Al Qaeda's Bad Year

They're not doing so hot, except in getting Media attention, as Strategypage details. Some exerts:

• Al Qaeda attempts to make its mark in Saudi Arabia continue to
  fail.

  In Afghanistan, al Qaeda's "Spring Offensive" has been a bust
  so far.

  In North Africa, a number of recent bombing attacks in Algeria
  and Morocco backfired on the terrorists.

  Egypt has put Hamas operatives under surveillance when they are
  in Egypt, and limited Hamas access to Egypt.

  In Somalia, what looked like a new al Qaeda refuge, turned into
  a trap, and many notable al Qaeda operatives were killed or captured.

  In the Balkans, Bosnia has been cracking down on Wahhabi groups
  that, so far, have been all mouth and no action.

  Continuing arrests in Europe, and no new attacks.

All positive tidings, but if you listen to the MSM its "all bombings all the time". Quite discouraging so turn the TV off or watch Andy Griffith.

A New War on Terror

Daniel Gallington offers yet another strategy for fighting an insurgency:

The new strategy: The September 11, 2001, attack was an
asymmetric attack on us. Should we have responded with say, a withering --
perhaps asymmetric -- strike on the leadership or infrastructure of the
countries we know sponsor terror, despite lack of a direct cause-and-effect
relationship with the September 11 attack? This strategy would assume we may
never have a direct cause-and-effect relationship when terrorists strike us. In
fact, it is often the trademark of terrorist attack against us that the
responsibility for it is "stateless" -- so we will not be sure whom to blame.
This new strategy would blame the most likely state sponsors of the terror and
take action against them...

We need make it clear we are tired of
counterinsurgency (we clearly are) and intend to hold the leaderships and
infrastructures of Iran, Syria, et al., at strategic risk for their support of
terrorism -- and that this could include asymmetric
responses.

I like this idea, but its still no excuse, as it probably is intended, for us to quit in Iraq as long as our Army and leadership thinks we can win.

Remember Me

Watching this film will account for the most moving 5 minutes of your day today.

The Taming of Anbar

This good news from the War on Terror is from...what's that say? The New York Times!!!

Anbar Province, long the lawless heartland of the tenacious Sunni
Arab resistance, is undergoing a surprising transformation. Violence is ebbing
in many areas, shops and schools are reopening, police forces are growing and
the insurgency appears to be in retreat. “Many people are challenging the
insurgents,” said the governor of Anbar, Maamoon S. Rahid, though he quickly
added, “We know we haven’t eliminated the threat 100 percent.”
Many Sunni
tribal leaders, once openly hostile to the American presence, have formed a
united front with American and Iraqi government forces against Al Qaeda in
Mesopotamia.

Wonder how many liberals are currently canceling their newspaper subscription after this report? There may be hope for the Grey Lady yet!

Plus, after reading this, Tom Maguire is choking on his coffee!

Also the Times reports on signs of Post-Taliban Recovery in Afghanistan.

Carolinians for Life

The State Newspaper declares "South Carolina is one of the most difficult places in the United States to get an abortion". Thank God. Here's the facts:

• The decline of S.C. abortion clinics to three from 14 in
1996
• The drop in S.C. doctors who perform abortions. South Carolina is
the only state in the nation that has a law that defines a fetus as a person.
Abortion rights advocates say that law could expose doctors who perform
abortions to criminal prosecution.
• Two-thirds of the state’s
reproductive-age women live in counties where no doctors perform
abortions.
• A slight increase in the number of S.C. women going to
other states to get abortions
As a result, abortions in South Carolina have
dropped 53 percent since 1988.

It's proof that prayer and Christian activism works. Some like to debate exactly when life begins. My answer is "what part of killing a baby don't you understand"?
Thanks to Blogs for Bush for the tip.

Revolting Darwinism

This report on the ongoing battle between Evolution and Religion is from the Economist:

THE “Atlas of Creation” runs to 770 pages and is
lavishlyillustrated with photographs of fossils and living animals, interlaced
withquotations from the Koran. Its author claims to prove not only the falsehood
ofCharles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, but the links
between“Darwinism” and such diverse evils as communism, fascism and terrorism.
Inrecent weeks the “Atlas de la Création” has been arriving unsolicited and
freeof charge at schools and universities across French-speaking Europe. It is
thelatest sign of a revolt against the theories of Darwin, on which virtually
thewhole of modern biology is based, that is gathering momentum in many parts
ofthe world.

It all makes since, "survival of the fittest" has always been a tyrant's excuse for crushing the poor and weak underfoot. It's also interesting that the Decline of the West can be traced to the general acceptance by academia of Darwin's rambling theories.

I've written on this subject before, that the poorer and more religious areas of the world don't hate us because of Iraq, but our secular ideals and Hollywood values, or lack thereof. You see the fallout when Richard Gere smooched an Indian movie star, something that would have been barely noticed in San Francisco if he'd groped Madonna. Now they are burning him in effigy and out for his head. Can't blame this on Bush.

Honest News

True stories from the front lines that Al Qaeda doesn't want you to read:

Army chief wants to speed up troop hike

Saudis Arrest 172 in Alleged Terror Plot

Al-Qaeda in Iraq security emir killed

Coalition forces see progress

Efforts against extremists continue

Saddam Baathists seen imploding

Give Surge a Chance

An Iraq success story

Update On The New Iraq Strategy

Laughter best medicine in Iraq

Life in Afghanistan is getting better

Plus Jules Crittenden has Good News, Bad News.

Flying Tigers in Charleston

Reported by the Post & Courier:

Flying Tigers have traded throttle sticks for walking canes
but recall vividly the days when their group dominated Chinese airspace with
attack planes painted with the faces of sharks.
Fourteen members of the
original Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group that protected China during
World War II, toured Charleston Air Force Base on Friday as part of their annual
reunion. They were the best in their military fields in 1941 when the government
asked them to covertly become the Chinese Air Force...

Meet the Flying Tigers at 2 p.m. today at the East Cooper
Regional Airport, 700 Faison Road, in Mount Pleasant.
The event will include
a display of the 8/229th Aviation Regiment's Apache helicopter. The regiment
based in Fort Knox, Ky., bears the Flying Tigers name.

These guys are Living Legends, and they helped save the world. For more check out the official homepage of the American Volunteer Group.

Iranian Teachers' Strike Expands

As reported by Pajamas Media:

Teachers have been striking across Iran for at least the last
eleven weeks, with many teachers arrested, according to the AKI Italian news agency and other sources familiar to Pajamas Media. The
teachers are seeking higher wages (they have not been raised in years) and the
reinstatement over a thousand colleagues who were forced into “early retirement”
for disagreeing with the policies of the Islamic regime.

Hundreds of protesters have been beaten up and jailed,
Pajamas Media has learned. The following video shows a recent teacher’s
demonstration in front of the Iranian Parliament in Tehran. Banners and placards
demand the regime pay teachers a fair wage and protest discrimination against
Iran’s minorities in their educational system. Protesters can be heard demanding
the release of imprisoned teachers and shouting “Proclaimers of Justice!… Shame,
shame, shame on you!”

