-Right issue. Everyone is threatened by these sorts of tactics. I would be mortally embarrassed if someone claiming to be conservative did such a thing, and I would condemn them immediately.
Posted by Tom at 8:56 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Moveon.org Slanders General Petraeus II
So far not a single Democrat Congressman or Senator has denounced the slanderous Moveon.org attack on General Petraeus. I checked the site of my own Democrat Senator, James Webb, and he is completely silent on the matter. He ran as a conservative Democrat. Let's see if that was just hot air or if he does the right thing.
Instead, once again Senator John McCain stands tall in a Congress full of Liliputians
"I remain deeply disappointed by the failure of leading Democrat presidential candidates to personally and publicly denounce the smear tactics used against General Petraeus by MoveOn.org. There is no greater slander to a soldier than an accusation of betrayal to his nation. I do not understand why those seeking to be commander-in-chief have yet to forcefully denounce, in their own words, this McCarthyite attack on our commander. I hope they would reconsider their silence and not let this slander of an exceptional American stand."
Be sure to also read his opening statement before the Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing with General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker.
Becuase of his stances on immigration and campaign finance I've never thought I could support him for president, but if he keeps this up I'll definately reconsider.
The Washington Times points out that
The Democrats who take MoveOn.org's money are the same ones who cry "my patriotism!" whenever someone observes how weak they are on national security. They're either silent or engage in Mr. Reid's tepid talk in defense of common decency. Democrats dismiss Gen. Petraeus as not being an "independent evaluator" — that's Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California — or accuse him of "carefully manipulating the statistics" — that's Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. Others who cannot summon the boldness to say anything in public praise MoveOn.org's ability to do the dirty work.If these attacks are not smears on the patriotism of Gen. Petraeus, nothing could be. The left expects its "my patriotism!" indignation to be taken seriously, but and expect others to stand by as the smear is launched. It does not add up.
My response to any leftist who is upset that someone has questioned his patriotism is "fine, we'll stop questionin your patriotism, the moment you stop calling our President and military leaders liars".
And those Democrats who claim that Gen Petraeus has presented misleading information need to put their money where their mouth is. If they truely believe such things, they need to file perjury charges, or recommend that he be brought up on charges and tried in a courts-martial.
After reviewing several of the more offensive statements leading Democrats have made about Petraeus, the Wall Street Journal asks if
(This can) really be the new standard of political rhetoric across the Democratic Party? There was a time when the party's institutional elites, such as the Times, would have pulled it back from reducing politics to all or nothing. They would have blown the whistle on such accusations. Now they are leading the charge.Under these new terms, public policy is no longer subject to debate, discussion and disagreement over competing views and interpretations. Instead, the opposition is reduced to the status of liar. Now the opposition is not merely wrong, but lacks legitimacy and political standing. The goal here is not to debate, but to destroy.
No doubt that in the 90s many on the right got carried away with their denunciations of President Clinton. I sometimes found myself half-believing in some of it. It's a strong temptation to believe the worst about your political enemies. But after all of the investigations, I was persuaded that yes, Vince Foster really did kill himself in Fort Marcy Park, and that no, the government did not intentially set fire to the Waco compound.
The next time there's a Democrat president I'll have to watch myself, that I don't automatically buy into every bad thing that's said about him...or her. Perhaps in that sense the 90s and today are good lessons for us all.
Previous
Moveon.org Slanders General Petraeus
Posted by Tom at 8:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 10, 2007
Moveon.org Slanders General Petraeus
Yes I know, half the conservative blogosphere is up in arms about this outrage, and I'm late in posting about it, but it deserves wide attention so here goes.
This ad by Moveon.org appeared today in the New York Times
What a disgrace. So much for "we support the troops but oppose the war", in case anyone ever believed that lie.
But it's Moveon.org that is lying. Take this one sentence from the ad:
"Every independent report on the ground situation in Iraq shows t hat the surge strategy has failed."
Besides committing the logical fallacy of making a universal statement (in which case a single exception invalidates the premise), only someone on the loony left could believe such a thing. There are hundreds of independent reports by qualified individuals who say that the strategy is, in fact, working. I've linked to dozens on this site alone.
The "facts" on the Moveon.org webpage to support their assertion are laughable.
I used to wonder if I should question the patriotism of the Moveon.org people. No more.
Let me be clear here: No I am not saying that if you do not support the surge strategy, or think that it is working, you are unpatriotic. Nor am I saying that if you think that the invasion was a mistake and that the best thing to do is withdraw you are unpatriotic.
If you believe these things, make your case using facts and logic. But this ad is pure character assassination.
