I’m Back Home!
I’ll be posting over at my newly renovated original blog from now on. So come on over and visit!
Attention, Please!
Leta, from the brand spankin’ new blog, From Cow Pastures to Kosovo has a post up about a whole lotta soldiers in the Battle Company 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) “The Rock”, that are in need of some support from those of us here at home. They are out in the middle of nowhere with not much most of the time.
“Now about that photo at the beginning of the blog. No…that’s not a mountain goat clinging to the rocks under that tree. That’s one of our finest, our bravest. He and his buddy (taking photo) were at an observation post in the Hindu Kush Mountains, Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan (in case you want to google). They man those observation posts for DAYS at a time. Hike to them. Sit there looking for the bad guys. Hike back to the firebase when their relief hikes out to them. The photo was taken this past summer. Just imagine what it will be like on that observation post during the winter. I can’t. “
Damn cold, is what it is!
So, please go over and see if you can help out in any way. Thanks!
Talking Out Both Sides of Your mouth
Hmmm…
Pelosi Statement on Judiciary and Intelligence Committees Passing FISA Reform Bill
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees each approved a bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA):
“The Intelligence and Judiciary Committees have approved a bill to restore constitutional checks and balances (read: no way we’re going to let you do anything.) to the way electronic surveillance is used to gather intelligence. The RESTORE Act gives the government all the tools necessary to acquire under the law the intelligence that can keep our country safe. (Except the ones you all don’t like.)
“At the same time, the bill protects the privacy of Americans by putting the FISA court back in business and assuring strong oversight of surveillance activities by Congress. The two committees also reaffirmed Congress’ constitutional role by refusing to consider granting retroactive immunity to companies that participated in the President’s warrantless surveillance programs until the Administration has provided Congress with full information about those programs. (Hell, I wouldn’t give you all my dogs’ rabies vaccine number…)
“We can and must protect and defend the Constitution as we protect and defend the American people.” (How? By making it near impossible for our Intelligence guys to act on the intelligence??? Oh, that’s a good one!)
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Pelosi ‘proud’ of her House: ‘We’ve drained swamp’
by Naftali Bendavid
(Notable quotes:)
“We have drained the swamp,” Pelosi said. “We have passed historic legislation.” (oh, I wouldn’t say that. You, Murtha, Jefferson, Kerry, Kennedy, Waters, Woolsey, Reid and Durbin to name just a few, are still holding seats. And what “historic legislation”? Keeping funds for our troops hostage for your political agenda? It’s ‘historic’ all right ~ never has there been so much use of the troops as pawns so blatantly while this country is at war.)
“It is not just the opinion of the base of the Democratic Party that this war should end, it’s the opinion of the American people, largely across-the-board,” Pelosi said. (Keep saying that and clap your hands 3 times and think happy thoughts) “Democrats, Independents, and a reasonable chunk of the Republican Party as well. They want the war to end. They don’t want to hear about 60 votes in the Senate-‘Just do it!’ ” (you know who really wants the war to end, Nancy? Try the soldiers over there fighting it. It’s just that they don’t want it to end in defeat ~ again. It goes against everything they stand for, which is something you apparently have no clue about. They’re so much better than that.)
“We have to make responsible decisions in the Congress that are not driven by the dissatisfaction of anybody who wants the war to end tomorrow,” Pelosi said. “God bless them for their passion on this issue. I believe that mostly they are right. But I do believe that we are responsible for the responsible, safe redeployment (read “defeated”) of our troops out of Iraq, and that is what we will continue to fight for.” (if only you would use all that energy to fight for our country!)
Pelosi then launched into a surprisingly personal description of the protesters camped outside her house: “I’ve had, for four or five months, people sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco, angering my neighbors, hanging their clothes from the trees, building all kinds of things-Buddhas, I don’t know what they are (What this? You’re not in touch with your ‘Buddha within’?? No wonder you’re having such a hard time with your base.) -couches, sofas, permanent living facilities on my front sidewalk. (Just imagine what their homes look like…) You can imagine my neighbors’ reaction to all of this. And if they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering. (hmmm, maybe in your neighborhood…not necessarily anyone else’s) But because they have ‘Impeach Bush’ across their chest, it’s the First Amendment, four or five months into that. So I’m well aware of the unhappiness of the base.” (smack-down! But hey, she understands…)
Read this from one of the very upset with Nancy anti-war folks.
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Pelosi Defends Removal of ‘God’ from Flag Certificates
Of course she does. It offends so many of her base. And God knows, she doesn’t want all those atheists cluttering up her lawn. It might intrude on all her praying for President Bush to come to his senses and see things her way…
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And I thought democrats hated corporations. Don’t they??