As the Theocratic Iranian Regime heads toward a crackup, there must be something to take its place. This is another reason why our mission in Iraq is so vital, that we can ensure it won't be another Taliban-like dictatorship, but a Western-style democracy, which live at peace with her neighbors.

Nevadans organize against Reid

These 2 guys have anyway-Nevada blogger Jcrue and conservative activist Eric Odom, also from Nevada. From the site:

Harry Reid lied when he said he was “independent like Nevada” during his last
campaign.
The leadership lacking Nevada Senator has embarrassed Nevada on
many occasions, but Reid’s most recent claim to defeat has got to be one of the
lowest quotes to ever slip from his corrupt mouth.
“this war is lost and the
surge is not accomplishing anything” - Harry Reid
We feel it’s time for
Americans to step up to the plate and make their voices heard. This site has
been launched to get a feel for what Americans of all walks think should be done
in light of the Senator’s raising of the white flag.

They even have bumper stickers! Good luck Nevadans.

Sighting Bigfoot

This was posted at the Hello Charleston blog:

I'm not sure how to really explain the thing that my friends and I
saw that year. I've not told too many people about it because I did'nt think
that I would be believed. I am 47 years old and I can still remember what I saw
and smelled just like it was yesterday. I can also remember the fear. It
happened during the summer of 1970. I lived in a small community called
Lincolnville S.C., right outside Summerville.There was'nt a whole lot for the
kids in my neighborhood to do at night so hide and seek was our most popular
passtime at night. One evening as we were outside playing I began to notice an
awful smell, like something dead,a real overpowering smell. The place where I
lived had a chainlink fence all around the property which was about 1-2 acres.
We were on the backside of the property which had woods behind it.You could see
red eyes glowing in the dark but I could not say how tall it was.I do know that
it was taller than a human being. It just stood there and watched us...

Read the rest of this spooky tale. I was living in Bishopville at this time, on a dairy near Lynches River, and remember hearing about and seeing some strange stuff!

7/7 ‘mastermind’ is seized in Iraq

As reported by the UK Times:

The al-Qaeda leader who is thought to have devised the plan for the
July 7 suicide bombings in London and an array of terrorist plots against
Britain has been captured by the Americans.
Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a former
major in Saddam Hussein’s army, was apprehended as he tried to enter Iraq from
Iran and was transferred this week to the “high-value detainee programme” at
Guantanamo Bay.
Abd al-Hadi was taken into CIA custody last year, it emerged
from US intelligence sources yesterday, in a move which suggests that he was
interrogated for months in a “ghost prison” before being transferred to the
internment camp in Cuba.
Abd al-Hadi, 45, was regarded as one of al-Qaeda’s
most experienced, most intelligent and most ruthless commanders. Senior
counter-terrorism sources told The Times that he was the man who, in 2003,
identified Britain as the key battleground for exporting al-Qaeda’s holy war to
Europe.

This is excellent news and further proof America and her allies are winning the War on Terror.

More: Bill Roggio reports "Osama bin Laden deputy in custody at Guantanamo Bay". Gitmo is too good for this guy.

Even more good news:

Afghan Taliban say have released French woman hostage
U.S. Raids Target al-Qaida in Iraq
Airstrike Kills 21 Taliban in Afghanistan
Israeli soldiers kill 3 Hamas militants in Gaza
Pakistani forces capture al Qaeda suspect

Saudi arrests 172 terror suspects

Avoiding their own 9/11. Reported by Yahoo News:

Saudi Arabia announced Friday that an anti-terrorism sweep netted 172 Islamic
extremists and stopped plans to mount air attacks on the kingdom's oil
refineries, break militants out of jail and send suicide attackers to kill
government officials.
An official said the plotters had completed
preparations for their attacks, and all that remained to put the plot in motion
"was to set the zero hour."
It was one of the biggest roundups since Saudi
leaders began cracking down on religious extremists four years ago after
militants attacked foreigners and others involved in the country's oil industry
seeking to topple the monarchy for its alliance with the U.S.

Al Qaeda would like to destroy the Saudi Royal Family and replace it with their own oppressive Caliphate. The oil-rich nation may be our best friend in the region, next to Israel.

“I Got A Message For That ------ Harry Reid”

Posted by Pat Dollard:

Today, from Corporal Tyler Rock in an outpost in downtown Ramadi. His first sentence is in response to an email from me:

“yeah i know how you feel. its going to be very weird leaving
this place and going back to america. weve been here for almost an entire year
and have lived in the center of it the whole time. its crazy that when we got
here it was so hectic and now its calmed down so much. so it was awesome to be
able to see that turn out.
yeah news worth reporting…. well ramadi was once
dubbed by everyone as the worst city in the world. but we have done such a great
job here that all the families in the area have worked with us on driving out
the insurgency and that we work directly with the IA and the IP’s. the city has
been cleaned up so well that the IP’s do most of the patrols now and we go out
with them to hand out candy and toys to the children. you can tell that the
people want us here to protect them from the thugs and gangs (insurgents).
granted they would rather have peace and quit but they know that if we arent
here they will be thrown around by the insurgents. a good example is this one
mission we did. long story short we got blown up in multiple buildings and had
to run into a families house. i spent my christmas holidays covered in ash from
the mortar fire and the IED’s, sleeping under a dirty rug i found in the house.
everyone was sleeping way to close for comfort just to stay warm. anyways. a
family was there and they obviously didnt want us there. atleast at first. the
daughters were very sick so our corpsman treated them. they didnt have
electricity so we got them a generator for power, they were cold so we got them
gas heaters, we got them food and water and then we gave them $500. by the end
of the week long visit with them we were drinking tea with them. when we left we
cleaned their house better than it was when we got there. i even have pictures
with the family. they told us that they liked marines and they would help us as
much as they could and they gave us some information on the insurgents in the
area. we ended up catching a HUGE target down the road from there house because
of it.

yeah and i got a qoute for that douche harry reid. these
families need us here. obviously he has never been in iraq. or atleast the area
worth seeing. the parts where insurgency is rampant and the buildings are blown
to pieces. we need to stay here and help rebuild. if iraq didnt want us here
then why do we have IP’s voluntering everyday to rebuild their cities. and
working directly with us too. same with the IA’s. it sucks that iraqi’s have
more patriotism for a country that has turned to complete ---- more than
the people in america who drink starbucks everyday. we could leave this place
and say we are sorry to the terrorists. and then we could wait for 3,000 more
american civilians to die before we say “hey thats not nice” again. and the sad
thing is after we WIN this war. people like him will say he was there for us the
whole time.and for messages back home. i have a wife back home who is going
through a tough time. i just cant wait to be back home and see everyone. haha
and i cant wait to go back home and get some starbucks. i love it when those
people serve me. hahaha”

Al-Qaeda Wants U.S. War With Iran

This is a no brainer, from NewsMax:

Al Qaeda terrorists are attempting to provoke a war between
the United States and Iran in the hopes that they will "take each other out," a
Middle East analyst said Thursday. "The al Qaeda organization sees Iran as one
of its great enemies," Bruce Reidel, a senior fellow with the Saban Center for
Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said during a conference call
briefing...

"Al Qaeda would especially like a full-scale U.S. invasion and
occupation of Iran, which would presumably oust the Shi'ite regime in Tehran,
further antagonize Muslims worldwide and expand al Qaeda's battlefield against
the United States," Reidel argued.

