Wednesday Wanderings

Garden duties are such a delight as they begin to show their colors, my first glads have set their blood red tempo as the massive trumpets of amaryllii set the understory. I have so many glad bulbs put down and they are doubling that I should be graced by their beauty for a long while. I am building a perennial garden trending towards the vast array of bulbs and begonias available, even petunias will over winter here. I have rimmed my veggie garden in butterfly and hummingbird favored wild flowers hoping to boost my yield by bringing in more pollinators, besides it looks nice.If anybody has tips on dividing gladioli, let me know.

Memorial Day

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."-- Thomas Paine (The American Crisis, No. 1, 19 December 1776).
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"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." —John Stuart Mill
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I remember it as "Decoration Day", a brief church service and then a potluck picnic, best fried chicken anywhere, and walks through the cemetary as we celebrated all that had passed before. We searched for our ancestors graves and decorated them and learned the history of that small farming community in the deep south.
My uncle followed Gen. Patton's 3rd Army from Italy to Berlin and all I really know is that he thought "Ole Blood and Guts" was a fitting nick-name for Gen. Patton. My mom tells me there is a box with Silver and Bronze stars in it as well as a full rack, with the blood of Purple Hearts.
I never knew to say thanks before he was gone. I would like to say" Thank You!" now, Uncle Foster, and the millions more that have so served our country.
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Thank You
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PS: We have been kickin' taliban/aq tail and in a big way, more later.

More Heros

MURPHY, AUDIE L.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
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The site appears to be down probably overloaded

The Medal of Honor

Our highest military award, I will offer a few of their stories this weekend starting with our most recent and then some famous, some random Patriots of the highest honor.
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Iraq
*SMITH, PAUL R.
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class, United States ArmyFor conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq on 4 April 2003. On that day, Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith’s extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne,” and the United States Army.
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Somalia
*GORDON, GARY I.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Lincoln, Maine. Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
*SHUGHART, RANDALL D.
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army. Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia. Entered service at: ----- Born: Newville, Pennsylvania. Citation: Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

Some Quotes to Start Memorial Weekend

"Do not squander the time given to you by God or the freedom preserved by this Marine's life." —Rev. Michael Dolan
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"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means..." —John Adams
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"Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom... Under one such marker lies a young man—Martin Treptow—who left his job in a small-town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, 'My Pledge,' he had written these words: 'America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone'." —Ronald Reagan (Read Ronald Reagan's tribute, "The boys of Pointe du Hoc.")
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"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." —John Stuart Mill
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"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"—Samuel Adams
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Concord Hymn
Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, are sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Sometimes All You Have Is Faith

Belize Sunset

I am easily lost in the beauty and colors of the sun.

You Can Always Count On the Sun

I recently returned from a trip to Honduras and Belize.
I am prone to sometimes taking off to strange places far away where I can get lost. The one thing that is constant, however, despite all of the cultural differences, is nature, particularly the daily rising and setting of the sun. This shot was taken in Honduras.

An Opportunity To Help The Troops

There is grassroots activity going on to help make sure our troops get a better night's sleep in the hot climate of Iraq. They need twin sheets and pillows. All goods are hand delivered to troops by this gentleman. If you can help, please do by sending a care package to:

The Charge of the Sheet Brigade
MSG Mark A. Kane
HHC 2BCT 4th ID
Unit #40501
APO AE 09312-40501

Feel free to spread the word and link to other sites with this information.

Wednesday Wonderings

If an underage girl gets an abortion or gives birth, why isn't the father tracked down and subjected to the law?
Why are fathers of children of of-age women held to a different standard?
Why should fathers be kept out of the loop of feminist socialism?
Why does the left want to destroy the most innocent, abortion , and preserve and defend the life and liberties of avowed murderers?
Why is a minivan different than an SUV in the left's eyes, is it the big tires?
I have many questions, does the left have any answers?
Do they really think their ideas resonate with the American public, more taxes, gay marriage, defense of partial-birth abortion and outright lies and obfuscation on the GWOT?
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I think the left is in for a serious smackdown in '06 elections, I am in the Hugh Hewitt camp on this, if some serious work gets done between now and November:
Win the war
Confirm the judges
Cut the taxes
Control the spending
Secure the borders
Safeguard marriage
We can win this November and increase our majority if we are active, meaning us conservatives not just party loyalists . I am not just blowing hot air either, we can do this with our message, their obstructionist messageless campaign has lost them the last two elections, just being of the opposing party is not enough if your ideals are juxtaposed to America's.

