Whistling Past the Graveyard

By now, most people have seen this photo which purports to be 100-200 Taliban fighters attending a funeral in Afghanistan. The black images superimposed atop the men lined up in neat formation is a gun sight from an armed Predator drone. With the simple touch of a button two AGM-114 Hellfire, laser guided, air-to-surface missiles could have sent these Islamists to their appointment with Allah. Unfortunately, the trigger, for whatever reason, was not pulled. Conflicting reports have emerged. The latest explanation given is that it could not be determined with a reasonable degree of certainty that these were, in fact, all or mostly Taliban fighters. The initial reason given by the Department of Defense spokesman was that protocols in Afghanistan prohibit attacking enemy combatants in cemeteries. It is worth noting that this alleged cultural sensitivity is not adhered to by the Taliban, who recently attacked rivals gathered for a funeral in a very similar circumstance. Simply said, this is just another example of politics tying the hands of those trying to win the war against the Islamists. If we truly want to win this war we need to realize that we must kill the enemy whenever, and wherever he is, and cultural sensitivities can be attended to in the aftermath. That is the only way to assure victory.

Before I delve into the minutiae of the legal opinion on attacking enemy combatants in a cemetery, I must say that I believe we are in a global war with radical Islam. I offer that opinion based on the number of countries in which Islamists have carried out, or attempted, attacks in the last five years. The United States, England, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Chechnya, Sudan, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq have all seen violence wrought by Islamists in pursuit of their avowed goal of converting the world to Islamic rule. We are in a war of cultural ideals and to posit otherwise is, at best, overly simplistic, and, at worst, naive. That being the case we, as a democratic society, must hold ourselves to a higher standard than the Islamists, but we need not stretch to accommodate some perceived morality. On a local radio show this morning Scott Silliman, Professor and Executive Director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at the Duke University School of Law, and former Air Force JAG officer, was questioned about the rule of law involved in shooting at the assembled Taliban. He stated in response, "The standard applied was moral, not legal, cemeteries alone do not constitute protected areas." When questioned further he continued that the standard must "include a degree of certainty that you are firing upon a combatant and not a civilian. Collateral damage is allowable under law as long as it is not excessive to the value of the targeted area."

I am not a legal scholar, nor am I versed in the particulars of the international rule of warfare. I am, however, a thoughtful person and a former infantryman. Those two attributes make me well suited to accept the good professor at his word, and allow me to state unequivocally that had I been the one making the decision whether or not to fire upon the neat rows of terrorists I would have left behind nothing more than a smoking crater. Too often the statement that we must win their "hearts and minds" is bandied about as if it were a well tried and factual adage. Well, it did not work in Vietnam and it will not work here. We must make promises, not threats, and then follow through as ruthlessly as we can. You cannot make an enemy love you through the limited application of firepower. You can, however, make him fear you through the overwhelming application of the same. In World War II we dropped two atomic weapons on Japan knowing that in the end, although we killed tens of thousands of civilians, we were lessening our own number of casualties. By most estimates at the time we would have lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and marines in any assault on mainland Japan. That same mindset must be the standard now.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not calling for the use of nuclear weapons, on cities, or anywhere for that matter. What I am calling for is unrestrained warfare within the boundaries of international law. Shock and Awe worked because it was just that: shocking and awful. Our mistake was not following through with the exchange. When it became evident that we would not be met wholesale as liberators we needed to respond with all the military might we could muster until we had pacified the entire region. Only then could we go about the business of winning the hearts and minds. We dropped the most devastating weapon available in the world at the time on the civilian population of Japan, and now they are one of our best friends and largest trading partners. Why? Because after they surrendered we exhibited the compassion for which Americans are rightly known. We rebuilt their infrastructure and economy. We set them on the path to democratic self-rule and then left them alone. That is what we must do in Iraq and Afghanistan if we are to defeat the Islamists.