So would many hysterical bloggers on the Left. Here is where I give Bush and Blair credit fro resisting an expanded Middle East War. Establish Iraq as a viable and secure democracy first and the rest of region will eventually fall into line. We've already reported on numerous occasion here, that the current Iranian regime is faltering. We in the West just have to wait them out.

The Bush Dance!

Obviously taking lessons from Karl Rove!

3 reasons why al-Qaeda won't win:

From Lawrence Wright's lecture on "Al-Qaeda: Past, Present and Future." and Fausta's blog:

1. Everyone is its enemy: Shiites, Israel, USA, Westeners,
NATO, Russia, China, and "atheists, pagans and hypocrites", too.

2. Most of a-Qaeda's victims are Muslims: for instance, in
Casablanca, Instanbul, Algiers, Bali.

3. Al-Qaeda offers nothing to the people that follow it.
Bin-Laden never thought in terms of politics because al-Qaeda doesn't believe in
the future. Al-Qaeda offers one thing: death. For instance, death, not victory,
over the Soviets. Al-Qaeda is a suicide machine.

And from a 2005 bio of dead Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Al-Zarqawi, is his master plan:

*9/11: The Awakening. This first stage ended in 2003 when US
entered Bagdhad.
*2d stage, up to 2006: recruiting
*3rd stage: Syria Turkey, Israel
*4th stage: 2013 al-Qaeda overthrowing Arab governments as US
power continues to decline
*5th stage: Caliphate. Israel won't be able to defend
itself
*2016 total confrontation: Caliphate Islamic army on the
attack
*2020 definitive victory, which is defined as, "falsehood will
come to an end. Islamic state w/lead mankind to shore of safety ...and
happiness".

Charleston airmen set to deploy

Heading to an undisclosed location in the Middle East, according to Live 5 News:

Officials at Charleston Air Force Base say about 100 members of the
Air Force's 16th Airlift Squadron will deploy to the Mideast this weekend.Their
exact location has --not-- been disclosed for security purposes.The airmen will
fly and manage missions in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. They will be
transporting troops and supplies and conduct medical evacuation missions.

Good luck and God bless our brave men and women!

Tell Harry Reid the War is Not Lost

Online petition at Townhall.com:

To: Senator Harry Reid

From: An American citizen

Senator Reid,
I couldn’t disagree with you more. Our troops are fighting in Iraq to
preserve the freedoms you seem to take for granted. They deserve
your support and not your talk of defeat. The war is not lost as you
say and their mission is important. They are taking the battle to
the enemy before the enemy arrives on U.S. soil. Your resolutions and pork
projects undermine our troops morale and embolden our enemies by sending the
message that the United States lacks the fortitude needed to win the global war
on terror.

Sign up today and give Terrorism what for!

Also, David S Broder at the Washington Post calls Reid "a continuing embarrassment" to Democrats. I also see the Senator as the Democrat's Rosie O'Donnell.

Fire Damages LCS Freedom

More trouble for the embattled warship program. This is from WFRV.com:

A Wednesday morning fire damaged a first-in-its-class Navy warship under
construction at Marinette Marine Corp.Marinette Fire Lt. Bill Becker said the
fire started about 5:30 a.m. in a berthing area where workers were using welding
and grinding equipment. It took about an hour to extinguish."It was a good size
fire," Becker said. "I went through six teams of firefighters putting it
out."Fire officials did not immediately release an estimate of the damage. No
injuries were reported.The Freedom is expected to be the Navy's first littoral
combat ship.

Which means further delays in getting this essential warship to the fleet. I say essential because even with the sticker price approaching $400 million, its still the cheapest vessel in the navy's modernization program. You may recall the Navy's recent cancellation of the third ship in this class for out of control costs. The LCS is the cornerstone of the fleet's expansion plans to 313 ships in the next decade, with 55 planned for construction. My own prefernce would be a smaller vessel about half the size called the Sea Fighter, with a price tag of only $50 million each. But no one asked me for my 2 cents.

Vini Vichy Harry

John Burtis is back and he's better than ever with another biting editorial, and taking aim at Sen Harry Reid:

Yep, Harry Reid, the four star commanding general of the supremely
valiant Democrat Party has affirmed to the entire world that the war in Iraq is
irretrievably lost. Er, at least that's what he said first, when he hollered,
"The war in Iraq is lost," in the Left's great new oily bullpen, the floor of
the US Senate.
But then, like any sterling Democrat Party leader, he began to
back pedal almost as soon as he pronounced the Mid-Eastern bout over due to a
TKO in the fifth, and by his third courageous retelling of this old Kerry story
and his robotic limning of the Rosie O'Donnell approved, Nancy Pelosi written,
and Honest John Murtha prescribed story line, the old boy sounded just like a
Vichy French general or even worse, a Vichy politician.

Read the rest. Marshal Petain would be so proud of Harry.

Consequences of Retreat

EagleSpeak remembers Vietnam, with this main point:

The Law of Unintended Consequences will surely come into play if we
abandon the world to al Qaeda thugs, just as it did when we abandoned South
Vietnam to North Vietnamese thugs. Only this time, it has the potential to be
much, much worse

.

There's no way we can even return to a pre-9/11 world, when we were playing defense against the terrorists. The die was cast when we invaded Iraq. As Hillary Clinton stated "You break you bought it". No refunds in war time, just victory or regrets.

Divide within Iraq's Baath Party

Saddam's old supporters are imploding, according to the LA Times:

Iraq's Baath Party, once the machine of Saddam Hussein's
tyrannical rule and now a key player in the country's civil war, has been
divided by an internal power struggle pitting one of Hussein's top aides against
a former general, U.S. and Iraqi government officials say.U.S. military and
intelligence officials are still debating whether to welcome the power struggle
or fear it. But they agree the outcome could strongly influence the course of
the Sunni-led insurgency against Iraq's U.S.-backed government.

On one side of the power struggle is Izzat Ibrahim, the
highest-ranking member of Hussein's inner circle to evade capture. The king of
clubs in the Bush administration's "deck of cards" that depicted the most wanted
members of Hussein's regime, Ibrahim was Hussein's chief deputy and has been
viewed as a ringleader in the insurgency.The forces apparently seeking to oust
Ibrahim from his leadership of the Baath movement are led by a former general in
Hussein's army, Mohammed Yunis Ahmad.

I have no doubt this is good news. As long as they are fighting each other, they aren't fighting America and the Coalition.

Rep. Hunter Calls On Reid To Resign

The anti-war Left is feeling the heat. From Sayanythingblog:

Rep. Duncan Hunter called Wednesday for Sen. Harry Reid to resign
his post as Senate majority leader over remarks that the senator made last week
that the war in Iraq “is lost” if the United States continues on its current
policy.
Hunter, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is
the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“In my opinion Sen.
Reid, having made that statement, which can only have a demoralizing effect on
our troops and an effect of encouragement of the adversary, I think it would be
appropriate for Sen. Reid to resign his position as the leader of the United
States Senate,” he said.

In a related story, this headline has been at the top of Yahoo Homepage all day, even while others news was updated below:

Democrats predict they can win Iraq vote

What Media bias, eh?