Go for it, getting to the top is not easy but it can be a whole lotta fun.

(me at Parker Bluff in the Kern River valley on "Takin' It Easy", a fun climb. I am on the sharp end of the rope.)

Weekend Rambler

Tonight's must read, more on Jesus and Mohammed.
Wow am I wooped, taking care of a spring yard gone crazy is alot of work, grass to mow, trees to prune and weeds to pull, a labor of love. My dutch Iris are being replaced by ameryllii and gladioli while begonias and gardenias are trying to take over, much to be done still. I have a new roof and electrical work starting next week to bring my little cottage up to date, life is good. My truck is paid off, my credit cards are paid off, two deadweights are gone from the shop and business is kicking, life is good.
This is why I fail to believe all the negative polling that fail to show the questions asked so, so that many may be influenced by the few actually polled. My readers and myself are political junkies that are well informed for the greater part and conservative with a couple of moonbats for diversity's sake. I like their conspiracy theories.
If asked how I would categorize the direction our nation is going I would be neutral as their are very good and very bad aspects as is the yen and the yang. The economic reports are continually very good despite a world war and natural disasters wrapped in women's names, Katrina and Rita and Lord spare us Hillary .
We are doing exceedingly well in Iraq and Afganistan, spring brought the taliban termites out to be exterminated, we aren't the Red Army of Moscow's oppression we are the bringers of freedom, liberators and thus we have the people's support increasingly as Iraq has its first freely elected government in decades and in Afganistan first ever, life is getting better with a "soft parade" of hope. Would you enlist with the taliban if the attrition rate against you was about 100-1, they think they can attack an A-10 Warthog supporting a SOps sweep with a few lunatics on horseback, yea right. We are taking names and kicking ass.

Plan to attain great heights and you will!

Vacation Over

It was nice to pull back and visit with my Mom and gain perspective. We worked in my gardens and most of it is sprouting vigorously, with lots of organic fodder mixed in, guano. Lots to blog about , I'll be back in force tomorrow meanwhile read these two pieces from Amir Taheri on Iraq and Iran.

There is a lot of this in California if you look, this is oh about twenty minutes south east of Sacramento.
A better shot of the Tahoe region, this is a view on the job, well at the end of the street to keep my facts straight for PL.
Grapes in the fore, the "crystal range" just visable on the left, this is Rancho Seco, now quiet.

This is more what the high country looks like right now and we had more snow this year than the one in the picture. This is from the summit of Mt. Dunderburgh on July the 4th 1998 after the big El Nino in "97", looking west into Yosemite high country.


Temple Crag also on the trail into the high country and home to one of the longest rockclimbing routes in the Sierra, Dark Star, straight up the nose. It is a beautiful granite fin with superb rock for climbing, yet a dream for me.

Seek beauty in the Lord and it will find you.

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On the trail into the Palisades region this valley displays its grandeur with the "Thumb" featured and South.Palisade in the far background.

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PS: These are open comment threads, if you have an issue feel free to bring it up. I have time to comment just not for lengthy posts with multiple links.

Obstacles are feats of the mind and can be overcome with faith in Him.
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The south eastern face of Lone Pine pk. (For PL's sake note the ubiquitous thumbtack scar in the top center)

When faith in yourself relies on Him, there is strength unknown to your spirit.

Once we accept His hand, this is our path, it ain't meant to be easy , and oh the joys of those hidden valleys that only one travelling with Him would know.

Hmmmm?