Finally, we must remember that the tradition of Islam to which the radicals adhere is not the one of peace of which we are constantly reminded. It seems no one can make a statement about terrorism without stating that theses miscreants have hijacked a religion of peace. I have my misgivings about the veracity of that statement having read the Qur'an, but nevermind. I know the Islamists wish for a return to the 12th century, as well as knowing that the only element they recognize is might. They take kindness for weakness and attack at our soft underbelly. It is no coincidence that Hezbollah, al Qaeda and the like all make reference to Muslim victories of centuries gone by. They fervently believe that only through the forceful reinstatement of Islamic Sharia law can the messiah return. They adore death because they have been conditioned into believing in the virgin-filled afterlife. They will accept no negotiation. They fully expect to die in droves to advance their cause of removing Israel from the map, reconquering Europe and destroying us, as a people and a country. Do these sound like people who would respect us for not firing on them just because they happened to be assembled in a cemetery? Quite the opposite. All over the world Islamists are gathered together discussing the foolishness of us not killing our enemies. All over the world Islamists are laughing at our fecklessness and plotting the murder of civilians. Men who will decapitate prisoners, and fly airplanes into buildings for their god, cannot be negotiated with. They must be ruthlessly exterminated. Nothing else will suffice, and if the American public could just tear themselves away from yet another season of American Idol I know the spirit that tamed a continent would return. I only hope that the spirit somehow materializes before it is too late.

Sissy, Ninny, Girl-Boy, Muffins

I have, of late, adopted a different course of action regarding my political views. A very learned friend of mine suggested that I try to be less strident and angry so as to reach a broader audience. Since she is smarter than I am, and I value her opinion, I have given that the old college try. The last few posts have been more nuanced and less direct than usual. The events of the last few days though have me back into attack mode. I am simply sick and tired of the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party and their lunatic fringe. That fringe, while still not an outright majority, are approaching a serious plurality and, if left unchecked, will eventually swallow the party as sure as a boa constrictor eats pet-store rabbits.

I have witnessed the former president and his senator wife rant and yell about perceived factual inaccuracies in The Path to 9/11, a movie. Did either of these paragons of peace and light object to Death of a President or Fahrenheit 911? After all, the former contains scenes of the current president being assassinated, and the latter was rife with intentional distortions and misleading sound bites. No, neither of these champions of the people cared one whit about these works of art. You cannot stifle free speech they say; unless of course that speech is directed at them. Sandy Berger and Madeleine Albright also objected strenuously to the way they were depicted. Well, they should. They spent years employing smoke and mirrors to generate a legacy and this film, even if it is a docudrama, lets in the light of day. Mr. Berger must have forgotten that he stole federal documents by stuffing them in his socks, and Madame Albright has obviously blocked out the knowledge that she negotiated the treaty with North Korea that gave them fissionable materials. Some legacy.

It does not end there though. Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid reacted with outrage that President Bush had the audacity to mention Iraq during his address to the nation on 9/11. They demanded equal time of the networks to respond to this partisan, political use of 9/11. They were shocked that he would dare to mention Iraq on such an somber day. It matters not that had the President not mentioned Iraq they would have accused him of glossing over it. The honorable members of Congress seem to have forgotten the Paul Wellstone and Rosa Parks funerals. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and various members of the NAACP took the time to pontificate over Ms Parks' casket, and yet, no member of the left castigated them for it. Far from it. In fact they attempted to equate Rosa Parks' heroic act with their completely unpatriotic and selfish, power hungry buffoonery.

That's right. You read that correctly. I just accused the lunatic left of unpatriotic acts, and I mean it. I have tried to suggest over the years that, though I disagreed with them, their actions and words were only in contradiction to mine. They were not inherently unpatriotic. I am no longer of that view. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) responded to the left's vexation with an observation that they were more concerned with terrorist's rights than Americans. Of course, this caused howls of protest at the contemptible display of partisan politics. Not a peep was heard though when Democratic Whip Richard "Dick" Durbin (D-IL) compared American servicemen serving in Iraq to the Nazis and Pol Pot's regime. Likewise, no one screamed when Senator John Kerry (D-MA) accused soldiers of "terrorizing innocent Iraqi civilians." Not a voice was raised when Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) characterized the Marines in Haditha as having"killed innocent Iraqi civilians in cold blood." All those statements prompted calls to my congressman, but as a good democrat he remained moot; even though he serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