A Gap billionaire’s museum in Pelosi’s privatized National Park?
I’m so confused…
But I just love this:
Busy, Busy, Busy ~ again
Not much time to post today so I’ll direct you to a couple of links of good sites that you should know about.
#1 ~ From Cow Pastures To Kosovo
A new blog from Leta of Tanker Brothers fame. This is one Troop-Supporting woman!! When something needs doing to help out one of our Finest, she’s there, giving 110% or more. She just started posting, so please go over and say hello. We need her to keep blogging!!
#2 ~ Borderfire Report
An amazing compilation of all things related to illegals and the border.
Well, I’m off ~ if I just knew where to start…
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Beth
Her name is Holly Holeman. Her job is working at a flower shop. And her mission to make sure soldiers are never forgotten. Which is why she’s out at Arlington National Cemetery every week putting flowers around the headstones. She usually does this alone, but on a bitter cold day in February of 2007 she was met with family members of fallen soldiers buried in Section 60 of the cemetery who helped her to place the roses.To read the rest of Holly’s story, you can go here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died,
We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.
The Flag Is More Than Just Fabric ~
I was surfing around the blogs and came upon this post from Eagles II:
USA – Don’t Tread on Me!
It starts out with video of Jim Broussard taking down the US flag which was flying underneath a Mexican flag at a bar in Reno, Nevada.
A lot of folks in the blogosphere have been discussing this and seem to be stuck on the “theft” part of it and not the “why”. And many don’t seem to know that flying another country’s flag above the US flag is illegal. (Another sad example of what is not being taught in our schools any more.)
Display of United States Flag with Flags of Other Nations or
of States
The Flag Code sets out rules for position and manner of display of the flag in
4 U.S.C. § 7. The question as to the propriety of flying the flag of another nation at an equal level with that of the flag of the U.S. is not clear from the face of the statute.
Section 7 contains two subsections on point and these provisions appear to becontradictory.
Subsection 7(c) states:
(c) No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same
level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except
during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the
church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services
for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the
United Nations or any other national or international flag equal,
above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to or in place
of the flag of the United States or any Territory or possession thereof:
Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the
continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag
of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor,
and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor,
with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the
United Nations.
Subsection 7(g) states:
(g) When flags of two or more nations are displayed, theyare to be flown
from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of
approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of
the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.
41
The wording of § 7(g) is identical to that of the original Flag Code enacted in 1942.42 The second sentence of § 7(c) prohibiting flying international flags equal in height to the flag of the United States was not in the original Flag Code. This provision was added in 1953.
43
The legislative history of this amendment clearly states that is purpose was to “make it an offense against the United States to display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal to, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any possession or territory thereof,….”
44
The only exception recognized is at the headquarters of the United
Nations.
I, for one, am glad he did what he did. You see, for me our flag is more than just fabric. Every stripe, every star on our flag is symbolic of men and women who fought and died for this country and all the precious freedoms that are at it’s soul. To have someone from another country come here and even become a citizen and then fly their country of origin’s flag over their adopted country’s flag is so wrong, nevermind illegal. It is something to be defended ~ not just for the fabric it’s made of but for what it represents.
Mike Gallagher talks to vet who cut down Mexican flag
Go to Eagle II’s post and read about POW veterans written about there and what they felt about their flag.
Then think about those who so blithely burn the flag or even worse, right here in their country.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Decency and respect seem to be going the way of common sense more and more in this country.
And don’t even get me started on that nonsense “dissent is patriotic”. It most certainly is not when done in such a manner.
WWII army rangers salute during a ceremony at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, France on Sunday, June 6, 2004. Photo credit: Laura Rauch, AP
Tell it to them.
“Decency, even when we disagree…”
Poli Stew Cafe has just become my favorite online t-shirt store. You might have read about the threats to Poli Stew Cafe from the organization that will not be named (you know, the one with the words ‘move’, ‘on’ and ‘org’ in it’s name) when the folks put this t-shirt up for sale that had this on it:
This was in response to the Gen Petraeus ad that the organization that will not be named (you know, the one with the words ‘move’, ‘on’ and ‘org’ in it’s name) had placed in the NYT on September 10.
Well, the fine folks at Poli Stew Cafe didn’t let themselves be bullied. Nope. Follow the link to watch this video:
So Polly Made A T-Shirt
In fact, they are upping the decency factor in this whole situation:
A FUND RAISER: We are pleased to introduce our latest designs, which highlight the General, and the importance of the First Amendment. This store will be open through January 17. After a lot of searching, we decided to direct all our profits from Cafe Press to go directly toThe National Military Family Association, Inc., which was named a 4-Star charity by Charity Navigator. (Please read a disclaimer on the sidebar).