I rarely post on education, thinking of my late father and the private high school campus I grew up on and went to compelled me tonight. The state of our public educational system is abysmal. I noted this twenty odd years ago when I got booted from said high school for drinking on campus two days prior to the end of the junior year and thus got to enter the public school system, one of the best in the southeast at the time, mom made sure she lived in the best district after the divorce. I made honor roll and slept through class and maintained a 3.75 gpa. They barely caught up with my eighth grade year and this was my senior year.
My math and reading skills don't come from the schools I went to they came from my parents, dad, a Marine Sgt, math teacher and a largely homeschooled southern farm girl mom. I learned digits and dirt, english and mechanics, hard work and responsibility and most importantly how to stand proud for America. With the money we spend we can do far better than we are doing, the teacher's unions and the gay/socialist agenda are now forcing the indoctrination of your children (I have a precious neice) into acceptance of their lifestyle.
I don't know , I come from an era when we figured out differential equations on paper in class to pass calculus or actually were required to know something about the Crusades or Peloponysian War or even where Iraq was on the globe to get a grade. I wonder can we stick to reading, writing,math, science and unvarnished history. I had the luck of having two of the best history teachers american highschools had to offer at the time, one still active. I would love to sit in on a few of Dr. Cooper's classes today, he could easily teach at a top university.
Untill we remove the beauracracy of unions and government from our schools we will continue to slide backward on the world scale. We need to be pushing that scale up notches not falling behind. Our teachers need to educate not indoctrinate our kids, all this self esteem garbage and feminist BS needs to be thrown out the window. Kids need to compete on the merits of their own strenths inorder to find out what those strengths are so they can make a better choice for the future. They need to develope an I am good at this attitude and excell in it.
Yea at onetime I wanted to be a world class soccer star which moved to rock musician ,my trade has lasted through all those and now I am very good at my chosen trade, own my house in California and work for a top firm.My point is, we desparately need to bring back trade schools at our highschool level, they are in demand and pay well, tradesmen that is and apprentices.
If you are interested in a top notch college prep school for your youngens, email me or comment and I will mail you some info. This is a private campus worth considering especially if you are in the south east. A slice of Alabama heaven bordering a State Park, my neice will go there.

Updates

Don 't forget, Lores is on the radio tonight at 10:00 pac. on KRLA870, it can be streamed, She has been putting together some great shows check it out and hit the tip jar if you are able. I am a fan of conservative talk radio and she is good, really good, tune in and help out.
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If you don't have google earth on your computer yet, you should, this is one awesome geographic tool for free, especially if you have kids in school. Plus it is fun to ba able scan the globe.

Military Appreciation Month

We need to appreciate them as this brutal killing shows yet again what we are fighting, Mudville Gazette and numerous other blogs have mentioned it.
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The Killing of Atwar Bahjat
Greyhawk
Warning: The following contains a graphic description of a brutal murder - probably exceeding what you imagine one human being could do to another. However, it is typical of the work of Islamic terrorists. Read on only if you want a bit of insight into the nature of the enemy in this global war. If not, please skip to the final paragraph.

Shortly after the bombing of the Samarra shrine, an Iraqi journalist covering the aftermath was kidnapped and murdered. Her story was mentioned briefly in the western media, but was covered extensively in the Middle East.

Now a video of the brutal murder has surfaced, apparently made with a mobile phone with video capability.

Two men drove up in a pick-up truck, asking for her. She appealed to a small crowd that had gathered around her crew but nobody was willing to help her. It was reported at the time that she had been shot dead with her cameraman and sound man.

We now know that it was not that swift for Bahjat. First she was stripped to the waist, a humiliation for any woman but particularly so for a pious Muslim who concealed her hair, arms and legs from men other than her father and brother.

Then her arms were bound behind her back. A golden locket in the shape of Iraq that became her glittering trademark in front of the television cameras must have been removed at some point — it is nowhere to be seen in the grainy film, which was made by someone who pointed a mobile phone at her as she lay on a patch of earth in mortal terror.

By the time filming begins, the condemned woman has been blindfolded with a white bandage.

It is stained with blood that trickles from a wound on the left side of her head. She is moaning, although whether from the pain of what has already been done to her or from the fear of what is about to be inflicted is unclear.

Just as Bahjat bore witness to countless atrocities that she covered for her television station, Al-Arabiya, during Iraq’s descent into sectarian conflict, so the recording of her execution embodies the depths of the country’s depravity after three years of war.

