The Day After

After nearly two years, the Presidential Election is finally done. No, I am not devastated by the result. Nor do I believe it spells the end of the republic. I do believe a major political shift has occurred and I do believe the Republican Party is growing closer to irrelevancy. The shift, in my opinion, is that a majority of people, regardless of race, economics, and/or gender, believe that there is class warfare. Us against Them is the new mantra, even if a number of the Us are incredibly wealthy themselves. Forgive me for not feeling sorry for the George Clooney type liberal, nor the Warren Buffets of the world. If that class of liberal feels guilty for how well they have done, so be it, but do not begrudge me an opportunity to do likewise. Apparently though, a majority of my fellow Americans have come to believe that those who have done well for themselves are the enemy of the state; unless of course you are part of the aforementioned limousine liberal class who are “down with the struggle”. I did not believe that yesterday and I do not believe it now. The election defined all voters as either part of the President’s victimized class or one of the Romney-like oppressors.

For the record, I am neither victim, nor oppressor and I am not heart broken by the election. That’s mainly because I saw the result coming. I was hoping I was wrong and that living in a major city in the northeast had skewed my cognition on the subject of national politics. As we now know, that was not the case. To my thinking, what has come to pass is that we are no longer a nation that wants to help those who need help. We have now become one that is intent on doing for those who won’t do for themselves. The United States has always been the place where anyone can make it, if they are prepared to hustle for it. As proof of that, consider that the last two Democrat Party candidates elected President of the United States were both sons of single mothers, with mostly, if not completely absentee fathers. President Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas, population 8,000 and possessed a Southern drawl. President Obama overcame an alien sounding name and race. Both had grandparents who played pivotal roles in their lives and both were admonished to better themselves. Obviously, both did.

The question now though is would either of those future presidents receive the same advice today? Maybe they would be counseled instead to remain in school until they neared 40, taking advantage of “free” healthcare, birth control, education and state sponsored monetary beneficence until they could find a job with 5 weeks of annual vacation. After all, that PhD in Philosophy or Renaissance Poetry is just as valuable as an MFA in Elementary Education or an orthopaedic surgeon’s MD. Why take the taxing job route of the two latter disciplines, even if the rewards are greater, when the former course leads to a vocation that allows plenty of time for stopping to smell the roses? I have seen the satisfaction on the faces of my daughter’s elementary school teachers and I know the joy of a reconstructed should that allows me to throw a baseball with my daughter. Never mind those pesky details though. After all, the country “owes” us those benefits and weeks of relaxation, right? JFK’s famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country,” has become meaningless. We are now being excoriated for wanting to do better than our neighbors and the country is to do for us what we don’t want to do for ourselves.

The Marlboro Man is a uniquely American concept and I would argue, political correctness aside, that both Presidents Clinton and Obama fit that Marlboro Man mold. Both are self made men. They may have had help along the way and Ivy League educations, but in 95% of the world two men from such humble backgrounds would have no chance of attaining their country’s highest elected office. Even in the 5% of the world where it “might” be possible to achieve such status, the odds against it would make it almost prohibitively risky to even try. Only here in the United States can every child dream of being whatever they want when they grow up and truly have a chance of achieving that dream, if they are prepared to bust their ass tirelessly to get it. Every one of us wrote numerous essays in elementary school titled, “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up”. No doubt what we wanted to be when we grew up changed as we did, and few of us actually became ballerinas, astronauts or fire fighters, but the opportunity was always there.

So, I did not shake my fist at the heavens and curse mightily when I awoke to the election results this morning; mainly because as an, at best, agnostic it would have seemed ridiculous. I did not immediately send out dozens of scathing texts decrying the demise of the republic. Nor did I forward the multiple emails with images of a tombstone showing the birth and death of the nation. No, instead I did what I do each morning. I took a shower, hunted for matching socks as I got dressed, smoked a Marlboro, and headed off to work in the pre-dawn hours. I came to work as I do each day and got on with the business of my employer’s business. I am somewhat disenheartened to think that more of my fellow Americans believe in receiving from the government than making their own way, but I still have to do what I have to do to keep the wheels turning in my small part of the world. Maybe the United States is finally becoming more like Western Europe, as my far left friends have always hoped, but I’m still the Marlboro Man and plan to die out on the range, not in some utilitarian comfort zone for old folks.

If this sounds as if I am maddened or filled with ire, know that is not the case. I am resigned to the notion that more Americans believe in a way that I do not, than believe as I do. I likewise do not harbor any anger towards President Obama. He may believe, as is said by many, that he is only the President of the progressives, and the rest be damned. I, however, feel as I have always felt about the office of the President of the United States: whomever occupies it is MY President, whether I voted for them or not. I did not believe the Hope and Change rhetoric, and do not believe the rhetoric now which promises to reach across the aisle. Like my prognostication of the election though, I truly hope I am wrong. After all, President Obama and I are both the Marlboro Man. I just see the range as a promise and a place to satisfy my peripatetic urges and the President sees it as a place fenced off by the J.R. Ewing's of the world. I'm okay with hopping a fence here or there and leaving J.R. to his pursuits. The President seems to think the J.R.'s of the world stole the land at the expense of "the little people" and it deserves to be distributed more "equitably" amongst them. Since millions of my fellow Americans decided they wanted four more years of what has come before, I guess I'll have to accept that my time has come and gone. The cowboy born in the middle of the 19th century, but who lived to see the horseless carriage in the early 20th no doubt felt somewhat as I do. I guess that's why the President is called a progressive.

A Tale of Two American Heroes

Last Tuesday the President, while speaking about Hurricane Sandy, said:

This is a tough time for a lot of people, millions of folks all across the eastern seaboard, but America is tougher, and we’re tougher because we pull together, and we leave nobody behind. We make sure that we respond as a nation, and remind ourselves that whenever an American is in need, all of us stand together to make sure that we’re providing the help that’s necessary.

And on Wednesday:

We are not going to tolerate red tape. We’re not going to tolerate bureaucracy. And I’ve instituted a 15 minute rule, essentially, on my team. You return everybody’s phone called in 15 minutes, whether it’s the mayors, the governors, county officials. If they need something, we figure out a way to say yes.

We leave nobody behind. Whenever an American is in need, all of us stand together to make sure we’re providing the help that’s necessary. I’ve instituted a 15 minute rule. You return everybody’s phone call in 15 minutes. The president was speaking about a hurricane, but could just as easily have his words compared to the details of the Benghazi assault. Glenn Doherty and Tyrone Woods repeatedly called and called for military assistance. Hours went by with no help and eventually both were killed. We leave nobody behind. That is a military phrase with specific meaning to those of us who have served. The government of the United States abandoned the staff of its consulate in Benghazi. The only reason we lost four Americans killed in action and not as many as twenty, is because Glenn Doherty and Tyrone Woods, without orders to do so, took up positions and fought the attackers, knowing that the odds were against them, but believing in themselves and their country.

If these actions sound familiar it is because most of us know the story of Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, both Delta Force Operators, who died after unhesitatingly volunteering, repeatedly, to be inserted to protect four critically wounded personnel of a downed Black Hawk helicopter during actions on 3 October, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. They did this despite being well aware of the literally hundreds of enemy personnel closing in on the site. Both were fatally wounded and later received the Medal of Honor for their actions and their heroism is known to us all because of Mark Bowden, the author of Black Hawk Down.

Much has changed in war fighting since 1993. Most noticeably, commanders can now watch, in real time, exactly what is happening on the ground. We have all seen the still photos of the Obama administration released after SEAL Team VI killed bin Laden. The photo of the President and his Cabinet all staring intently, with looks of concern etched into their faces, as the SEALs closed in on bin Laden’s lair was in every newspaper and on every news program for days after the daring raid. We were told repeatedly that they all stay glued to the action watching in real time as the SEALs extracted some “get back” for us all. Why then did something similar not happen in Benghazi? Why have there been no photos of the cabinet in the War Room during this emergency? I cannot, or maybe will not is a better term, believe that any American President and his administration would ignore pleas for urgent assistance and then, having given the order to stand down, which would be tantamount to ordering them to die, watch as Americans were slaughtered by attackers on the sovereign soil of our consulate.

I know many people have stated that the order to stand down can from high up in the administration. I take that with the same grain of salt that I took from those screaming that W cared not for Americans being killed on his watch. I simply don’t believe any president could be that callus or uncaring. Instead, what I believe is that the administration was too tied up in campaigning and the calls for help simply weren’t answered due to bureaucracy. Remember Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign ads when she was running for President? Remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night? Well, the phone rang and no one was there to answer it is my best guess. That is a failure of leadership. The President of the United States has the world’s best technology with him, no matter where he may be. If he didn’t know of the dire straits Americans were in, it was because no one outside the region knew in time and those that did know couldn’t respond without guidance. That failure belongs to the Secretaries of State, Defense and the President himself.