Cheney slams Reid

The VP is on the attack for our troops and the war. From the Washington Times:

Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday criticized Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid for making "uninformed and misleading" statements about the
war in Iraq. "What is most troubling about Mr. Reid's
comments yesterday is his defeatism," the vice president said in a rare Capitol
Hill press conference. "Indeed, last week, he said the
war is already lost, and the timetable legislation he is pursuing would
guarantee defeat."

Then Reid turned to name-calling, before he said he wouldn't:

"The president sends out his attack dog often, also known as Dick
Cheney, and he was here again today attacking not only me, but the Democratic
Caucus," he said... "I am not going to get into a name-calling
match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating," Mr. Reid said.

Apparently, Reid once supported name-calling, but now he doesn't.

Plus Austin Bay acknowledges "Firing Reid as Senate majority leader would send a useful if belated political signal that Harry Truman and FDR haven't been expelled from the Democratic Party."

Also, Pollster.com fact-checks Harry Reid's "9%" statement.

MiLinks

Manufacturing War Machines. Not as easy as you think.

Israel Orders 3500 GP Bombs. Iran should worry, and Hezbollah too!

Armored Vehicles 101. By Canadian general Lewis Mackenzie.

FORCE PROTECTION AT DODGE AVENGER 500. The maker of armored vehicles at NASCAR.

The Elusive C-130 Replacement, The hunt for the new Hercules!

Ambush Mentality Drives New Military Technology. Time to go on the offensive!

The Army's New Land Warrior Gear: Why Soldiers Don't Like It.

Estimates of US Aircraft Costs. Where your taxes go.

Soon our robots will battle theirs. Time for the Terminator!

The Navy and FORCEnet. The fleet readies for future war.

Australia's Future Fleet. Planning now for the Navy after the next.

Massive War Games off Scotland. NATO in action!

ITALY: New Navy aircraft carrier ready in 2008. The Andrea Doria!

Full Steam for RN Carriers. Britain's first supercarrier!

Stiletto may benefit from LCS woes. The original Streetfighter!

Pelosi Won't Attend Petraeus Briefing

From ABCNews:

"She can't make the briefing tomorrow," a Democratic aide told ABC
News Tuesday evening. "But she spoke with the general via phone today at some
length."
A Pelosi aide said the speaker on Tuesday requested a one-on-one
meeting with Petraeus but that could not be worked out. He said their phone
conversation lasted 30 minutes.
Last week, House Democratic leaders were
criticized by their Republican counterparts when they initially declined an
invitation from Petraeus to brief House members on the status of the war due to
"scheduling conflicts."

Just stop up your ears and cut the troop funding, right?

Reid Discounts General Petraeus' Opinion

In his own words.

Russian Missile Train

Interesting Photos of Russian Missile Train from Moments of Life.

Reid Recall Gathers Momentum

In his own home state of Nevada! This from Battleborn Politics blog:

In my view, in Harry Reid we in Nevada have a Senator from San
Francisco, not a Senator from Nevada. For reasons completely unknown by me (and
probably unknown by Reid, too), Reid has decided to hitch his star to the far
left. Nevadan's aren't like Harry Reid - we aren't defeatist; we aren't allied
with the far left; we want victory in the war...and, in my view, even those out
here who disagree with President Bush don't hate him to the point that they'd
actually go out and make enemy propaganda about the war already being lost by
the United States of America.

Considering what Arnold did to Governor Gray Davis of California a few years ago, the Nevadans might actually have something here. In a related story, read this email from a Marine on the frontlines in Iraq:

We are winning over here in Al Anbar province. I don't know
about Baghdad, but Ramadi was considered THE hotspot in Al Anbar, the worse
province, and it has been very quiet. The city is calm, the kids are playing in
the streets, the local shops are open, the power is on at night, and daily
commerce is the norm rather than the exception. There have been no complex
attacks since March. That is HUGE progress. This quiet time is allowing the
Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police to establish themselves in the eyes of the people.
The Iraqi people also want IA's and IP's in their areas. The Sunni Sheiks are
behind us and giving us full support. This means that almost all Sunnis in Al
Anbar are now committed to supporting the US and Iraqi forces. It also means
that almost all insurgents left out here are AQ. FYI, the surge is just
beginning. Gen Petraeus' strategy is just getting started and we're seeing huge
gains here.
However, you don't see Harry Reid talking about
this.

An Iranian Civil War?

The Iran Parliament is attempting to boot their controversial president. From Pajamas Media:

Even in as secretive a government as Iran, it is anything but
confidential that the members of the country’s parliament are not big fans of
President Ahmadinejad.
If anyone had doubts, they were removed last year
when the Iranian legislative body, known as the Majles, voted to reduce the
president’s term by eighteen months. They failed that first time, but now, still
determined, they are making another attempt...this move by the parliament his
isolation should be taken as a clear sign by the West — among other recent signs — that they are dealing with a
weakening politician, and not the nuclear champion of Iran, as he would like the
world to think.

While reading this I was reminded of the English Civil War, with Charles I versus Cromwell. Read the article to learn of Ahmadinejad’s "Cromwell".

Playing Chicken Over Iraq

In the Boston Globe, Doug Schoen warns the Democrats are playing a dangerous game, with this history lesson:

In 1995, I was one of the political consultants who advised
President Clinton during the government shutdown, which was brought on by
another clash between another assertive Congress and an equally determined
president. Then as now, the stakes were high. Had we failed, Republican House
Speaker Newt Gingrich would have become America's de facto prime minister.
Instead, Clinton's presidency was restored...

Today, history is
repeating itself -- with the parties reversed. This time a Republican president
is offering talks to recalcitrant Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can
justify going to Syria to talk with President Bashar Assad; however, she cannot
justify rebuffing an overture to talk to President Bush, as she and Senate
majority leader Harry Reid appeared to do last week before hurriedly (and
wisely) changing course.

I warned the Dems of this myself, before the elections with Dread Not a Democrat Run Congress.

Russia's US Grant

National Review remembers Boris Yeltsin:

Perhaps, as Yeltsin challenged in the final installment of his
memoirs, no one else could have run what he called the “presidential marathon”
better than he did, given the hand he was dealt. LIke Grant, he will be seen as
a larger-than-life figure who turned out to be a so-so president. And if Russia
in the next decade becomes a more prosperous and secure place, then many may be
prepared to forgive his later mistakes in light of his earlier triumphs. But
like his friend Bill Clinton (Yeltsin also faced impeachment in his second term
of office), Yeltsin will forever be defined by his contradictory images. And as
Clinton said at Richard Nixon’s funeral, so also is it appropriate for Boris
Yeltsin — that the man be judged in light of his entire record of both
achievements and failings — and that, no matter the mistakes he made, the things
he got right be credited to him.

I remember him as the figure who defied the Old Soviet military as they tried to reinstall the old regime with a coup attempt in August, 1991. A true hero of his country.

A Call for Harry Reid to Resign

Over his recent "The war is lost" comment. This from Investor's Business Daily:

Reid has instead given moral support to the terrorists. His
"leadership" has been to try to cut off our forces' war funding. Now he has told
the Islamofascists that victory is theirs if they can just keep blowing up U.S.
soldiers and Iraqi citizens a little while longer.
In aiding and comforting
the enemy in wartime, Reid has betrayed the office he holds, shamed the Nevadans
he represents and made the Democratic Party he leads synonymous with surrender.
There is one way he can repair the damage he's done to the nation: step down.