A large man dressed in military fatigues, boots and cap approaches from behind and covers her mouth with his left hand. In his right hand, he clutches a large knife with a black handle and an 8in blade. He proceeds to cut her throat from the middle, slicing from side to side.

Her cries — “Ah, ah, ah” — can be heard above the “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) intoned by the holder of the mobile phone.

Even then, there is no quick release for Bahjat. Her executioner suddenly stands up, his job only half done. A second man in a dark T-shirt and camouflage trousers places his right khaki boot on her abdomen and pushes down hard eight times, forcing a rush of blood from her wounds as she moves her head from right to left.

Only now does the executioner return to finish the task. He hacks off her head and drops it to the ground, then picks it up again and perches it on her bare chest so that it faces the film-maker in a grotesque parody of one of her pieces to camera.

The voice of one of the Arab world’s most highly regarded and outspoken journalists has been silenced. She was 30.

Other gruesome details from a family friend: She had nine drill holes in her right arm and 10 in her left, he said. The drill had also been applied to her legs, her navel and her right eye.

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This is what we are fighting and why we fight, for it is a truelly evil ideollogy that we must destroy. Our men and woman serving in our Patriot Armed Forces deserve our full support and appreciation. It seems the moonbats want us to abandon the Iraqi people to these savages when the savages have said what they intend to do many times. It is time to fight and fight like we have never had to before. The words of Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams ring so clear today as they did then perhaps their huge recent popularity shows that.

Weekend Rambler

Sorry I've been slow on posting, my mom is coming out for a visit and I needed to clean my cave up a little besides the sun is out and who wants to sit in front of a computer and type. That is a skill set I sorely lack, typing that is, I could go on a rant and have her transcibe it,hmmm.
In my morning ramble around the net I made the observation that the conservative base is not backing down and is itching for a political fight on every topic from guns to gays to Iraq to taxes and fiscal responsibility and the 'nanny state'. The judiciary being of prime concern and if Bush and this congress has done one thing very well, that is put strong constitutionalists on the bench. Bill Frist may be growing a spine finally and is bringing several nominees up for a vote that have been languishing for years.
Conservatives are the largest voting bloc in america and have been for many years, though it had never really congealed till the Reagan/Gingrich revolution. We know we can win elections and lose elections, I voted for Perot twice and helped elect Bill Clinton. I stll believe the country should be run like a business and not a charity organization with mandated contributions or jail. This is one major reason why I like Mitt Romney so much, he has a brilliant mind for business and fiscal matters, congress must reign in the out of control spending on pork and fluff programs or run us into bankruptcy, if we don't get overrun by illegal aliens first that is. We know how to win elections and do it with clout, we can do it till the moonbats have aborted themselves out of existance and are seen as the morally depraved sexual deviants and socialists they are. I wonder how many elections the Heritage Foundation has helped win as compared to MoveOn or even Hugh Hewitt over the Daily Kos. To their great anger we have become Jim Morrison's "Soft Parade" and not them with their loud angry marches and demonstrations with accompanying wierdos in their psycho get-up. We just say oh shut up and do something productive instead of whining and suing for your money. The marches have become nothing but socialist theatre, a laughing-stock, that they actually believe a majority of us actually buy their nonsense, more irritating than drawing americans to their cause.
I agree with Hugh Hewitt and the topic of his latest book "Painting The Map Red", we can actually increase our majority if we play our cards right and turn out to support and vote for the best candidate, in the primaries and general election. We can remove the RINOs and possibly get a couple upsets and maintain what we have, I am glad Newt is out touring the country speaking in that respect.. We simply cannot let the Democrats get power back unless we want to see AlQuaeda and Hamas invited to Camp David for tea with the mad mullahs of Iran and Hillary.
Rant over have a good weekend remaining!
Don't miss this article at The American Thinker
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This is also must reading at the Belmont Club here and here
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From the American Thinker, this article will give you pause for adjustment, an absolute must read about Jesus and Mohamed

Nothing is Easy if it is Worth it

NBA Playoffs

I rarely pay attention but the Kings have come from worst in the west to giving San Antonio a run for it. The acquisition of Ron Artest really boosted the Kings in their late run. The Kings have tuned into fighters finally, playing hard and not quitting, though they better kick it up a notch midway through the second. Go Bonzi Wells !
Update: Well, well we have the lead going to the locker room. I am not an NBA follower other than sports news which I pay attention to.Sacramento ismytown so I will root and watch game five. Bonzi and and Ron are fired up, Go Kings!
Update: Kings have made it a ballgame, coming back from 14 down to tie it up late.
Update: Oh well they blew the chance., Bonzi was hot, back to Sac'to.