A better question though would be, why, in a world rife with Islamic terrorism, weren’t there military assets closer to Benghazi? Why wasn’t a Spooky II or Spectre gunship available? One of the SEALs apparently thought there was air support nearby, or he wouldn’t have given away his position painting the attackers with a visible laser. He must have believed support was in the air, whether it be an armed drone or some other version of American airborne death dealing. Neither Doherty nor Woods would make that kind of mistake. Not with their training and combat experience. Someone up the food chain somehow led them to believe, whether intentionally or not, that help was imminent and these brave SEALs paid with their lives for that error. I don’t pretend to have all the answers to this debacle. Hell, some of the questions are certainly eluding me, but I do know this: once the American consulate came under attack, the President, and his key Cabinet officials should have known of it within minutes, not hours.

For days the administration parroted the bovine excrement that the attack was spontaneous and caused by an internet video that defamed the Prophet Mohammad, even though that video had been available for as long as a year. That smells of cover up to me and, has been proven time and time again, the cover up is invariably worse than the crime when politics are involved. I’ve stated before that I did not vote for President Obama, but I was proud of my country when he was elected. Unlike the First Lady, it wasn’t the first time nor, the last time I have been proud of my country, but proud nonetheless I was. President Obama has been concerned about his liberal legacy, to the exclusion of all else for too long now and Benghazi just solidifies that thought to me. We can all argue whether individually, or even collectively, if we are better off than we were four years ago, but for the families of the four Americans killed because the phone went unanswered the answer can only be no. On Election Day this year, I will stand with them.

What Benghazi Truly Represents

THINGS I KNOW

1. On Sept. 11, 2012, the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by a force armed with RPGs, machine guns and mortars. Initially, spokesmen for the White House said the attack was an “opportunistic result of earlier protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo” concerning an internet film, which Islamists claim defamed the Prophet Muhammad.

2. Even in a part of the world where heavy weapons are commonplace, the attack was both coordinated and a sustained night-long siege of the consulate, casting doubts as to its spontaneity.

3. As the attack on the consulate commenced, an urgent request for military back-up went out from the ambassador, and others on the ground in Benghazi, but none arrived in time.

4. Four Americans, including the ambassador, were killed during the assault, which breached the consulate’s perimeter defenses.

5. As the consulate was attacked, the chain of command from the Departments of State and Defense, the C.I.A., the National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and, eventually, President Obama were made aware of it.


THINGS I BELIEVE

1. Since the 1979 Iranian Embassy attack, and subsequent hostage crisis, plans have been in effect in the event of just such an attack.

2. Military assets “should” have been both immediately available and self contained in order to overwhelmingly repel just such an assault, with little or no assistance from indigenous forces.

3. Since senior intelligence officials have now stated, “within 25 minutes of the compound coming under attack the C.I.A. rushed security operatives to the area, but were delayed while attempting to secure heavy weapons, transportation and an armed escort”, whomever is responsible for this type of mission and the security of that consulate should be publicly pilloried and fired immediately for gross incompetence.

4. No one, including President Obama, specifically refused to send military aid to the compound that might have arrived in time to save the four Americans killed in the attack, but rather, that the response, or lack thereof, was more an institutional breakdown brought on by some misguided sense that our support for the Arab Spring in general, and the overthrow of Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi specifically, assured the security of our Middle East embassies/consulates.


Okay, so presupposing that anyone reading this agrees with my summation and observations, what does it all mean? It is my belief that the current administration has always been ready and, indeed willing, to kill Islamic terrorists anywhere and anytime they can be killed. One need not reference the SEALs death dealing to Osama bin Laden, but should instead look to the death of American born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, by C.I.A. led Predator drone strike in Yemen earlier this year. Killing al-Awlaki had potentially serious political complications for the President and his party, while killing bin Laden obviously had none. Once it was determined that al-Awlaki had become an integral player in the Yemeni affiliate of Al Qaeda and that he was planning and directing efforts to murder innocent Americans, the president did not hesitate to place him on the “kill or capture” list. That doesn’t impress me as someone who would balk at raining hell down on a force attacking an American embassy.

That only seems to bolster the point I made in point 4 of THINGS I BELIEVE. Had there been a Spooky II gunship, (Puff the Magic Dragon to you old timers), nearby I believe we would have seen pink mist aplenty in that consulate compound as 25mm rounds rained down from the GAU-12, 5 barreled, rotary cannon, while the Bofors 40mm auto-cannon and the M102 105mm howitzer punched big holes into any fortified, enemy positions. I just don’t think anyone in the political side of the chain of command believed there was any threat. All the reports, including those made by “senior intelligence officials” earlier today, cite the need for assistance from Libyan forces and/or the distance from Benghazi of any Special Operations-type forces who could have put down the terrorist assault.

CBS News is reporting that the CSG (Counter-terrorism Security Group) was not even convened during the attack on the Benghazi consulate. The CSG is tasked with knowing what counter-terrorism resources are available, where they are and has the authority to coordinate these assets across all agencies. Since CBS is in no way an active arm of the Republican Party, as is often claimed of Fox News, we probably can all agree that there is something to the report. Why then was the CSG not convened? It can only be that a) the attack wasn’t seen as particularly noteworthy, b) the sophistication of the attack wasn’t recognized or c) no one gave a shit about the Americans or the consulate.

I’ve already stated I don’t believe c) is a reasonable answer, and a) seems somewhat of a stretch too, especially once the urgent requests for assistance began making their way to the top of the political food chain. That, to me, leaves b) as the most likely reason why the consulate was destroyed and 4 Americans were killed. Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed in a mortar attack at least 6 hours after the initial attack on the embassy. As an 11-C type infantryman, I can attest that plotting mortar targets takes time and requires calculations, map skills and knowledge of trajectory. No report I have read thus far makes note of the “lucky shot” by the terrorists which killed Woods and Doherty. It appears that once the mortar attack commenced that they enemy mortar men put their rounds on target. That means they had to have been plotted on a map and probably paced off for accuracy at some earlier time. Doesn’t sound very “opportunistic” to me.

All this leads me to something I have always believed; a lack of executive experience is a crushing blow for anyone wishing to occupy the White House as Commander-in-Chief. The arrogance necessary to believe you should be the President of the United States has to be tempered by the knowledge that some things, especially military things, have to be managed by those who wear the uniform and only over seen by their civilian masters. I am fairly certain that had AFRICOM’s commanding officer been made aware of the security lapses in Benghazi, which were detailed in emails that predate the Benghazi attacks by weeks, then the consulate’s defenses would have been beefed up to ensure if not its impregnability, than at least its defensibility. Whether that meant additional security forces on site, assets like Spooky and/or QRTs (Quick Response Teams) manned by counter-terrorism experts such as Delta Force, hardened architectural defenses or some combination of them all is something we will never know.

I’m not now, nor have I ever been one of the vitriolic Obama haters that have appeared all too regularly. I detested that amongst the liberals when it was directed at “W” and I don’t like it any better when it comes from my side of the political aisle. I have applauded the president when I believed him to be right and purposely made a point to pen a piece congratulating him for his historic victory. Furthermore, his little girls seem to like him a great deal. That alone is no small feat, as any father of female progeny can attest. I just don’t believe President Obama has ever been prepared for the scope of the job responsibilities and his arrogance has only made that worse. He has behaved from the start as if he were only the president of those by whom he was elected and the rest of us are mere dolts too moronic to recognize how visionary he is. The “seas parting” line from his acceptance speech assured me that he saw himself as visionary from Day 1, and the battle over Obamacare solidified it.

Does all this mean I hold President Obama personally responsible for the deaths of 4 brave American patriots who saw public service as a calling? No. Does it mean I see President Obama as an evil man? Again the answer is no. What I do see though is a man who had four years to learn multiple lessons, but was too concerned with his lasting liberal legacy to give a damn. At the much publicized memorial service at Andrews Air Force Base, the father of one of the SEALs killed in the attack compared the President’s handshake to that of a dead fish and his apology as “totally insincere” and without eye contact. That is NOT the comportment I expect from the President of the United States.

When I was an 18 year old infantryman, I was drinking a cup of coffee in the field one morning with my then grizzled, 35 year old 1st Sgt. We were discussing combat and the respective responsibilities. 1st Sgt Gates said something to me than that I have never forgotten. He told me, “The only true responsibility your country has to you is to not waste your life needlessly and to make sure we bring you home if you die in battle.” It seems to me that the first of those responsibilities was not met, when it comes to those killed in the Benghazi attacks and, as Harry Truman so eloquently said, The Buck Stops Here, when it comes to the presidency. I am sure President Obama was saddened by their deaths, but that does not absolve him of the Buck Stopping with him. I didn’t vote for him last time and I won’t this time either, but even though I hope he is not re-elected I truly wish him well, just not as my president any longer.