This is justified, because such statements in times past by the antiwar Left have clearly kept this war going as long as it has, by giving the enemy hope we may pullout. Reid's high position in the US government also dictates he set an example, and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his duty to the country, or cause any of its citizens harm, namely our brave and brilliant troops currently in harms way overseas.

Support the troops, Sen. Reid, not only with body armor and bullets, but with your confidence in their abilities as well.

Strykers Keep Pressure on Al-Qaida in Iraq

This true story from the War on Terror is from DVIDS News:

In this latest effort, Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker
Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., spent three
days clearing the neighborhood of Buhriz, described by Battalion Commander Lt.
Col. Bruce Antonia as “al-Qaida’s battleground.”When the Stryker battalion first
arrived in Baqouba in March, it encountered resistance from the neighborhood’s
insurgents in the form of roadside bombs, rocket propelled grenade fire and
small arms fire. During the mission, Soldiers operating alongside Iraqi security
forces conducted house-to-house searches for terrorists and weapon caches. They
learned from residents that many terrorists had fled Buhriz in the face of the
advancing battalion.

I love this statement:

“We’ve pushed al-Qaida out of here,” said Sgt. Matthew
Benzshawel, with 2nd Platoon, Company A. “We are a pretty lethal force. When
(insurgents) see a battalion worth of Strykers coming, (they) usually move
out.”

Read the rest of this heroic tale.

Not Serious about Security

I was visiting one of our local government offices this morning, and before I could push through the door, I was met by a very alert female security guard. She proceeded to ask whether I was carrying a concealed weapon, and at first I though she was going to frisk me ( no such luck though, woof!). Later, I thought if I was criminal packing heat and planned to shoot up the place, why would I tell her?

After all that's happened lately, from 9/11 to Virginia Tech, I'm afraid our government still doesn't get it.

Reid's War on the War is Lost

The Democrat's are ready to negotiate:

Democrats are considering their next step after President Bush's
inevitable veto of their war spending proposal, including a possible short-term
funding bill that would force Congress to revisit the issue this
summer...Democratic leaders have been reluctant to discuss their next step,
focusing instead on their ability to send Bush legislation rebuking his Iraq
policy. But other lawmakers say there is no denying that Democrats do not have
the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's veto. And soon enough,
everyone will be asking what happens next...

Cutting off funding for the
war is the "wrong message to our troops" and would fail, said Sen. Carl Levin,
chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Then "the defeat of an effort to cut
funding would be used by the president as evidence of support for his policy,"
he added.

This article tries to put a positive spin on the issue, but it's clear for now the anti-war Left have suffered a major defeat. Also, as Michael Barone points out:

We witness here a division in the Democratic party — its
politicians and its voters — that we have seen ever since military action
started to be considered in 2002. Then, most House Democrats voted against the
Iraq-war resolution, most Senate Democrats for it. The lineup today is not
necessarily the same: Levin, who voted against the war resolution, insists the
troops must be funded; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who voted for the war
resolution and said last November that of course the troops will be funded, now
says he’s for Sen. Russ Feingold’s March 2008 deadline.

Sarkozy wins first round

Pajamas Media has the election numbers:

New estimates from Nidra Poller, PJM Paris: “Polls give the
following estimate for the second and final round — Sarkozy 54%Royal
46%.”
Official results tickling in: so far, recounts shows Sarkozy 30.46%,
Royal 24.41% (CNN live broadcast)
Voting just closed, exit poll released:
Record turnout, near 85%. Sarkozy 30%, Royal 25.2% (France 24 live broadcast).
They’ll be heading for a runoff in two weeks.

85%! That's huge, so the French must be hoping for something revolutionary from one of their candidates. But also remember, a strong France means a strong Europe, Paris being of late the weakest link in the EU. Still, it will be good to have a strong new ally on our side to fight the War on Terror.

Also, the Dallas News writes How do you say "Rudy Giuliani" in French?

Media Preaches to the Choir

Iraq the Model says that the Media is attacking the wrong party with its anti-war message:

Where are the media when terrorists use chlorine poisonous gas,
acids, and ball bearings to kill and hurt more and more civilians in utter
disregard to all written and unwritten laws, ethics and values?I understand it's
the duty of the media to practice scrutiny over the work of governments but
isn't it equally their duty to expose criminals and their evil deeds?...

But we didn't start his war; it's the terrorists who started this war
against life.Instead of telling us to stop fighting back, I'd like to see some
people stand up and protest the crimes of the terrorists and tell them to stop
the killing and destruction…turn the stop-the-war campaign against the
terrorists, is that too much to ask for?Tell the criminals to stop killing us
and stop attacking the people who are risking their lives fighting for liberty
and equality.

I hear alot of people in the Press say there is no military solution to this war, when they should be saying force isn't the only solution. Would you have told Sherman in his march through Georgia there is no military solution to slavery? How about Washington at Yorktown? Would you notified told Ike and the troops just before D-Day "don't bother because there's no military solution"? I'm afraid that the "war never solves anything" mentality of the MSM obscures all evidence to the contrary.

Honest News

Good news from the frontlines Harry Reid might have overlooked:

Iraq may hold twice as much oil

Marines in Anbar Express Optimism to Gates

Despite war, Army draws recruits

Afghanistan war defends freedom

S.C. College Offers Half-Tuition To Military

Radicals Leave Iraq Parliament

Baghdad Raid Nets 129 Insurgents

Air Force fills out Army ranks in Iraq

Fighting to Win

Success in Iraq: possible, necessary

The Surge: First Fruits

Iraqi Boy Scouts prepare for Jamboree

Blue Angel crashes at Beaufort airshow

The tragic story as reported by the Charleston Post & Courier:

BEAUFORT— A Navy F-18 Blue Angel plane crashed this afternoon about
30 minutes into an air show at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, the
Beaufort Gazette reported.

Witnesses said the planes were flying in
formation, and then one dropped down below the trees and apparently
crashed...

The Blue Angel clipped power lines near Shanklin Road in
Burton about 4 p.m. and went down about 30 minutes into the unit’s show at
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

Reports indicate that it was
Blue Angel No. 6 that went down and that plane No. 1 circled the Air Station,
possibly looking for the pilot. Later, officials at the crash site called for
the coroner.

This is very sad, and happens all too often, not only at American airshows, but overseas as well. I guess it is a fact of life for these modern "barnstormers". There's always a risk which the pilots seem more than willing to take.

Update: Link Charleston has an eyewitness report via audio.

McCain to critics: Get a Life!

I was planning another edition of "Apology Watch 2008", but was I surprised! From the Seattle Times:

While campaigning for president in South Carolina on Wednesday,
McCain responded to a question about how to deal with Iran by breaking into the
melody of the Beach Boys song "Barbara Ann" but changing the lyrics to "Bomb
Iran."
"That old, eh, that old Beach Boys song, 'Bomb Iran,' " McCain said,
and then added: "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb ... anyway, ah ... " The audience
responded with laughter.
The Arizona Republican was asked for his reaction to
any negative response to the joke.
"Please, I was talking to some of my old
veterans friends," he told reporters. "My response is, lighten up and get a
life."