I personally witnessed Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist radio show host, and the originators of Loose Change attempt to make a mockery of the 5th commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy. With several hundred black t-shirt clad supporters, these patriots swarmed around Ground Zero, handed out documentaries, shouted at the news cameras, assembled mourners and uniformed men and women. The 60's hold-overs and teenaged wanna-be hippies who still sleep in their mother's houses, held signs, chanted trite little slogans and offensive epithets, while the widows of 9/11 recited, in heart-breaking detail, the names of all those killed that day. Did Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), or Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) complain about, or even mention, these miscreants attempting to make a mockery of the murder of nearly 3,000 of my fellow Americans? Even though that question was patently rhetorical I will answer it for you: they did not. Senators Schumer and Boxer reacted to the president's use of Iraq on 9/11, while Sen. Feingold argued semantics over the use of the term Islamic Fascists. Very erudite and nuanced responses all.

So, by now my use of the term unpatriotic must have rankled. What else can it be called though when the perceived enemy of the Democratic Party leadership, and at least (by their own estimates) 30% of the rank and file, is the President of the United States? Shouldn't they have at least as much animus for al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden? Shouldn't they want us wiretapping suspected terrorists, outside the US? Shouldn't they want us secretly tracing the terrorist's financial dealings? Shouldn't their support for the troops extend to something more than lip service. Why do they not extol the virtues of the heroic acts many soldiers have performed, instead of beating the drum constantly over the relatively few abuses. Everyone knows who PFC Lynndie England is, but how many have heard of SFC Paul R. Smith? You will not hear about Sergeant Smith's heroic actions, which posthumously earned him the nation's highest award for valor, because he acted above and beyond the call of duty while serving in Iraq http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/smith/. As we all know, Iraq is only a republican war.

I have come to the conclusion that years of control have proved the old maxim, "absolute power corrupts absolutely." That adage has been used multiple times to refer to the current administration, but in my case I am referring to the democrats perceived right to power. The forty years they controlled congress have ingrained in them the feeling that power is theirs by want of their left leaning birth-right, and they will do anything to get that power back. It matters not that good, brave men, and yes women, have died to preserve their right to yell offensive things about them and their president. Yes, their president. Fully 85% of those voters in the Armed Forces who voted in the last election voted for President Bush. President Bush has been called an idiot, a despot, and a tyrant by elected officials and their granola crunching minions. Somehow their willing partners in the major media have not seen anything wrong with this, but hell they will divert all manner of resources to the Clinton's outrage. President Bush has been pictured on t-shirts as an International Terrorist, been targeted in a book(and now a movie) for assassination, been called every reprehensible word you can imagine and, yet, he does not cry foul. He simply soldiers on. I have not agreed with him on every issue, far from it, but he is no thin-skinned dilettante. He is what he has always been, a cowboy, and that is why the left hates him. After all, the Indians, excuse me Native Americans, were all but exterminated by the cowboys.

One wonders what Harry Truman, the plain-spoken Missourian who had to make the most difficult of decisions, and John F. Kennedy, a true Navy hero, would make of the current climate of the democratic party. President Truman, in my opinion, ranks as one of the top five president's of the 20th century, and JFK's picture hung in the wall of my grandmother's house for better than 40 years. I can only surmise that in the current environment that is the Democratic Party neither man would have a political home. When the leader of the DNC can suggest that the President of the United States intentionally let black people die out of a desire to change the political landscape, and no one in the party challenges him, something is wrong. When the sitting Senator of Connecticut, a three term democrat and the last presidential cycle's Vice presidential candidate, is ousted unceremoniously from the party because of his support for both the troops and the War against Islamists, something is drastically wrong. So, I started this posting with the title Sissy, Ninny, Girl-Boy, Muffins, a direct reference to the most vocal of the Democratic Party. I say that because they are. They can dish it out, but cannot take it. They can call names, but will sue you if you return the favor. None of them would have lasted a week in my childhood neighborhood, let alone Afghanistan or Iraq. They are not patriots. They are not even men; not even Hillary. My only slender glimmer of hope regarding the Democratic Party is that I know many of them. I even love a few, and, while they may not be completely on board with events in the world, they are not appeasers. One has even suggested that she could not shoot terrorists, but would have no moral quandary against reloading weapons for me to do so. So, my slender hope is that those types of democrats somehow grab back the reins of power from those that see this war as simply a chance to explore diversity of other cultures, before it is too late.