Drawn to the Dark Side of True Religion

For the better part of 10 years I have worn Lucky Brand jeans exclusively. As a tall, wiry guy they fit me without making me seem stick-figurish. I recently read an article in "The Wall Street Journal" about True Religion brand jeans and, since the stores are in the same block, I decided to drop in and try on a pair of American made jeans that retail for between $240-320.00.

I admit to being somewhat high maintenance and possessing more than a bit of metrosexual DNA. It's an interesting dichotomy for the members of my veteran's motorcycle club that I ride a Harley, have been in my share of street fights, and revel in transitioning from shanty Irish to Lace Curtain, (only difference is that Lace Curtain Irish take the dishes "out" of the sink "before" they pee in it) but still care about designer jeans and hair care 'product'.

While lunching outside on pate and salad Nicoise I decided that I HAD to have a couple pairs of True Religion jeans. Of course spending $569.00 on two pairs of jeans may seem outrageous to more than a few people, but who am I to argue with the price of American made products? After all, I can wave the flag with the best of them. God bless America I always say.

Okay, so by now you've all figured out a few things about me, so it will probably come as no surprise that I am a city kid born and bred. I don't like nature, windy country roads, dirt, fresh air or trees. In fact, if I never saw another tree unencumbered by concrete I'd be perfectly content. So, lest someone decide to comment that $300 jeans are worthless as work wear, please note that I do not intend to wear them anywhere but out on the town. I am an urban, rather urbane sort and True Religion and I are well matched for a lasting relationship. After all, my penchant for black coffee (the same as I like my women, hot and bitter) and Marlboro Red cigarettes needs some refinement. I am Truly Lucky to have found jeans that completely fill that niche.

But what about the Lucky Brand you say? Well allow me to assure you that they will not be relegated to Goodwill or engine repair. Thank goodness because I truly don't like getting dirty. My Lucky jeans will remain in the rotation. So, if you see me ambling about town or roaring around on my bike you could wager that I'd "probably" be clad in Lucky Brand. That is, unless I hit the lottery which will find a new mistress, 7 for All Mankind jeans to mesh with the others. Just think of me as a crazy "Big Love" kind of Mormon and designer jeans as my wives. For now though, True Religion will become the expensive girlfriend to my Lucky Brand wife. Ah, it is good to be so free.

Fare Well My Brother-in-Arms

Back in early February 2007, before GoE was even remotely what it has become, I received a phone call from a Vietnam veteran who had somehow gotten one of my emails about the impending A.N.S.W.E.R./ Code Pink, et al announcement that they had plans to "occupy" the Vietnam Wall. In one of the last sentences of that email I said something to the effect of I have always thought of The Wall as mine too because my father took me there over the Christmas break of my senior year in high school. I remember my old man pointing at The Wall and saying, "You wanted to be in the infantry. That's the infantry. Do not f@#k this up." Immediately after that I bought the POW/MIA bracelet I still wear today. Coincidentally, the date Curtis R. Smoot was reported missing is March 10, 1971. Well, yesterday March 10, 2011, that Vietnam veteran who accidentally got into my email string, Sal Lanzetta, 4th ID US Army, Vietnam, passed away do to complications from A.L.S.

In the email that Sal had gotten I also said something to the effect of, "If I have to stand at The Wall all by myself to keep these bastards from desecrating the memorial marker to our dead, I will, but I know I won't be alone." Sal called to say, "Well Chris I guess if it turns out to be just you and me we'll go down fighting." As you all know, it didn't turn out to be just us. Literally tens of thousands of veterans and troop supporters turned out that bitterly cold St. Patrick's Day in 2007. We stood as one and reversed the 40 year trend of the anti-American forces being the only ones yelling in the streets, and Sal stood within an arms length of me nearly all day.

Since then Sal has been at every event GoE has undertaken from the counters of Code Pink at Walter Reed to the support of the Coast Guard Academy to the defense of the A.E.C. He was never far off my six and told me once, "Don't worry brother. I won't ever let charlie creep up on you. You just worry about what's in front of you. The Ivy's on station." All of you know of my deep respect and unmitigated love for my 'Namies. As much as I love the men and women serving now, the 'Nam vets will always be my Gold Standard for warriors. Sal Lanzetta was the embodiment of the true American spirit and patriotism of the Vietnam veteran. He told me once that he volunteered to serve in Vietnam, "because the country has given me so much. How could I not give back to her?"

When I received the call of his passing, and as I write these words, I find my self getting more than a bit misty eyed. No GoE action will be quite the same without Sal just off my left shoulder and several paces to the rear. I shall miss him terribly, but have to believe he will be greeted on the other side with a hearty WELCOME HOME from our brothers and sisters who have gone before. Second Brigade MC will be riding escort for Sal on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, and we welcome anyone who would like to ride with us. If any of you are in the neighborhood, please stop by and say goodbye to one of our own. I believe his family will appreciate it and know that I will. All the details are below and, as I said back in 2007, if I have to stand alone to wish Sal fare well I will, but I know I won't be alone. Good bye Sal. Thank you for your service, both in Vietnam and after, and, as always, WELCOME HOME. Manchu

Relatives and friends are invited to his Funeral Mass on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 259 Forest Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002. The viewing will be held on Monday evening from 6:30-9 PM and Tuesday from 8:30 – 10 AM at the Emil J. Ciavarelli Family Funeral Home, 951 E. Butler Pike, Ambler. Interment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Ambler. Donations in Sal’s name may be made to The ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia Chapter, 321 Norristown Road, Suite 260, Ambler, PA 19002. Condolences may be made at www.ciavarellifuneralhomes.com

A Muslim Terrorist Named Nidal Malik Hasan

The murders at Ft Hood have provoked all manner of response from people. Nearly everyone is united in a feeling of horror, but many have been hesitant to call this what it was; an act of terrorism. Merriam-Webster defines terrorism as: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. I have heard all manner of people from our Commander-in-Chief, to senior generals, to media pundits caution us to wait until we have all the facts before we rush to judgment. Well, I for one have enough information. An American Muslim, of Jordanian parents, (no he's not Palestinian, even though he listed himself as such), committed, by definition, an act of terror, while screaming Allah Akbar. That makes him an Islamic terrorist. That he did so while in uniform on an American military reservation only makes it all the more jihadist.

Hasan, the beneficiary of all that is good about the United States decided that his God was more important than his oath to defend the Constitution of his birth country. He cared not that the soldiers he gunned down were unarmed, nor that the United States military has "liberated" tens of millions of Muslims in Bosnia, Kuwait, and yes, Iraq and Afghanistan and provided humanitarian relief to hundreds of thousands more in Somalia, Indonesia and elsewhere. Hasan was apparently following a strict interpretation of the Koran, although I have my doubts that there is any other interpretation. Before anyone reads me the riot act about the Bible's viciousness, know two things, 1) I'm an agnostic at best and 2) when discussing the fire and brimstone passages the Bible details events that have happened, whereas the Koran gives instructions as to how a Muslim should act for all eternity.

I am personally acquainted with an American Marine who is Muslim and currently serving in Afghanistan. A more stellar human being one could not find. He is my personal definition of an American fighting man. He, and many like him in uniform, have gone about the business of war with honor and professionalism. I am not calling for the internment of Muslims or for them to be removed from the ranks of the military. I am saying though, that just like when several ardent white supremacists were dishonorably discharged from the Army for espousing their hatred, so too should have Hasan been similarly treated. Had the culture of the military not been so penetrated by political correctness I am certain 13 of my fellow Americans, murdered at Ft Hood, would still be alive today.

When Professor Gates had his run-in with the Cambridge Police Department, our President informed us all, without anything approximating the facts, in total, that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home." I didn't agree with the reasons the Cambridge Police used for arresting Professor Gates, but that does not diminish the notion that the President could not have known all the facts when he made his remarks. Somehow though, he wants the rest of us to refrain from labeling a Muslim terrorist as such, apparently less we offend any more of the followers of the religion of peace.

I am sick and tired of tip-toeing around the sensitivities of the Muslim community. They have rioted over cartoons and they danced in the streets of the West Bank after 9/11, but I cannot call into question their apparent disregard for human life. It is high time that the American Muslim community at least rallies together publicly, and in substantial numbers, to decry the acts of jihadists everywhere. I want to see Muslims in the streets carrying the American flag proudly, as opposed to burning it. Then, I will consider the notion that most Muslims simply want to live their lives peacefully.

American Muslims are not fully to blame for their startlingly sensitive natures, although CAIR and its Islamaphobia campaign are a large part. Media personalities such as MSNBC's Chris Matthews are also to blame. On his 9 November broadcast of Hardball, Matthews said, "See - we have a problem. How do we know when someone like Hasan is going to make his move and do we know he's an Islamist until he's made his move? He makes a phone call or whatever, according to Reuters right now. Apparently he tried to contact al Qaeda. Is that the point at which you say, ‘This guy is dangerous?' That's not a crime to call up al Qaeda, is it? Is it” If we have truly reached the point where the President of the United States won't immediately respond to a Muslim terrorist attack inside the United States, a TV journalist doesn't know if it's illegal to call al Qaeda, (note to Matthews: It is!) and the Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. can say, “As horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse,” then the country as a whole cannot stand.