Oh, man! First the Maverick Senator stands behind his support for the Surge in Iraq, in spite of his buddies in the Press, and now this! Even I may end up voting for McCain. The Senator from Arizona, former Navy pilot and Vietnam POW is living proof there are still heroes among us.

Bush sees tide turning in Iraq

Apparently, the Prez has been reading my stuff! This story is by the Washington Times:

President Bush yesterday said his strategy to send more troops to
Iraq is turning the tide in favor of U.S. and Iraqi forces and rebutted claims
by a top Democrat that the war is lost. "The direction
of the fight is beginning to shift," Mr. Bush said in a speech at East Grand
Rapids High School in Michigan. "Day by day, block by block, Iraqi and American
forces are making incremental gains in Baghdad."

And he acknowledged the violence as well:

Mr. Bush acknowledged the violence and said that since he began
sending the first of about 30,000 reinforcements in January, "we have seen some
of the highest casualty levels of the war"... "This is a
difficult period in our nation's history," Mr. Bush said. "It's natural to wish
there was an easy way out, that we could just pack up and bring our troops home
and be safe. Yet in Iraq, the easy road would be a road to disaster.

This is certainly the enemy's Tet Moment, where they try to break America's will at home, but it could also be our Battle of the Bulge. Again lets wait and give our troops and President the confidence and resources to continue the good fight, and greatly eliminate the possibility of a repeat 9/11.

Pro-American Candidate Leads in French Election

This would be Nicolas Sarkozy, who we once called France's Tiger. Story from the Washington Times:

France's volatile presidential campaign wound down yesterday
with conservative Nicolas Sarkozy still the favorite to advance to a final
runoff. But, with two in five voters hesitating about their choice, the race for
the second spot on the ballot was wide open...
Mr. Sarkozy, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is often
perceived as pro-American. Such a duo in charge of the governments in Paris and
Berlin would signal change from the era of Mr. Chirac and former Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder -- who had chilly relations with Washington, mainly over the
Iraq war. France is looking for new direction. It is
down in its economic fortunes, adrift in its identity and still coping with
fallout from youth riots in poor, immigrant areas in 2005.

So, with a right leaning government in France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and so on, when will America get right again? Hopefully in the next election. I'm afraid our Democrat friends have made a grave political error in resisting the War in Iraq, and may soon reap the fallout.

From Pajamas Media comes this commentary:

Contrary to what many foreign journalists have written,
Sarkozy is perhaps the only candidate who is running on a platform instead of a
personality cult. His commitment to results is sincere and if he fails to
produce, which is quite possible, he will still deserve credit for his courage
and straight talk. He is the candidate who has most clearly defined France’s
problems and most convincingly pointed to the right path out of the sand trap
where this country has been stuck for three-decades. Of all the twelve
candidates, many of whom are irresponsible charlatans, Sarkozy is the only one
who has been smeared, spattered, and verbally slashed.
That’s why I think Sarkozy will win.

Al Qaeda on the Offensive

Bill Roggio reports on dire times in Iraq, and what can be done about it:

After a relative lull in major, mass casualty suicide attacks
inside Baghdad, al Qaeda in Iraq has gone on a major offensive inside the
capital city. Al Qaeda's latest suicide offensive began on April 13; the last
major bombing inside Baghdad was in a Shia market on March 29. Since April 13,
al Qaeda has struck at 11 high profile targets inside the city limits. The
targets have included the Iraqi Parliament, two of Baghdad's 11 bridges and Shia
markets. Under the readership of Abu Ayyub al-Masri Al Qaeda in Iraq is proving
agile in its ability to switch targets in Baghdad while continuing to strike at
sectarian fault lines outside the capital. The latest campaign threats to erode
the remaining support in America for the Baghdad Security Plan, which is still
ramping up.

All this has occurred before, as Bill details. But there's a new commander in Baghdad, who's prepared for just such an emergency:

Last year's inability to redeploy Iraqi Army units have been
resolved, and all Iraqi Army units have arrived into Baghdad as planned. The
corrupt Iraqi National Police brigades were pulled off the line, taken apart,
vetted and retrained. The U.S committed an additional five combat infantry
brigades, a combat aviation brigade and supporting units to Baghdad and the
outer belts. The rules of engagement were changed to give U.S. forces greater
flexibility to fight the insurgency. U.S. forces are no longer operating from
large bases and fighting a commuter insurgency, but instead are deploying into
forward bases inside Baghdad's neighborhoods.

Sounds like this may work, if only we maintain our will. Sadly, some in Congress seem all too eager to support the enemy's assault on democracy and freedom.

The Right Resurgent in Europe

A detailed article by the Washington Times:

It's a phenomenon seen across Europe: Deep anxieties over security
and unemployment have fed a sharp shift to the right, forcing mainstream
politicians to embrace policies that just a few years ago would have seemed the
exclusive terrain of ultranationalist forces. These
policies mainly aim to reassert the primacy of the home culture with language
requirements, citizenship tests and tougher criteria for prospective
immigrants.

For example:

In the Netherlands, a powerful nationalist movement sprang up
around charismatic Pim Fortuyn and won a place in the coalition, only to fall
apart after Mr. Fortuyn was assassinated in 2002. But his ideas live on in the
citizenship tests and deportations of asylum-seekers, which are now Dutch
policy.
In October, Austria's two rightist parties won more
than 15 percent of the vote -- far short of the stunning 26.9 percent that
firebrand Joerg Haider received in 1999 but enough to trouble the moderate
majority. The anti-immigration Danish People's Party,
formed only 12 years ago, is the third-largest faction in Denmark's parliament.
Far-right parties also made electoral strides last year in Sweden and Belgium.
In Germany, far-right parties remain a fringe movement,
but hold seats on three regional legislatures in the formerly Communist east.
Officials say crimes by far-right groups and attacks against foreigners rose 16
percent last year.

This would be good news for conservatism, save for the fact that Europe always does things in the extreme. Look what happened to France 200 years ago when they tried to duplicate the American Revolution. In recent times, Europe's answer to standing up to communism gave us Hitler. America and Britain has always managed to damper the Continents tendencies toward extremism, yet it always meant a war and much precious blood spilled.

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran

This is what the fuss is about?

No deaths in 300 attacks on Anti-Mine Vehicles

Those built right here in Charleston by Force Protection Inc. From Marine Corps Times:

In more than 300 attacks since last year, no Marines have died
while riding in new fortified armored vehicles the Pentagon hopes to rush to
Iraq in greater numbers this year, a top Marine commander in Anbar province
said.
Brig. Gen. John Allen, deputy commander of coalition forces in Anbar,
said the Marines tracked attacks on the vehicles since January 2006. The
vehicles’ raised, V-shaped hulls deflect the force of blasts from homemade bombs
buried in roadways...

The Marines operate about 100 of the Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected vehicles and want an additional 3,000 in Anbar. Marine Corps
Commandant Gen. James Conway told the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month that he
wants to require every Marine traveling outside bases to ride in the
MRAPs.
“It’s a great vehicle in terms of protecting troops,” Allen
said.