9/11 Five Years Later

I love New York. In fact, although I was born and proudly raised in New Orleans, I have always considered myself to have been separated at birth from Manhattan. My first visit there was as a child and I instantly fell in love with both the city and the Yankees. I would rather live no place else on Earth. I do not live there, but I still wish I did. So, five years after the heart-breaking events of 9/11 I once again stood outside the security fence at Ground Zero, and, with tens of thousands of strangers, relived the pain of that day. I leaned against the fence and listened to the widows recite the names of those murdered that day, and heaved as they added their personal comments to their lost loved ones. I personally thanked firefighters and police for their service. I embraced servicemen, both active and veterans, for the same. I consoled civilians who cried unabashedly, and wiped tears from my own eyes constantly. There is no place I could be but at Ground Zero on 9/11.

The spectacle was not without contention. The boys from Loose Change were there, as were a number of other associated conspiracy theorists. They ranged from teenagers and twenty-somethings who still live in their parent's houses, to ex-hippies still fighting the Vietnam War. Several hundred of them wore black t-shirts espousing the myth that the events of 9/11 were an inside job. They passed out the supposed documentaries based on half-truths and distortions, all the while berating passers-by for being sheep to the current administration. In a sickeningly ironic twist of fate, members of the NYPD had to shield the knuckleheads from mourners, so as to prevent things from escalating to violence. Men and women in blue had to safeguard people who openly minimized their friends and colleagues murder. Inside I seethed and hoped for an excuse to react badly to their nonsense, but finally decided, with some difficulty, that I would honor no one lost that day by validating the conspiracy idiocy with any vocal or physical response.

It was not easy for me to stand outside the fence and do nothing but listen. I am prone to action. Do something, even if it is wrong, has always been my mantra. I wanted nothing more than to lash out at those responsible, and hold those that had lost so much. A baby-faced combat veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq echoed the sentiments of a marine who served in Vietnam when he gestured at the protestors and said, "They're just kids. Don't let them get to you. What matters is that those who still suffer know you care." This soldier, still a kid himself, then hugged me and thanked me for my service as an infantryman nearly twenty years ago. The dichotomy was striking, and poignant. I admit I watched him walk away in his desert camouflage and distinctive red beret with pride swelling in my chest for the connection he and I share.

Finally, after many hours spent walking the fence around the site, I headed back to my hotel room with a heavy heart. A couple of blocks away I encountered a white-haired, obviously Irish Captain of the FDNY, resplendent in his immaculate dress blues. I approached him and said, "Captain I wish I had something profound to say to you, but all I can think to say is thanks. Somehow that just doesn't seem like enough." With a light in his eyes that I could not have managed on a good day, he took my extended hand, embraced me and said, "Your presence and thanks are all any of us have ever wanted. Thank you, sir, for having served." Even now, recounting the exchange, I am choked up with emotion. I am never prepared for the resolve New York's Bravest exhibit. I am never prepared for the strength the now single mothers show. I am never prepared for the emotion I, and those like me, experience when in the presence of such strong souls. It pains me to be there and witness the grief of those who have suffered personally, and profoundly. It cheers me to know though, that men and women, Americans all, such as this exist, and come next year on 9/11, and the year after, and the year after that, there is no place I would rather be than in the company of heroes both alive and lost. For me, come 9/11, there is no place I can be but in New York.

For me, it is not so much about the nineteen Islamists terrorists who caused the death and destruction, but rather about the memory of those we lost. I will never forget them. In my wallet I carry a piece of paper with the name Dennis Mulligan written on it. He was a firefighter with Ladder 2 who rushed into the burning towers because he had been trained to save lives. When everyone else was running away he, and the brave men of his ilk, ignored the orders to retreat because they knew scared people, unprepared for disaster, needed help. I never met Firefighter Mulligan. I do not know where he was when the towers collapsed. I do not know his family, nor who he was with when he died. I do not need to. I saw his spirit in the aging veterans, the young paratrooper, the old man wearing the God Bless America t-shirt, and a woman wearing a dark business suit who leaned against the fence, quietly, throughout the recitation of names. Firefighter Dennis Mulligan embodied all that is good about us that day, and, though I cannot pick his face from the sea of those we lost, I will never go a day without thinking of him. Fare well brother. You, and those with you, will never be forgotten. http://nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/memorial/wtc/mulligan_dennis_ff_lad002.shtml

What Would the Duke Do?