A Muslim monster used the uniform of the United States Army to murder 13 soldiers in cold blood and to wound 30 more. Hasan became, by definition a jihadist and a Muslim terrorist. This after his parents had immigrated here to find the American dream and he benefited from our education system. I no longer care what his problems were, or that he had been picked on for his faith. When I was a child we all learned, "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That is still true today and any attempt to make Hasan into a victim is not only disgusting, but beyond rational comprehension.

The one highlight from this entire event is that this Muslim terrorist, who considered women to be so far beneath him that he would not even have his photograph taken with them at functions, was himself brought down by Sgt. Kimberly Munley, 34, a civilian Department of Defense police officer at the base. Even after being wounded by Hasan, Sgt Munley pressed the attack and stopped Hasan's murderous rampage. There are two things to say about that: 1) I hope Hasan recognized that an American woman brought him down, and 2) I only wish she had double-tapped Hasan to the head after dropping him and finished the job. That is better than any Muslim terrorist deserves, and Hasan is nothing more than that.

A Hollywood Good Guy Makes Good

Back in February I had the high honor to meet an Iraq vet who lost a
leg while serving with the 1/25 Marines in Al Anbar Province. Neither
he nor the triple amputee who accompanied him to a Fischer House
Benefit as the guests of Second Brigade and Viet Nam Vets MC exhibited
anything other than the warrior spirit. In fact, they insisted that
the first drink of the evening had to be drunk from their prosthetic
legs. Now that was a sight to see.
Several months later, that same vet approached me for an assist. He
has been fighting with the V.A. over medical bills related to his
wounds. Bills were mounting. I put him in touch with Al Gambone, an
attorney I’ve mentioned on this site to get that problem in check.
Unfortunately, he was also behind on his mortgage through no fault of
his own. I tried various avenues to come up with cash to prevent the
foreclosure, to no avail. This morning I was listening to Dennis
Miller’s radio show and he mentioned his participation with USA Cares
as a spokesman and proponent (http://www.usacares.org/). Figuring I
had nothing left to lose, I ponied up the $18.00 to join the DMZ,
Miller’s premium subscription package, so I could email him
personally.
In my email, I explained about our wounded Marine and the trials he
has been forced to withstand since returning home. I explained how we
had found an attorney, but had to prevent this Hero from losing his
home. I simply asked him to put me into contact with someone from USA
Cares and let me plead the case. If this fails I said, “We’ll have to
start selling blood,” because there’s no way I’m letting one of my
heroes lose his home, especially with a new baby on the way.
Anyway, within an hour, the retired Sgt Major who started USA Cares
called me personally. He took down our Marine’s phone number and
promised to help. The Sgt Major also insisted that in the future GoE
and USA Cares would collaborate to reach and assist more of our
heroes. Dennis Miller, who was on the air at the time, had read my
email, contacted the Sgt Major and my phone rang. While all this was
happening, Miller’s show never missed a beat. In this day and age
when we have come to expect Hollywood celebrities to kick us when
we’re down, Dennis Miller took up the colors and charged into the
fray.
I urge you to recognize both Miller and USA Cares for this wonderful
act. Our Marine’s house was set to go into foreclosure on 12 August.
Thanks to two very good men that will not happen. God bless you both
gentlemen and know that our veteran’s community owes you one for the
solid you did one of our own. That debt is payable upon demand, just
yell out. Thanks, you guys. Manchu.

On "Taking Chance"

The photo is of L Cpl. Chance Phelps who was killed by enemy fire outside Ar Ramadi, Iraq on 9 April, 2004. He is the subject of HBO's movie Taking Chance. I had resisted watching the movie for several reasons. I mainly resisted because I had absolutely no faith that HBO would treat the subject matter with the dignity it deserved. I was also afraid that HBO would take the opportunity to put in multiple anti-war digs. Then, when uniformly good reviews started coming out I resisted because I was afraid of how it would effect me. The first couple of reasons turned out to be unfounded, and the last was exactly as I knew it would be. All of which is a reason to watch it.

Kevin Bacon plays the part of real-life Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, whose account of the escort was the genesis for the movie. I freely admit that there were multiple occasions when tears literally streamed down my face as I sat watching the movie. It was a pleasant surprise to see America's warriors treated with the reverence they all deserve. It was also moving to see Col. Strobl portrayed as multi-dimensional and not some automaton. There were many times when I was moved by what, to some, would be the inner workings of the military.

In one scene Col. Strobl is told that Chance will stay over-night in a hangar and a taxi has been called to take him to a nearby hotel. Col. Strobl responds that he will spend the night in the hangar with Chance because, "I don't want him to be alone." The airline workers aren't quite sure how to respond, but they understand and do what they can to make the Colonel as comfortable as possible.

In a later scene, Col. Strobl is at a VFW talking to a Korean War Marine. The Colonel tells his fellow Marine of his guilt at not being in Iraq. How he is nearly ashamed that he is safe behind his desk, while men such as Chance are in the fight. The Korean vet tells him that his feelings are unfounded because he had his day for that and what he is doing now is all the more important because of it. The scene resonates with me because I have shared that feeling since both our current wars have commenced. Not a day goes by that I don't feel as if I should be in either Iraq or Afghanistan. No amount of conversation with other veterans can change my mind on that, and I'm fairly certain that Col. Strobl feels likewise. It is a version of survivor's guilt and not a little envy, at least on my part. All I ever wanted was a C.I.B. and there's no way that will ever happen.

Taking Chance made me remember another 19 year old patriot who was killed too young. He was a friend of mine and one of the sweetest people on the planet. We went to Basic and A.I.T. at Ft. Benning, GA together, caroused together and he was killed providing covering fire so that others would live. I know he believed in what he was doing, and that he loved being a soldier. I also know he would not want me to feel guilty that all these years later I am here, while he isn't. I know he would want me to live happily, secure in the knowledge that I did my part. That doesn't make me miss him any less, nor wish that I could trade places with him. I miss my fiend and think of him at least every week.

I never knew L Cpl. Phelps, and have never met Lt. Col. Strobl, but I have known them all my life. I was a soldier at five and will remain one until I die. I hope everyone who has ever worn the uniform sees this movie. I further hope that they all remember their own Chance, for it is through memories that they live on. The movie concludes with a passage that will stay with me forever, "Chance Phelps was wearing his Saint Christopher medal when he was killed on Good Friday. Eight days later, I handed the medallion to his mother. I didn't know Chance before he died. Today, I miss him." - LtCol Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) Semper Fi Sir, and for what it's worth, though I never knew Chance either I miss him too.

Nation of Cowards

In case you missed it, our newest Attorney General, Eric Holder recently spoke at an event for his staff in honor of Black History Month. In part, he said, “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial, we have always been, and we, I believe, continue to be, in too many ways, a nation of cowards.” In case you doubt the veracity of that quote you can find the full transcript at the Department of Justice website. Of course, many will say I have taken the quote out of context, but before any of you prepare the pitchforks, proverbial rail or burning oil know that I agree with the quote; just not for the reasons the esteemed gentleman suggested.

I attached the editorial cartoon above precisely because I agree with Attorney General Holder. We have become a nation of cowards. We are afraid of charlatans like Al Sharpton who posture and preen the second there is any chance for him to display his plumage to a camera. And yes, I am well aware that I gave Mr. Sharpton no title. I've never seen him in a pulpit and in this age of you tube everything I am fairly certain something would have presented itself by now if any such footage existed. No one can say anything in the least related to race if you do not believe the way Mr. Sharpton does. I'm not certain exactly who made him the arbiter of all things concerning liberal Black America, but that is as it is.

Mr. Sharpton, in his normal style, rounded up 500 people to protest outside the offices of the The New York Post until he extracted an apology of sorts for suggesting that our new President is a chimp. That the editors of the newspaper meant nothing of the sort is besides the point. What is important is that Mr. Sharpton has once again earned his Rolex watches and $1,500 suits. Somehow I always thought men of God were supposed to be less flashy, but as an agnostic I could be mistaken. I am all but certain Mr. Sharpton knew that the Post meant no disrespect to President Obama, but intended to ridicule the United States Congress for coming up with the inanely named Stimulus Package. Unless of course Mr. Sharpton believes that President Obama sat down at his desk in the Oval Office and composed better than 1,000 pages of nonsense. Whatever I think of Mr. Sharpton I do not believe him a fool, and nor should you.