Its good to know a company based right here in SC is helping to save the lives of our brave men and women overseas.

Plus, The Weekly Standard gives an interesting alternative view on MRAPs.

Worst Decision in the History of News

NBC made a big mistake in airing the Cho video (now pulled), and Hugh Hewitt told them so:

We quickly agreed that any video should not be shown, and
while I think that Howard thought perhaps a picture could be aired, I and the
live audience I was broadcasting in front of disagreed. I would have
published --instantly-- the text of the killer's statement's for the public to
read, but I would have denied the killer the instant video glorification he so
obviously desired, an immortalization which other deranged killers of the future
will almost certainly seek to emulate. NBC decided differently...NBC now
stands for Nothing But Contempt for its audience. It was a shameful thing
that the network did, and I doubt I will ever willingly watch NBC
news again. Will even one "journalist" have the spine to quit?

My first thought when Fox was showing exerts this morning was "now there's a way to encourage copycat crimes". And haven't the victim's family suffered enough without making this guy some kind of martyr?

Obama Says What?

Here's a bizarre speech giving by Barack Obama after the Virginia Tech massacre:

"It's not necessarily physical violence, but the violence that we perpetrate on
each other in other ways. Last week, the big news obviously had to do with Imus,
and the verbal violence that was directed at young women who were role models
for all of us, role models for my daughters. . . .
There's the
violence of men and women who have worked all their lives and suddenly have the
rug pulled out from under them because their job has moved to another country,
they've lost their job and they've lost their pension benefits and they've lost
their healthcare, and they're having to compete against their teenage children
for jobs at the local fast-food place paying $7 an hour.
There is the
violence of children whose voices are not heard in communities that are ignored,
who don't have access to a decent education, who are surrounded by drugs and
crime, and a lack of hope.
So there's a lot of different forms of violence
in our society."

This is what bugs me about the thinking of many Democrats. They don't seem to have any perspective on what's really important these days. While they're still singing "Kum Ba Ya" and "We shall overcome", the rest of the world has moved on. They also possess a pre-9/11 mindset in that they are more concerned about placing limitations on our troops and law enforcement, when these defenders of democracy need less restrictions to defeat the mass murderers of Al Qaeda.

About 60 years ago, Democrats stood up to fight the Cold War when most Republicans wanted to return to our Splendid Isolation. Now its the Right who are defending freedom and democracy around the world, while the Left worries about Health Care and the weather.

So, Obama thinks Imus hurting some young girls feelings is the same as a classroom full of dead bodies? Tell that to the victims' families!

Thanks to James Taranto.

Bloggers versus Tyranny

Sorry, libs, I'm not talking about Daily Kos, but the real liberals facing down Third World tyrants via cyberspace:

In Egypt, for instance, blogging has evolved within the past year
from a narcissistic parlour sport to a shaper of the political agenda. By simply
posting embarrassing video footage, small-time bloggers have blown open scandals
over such issues as torture and women's harassment on the streets of Cairo. No
comment was needed to air widespread disillusionment with last month's
referendum to approve constitutional changes, after numerous Egyptian websites
broadcast scanned images of a letter from one provincial governor to junior
bureaucrats, ordering them to vote yes. (The government claimed a 27% turnout,
with three-quarters approving; critics claim fewer than 5% voted.)

But here's the reality:

Such pinpricks have yet to puncture the dominance of any Arab
state. But with internet access spreading even to remote and impoverished
villages, and with much of its “user-generated content” pitched in pithy
everyday speech rather than the high classical Arabic of official commentary,
the authorities are beginning to take notice.

We are the new revolution in communication, and here's hoping bloggers will always use this power for good, rather than for scandal and hit jobs against private and public figures, which the Old Media has made a profession of.

US Wounded Rate Down Sharply

That's the headline at Spacewar.com:

As of Wednesday, 24,764 U.S. soldiers had been injured in Iraq since the start
of military operations to topple Saddam. Some 254 U.S. soldiers were injured
during the 28 period from March 22 to April 18 at an average rate of just over
nine per day. This marked a dramatic improvement on the previous 22-day period
from Feb. 28 to March 21, when the wounded-per-day rate peaked to almost 23.2
per day. The new rate has therefore dropped by more than 60 percent on the Feb.
28-March 21 period.
That is one of the most striking improvements we have
noted in the almost two years since these columns began. It is especially
notable as it occurred during a period of time when up to 30,000 additional U.S.
troops were being sent to Iraq as part of President George W. Bush's new "surge"
strategy.

Could be because all the terrorist have headed for the hills, out of Baghdad, or could be they are running out of martyrs for their dark ideology.

Gun Laws Failed Students

James Taranto reports on a failed attempt to allow guns on campus at Virginia Tech last year, which may have made a difference:

Virginia law prohibits guns on campus. Early last year there
was an effort in the state Legislature to change that law, but it died in
committee. As the Roanoke Times reported at the
time:
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was
defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General
Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and
visitors feel safe on our campus."

There are reasons one may be wary of arming academia.
College students spend a lot of time drinking and carousing, and so perhaps
they're better off without firearms. Academic disputes can get vicious; we
wouldn't want them to get bloody. But it does not seem a stretch to think that
if Cho Seung-hui had encountered someone else with a gun, fewer people would lie
dead at Virginia Tech.

It goes to prove the point that when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.

Schools Trained to Fight Back

This should be a required course across the US! From ABC News:

The Independent School District of Burleson, Texas, just south
of Ft. Worth is the first in the country to adopt a policy of training students
to immediately fight back and use their advantage in numbers to take tactical
control if a gunman enters their classroom.

A group of Texas security experts with a company called
"Response Options" has made instructional video tapes showing a gunman bursting
into a classroom and being swarmed by students. The instructors tell students to
throw their books, book bags, desk and chairs using everything and anything to
disrupt and take down a gunman. Robin Browne, a major with the British Army,
helped design the training course and says it is necessary for students and
teachers to throw themselves into the line of fire.
"This is not a burglar.
This is not a bank robber," Browne said. "This is someone who has come onto
school property with the express intention of using a deadly weapon to hurt and
dominate people who cannot necessarily defend themselves." A person who enters a
school, Browne said, "is in the same category as serial killers."

Desperate times call for desperate measures. We should have learned this post-9/11, but we are still trying to live in the past.

MiLinks

War of the Robots. Coming to a conflict near you!

Syria Plans for the Next War. Taking a page from the recent Hezbollah War.

Cougars Cousin Badger Arrives in Baghdad. Built right here in SC.

Osprey Aircraft To Take Off In Iraq. Hope they know what they're doing!

Canada: Strykers out, Leopards In. The Canucks are in Afghanistan for the long haul!

The Leopard 2A6 Tank. More details.

A Higher-Tech Hog: The A-10C PE Program. Who needs the F-22 Raptor?

Israeli Planes Intercept US Airliner. What's up with that?

Turning military's trash into diesel. The US Military trumps Al Gore!

Norwegian Frigate Completes Sea Trials. A smaller and cheaper Aegis ship.

Coast Guard Slams Lockheed. More trouble for the builder of the LCS.

Taiwan Drills For Attack On Chinese Carrier.

San Antonio class "rife with flaws". Something is wrong with our bloody ships!