And this is what I meant by my above statement that up until now I wasn't quite sure where to place Moveon.org. Groups like International ANSWER, Code Pink (the nuts who got thrown out of today's hearing), United for Peace and Justice and any of the organizations that are members of it are not patriots. They are part of the hate-America left, and they are not patriots.
But I never wanted to make that group too broad. I didn't and don't want to get into the habit of saying that every group that opposes what I think is right to be anti-American or unpatriotic. As such, I wanted to be careful before I characterized Moveon.org
But I now conclude that they have joined the ranks of the hate-America left. Congratulations, idiots.
More
I can't do better than Michelle Malkin so be sure and visit her site for more on the Moveon.org outrage.
Byron York asks if Moveon.org has betrayed the Democrat Party by going too far in this ad. I listened to much of the hearings today, and when Republicans brought up the ad, Democrats seemed quick to distance themselves. Here's the money quote from York's piece
...the thing that should trouble party leaders is not that MoveOn is capable of silly stunts. It’s not even that MoveOn is capable of making slanderous comments about U.S. military officials. And it’s not that MoveOn is against the war in Iraq, which polls show many Americans believe was a mistake. Rather, MoveOn’s latest campaign is a continuation of a drive to oppose not just the action in Iraq, but the war on terror in general, and, in a larger sense, America’s use of military power in its own defense.
Captain Ed also questions their patriotism. As do I.
Posted by Tom at 9:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 9, 2007
Democrats Behaving Disgracefully III
Via Redstate we have Senator Harry Reid joining Senators Durban and Schumer in an unparalleled showing of disgraceful behavior. ABC News reports this
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in his party's weekly radio address today that he expects the Petraeus report to be nothing more than the Bush administration's selective take on the surge."Before the report arrives in Congress, it will pass through the White House spin machine, where facts are often ignored or twisted, and intelligence is cherry-picked," said Reid.
On Friday, Reid went so far as to question not only the true source of the report but also the four-star general's honesty.
"He has made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual," Reid said. "I have every belief that this good man will give us what he feels is the right thing to do in his report, but it's not his report anymore. It's Bush's report."
This is doubletalk. If Gen Petraeus is a "good man" he will not deliver a report as his own that he knows is written by the White House and contains false or misleading information. But Harry Reid is saying that he will deliver such a report, one written by the White House and which contains false or misleading information.
Further, Reid called Petraeus a liar when he said that "he has made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual." He can't be much of a "good man" if he has made false statements, can he?
Reid can't have it both ways. Either the general is a liar and a purveyor of false information, or he is a "good man", but it can't be both.
What Reid is doing is obvious; he is at once trying to discredit the report while not appearing to be "anti-military". It won't work.
Here's more of the same doubletalk from Reid, this time from the New York Times (also via Redstate)
“I have every belief that this good man, General Petraeus, will give us what he feels is the right thing to do in this report, that is now not his report,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. “It’s President Bush’s report. President Bush took final ownership of this when he landed in Anbar Province just a few days ago.”
This would be the same Senator Harry Reid who on January 26, 2007, voted along with 81 other Senators (the other 19 simply didn't vote) to confirm then Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to 4 star rank, and commander of MNF-Iraq.
If we were to give Reid every benefit of the doubt, and conclude that he thought Petraeus was an honorable man in January but has since changed his mind, then he is a dolt.
More likely though Reid was playing politics in January and he is playing politics now. He voted to confirm Petraeus because he thought it the politically expedient thing to do. He now disparages the same man because the nutroots have told him that he has to end the war or else. In other words, the Democrats are so invested in an American defeat that they have to make it happen whether it is or not.
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Democrats Behaving Disgracefully
Democrats Behaving Disgracefully II
Posted by Tom at 8:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 8, 2007
Democrats Behaving Disgracefully II
Continuing the Democrats disgraceful attempt tos slander General Petraeus before he makes his report next week to Congress, Senator Chuck Schumer says that U.S. forces had nothing to do with the dramatic turn-around in Anbar. On the floor of the Senate last Wednesday he said that
And let me be clear: the violence in Anbar has gone down despite the Surge, not because of the Surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from Al Qaeda said to these tribes: We have to fight Al Qaeda ourselves. — Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Congressional Record, 9/5/07, p. S 11090
Schumer was one of 81 Senators who voted to confirm Petraeus last January, but the political winds were blowing another direction back then.