For the record, if I were on the Editorial Board of the Post I would have said this in response to the false uproar over the cartoon: In so much as we have heard the repeated race baiting epithets over our recent editorial cartoon, we would like to explain it to the rest of you. You may not know, because it was passed and signed so quickly that no one could have read it all, but Congress recently passed a bill they wishfully call a Stimulus Bill. The bill is nothing more than nearly $800,000,000,000 (looks amazing with all those zeroes doesn't it?) in pet projects and political payoffs and will do very little, if anything to stimulate new jobs. We were certain though that everyone had heard of the 200lb chimp who recently chewed the face off of an unsuspecting woman. Putting two and two together we were convinced that everyone who saw this cartoon would rightfully get the point: All the clowns in Congress who signed off on the gargantuan bill, which our grandchildren will be paying off, are nothing more than crazed primates. In fact, our mistake was in attributing that much cognitive development to the likes of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. So, too all primates everywhere we say, "We are wholly apologetic for likening you to humans who are obviously so far beneath you intellectually."

Unfortunately, the newspaper chose not to publish my apology as written, or anything close to it because Mr. Sharpton, once again used the bullying tactics which keep him in such nice attire. There have been all manner of truly offensive editorial cartoons suggesting that former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was nothing more than an Aunt Jemima caricature or that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an Uncle Tom. Of course those cartoons are not truly offensive because neither Secretary Rice nor Justice Clarence believe as Mr. Sharpton does. You have to be "down with the struggle," (read his struggle) to be worthy of Mr. Sharpton's outrage on your behalf. If you are in any way at odds with what Mr. Sharpton believes concerning the plight of Black Americans then you are simply part of the problem. Remember, Free Speech is only a guaranteed right if you spout the ultra-left party line. Otherwise, you are an imbecile, just don't get it, or a racist.

All that leads me back to my initial comment agreeing with Attorney General Holder. We have become a nation of cowards regarding race because we allow sham artists like Mr. Sharpton to dictate the parameters of any discussion regarding race. Black men are still being incarcerated at a rate higher than their numbers in the population would dictate. In all our nations' cities, black men are more likely to die violently and ever younger at the hands of other black men. Black females are having more and more children out of wedlock, with less and less men around to provide any means of support. That means more and more black children are suffering below the poverty line and the cycle repeats. Mr. Sharpton doesn't care about that though. What he cares about is face time in front of network cameras and we are all too cowardly to call him on it because we don't want to be called racist. Well, since I am certain I am not a racist I will call him on it. Mr. Sharpton you are a fraud who is making a very comfortable living off those you pretend to defend. You are intentionally keeping people ignorant to benefit your own selfish ends. You do not have any one's best interests, besides your own at heart. You sir are part of the reason, a very large part why we cannot come together as a nation in the greatest country on Earth. Shame on you Mr. Sharpton, and those who knowingly assist you in this travesty. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr must be rolling over in his grave at the way you have perverted The Dream of many of us, both black and white.

Farewell to A Good Man

I have just finished watching President George W. Bush's final address to the nation. I have not always agreed with his decisions; most noticeably on illegal immigration and the failure to control government spending. I have though, always thought him to be a good man who was doing what he thought was right. I was honored to meet him on the White House lawn and felt like a kid at Christmas when he knew my name. He shook my hand and thanked me for my service as an infantryman and as a veteran's advocate. I was cheered to see him defend himself, finally, last night for the things he did get right. Whatever else the Bush haters will say, we have not suffered another terrorist attack on U.S. soil in 2,684 days.

That is absolutely not a coincidence. Should the veracity of the statement be called into question I would suggest that we simply listen to the President-Elect's current positions. He has decided to keep SecDef Robert Gates. He has said it will take time to close Gitmo and that we need to move cautiously in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those are all positions maintained by President Bush. Gone is President Elect Obama's rhetoric concerning a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. Why? Because he has finally seen the intelligence reports that President Bush has been privy to for all these years.

I did not vote for President Elect Obama. In fact, I worked hard for his opponent, Sen. John McCain. I, like most American citizens, though will be proud and cheered to see President Obama sworn in next week. It will, indeed, be a good day for the country to have a black man become President. It will go a long way to soothing wounds that have long festered. I can only hope that the smooth transition, which has been solely because of the outgoing President, gives our new President pause for thought.

I know President Elect Obama is a bright man, and I believe he will be thoughtful. I only ask that as his days get ever harder that he look back on the man he replaced and realize that the tough decisions will have to be made, regardless of public opinion. I am certain W has told our incoming President to call and I hope he will. I am hopeful for the country because I am on our team: the United States of America's team and I support my Commander in Chief. On the day after the election, I got up and saluted the Flag as I do every other day. Next Tuesday will be no different. So, as one President goes home to resume his life and another begins the hardest task on Earth I say to them both: Thank you for shouldering the responsibilities gentlemen. Goodbye Mr. Bush, private American citizen, and Hello President Obama. Remember our brave men and women in uniform because they belong to you both now.

Miss Alaska Hell, She's Mrs. America

Okay, so let’s just for a second forget the truthfully important aspects of Governor Sarah Palin. After all, she must be the only woman in the country with a pregnant, unmarried daughter and a wife with a husband who has a DUI on his record. As important as those things are, let’s just for a moment examine the trivial aspects of only the second woman to ever be nominated to the post of Vice President. She is governor of the geographically largest state in the Union. A state that has as its largest trading partner a foreign country, namely Japan with exports of over a billion dollars annually. In addition, Alaska has to negotiate frequently with Russia over fishing and drilling rights. I am not suggesting that Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda or President Putin have ever faced Governor Palin from the other side of a oak table with the balance of power at stake, but the nature of any state’s chief executive is to safeguard their state’s best interests. That Governor Palin has done. Okay, so that’s not National Security expertise, but it is more foreign policy experience than registering people to vote.

In addition, as trivial as it may be, Governor Palin is the Commander-in-Chief of the Alaskan National Guard; a guard unit which has deployed to varying degrees in the Global War on Terror. No, Governors do not equip, fund or oversee the battle plans of deployed troops, but they do have oversight on those that remain. State issues still arise and Governor Palin has deployed the troops in her charge to fight forest fires and in various support roles. The logistics of deploying troops anytime, yes even domestically, are daunting. Don’t think so? Ask the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco. My mistake Governor Blanco didn’t even deign to run for a second term after botching the troop response to Hurricane Katrina. President Bush and the feds were demonized for their tepid response, and rightly so. The President should have federalized the Louisiana Guard as soon as it was evident that Governor Blanco was not up to the job. I am from New Orleans and was in the hurricane-ravaged area three days after the levees broke. I saw Army National Guard troops awaiting orders from their commander, the Governor of Louisiana, and people suffered. She also recognizes the sacrifice of our brave warriors having traveled to Kuwait to visit her troops while they were deployed, and on the return trip found time to visit the wounded at Landstuhl. Ask any of our wounded warriors what it means to receive such a visit. Being Commander-in-Chief of a National Guard unit inside the confines of a state is not the same as putting those same men and women into a “hot zone,” but it is more command experience than editing the Harvard Law Review.

As trivial as energy concerns are Governor Palin responded to high gas and oil prices by taking the high budget surplus created by the influx of petroleum cash and gave every citizen of Alaska a $1,200 rebate, eliminated the state gas tax and proposed giving grants to electrical utility companies in order to lower customer’s energy bills. She has personally taken on big oil companies in Alaska, and has the approval ratings in Alaska to prove it. She governs a state with 24,000 employees and an annual budget of $11,000,000,000, which amazingly is not in the red. She has cut waste at every level of government, as trivial as that seems, even selling the state’s Westwind II private jet on eBay. Now those ideas may be too revolutionary to succeed on a national scale, but they are more creative than suggesting the way to combat $4.00 per gallon gasoline is to properly inflate our tires.

None of this truly matters though when choosing the person who will hold the second highest office in the land. What matters is that Governor Palin has five children who need their mother at home. After all, that is a woman’s place isn’t it? Of those five children, Track, the oldest is deploying to Iraq as an infantryman next week on September 11th. The Governor’s second oldest child, her 17 year old daughter, is knocked up and getting married. She and her soon to be 18 year old husband will be setting up their own home soon, so Governor Palin will have more time to donate to the other three. Whatever caused two teenagers to believe that both parents are more likely to raise a well-adjusted child has not been paying attention to this election cycle. Governor Palin has done an admirable job raising her children, regardless the mistakes one has made. She has not only made a home for her family, but also helped her husband on his commercial fishing boat. Pretty uppity of a woman to want to work outside the home, but she just wanted to make sure her bills got paid. After all, left to his own devices her husband probably would have squandered the family’s funds on another hunting rifle. Oh wait, the Governor hunts and eats caribou, moose and other wild game. I guess another rifle might not be such a bad thing for a gun toting, Lifetime Member of the N.R.A. Being able to literally bring home the bacon, and fry it up in the pan may not count for much when super markets will deliver foie gras and arugula to your house, provided you live in a civilized area of the country, but it is more honest work experience than voting “present” 160 times while in a state Senate.