The U.S.S. Robert A. Heinlein Campaign. Named for the famed author and naval officer.

Navy Terminates Littoral Combat Ship 3. A sad day for shipbuilding.

The Iraq Distraction

To an extent, I agree with the Left’s claim that Iraq is a distraction in the War on Terror, in that it is distracting the terrorists from attacking us here at home. A mere 1% of our population in the military put their lives on the line daily and suffer separation from their homes and love ones, so that the other 99% of Americans can go to the Mall.

The troops have been so good at keeping the enemy occupied, with no successful enemy attack on the nation since 9/11, many politicians and reporters feel free to demean their sacrifice, and criticize our President. The Patriot Act, plus the Terrorist Surveillance Program comes under constant attack by the Left as a threat to Civil Liberties. Yet, neither has prevented the Media from bias and often made-up reporting from the frontlines. Nor has the minor post-9/11 initiatives stopped Democrats from inventing their own alternative foreign policy and visiting terrorist-supporting regimes overseas.

Iraq has previously been compared to the epic Battle of Guadalcanal in World War 2. The tiny South Pacific isle was America’s first offensive in the Pacific Conflict, and despite being nowhere near Japan, is considered an essential first step in the long road to victory over the fascists.

Likewise has Iraq become an important focal point for defeating Islamic Fascism. Both President Bush and his primary antagonist, Al Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden have declared the struggle a Central Front in the Terror War. Often described as a “flytrap” for the terrorists, jihadist recruits continue to pour into the war zone from far-off Indonesia, Africa, and nearby countries where they are drawn to their ultimate destruction.

Virginia Tech Massacre

Pajamas Media has exhaustive links and coverage on the tragedy. One quote stood out:

“If you want to get through the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre in a
healthier way, don’t watch the news for about a week.”

Bad Rap II

This article posted on CNN caught my attention, and continues the critique of the Rap industry begun oddly enough by racial slurs from an old white man:

"We all know where the real battleground is," wrote Kansas City
Star columnist Jason Whitlock. "We know that the gangsta rappers and their
followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define
us than some old white man with a bad radio show."
"We have to begin working
on a response to the larger problem," said the Rev. DeForest B. Soaries Jr., who
as pastor of the Rutgers coach helped mediate the Imus imbroglio. Soaries
announced Friday that he is organizing a nationwide initiative to address the
culture that "has produced language that has denigrated women"...
Pointing
out that the rapper Mims uses "ho" and worse epithets in his chart-topping song
"This Is Why I'm Hot," columnist Michelle Malkin asked: "What kind of relief do
we get from this deadening, coarsening, dehumanizing barrage?"
The Rev. Al

Michelle Malkin quoted by CNN? The world is turned upside down! Some may think it hypocrisy to advocate free speech and call for an end to racial and vulgar lyrics in music. I say that hate speech, and rap is filled with anger and hate, is not protected by the Bill of Rights.

Oh, God

Our prayers are with the families who lost love ones in the Virginia Tech shooting, where Fox is reporting up to 33 dead. Pray for America, her schools and youth as well.

Stormy Weathers

My Dad attends church in nearby Bamberg. He left early (unusual for him!)to attend Sunday School that morning, but didn’t quite make it. Halfway down Hwy. 78 he ran into a large tree blocking the road, blown down by the high winds. Using an alternative route, I call the Cope Road; he again met a fallen tree blocking the way. Taking a third path, he made it to Hwy. 301, North of Bamberg that was flooded up to his truck door. And so it went as he attempted to navigate the debris-strewn town before finally making it to worship services. Here’s the T & D paper’s take on the storm:

The heaviest damage was reported in Bamberg County, where it
appears heavy rains flooded a gas station, causing a diesel fuel leak.“We’ve had
flooding. And due to a gas station converting, we had a diesel oil spill,”
Bamberg County Emergency Services Director Sharon Hammond said. “We haven’t had
it totally investigated, but water got into the hole where the diesel was
possibly stored and it overflowed.”Contractors and the S.C. Department of Health
and Environmental Control will clean the spill at the Three Way Food Mart on
Main Street, she said.Hammond said several streets in Bamberg flooded Sunday
morning, with depths reaching several feet in some places. Firefighters directed
traffic and no accidents were reported as a result of the flooding, she
said.“The water came so fast and there was so much of it,” she said.In addition,
a falling tree ripped the roof off a home in the Hunters Chapel area, she said.
The falling trees also knocked out power to some residents.

Bad Rap

Some good fallout from the Imus Mess is vulgar lyrics produced by Rap and Hip Hop artists are getting renewed scrutiny, with Barack Obama weighing in:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday questioned
the way some rappers talk about women in songs, saying the lyrics are similar to
the derogatory language used by embattled radio host Don Imus.They are
“degrading their sisters. That doesn’t inspire me,” Obama said of some hip-hop
artists when a man in a crowd of about 1,000 questioned him. The Illinois
senator was responding to a question of what inspired him, and said God and
civil rights activists.

This is certainly a start but fails to go far enough. Some on the Left are using the opportunity to criticize people like Rush Limbaugh, perhaps even pushing for a return to the so-called Fairness Doctrine. I would like to see the end to attacks on our youths' morals in TV and films. What we see today on the Virginia Tech campus is more fallout from our sex and violence obsessed culture.

Thanks for the tip from James Taranto.

One Iraqi Killed in Parliament attack

The military has downsized the numbers, thankfully, according to Fox:

In a statement Friday morning, the U.S. military said "after further research
and consultation with government of Iraq officials" it had determined that only
one "civilian" had been killed in the attack and 22 were wounded.Parliament
officials said the victim was Mohammed Awad, a Sunni member of the moderate
National Dialogue Front. Seven of the wounded were members of parliament, the
officials said.
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell had said
Thursday that eight people were killed in the bombing, a major security breach
in the most heavily guard region of Baghdad.

Plus, Iraq native Omar Fadhil for Pajamas Media states:

Everyone I talked to today... all seemed to agree that if
there’s anyone to blamed for that it’s the members of parliament themselves.
Parliament members are famous for complaining about ‘security measures’ in the
Green Zone being “insulting” to them and to Iraq’s sovereignty. They didn’t want
their vehicles and guards to be searched. This is the result.

Sunnis Split from Al Qaeda

This is reported by Bill Roggio:

The Sunni civil war in Iraq continues to gather steam. The Islamic Army in Iraq,
the largest Sunni insurgent group which has previously operated closely with al
Qaeda in Iraq, has severed ties
with the terror group after several months of infighting, Al Jazeera
reported today. Ibrahim al-Shammari, an Islamic Army in Iraq spokesman, "told Al
Jazeera on Thursday that the Islamic Army in Iraq had decided to disunite from
al-Qaeda in Iraq after its members were threatened."
"In the beginning, we
were dealing with Tawhid and Jihad organisation, which turned into al-Qaeda in
Iraq," Al-Shammari explained. Specifically after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died, the
gap between us [and al-Qaeda] widened, because [they] started to target our
members... They killed about 30 of our people, and we definitely don't recognise
their establishment of an Islamic state - we consider it invalid."

There's an Al Qaeda in Iraq? I thought this was all made up as an excuse for Bush to occupy the Middle East!

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