As former Marine W Thomas Smith points out over at NRO (link above)
The violence has gone down in Anbar because of the approach to operating joint U.S.-Iraqi military stations in cleared areas of Anbar, especially where it all began up on the Syrian border following Steel Curtain in 2005. And the surge of forces throughout central Iraq and in the west has most certainly played a role in the success of the Anbar turnaround, though the turnaround did indeed begin before the surge.Additionally, many of the Sunni tribal leaders were in league with Al Qaeda, but over time began switching sides because (a) they were sick of the civilian-targeting and threat tactics of Al Qaeda, and (b) they knew that the only armed elements in the region who were able to protect them and their families were U.S. forces.
Down the Memory Hole
But Schumer's offense goes farther than just not being honest about what's happening in Anbar. He has tried to have his comments erased from history.
Sweetness and Light caught him. Here again, is what he actually said
And let me be clear: the violence in Anbar has gone down despite the Surge, not because of the Surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from Al Qaeda said to these tribes: We have to fight Al Qaeda ourselves.
And here is how Schumer has it on his website
And let me be clear: the violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The lack of protection for these tribes from al Qaeda made it clear to these tribes, “We have to fight al Qaeda ourselves.” It wasn’t that the surge brought peace here. It was that the warlords had to create a temporary peace here on their own. And that is because there was no one else there protecting them.
Not quite the same, is it?
Here's the video to prove it
You're a clear liar is what you are, Schumer. You changed what you said on your website because on the floor of the Senate you said what you really think and later realized that it didn't look good politically. Everyone cleans up speeches to get rid of the occasional "um" and "ah" or when you transpose words, but this is more than that.
The Washington Times had this to say about Senator Schumer and his fellow Democrats yesterday
The most disgraceful player so far is Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, who in speech ridiculed as "desperate" the successful strategy implemented by Gen. Petraeus, which has dramatically reduced violence in Anbar province and saved both American and Iraqi lives. The alliance between the U.S. military and Sunni tribesmen has encouraged the Sunnis to stand against al Qaeda. "Are we placing our faith in the future of Iraq in the hands of some warlords?" asked Mr. Schumer with a sour verbal sneer. "Some tribal leaders who at the moment dislike al Qaeda more than they dislike us? Is this the vaunted clarion cry for democracy in the Middle East that the President announced when he started the build-up in Iraq?... This is a policy of desperation."Only a poisonous partisan — or someone ignorant of history and geopolitical reality — could say something like that. Using the Schumer standard, FDR and Churchill were wrong to form an alliance with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin because he was an evil man who didn't share our regard for "democracy." The World War II leaders of the West rightly judged that Hitler and the Axis powers posed a greater threat to U.S. interests than Stalin at the time — hence the decision to ally the United States and Britain with the Soviet Communists. No one now pretends that Sunni tribesmen have very much in common with Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. But only fools would take Mr. Schumer's advice to give the back of the hand to the Arab Muslims who are willing to join the fight against our mortal enemy.
Churchill and Roosevelt knew exactly what they were doing when they allied with Stalin. They may not have known the full extent of Stalin's mass murders, but they knew that he was an evil dictator. But as the Times said, they also knew that at the time Hitler was the greater danger. Churchill and Roosevelt where right then, and we are right now. Schumer is just a bitter partisan desperate for political advantage. General Petraeus' report is going to be largely positive and they have bet the farm on an American defeat.
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Democrats Behaving Disgracefully
Posted by Tom at 9:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 6, 2007
Democrats Behaving Disgracefully
The Democrats are already dismissing General Petraeus' report, and he hasn't even given it yet. From today's Washington Times
Congressional Democrats are trying to undermine U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' credibility before he delivers a report on the Iraq war next week, saying the general is a mouthpiece for President Bush and his findings can't be trusted."The Bush report?" Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin said when asked about the upcoming report from Gen. Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.
...The top Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California — also referred to the general's briefing as the "Bush report."
These Democrats are nauseating. They know Petraeus will have good things to say, and they can't have any of that. Captain Ed has it right, they're trying character assassination on him. What's particularly galling is that most of them, including the Senator Durbin quoted above, voted to confirm him 81 - 0 last January. A few abstained, and one wonders if they did so in order to attack him later.
The charge that President Bush is writing the report, or that it will be "tainted" is utter B.S., and here's why:
From Blackfive
There has been some talk in the press and on the blogs that suggests the White House intends to tamper with -- or simply write -- General Petraeus' assessment to Congress. In a discussion today with a DOD Legislative Affairs expert, we got the truth.Congress itself mandated by law who will assemble each of the several reports due in September. It also, separately, mandated that General Petraeus be available to testify to them at this time.
Public Law 110-28 specifes that "the President, having consulted