So, what’s the end result here? Governor Sarah Palin is an independent woman who has chosen her own path in life. She has tackled both politically and personally tough issues head on whenever they have confronted her. She is a mother, wife, homemaker, career woman and a good role model. What she is not is a Democrat, and as we are all too well aware, no woman who really cares about women, the planet or children could ever be anything other than a Democrat. Real women are the likes of Speaker Pelosi and Senator Clinton, not bumpkins from the backwoods like Governor Palin. If Governor Palin is elected Vice President she will have risen higher than either of those two aforementioned paragons of femininity, some could even argue just being nominated elevates her above them. After all, neither Speaker Pelosi nor Senator Clinton has been nominated to a national position. Of course all these things are trivial when you really consider them because she has never published a best selling book. All she’s done is make her own way in the world in the best traditions of America. Now what could possibly make her think that something like that could prepare her for either Vice President, or God forbid should something happen to Senator McCain, President? Doesn’t she know that the only way to get ahead in this world is by having all your wants and needs met by those who know better than you? Of course not. How could she? After all, no graduate of the University of Idaho could ever expect to understand the real world. You would have to attend a prep school and at least one Ivy League school, if not two, before you could understand what those of us out here in the real world really need.

Mike Belongs to the Nation Now

In a driving downpour, with wind gusts up to 60 mph, 8 motorcycles, 65 private vehicles and a 54 passenger bus departed suburban Pennsylvania to transit a true American hero home to Arlington . Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz, Medal of Honor recipient, was escorted by three hundred of us. There were a couple of minor glitches. Two members of the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club went down at 50 mph, but were only banged up and bruised. One of them even got back on the bike and finished the ride. At another point 5 vehicles and the bus were separated from the pack by inconsiderate drivers who cut in on the funeral procession. Everyone made it to the grave site in time though.



The Old Guard did their normal stellar job and Mike now belongs to the entire nation, as is fitting. Kudos to the PA and MD State Troopers and the Special Events section for DC Metro. They did an above average job of shepherding a truly unwieldy convoy across busy highways in the most inclement of weather. I was afforded the honor of safe guarding Mike’s Medal of Honor all day. I literally carried it on my shoulder in a leather bag for about six hours. Just having it in my possession made me feel like… well, I’m not sure I can fully explain what it felt like, but you get the idea. It was, without a doubt, the highest honor I have ever been afforded.



Finally, in a day replete with awesome experiences, special praise must go out to Inspector Tony Boyle of the Philadelphia Police Department. He rode a Philadelphia Highway Patrol bike with a Medal of Honor guidon flying. He rode directly in front of the hearse through all manner of bad weather and unruly drivers, even functioning as an extra road guard when the need arose. Tony is a Vietnam vet who told me a couple weeks ago that nothing would stop him from helping to take Mike home. He is a man of his word and I personally wish to offer him my thanks. As the rain poured down on us just seeing the lights flashing on that bike, with the guidon flapping in the wind, caused my chest to pound with excitement. Mike belongs to the nation as a whole now, as is fitting. Sleep well brother. You are finally home. Manchu.

Primary Day

I have been gleefully watching the back and forth of my liberal friends. The moaning and gnashing of teeth as they decry the Clintons has caused me unmitigated delight. "How can they do this to Barack?" they cry. First, no one has done anything to Sen. Obama, because it's not allowed. You cannot lean too hard on the black guy without hearing the charges of racism. Former President Clinton learned that, when he referenced Sen. Obama and Jesse Jackson in the same breath. As much as I find the machinations of President Clinton despicable, I do not believe anyone could rightfully accuse him of being a racist. The forces on the far left have though, and will continue to, because it matters not who is best qualified for the job of President of the United States. What matters is how we feel about ourselves, and our choices; at least if you reside on the far left of any issue. Secondly, where have all you people, who are just now discovering the evil genius of the Clintons, been for the past 15 years? These two have always been reprehensible self promoters who always feel your pain; unless of course they were the ones who caused it.

As I watched the antics of the Hillary and Obama supporters at my polling place yesterday, I was moved to outright laughter on a number of occasions. One sweet, young, college student approached me with an earnest look and a reporter's notebook. "May I ask you some questions?" she asked with a bright smile in place. "Depends. Where are you from?" I responded. "U of W, Seattle and we're observing the election process," she bubbled. Now my smile grew brighter and I agreed to bear her questions. "Did you vote today?" she queried. "I did," I said. "And who did you vote for?" she followed up. Knowing full well for whom she had voted, I said "I'm an R." Mildly perplexed she said, "You guys have a primary today? Who'd you vote for?" At this point, the Firefighter Lt., with whom I was conversing when this delightful creature approached, broke out into laughter. Ah, but it was only to get better. "We truthfully only had the one choice," I told her as politely as possible. "Who's that?" she asked. By now we were drawing a crowd of uniformed firefighters from inside the firehouse polling station. "Why, Sen. McCain already has enough delegates to be our nominee, so it's not worth the effort to vote for either of the others," I told her. "Hmm," she processed before turning to the firefighter Lt. "And have you voted today sir?" she asked. "Not yet," he said before continuing, "but I'm an R too." "And why haven't you voted yet," she said with a straight face. "Because I'm working," he retorted.

At this point the entire episode became bizarre. Did I mention he was a uniformed Lt. in the Philadelphia Fire Dept., standing in front of a Philadelphia Fire Dept firehouse, complete with big, red fire engines? Anyway, with no sense of irony, and pen poised to take notes she looked him right in the eye and said, "And where do you work?" At this point, convulsing with laughter, the assembled firefighters literally ran from the area. Pointing at the firehouse, the fire trucks and, finally, the uniform, in my best spokes-model mode, I asked her, "Do you see all these fire department things?" And the Lt asked, "Did you miss the big red trucks?" "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm working on three hours sleep." Yeah, that's not quite going to explain it.

After that exchange I questioned her about why she was voting for Sen. Obama. The answers were, predictably, Hope and Change. As to what, exactly, that change was, she admitted she had absolutely no idea. "I've seen Barack three times and his speeches are wonderful, but they aren't very substantive," she told me. Apparently, if you feel good enough about something, that it is more than enough. I guess I don't have to tell you this young girl was lilly white, nor do I need to tell you that so were most of the people sporting Obama buttons. We've all seen it. The phenomenon of the fainting, and messianic status of Sen. Obama has, at last, begun to wane, but not the adoration. Nothing can stop this fight from continuing, and Sen. Obama will probably still be the candidate for the democrats come November. I recognize that my experience was nothing more than anecdotal evidence of what I have always suspected, but it was great fun to be proven right; at least in the most microcosmic of examples.

Regardless of the outcome of the General Election, I am, now and forever, on our team. I would mourn for a day or so if Sen. Obama were elected. I would mourn for the days to come, and for the brave men and women in uniform; all of whom are my kids, regardless their age. I would mourn for them because their valiant sacrifice would be for nothing, if Sen. Obama were to stick to his talking points and begin withdrawing them before the war in Iraq is won. I would have to move on and begin doing what the warriors would need from me after an Obama presidency. I would still salute the flag. I would still be proud of my country and its people, but I would not be happy with their lack of reason. Sen. McCain was not my first choice, or even my second, but he is my choice now for one simple reason: he will let my guys in uniform put lead on target until the mission is done. I need nothing else at this point in time. We are engaged in a battle for the safety of the world against a foe with whom we cannot barter. Sen. Obama may doubt that, and I am certain the lovely young lady from Seattle knows it isn't true, but Sen. McCain knows differently. Sen. McCain takes Zawahiri at his word when he says, "I urge all Muslims to hurry to the battlefields of Jihad (holy war), especially in Iraq," Zawahiri said in the message, the second in a two-part series to answer about 100 questions put to him via online militant forums. "The situation in Iraq heralds an imminent victory of Islam and the defeat of the crusaders and those who stand under their flag," he said. Some on the left will gladly reference bin Laden or Zawahiri when it suits, but never will they reference when it doesn't. Voting for change and hoping for peace with Al Qaeda won't make it so. And to that young lady from Seattle I say, remember, even you know there's no substance to Sen. Obama. Keep your rock heroes on the posters on your wall and let a grown-up govern the land.

Sorry, I Expect Better

The Right Reverend Jeremiah Wright's anti-American rhetoric caused, as we all know, Presidential candidate Sen. Barrack Obama to deliver a speech distancing himself from the rhetoric, but not the reverend. Now, nearly a week later, polling data has been released stating that 7 out of 10 people who heard the speech have a favorable opinion of it. How that can possibly be is beyond my comprehension, but it does not surprise me. Today's general electorate is all about feeling good, not substance; the ultimate example of form over function. A careful reading of Sen. Obama's speech bears that out, but who has time for that with American Idol and Dancing with the Stars beginning anew?