Death of a President is a movie scheduled to debut on September 10, 2006 at the Toronto Film festival. It depicts, in documentary style, the assassination of President George W. Bush, and the ramifications for the United States afterwards. Calls to ban the movie have rung out pillar to post before the movie has even been seen. Apparently, President Bush's face is digitally imposed on an actor in such a way as to be nearly seamless. This has, understandably, caused outrage in certain corners, and, more disturbingly, glee in others. I will not go see the movie, but not for the reasons you might think. I also do not want the movie banned, though I consider its subject matter more than reprehensible given the times in which we live. In my view no movie should ever depict a sitting president in any light which detracts from the office, and that includes former President Clinton being characterized poorly in Primary Colors.

Okay, by now my right wing credentials are probably being called into question. The times in which we live require blind adherence to the party flag, or else you risk excommunication. We are told by the powers that be that we must suit up in our respective jerseys and take one for the team. Well, I have never been much for blind allegiance, and this case is no exception. I put this movie in the same category as the proposed flag burning amendment. I was against the amendment. I did not soldier on as an infantryman to have outrageous speech limited. Quite the opposite. I carried a rucksack and rifle to defend the right of Americans to say anything which does not cause actual harm to others. After all, it is outrageous speech which needs protecting, not it's more civilized cousin.

That said, though I respect the right, as Senator John Kerry put it, for "Americans to act like idiots," I do not condone burning the flag for which so many good men have died. I am uncertain exactly how I would respond were I to witness some moron burning the flag on an American street. You can be assured that I would behave badly, uncivilized even. I think there is a better than average chance that I would behave violently. I like to think that I am an evolved human being, a bit older and wiser than the young man who carried the weapon in defense of the country. When it comes down to it though, I am still the kid who joined the Army (that's right the evil republicans did not draft me). I am still the kid that believes in truth, justice and the American way; even if I have always thought of Superman as too much the Boy Scout. I am still the same kid who believed that there are right things and wrong things, and not that much grey. John Wayne and Lou Gehrig are still heroes of mine; as is Flannery Lewis. None of them would have burned a flag, nor brooked the nonsense of witnessing one burned.

All of which leads me back to D.O.A.P. I am not against edgy, artsy movies. I enjoy them to the point where most people I know make fun of me for it. In fact, I went to see Brokeback Mountain, then reviewed it on this blog. I am against D.O.A.P. for the same reason I would not like to witness a flag burning; I am uncertain how I would react. But wait, you say. It is nothing more than a movie. What can a movie do to you? Well, I am certain that in movie houses in some of the bluer regions of the country the scene of the assassination will be met with hoots, hollers and probably applause. That is not only repugnant to me. It truly hurts my heart. It is simply more than I can bear. You can rest assured that I would, more likely than not, resort to violence. I would revert to that hot-headed, Irish kid, from one of the rougher neighborhoods of New Orleans, who only sees through the prism of the black and white world of Sunday afternoon John Wayne movies.

So, with a heavy heart I will not join the chorus calling for an outright ban of what I consider a despicable act of film-making, but I will hope that this will rally us all, left and right, to recognize that no matter what else we are, we are all Americans. Our cause is just. Our cause is good. It is who we are, as a people, and I hope that somehow this helps to bring us together. It is time for us to tell the world that Americans are independent minded. Our political differences are our business. This is a family affair and everyone else should mind their own business as we get on doing that which needs to be done to safeguard our rights. That means, as an aging infantryman, I will ask everyone to please stop the bickering. Put aside your petty differences and come together in the face of a fight for survival. Don't burn a flag. Don't go see this movie, and, oh yeah, cross the street to thank that soldier, marine, sailor or airman for his, or her service. It will only take you a minute and they will carry it with them all day.