The NMFA helps military families through stressful times. They help spouses and children with upcoming deployments, ease school transitions, assist people through the TriCare health system, learn money management skills, and best of all, through Operation Purple, they send children to summer camp. The goal of this fund raiser is to help send kids to camp. But we can’t do it without your help!
And they haven’t left the kids out of the fun either:
Four Star Military Kid Shirts and other cute things for the little ones.
I’m definitely going to have to get this:
What with the holidays coming up quicker than I care to think about, there are some great items to get a start on that shopping. You’re supporting a good organization too. And be sure to check out their blog.
Okay, sales pitch over. I just really like these folks’ attitude. And we could all use a little more decency around here, and that’s a fact. All the while exercising our First Amendment Rights ~ and that right belongs to all of us. Not just the organization that will not be named (you know, the one with the words ‘move’, ‘on’ and ‘org’ in it’s name.
Surprised!
My Baby Girl Soldier rolled into the driveway this Saturday to surprise us for the weekend.
Hell, I didn’t even have her bed made, not expecting her until Thanksgiving.
So, I’ve been baking, cooking and we’ve been talking and shucking the buckeyes.
The dogs almost peed on themselves when they saw her. Wagging tails and furry purrs abounded around here.
Now I have to catch up on some stuff but will be back later.
Victims or Heroes?
Robert Kaplan has written an exceptional (of course) piece of so much of what has been on my mind about the dumbing down and victimization of our military by the media and sooo many politicians, sadly, from both sides of the aisle.
The best quote from the article:
“Has anyone noticed that we now have a volunteer Army? I’m a warrior. It’s my job to fight.”
And this jsut makes my blood boil:
“The first Medal of Honor in the global war on terror was awarded posthumously to Army Sgt. First Class Paul Ray Smith of Tampa, Fla., who was killed under withering gunfire protecting his wounded comrades outside Baghdad airport in April 2003. According to LexisNexis, by June 2005, two months after his posthumous award, his stirring story had drawn only 90 media mentions, compared with 4,677 for the supposed Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay, and 5,159 for the court-martialed Abu Ghraib guard Lynndie England. While the exposure of wrongdoing by American troops is of the highest importance, it can become a tyranny of its own when taken to an extreme.” (emphsis mine)
Go here to read the rest.
(h/t to Jules Crittenden)
How About Writing a Marine?
From jyro at Free Republic:
From: Colonel Simcock, USMC
US Marine Colonel Simcock, the commander of USMC Regimental Combat Team 6 in Iraq, is asking for 6,000 positive emails to his Marines.
That’s one email for each Marine in his RCT command. COL Simcock is concerned about the effect of the negative barrage that those Marines are getting through the electronic media and the Democrat comments on them losing. (Thanks Harry Reid! You and your Democrats really support the troops)
RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil
“If you’re reading this email, then you can probably click on the address, type a few words, and then hit “send” to be all done.
It doesn’t have to be the Gettysburg Address. Something as simple as “Hello, Marine. We thank you for what you’re doing.
You are in a noble task. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Best wishes &get home soon” is more than sufficient.
I find that the part I put in bold is the most offensive. Whether you agree with the war or not, to send a “barrage of negative messages through electronic media” to our troops is utterly outrageous. It is not the war that is demoralizing them, it is the negative barrage of messages through electronic media as per their own commander.
Do people NOT understand that our troops, in this day and age of the Internet, are seeing what you are saying…. And so are our enemies?
These morons deliberately ignore that simple basic concept as they are spewing their hatred.
Our troops need to know we appreciate them and all they do for us.
Is it THAT hard to actually give them that support?
For some it seems to be. They should be ashamed of themselves.
EMAIL A MARINE. Tell them how much they mean to us. Take 30 seconds right now and just do it, ok?
Thank you.
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The Fightin’ 6th Marines blog
RCT-6 Official Website
Karmah sheik confides in Marines
Story by Pfc. Brian Jones
Col. Richard L. Simcock II, commanding officer, Regimental Combat Team 6, hands a commander’s coin to Marines in a re-enlistment ceremony at Camp Fallujah’s Chapel of Hope July 9. Nearly three dozen Marines swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Over $1 million was handed out in bonuses.
C’mon! Let them know we don’t all wear pink!
Of course, there are more of us than they know…
You Betcha I\'m a Proud Army Mom 