I have heard Sen. Obama's speech called "the greatest speech on this issue in American political history," and a "stunning address." It was, indeed, an extraordinary speech, delivered beautifully, and that is what the candidate is banking on. My reading of the speech finds it to be all emotion, with no direct, substantive proposals for actual change. The senator made no reference to past behavior, nor explained specific policies he would implement. Worse yet, he does not seek to distance himself from Rev. Wright, but rather only to convince us that he does not agree with the reverend when it comes to the more 'inflammatory comments." Since Sen. Obama has repeatedly told anyone who will listen that Rev. Wright's church does remarkable, good, and heroic work in the community, we must presume he agrees with everything except the You Tube moments. We also are expected to accept the senator at his word that he never heard, nor heard of, the reverend's remarks. That they were an open secret in Chicago apparently escaped both the senator's exploratory committee and his opposition research team.

For me, that is where Sen. Obama's speech becomes disingenuous. I am used to politicians talking at length, while saying nothing, but to suggest that Rev. Wright's statements were unknown to him and his advisers just strikes me as purely false. I have reached the conclusion that we must either accept Sen. Obama when he says that he had no direct knowledge of the statements, or conversely, we must conclude that he lacked the courage to confront the reverend regarding them. Either way the senator is not ready to lead the nation. Considered through that prism, a reading of the speech just makes it sad. A sad recitation, made by a man who fully expected to receive no ill treatment at the hand's of the Fourth Estate. Granted, he was mostly right that the honorable men and women of the press would be so enamored of him that they would not seek to scratch the surface of his polished oratory. Unfortunately for Sen. Obama the internet is not a fluke, and everything everyone does and says is posted somewhere in all its gory infamy.

Another disturbing portion of Sen. Obama's facade is the notion of such a strenuous upbringing. He was raised by a single mother, but not in anything approximating destitute conditions. For the most part Sen. Obama was reared in Hawaii and attended prestigious schools, which eventually led him to acquire degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. In many ways he is the embodiment of the American dream. That is the most galling aspect for me. Nowhere else in the world could Sen. Obama even expect to reach the heights he has achieved, much less the one's he covets. For him to turn his back on that legacy angers me. For 20 years he ignored the anti-American rantings of a radical reverend. Sen. Obama admits that Rev. Wright was his spiritual advisor and one of his closest friends. Are we to believe that Rev. Wright said these inflammatory statements in public, but did not once reference them in private? That notion seems improbable, if not impossible, at best.

So, where does that leave us? It leaves me expecting more. I expect better from Rev. Wright, a Marine rifleman, and Navy Corpsman. I expect him to remember the oath he took. Dissent is patriotic. It is what our nations is founded upon, but to incite anti-American emotion is unacceptable. I expect my fellow Americans to challenge our government, but to repeatedly scream God Damn America! to state that the U.S. is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and affirm that 9/11 was nothing more than chickens coming home to roost is beyond the pale. It is the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded movie theater, and any good the reverend did is wiped from the slate because of it.

I also expect more from Sen. Obama. I expect him to embrace the country which gave him opportunities many of us desire. I expect him to wear the American flag lapel pin if he truly wishes to be the United State's public personification. I expect him to chastise and cut off the reverend for his actions. Remember what every one of our mother's said, "People judge you by the company you keep." It is not unfair to suggest that because if someone continues to associate with men of low caliber we can only expect that they approve of them; even if only tacitly. In the words of George Washington, "Associate yourself with men of quality if you esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be alone than in bad company." I also expect the senator to not reduce the reverend's statements to "controversial" or "fiery statements." I expect him to stand on the principle he espouses. I expect him to unabashedly love the country which has given him and his family so much. I expect him to differ on politics, but not the notion that the United States is the best country on Earth. And yes, I expect him to admit when he is wrong. Unfortunately for him he need not do any of those things. The race division he claims to abhor is exactly the wedge he wields. I, and many of my friends and family, proudly wore our nation's uniform so that the senator could be afforded the opportunity he now possesses. I guess it is simply too much to ask that he exhibit a little recognition of that.

A Woman Scorned

Under a cloudless, crystal clear sky, I had the distinct honor and pleasure to be at the christening of the New York (LPD 21) on 1 March, at Ingalls Shipyard outside New Orleans, LA. Her bow was made with 15,000 pounds of steel salvaged from Ground Zero. She is specifically tasked with fighting terrorism, and can carry various configurations of Special Ops forces, as well as her normal compliment of 800 Marines and their landing equipment. As soon as I saw her berthed dockside, festooned with signal pennants, I involuntarily held my breath and my heart began pounding. Being a soldier, I had never completely understood how my brothers and sisters in the Department of the Navy could get so attached to what I perceived as an inanimate object. I can assure you that New York is no inanimate object. She is the living embodiment of the sacrifice and courage exhibited by so many on 9/11.

There were, literally, thousands of people in attendance at the christening. The crowd ran the gamut from Department of Defense personnel, to sailors from the WWII battleship who shares the name New York, to ship builders, to veteran's organizations, to an assortment of New Yorkers. Amongst the New Yorkers were several 9/11 survivors and a half dozen firemen from FDNY. All the fire-fighters were at the WTC on 9/11, and I can tell you that watching them be so moved by the ship will stay with me forever. I sat next to a 23 year old Lt. Junior Grade, who is shepherding New York through her various stages of construction. His warmth, good humor and desire to answer questions made the experience more personal somehow. Before the formal ceremony of speakers, a short film was shown. It documented New York's ship builders meeting with 9/11 survivors at Ground Zero before her keel was laid. I can tell you that as the film rolled there was not a dry eye in the house, and later, when the National Anthem was performed, every spine was a little straighter and every salute was a little crisper.

I defy anyone to tell the firefighter pictured with me that the War on Terror is not worth fighting, and, yes, that includes the Al Qaeda magnet, Iraq. He, and the six men with him, were all at Ground Zero on 9/11. They witnessed terrorism close up and did not blink. These men, on both 9/11 and this past Saturday, exhibited everything that is best about the United States and Americans. New York is a stark reminder of 9/11 and she made me proud to be an American. It was as perfect a day as can be had
and I look forward to seeing New York commissioned next year in the harbor that bears her name. The saying goes that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and, with the motto of "Never Forget" New York will undoubtedly exact our revenge. Fair winds and following seas New York. May you get some vengeance for us all.

Can We Just Get on with the Business of Winning?

"There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq before George Bush and John McCain decided to invade," so said Senator Obama at a recent campaign event. He followed that statement with the proclamation, once again, that he would pull all the troops out of Iraq were he elected President. The obvious problem with the Senator's statements are three-fold. First, Al Qaeda was in Iraq before we invaded. They were afforded a safe haven in the Kurdish region after we invaded Afghanistan; according to captured documents, and as reported by ABC News, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein did meet before the invasion to discuss attacking Saudi Arabia; and Zawahiri, the now deceased leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, was treated at a Baghdad hospital after being wounded fighting American forces in Afghanistan. Second, George Bush did not invade Iraq; the United States invaded Iraq, with the full backing of Congress. Third, Al Qaeda is in Iraq now, and will not leave Iraq, nor cease their murderous tactics, both there and abroad, because US military forces are withdrawn precipitously. It does not matter to me why Al Qaeda is in Iraq. They are there now and we have no choice but to destroy them, or cede to them not only a base of operations to wage their murderous campaigns of terror, but rather an entire country.

It is a juvenile, and ill formed thought that pulling the troops out of Iraq will somehow cause Al Qaeda to summarily cease their reign of terror. Just because we decide we are no longer at war does not mean Al Qaeda will decide likewise. Senator Obama also stated that if Al Qaeda establishes a base of operations in Iraq after we withdraw, as President he would recommit the military. Is it just me that finds that to be the most illogical of statements? Senator Obama apparently believes that everyone in the world, regardless of public proclamations, is worth trusting, except of course the evil men and women of the Republican Party. I have news for this erudite, big hearted, Ivy League graduate, you cannot trust Al Qaeda. If we pull our troops out of Iraq before the job is done, Al Qaeda will take over, and a slaughter of innocents to rival any seen before will ensue. Al Qaeda will torture and murder everyone even remotely suspected of aiding the American forces. Al Qaeda is the most evil adversary we have ever faced; more evil than the Third Reich and the Soviets because they would gladly butcher billions if it would give them control of the world.

It also bears mentioning that is has been 2,362 since 9/11. Some of the reason for that has to be that the terrorists are otherwise engaged fighting our professional warriors in Iraq. Were the terrorists not fighting in Iraq would they not be plotting further death and devastation here in the United States? On 9/12/2001 what else did any of us want but no more terrorist attacks on American soil? I know Senator Obama and his acolytes will say that we should not sacrifice our American warriors for a nation thousands of miles away. The death of every American service member hurts my heart, but it has taken years for the terrorists to match the number they killed on a single Tuesday morning in September. That is because it is always better to have our professional warrior class fighting the terrorists, than to allow them time to attack soft targets here.