Monday Must Read

For my fellow supporters of Israel this is a must read by W. Thomas Smith at Townhall.
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Ten years ago, as a journalist covering the Israeli-Palestinian clashes on the West Bank, I found myself on patrol with an Israeli Airborne squad in the ancient town of Hebron. As we moved down a narrow alleyway littered with stones and a few shell casings from a previous clash, one of the young paratroopers turned to me.

"So, were you in the American Army?" he asked.

"Well, not exactly," I responded. "I was in the U.S. Marine Corps."

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Let the conspiracy theorist nutters have fun, I am glad we are working closely with the Mossad and the IDF. Those guys have their intelligence together, their survival depends on it. We should use more of their profiling techniques here in many ways. I pray we don't have to lose many thousands more before we wake up. All three of the jihadi leaders released messages recently, their goal is clear, kill us and Israel into submission. That will not happen as long as we stand firm,for liberty.
Michael Totten,has a great piece up on a trip into Israel, and here. His site is worth taking the time to explore, many awesome photo essays from the middle east, some riveting tales as well. Victor Hanson also has a couple excellent reads up. here and here .Don't miss this little doozy at Opfor, one of my favorite milblogs.
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Reporting in
By Maj P

Thanks to John and Charlie for letting me guest-blog. John posted a REMF-ish picture of me lifted from my wife’s website, so I’ll try to find a more-warlike one of me.

I am a mobilized Marine Corps reservist, an artilleryman by trade, and at the moment a field historian with the small detachment at Marine Corps history division. It is our mission to go forth and document Marine Corps operations as they happen. The reason I took this job is that, at the time (late ’03), it was my only quick ticket out of town and into Iraq. I’m glad I did it.

Iraq. We can debate, if you like, the why’s and wherefore’s, but I’m not sure we’ll get too far. Instead, I’d like to address the nature of the campaign there, and why we need to stay in this fight and win it. This is how I saw it when I was there, and how I still see it today.

What’s at stake here is the need to break the cycle of radicalism and militancy in the Middle East by offering one country, Iraq, the opportunity to make of itself a functional, healthy state. A state that neither menaces its neighbors nor threatens world peace, a state that stands on its own two feet with a working economy and positive future. This is how we can build peace and stability in the whole region. Unfortunately it took a violent campaign to overthrow the old regime, and it is taking another campaign to reconstruct the country. We might all wish that it could have been done by other means, but there it is.

If you’ve ever heard the expression, “three steps forward and two steps backward,” you’ll appreciate the advances we’ve made in Iraq. In a post on my blog, I pointed out that it’s really nine ugly steps backward and ten painful steps forward. But that Tenth Step, or more accurately the series of small Tenth Steps being scored all across the country, will win the campaign. No single unit is going to strike a war-winning blow during its eight- or twelve-month tour in Iraq. But they do endure the nines steps taken backwards and then deliberately but purposefully resume the advance. Those small victories lead to greater ones. Greater ones will lead to a complete victory, and to our forces coming home.

My great concern is that the American public doesn’t understand that this is a long war, and the campaign in Iraq is but one part. Our famously short attention span could prove our undoing if we lose sight of what we’ve done and how far we still need to go, especially as elections draw near. The men and women overseas are certainly doing their part, but we can support them from here by letting our elected officials (and candidates) know that sustaining the fight in Iraq is the right course of action, a painful necessary part of defending the nation, and meeting and defeating our enemies.

In the next few weeks I hope to introduce you to some of the people who are bearing that burden now, old and valued friends.

MTF (more to follow).

jpp

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