Fallen Heroes

When I bought my bike last year I thought I might do something in opposition to the over publicized, protected speech of a group of religious nut jobs. I would be willing to test the righteousness of their claims with trial by combat, even though that is a little out of style.
I finally decided on the Patriot Guard. I signed up and never got a notification of a need in the area.

That all changed yesterday.

I am now a member of the Red Knights, who rode escort for an area firefighter who was killed in Iraq. We were told there was a very slight chance some of those nut jobs might show up to spread their hatred. No one wanted to miss that.

Luckily, none showed their ugly faces. I did get to see the out pouring of emotion by my entire community for a firefighter, by people who didn’t even know him.

It was said by one of the Patriot Guard Riders, “the fire service really knows how to send off one of their own.” Several of these men rode hundreds of miles to stand with us. We appreciated them very much.

The forecast was suitably gloomy to fit the occasion, a soft rain becoming a downpour occasionally. The local departments raised a forty foot American Flag between two tower trucks on the road in front of the church. A dozen pieces of apparatus joined the escort. Every branch of the military was amply represented. The officers and men of his unit made certain that one drop of rain would not touch the widow or her family. The flag line and honor guard stood uncomplaining, in the rain, for three hours, to do honor to our brother. The police made sure the procession was not delayed.

The local people stood by the road, in the rain, and held American Flags, to show their respect for a man they had never met. They stopped their cars and got out to wave tiny dash board flags, and hold their hands over their hearts.

The family was visibly moved by the honor done their loved one.

The graveside service, in our National Cemetery, included full military honors, the bagpipe corps, and the ringing of the bell for his “last call”.

Thank God for the rain, or a lot of tough guys would have tarnished their image.

Free fire zone?

More than 90 ships have been hijacked by pirates this year off the Horn of Africa. Since it arrived in the Gulf of Aden this month, the Tabar has escorted about 35 ships through the "pirate-infested" waterway, the Indian government said.

The piracy epidemic has captured the imagination of a public enamored with the romantic image of swashbuckling seamen of yore, engaged in swordplay and barking out orders to fellow buccaneers. But experts say today's pirates are tough young criminals armed with AK-47s and dressed in camouflage.

It's romantic until you have the gun in your face, then, not so much.

Seems the Marines fixed this little problem once before, time for a reduex.

A litle comment on the N. Korean Dragon

Anyone who thinks the psychopathic adolescent who runs the country (Korea not this one) will keep his word and stop producing nukes, or stop selling the technology, is fooling themselves.
.
The Koreans have survived between the Japanese and China for a couple of thousand years. They have done so by murder and blackmail. They are double dealers of the highest order. They are also good candidates for the toughest sons of unwed parents on the planet.
.
This political regime is about to change, ours, not theirs. They know this. They can make any deal that benefits them and then, renege on it like every other time!
.
If they actually shut down their facilities, it will because they have no more use for them, or they can't maintain them anyway.
.
I consider it a telling comment on their country, when the sanctions chosen are directly targeted on their leader. Wine and radio controlled cars for cats sake!
.

What the news don't tell.

.
I just read this over at badgers forward, it's worth the read.

http://badgersforward.blogspot.com/2007/05/10-myths-about-iraq-war.html

DW

Ann Coulter hits the nail on the head

Again. Check out this editorial, Ann isn't gentle, but she is direct, points out in her inimitable way, the pendulum is beginning to swing.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/column.aspx?UrlTitle=cest_si_bon&ns=AnnCoulter&dt=05/09/2007&page=1

From Town Hall

Media Dragons

6. Press Ignores Encouraging Terror Statistics

Last week the State Department issued its annual report on terrorism around the world, which showed a sharp decline in terrorist attacks and murders in many regions last year.

Aside from the Middle East, the number of attacks was down by more than 300 incidents compared to 2005.

According to the report, terrorism was down by 10 percent in South Asia, down 18 percent in Europe, and down 54 percent in Central and South America.

“That, however, has not been the lede story in America’s liberal media,” reports NewsBusters.org, a blog from the Media Research Center dedicated to combating liberal media bias.

“Instead, they’ve chosen to focus their attentions on how terrorism has increased in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

One wire service story cited by NewsBusters was headlined “U.S. sees sharp rise in global terrorism deaths.”

NewsBusters complains: “What is unacceptable is the American press’ complete ignoring of the rest of the State Department’s numbers.”

Wow! I'm so surprised! Ripped from News Max

Why are we there ?

Our last, best hope in Iraq -- Gen. David Petraeus -- reminded Pentagon reporters this week of a critically important fact long forgotten by most observers: Our real enemy in Iraq, the true source of all the murders, mayhem, and instability, is not sectarian strife. And it's not the Sunnis or the Shiites, either. The real enemy we face in Iraq is al-Qaida

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn't understand this. Nor, for that matter, do the other defeatist Democrats carelessly demanding our immediate withdrawal. They fail to grasp that the root of our problems in Iraq -- again, the true source of the hostilities -- remains al-Qaida. These murderous thugs are fomenting the sectarian strife on both sides of the Iraqi street. Their tactic is the nadir of nihilism.


Lieberman forcefully stated that "al-Qaida, after all, isn't carrying out mass murder against civilians in the streets of Baghdad because it wants a more equitable distribution of oil revenue. Its aim in Iraq isn't to get a seat at the political table; it wants to blow up the table -- along with everyone seated at it."

Without question, it is a near certainty that Iran and Syria are helping al-Qaida with money, arms and explosives. And, yes, if we leave now, al-Qaida will have an open field in which to expand its operations and prepare for the ultimate attack on the United States. In fact, the Defense Department and the CIA just nabbed a high-ranking al-Qaida operative known as al-Iraqi. He was a key link between the Taliban in Afghanistan, al-Qaida in Iraq and al-Qaida members in Iran. And while it's great news we got him, he's one more reminder that this network is strong and playing for keeps.



The Harry Reids in Washington don't get it. They fail to see the terrorist fingerprints. But when you look at Iraq through the Lieberman lens, the dust settles. The task before us becomes clearer. Why are we in Iraq? We are fighting al-Qaida. Period.

A final question for Reid: If, as he says, we have "lost" the Iraq war, who exactly has won? Who is the winner, Sen. Reid? Who would you like the United States to surrender to?

It's not the Sunnis. It's not the Baathists. It's not the Shiites. And it's certainly not Prime Minister Maliki. In conventional warfare terms, Harry Reid is suggesting we surrender to al-Qaida.

The above paragraphs are taken from Larry Kudlow's article on Townhall. He has stated in reasonable, plain, language the mission in Iraq and why it is so important.

What he has overlooked, or refrained to state, is the obvious reason the Democrats have adopted this stance.

It is simply power.

They play on the fears of Americans who can't stand the thought of confrontation, on any level. These are people who never stand up for anything because they have not the strength to endure any stress. They are the ones who will have you "talk to the hand" rather than decide where to have dinner. The "I can't deal with that" crowd is their base, the sheeple who will never see that going down fighting is your last dignity. They are the bunch who will "relax and enjoy it".

The surrender crowd in congress only seek reelection. The short sighted bribe, be it feel good because we are not at war, or feel good because I have bought your vote with pork barrel spending, is not in the nations best interest and they don't care.

I will never be famous, infamous perhaps, so I don't have to worry about the feelings of my constituents, or right and wrong, or support an unpopular view. In that respect, I am lucky, I can sit here and pontificate about the proper answers. I do know that surrender is the abdication of principle, and in this case death will be the reward of countless thousands if we choose this solution.