There has also been much talk out of Senator Obama's camp on the fiscal cost of continuing the fight in Iraq. I would suggest that the cost to the Treasury of the United States pales in comparison to the costs of another 9/11. All of us remember exactly where we were that crisp, Fall day in 2001; though some of us have forgotten how we felt. You cannot negotiate with abject evil. Senator McCain has his failings. If elected, he will probably close Guantanamo Bay; a grievous mistake I believe. Senator McCain will also probably make it more difficult for our intelligence services to extract intel from captured terrorists, by limiting tough interrogation methods. Those too, are less than well formed responses to his own personal experiences, but Senator McCain has seen evil up close. He looked it in the eye and has not forgotten neither where he was, nor how he felt. He is reminded of it every day when he realizes that he still cannot lift his arms above his shoulders because of the torture he underwent. Senator McCain was tortured. What we have done to a very few, high value targets was not torture. All that said, the main difference between the two senators is that one knows that carnivores are loose in the world, and one does not. I am certain the gazelle out on the African Savannah would sorely like a time-out as the hungry lion sinks his teeth into the gazelle's haunch, but no amount of wishing on his part will make it so. Senator Obama would benefit by remembering that the plains of Africa are a brutal, unforgiving place to the prey, when the predators are hungry. Unfortunately, until freedoms of human rights and expression replace theocratic despotism in the Middle East, all the world is the Serengeti during a drought, and nothing but the brave American fighting man stands between us and the sickening snap of incisors.

I Have Always Been Proud of My Country

I am not from a "silver spoon" background. I'm a working class kid from honorable, but low, economic roots. I proudly admit to being moved by the strains of the National Anthem, and the fluttering of Old Glory in the breeze. I tear up slightly when I hear the Anthem, whether at the ball park or in my living room; and yes, I stand up in my living room when it plays. I salute the flag wherever, whenever I encounter it. I do this specifically because I am proud of my country, and for all that it stands. I enlisted in the Army, generally because I wanted to serve. I joined the Infantry specifically because I wanted to kill bad guys. I have been less than enthused by some of our leaders, and appalled at some of my fellow American's actions; whether elected officials, or the simple rank and file. I have never though, waivered in my pride of country.

I had the distinct honor to revisit Ft. Benning, GA a couple weeks back to see a friend "Turn Blue." For those of you unfamiliar with the ceremony, it is when an infantryman receives his distinctive Blue Cord. The cord is placed on the infantryman's Class A, or dress uniform, on the combat shoulder; so called because we wear our combat patch on the right shoulder. The cord is the color of the sky, because God loves the infantry. We are the Queen of Battle, and no battle, big or small can be truly finished without us. I not only had the honor of putting the cord on my friend, I also was able to welcome the other 184 infantrymen in his class into my club. I was so proud of them, and my country, that I kept my sunglasses on to maintain my tough guy image. To a man these heroes all expressed thanks for my service, and exhibited public pride of self, and yes, country. None suggested they had joined the infantry for any reason other than the one for which I had joined. For all time we will be linked to the men from Valley Forge, Omaha Beach, Pork Chop Hill, Hamburger Hill, Fallujah and all the nameless places in between. That, makes me proud not only of myself, but of my country.

I understand that for those who have never served, the country is a different place. It can seem shallow and trite. It may even seem less than honorable on occasion. It is never anything less than the best place though, and never less than the world's last, best hope. We have had our share of problems here, and we have stumbled on occasion, but we have never failed. I say that because I once heard failure expressed as "staying down after you fall." The United States of America has always managed to get up off the mat, and has always answered the bell. I admit then, to not a little bit of anger to hear the wife of a candidate for President of the United States say, "Before now I have never, in my adult life, been proud of my country." I would suggest that someone who feels that way, whether Freudian slip, or intentional flippancy has no business urging her husband to be Commander-in-Chief; let alone campaigning for him.

Do not misunderstand me. This is not a shameless plug for Sen. McCain, nor a castigation of Sen. Obama. It is a reminder that the president, to much of the world, is the United States. He need not be jingoistic to secure a place in my heart, nor do I require that he be nationalistic. I do require though, that he remember the pride of the new infantrymen I referenced above, and feel it himself, at all times. That may seem shallow to some, and downright awful to others, but it is what I expect from my President. I accept that the man who inhabits the Oval Office is human, and subject to the foilbles of humanity. I accept that he will make mistakes, and only ask that they not be those of a juvenile nature, nor ones that will squander my faith. I also accept that the needs of the world will very occasionally come first, and that we, as a country, will shoulder more than our share of the world's burdens. What I cannot accept is a President who is not stirred by the strains of the National Anthem, nor one who is embarassed by his country of birth; regardless of cause. My President must face the flag, whenever he sees it, and feel a pounding of pride in his chest. My President must see the infantry walk by, and know that they are all that is best about this country. My President need not have worn the uniform himself, but must always remember that many men have granted him the office, through sacrifice of life and limb. If the men currently running for office cannot meet those requirements I have only one question: If these conditions seem onerous sir, why would you want the job?

Is This A Great Country, Or What?

It was a couple months ago that I had the honor of being in the presence of the President of the United States. The event was a breakfast on the South Lawn where Gathering of Eagles, National Alliance of Families, Move America Forward and the Vets for Freedom were feted. I admit that I ate nothing because I feared ingesting anything would lead to me vomiting on the White House lawn, so awe struck was I by being an invited guest on the grounds of the White House. It was nice to be honored that way, and to be surrounded by people who were similarly moved. It is proof positive to me that this is the greatest country on the planet. After all, prior to that day in September I was not personally acquainted with anyone who had been invited to the White House, nor had I been able to converse with the sitting President and Vice President of the United States as if we were regular folk.

There is nothing wrong with fervently loving the good old US of A. These days many people will tell you that America is the cause of all of the world's ills. Nothing could be further from the truth. We, as Americans, are everything that is good about the world and the reason why the world is still a place where millions of people can live freely. A great part of that ability to let people live freely comes at the point of a weapon. A weapon cradled with both tender loving care and exacting precision. A weapon cradled by those among us who choose to wear the uniform of the United States Military. The mostly young warriors who currently serve are what is best about us. It has always been that way, but these kids, and their elder NCOs and officers, are special. They are truly golden.

The Ayatollah Khomeini once said, both in word and print, that there are no jokes in Islam. That is but one of the differences between the United States, and not just radical Islam, but the majority of the world. We have always had a somewhat self-deprecating sense of humor. The wry smile that comes before a side splitting joke at our own expense has always been one of our hallmarks. A nation that cannot laugh at itself cannot survive the trials and tribulations that a Super Power must endure; not for long anyway. The Soviet Union and the Third Reich have proven that. What we, as Americans, have been able to accomplish is nothing short of the greatest country the world has ever produced. We are the most caring, most imaginative, most giving people on the planet, and, when roused, the most capable of sustained military operations. We have proven to be unyielding in the prosecution of evil foes, and the current climate is no exception.

Many will say that we are fighting at least one unjust war, if not two. These are the same people who will laugh uproariously and protest loudly when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says, "There are no homosexuals in Iran," but pass away his comments about wiping Israel of the face of the planet as if they are just the utterances of a deranged homeless person. We are engaged in a war with radical Islam precisely because we can laugh at ourselves, and because we can allow those among us to disagree. It is not because we are occupying the Holy Land of Islam, nor because we support Israel. It is because we are the greatest nation on Earth, and we are the greatest because we are free. Freedom is not free, and no one knows that better than those who have worn the uniform.

I have ranted too many times in this arena about the political posturings of the anti-American forces on the left in this country. Likewise, the inane mutterings of Reps Pelosi and Paul, and Sens Kennedy and Reid have taken up too much space here already. I think anyone who reads my writings knows where I stand on those imbeciles. I am sick though, of all the bashing of the country I love. I have heard often that all Islam needs is a Reformation and the moderates will rise up to carry the standard. Unfortunately, I believe the Reformation is underway, and the radicals are winning. Those on the extreme American left cannot see that evil, but witness American ills at every availability. The "I Support the Troops, but Not the War" crowd cannot even find it in their hearts to publicly condemn the public lashing and subsequent jail term of an Islamic rape victim in Saudi Arabia because it would undercut their position on Iraq. They will, however, applaud the likes of Brian DePalma and Mark Cuban when they make a movie that depicts the rape and murder of Iraqis by American servicemen. Never mind that the movie seeks to be allegorical in nature.

I am tired of it. I no longer wish to dialogue with those types of people. I no longer wish to make them understand that we are engaged in a world-wide battle for our very survival. I have, instead, decided to channel all my efforts into supporting the brave men and women who currently wear our nations' uniform. I choose instead to back those valiant warriors with all my might, so that they may complete their mission; a mission I fully support and one which is, finally, going in the right direction. I support the troops and the mission because they support us. They support the country I love, my country, the United States of America. They fully know the stakes and, yet, still shoulder the burden and soldier, or sailor, or airman, or Marine, or Guardsman on. I love these kids because they are my country. So, this time of year do something kind for the men and women in uniform. Send them some love in the desert, and tell the next person who says I Support the Troops, but Not the War to just shut the hell up.