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Yup, and they were (rightly) lauded for their actions.
Even when troops actually do witness violations of the Geneva Convention, the anti-war left's narrative of the military as a murder machine is contradicted.
...is poorly educated, extremely gullible, and easily (mis)led.
A congressman and a con man together in The Adventures of Jesse and Jack.
Spec. Joseph M. Darby - turned his fellow Abu Ghraib guards' home spun porn collection over to military authorities in December 2003 and started the process that led to their convictions for abusing the prisoners there.
His role has been very much downplayed as it detracts from the fiction that Mary Mapes uncovered the abuse months later.
With respect to Iranian weapons testing, especially of the "indigenously" produced stuff, color me unimpressed.
Just as we excoriate and expose poseurs like Jesse MacBeth, it is right that we remember real heroes like Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour.
Let no one say that we don't recognize the heroic actions of those who keep our honor clean.
What would one expect from the Michican Dept of Education, they employ Juan Cole don't they?
...and brought them to people's attention.
More - he acted to end the crime.
Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson.
That's the name FbL couldn't remember.
Has there ever been a Vet who accused the US of war crimes that wasn't a complete fraud?
**Update** Actually I should caveat that.....has there have been a vet who accused the US of war crimes based on personal experience who wasn't full of it?
I think we're rapidly approaching the last straw.
Blackfive, reaching out to try and understand a troubled young man.
Pentagon feels that the Iranian medium-range missile is enough of a threat to consider standing up a missile defense base in Poland or the Czech Republic.
Read your '2,000 miles' skepticism and said to myself 'not miles, Smash.' Skepticism shared, Smash. Not to mention sole claim to 'idiot status' over here for carelessly transposing Miles and Kilometers within the frightening confines of my own 'brain housing group'...and (shudders) writing a post that made sense of the nonsense. Yikes. Perhaps I should develop an affinity for normal sleeping hours and only then revisit missiles? Apologies to readers for that.
For a brief 3 or 4 points of the Shahab-3 development (in KM!)...
"Ich bin United Stateser"?
Meanwhile, San Francisco wants to ban the Junior ROTC, and the Stamford, Connecticut school district wants to eliminate the Veteran's Day holiday.
I'm not sure I want my kinds going to school in America...
Your Eurobureau Chief checking in with the latest from my side of the Atlantic:
German public opinion believes a "clash of civilizations" is under way between Christians and Muslims that will lead to further domestic and international conflict, a report commissioned by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung finds.Germany is in the midst of "a conflict spiral," researchers from the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research reported last week. "Conceptions of Islam were already negative" but have hardened "noticeably in recent times," the survey's authors Elisabeth Noelle and Thomas Petersen reported.
"Germans are increasingly of the opinion that a lasting, peaceful coexistence with the Islamic world will not be possible," Noelle and Petersen concluded.
An amazing story from InstaPundit: the banning of "America" from our schools.
After the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers no longer qualified as North Americans, but apparently the British, Spanish, French and Native Americans did. What people in the United States are to be called after the Revolution is not clear, so long as they are not referred to as Americans.Apparently they think "suckers" is the appropriate term.
A 1950 mile range? Color me extremely skeptical. Iran has a long history of exaggerating their military capabilities.
Most sources I've seen estimate an 800-1000 mile range. And if it's anything like its predecessors, it probably has a very high failure rate as it approaches the extreme end of that range. Iraqi versions of the Soviet Scud had a tendency to fall apart during re-entry.
With conventional explosives, this is a terror weapon. It has no tactical military value.
With a nuclear, biological, or chemical warhead, however, it could do some serious damage.
The latest "Vent" is all about Jesse MacBeth, and the MilBlogs site is prominently featured.
Thanks, Michelle! But if you must salute, please do it properly.
...the reunion I'm working on getting into, mentioned in this post, is more than the Great Raid... it's *all* veterans of the WWII Ranger Battalions.
I think I need to bring Jesse along, so he can meet some real Rangers and swap stories.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now *there's* a visual.
I have little doubt about the purpose of the launch, which is almost certainly just as you suggest, SMASH. Scribbled some on it last night wth added context in Iran 'Reaches Out' With Shahab-3 Missile Launch.
Regarding the Shahab-3 capabilities, the truth is we're not sure exactly what it can do, but the 800 mile barrier was eclipsed by recent versions. In fact, some estimates suggest that the newest itteration of the Shahab-3 approaches 1950 miles (personally think that may be a healthy stretch).
An interesting bit of context for consideration was that Khatami suspended the Shahab-4 and Shahab-5 programs 'officially' in 2003, citing that the 2,000 mile range of the Shahab-4 was beyond the needs of Iran. Whether or not the programs were truly shut remains to be seen, but the continued testing of -3's and the silence of the -4's suggests to me that they had likely considerably extended the capabilities of the old -3's for far cheaper than developing the -4's.
Forgive the geek talk. As a former HAWKer, I have an affinity for things that fly fast without aid of strings or pilots. (Sorry, GH.)
I'm hoping that this will be fair and balanced (ok, I couldn't resist).
From the CNN press release:
CNN.com Solicits Multimedia Content from Users as Part of ‘Coming Home’ Coverage, TributeCNN.com has launched a user-generated content feature as part of “Coming Home: Families and War,” an upcoming “Special Report” that explores the impact of the war in Iraq on U.S. troops and their families. At http://www.cnn.com/cominghomestories, users can submit their personal "Coming Home" videos, audio files, photos and text stories, as well as messages to U.S. troops in Iraq for possible inclusion in the special report.
For Memorial Day weekend, CNN plans to offer coverage on multiple platforms with CNN/U.S. airing CNN Presents documentaries about D-Day and soldiers wounded during the war in Iraq; coverage on Headline News; and related reports, through real-time, streaming coverage on up to four simultaneous feeds on CNN Pipeline.
On Friday, May 26, “Coming Home: Families and War” will go live on CNN.com. Through multimedia components and emotive reporting, “Coming Home” explores how the current war differs from previous conflicts, including the effects on social support systems for military families. These compelling stories include a pictorial of a war widow facing her first Memorial Day since her husband died in Iraq. This CNN.com “Special Report” can be found at www.cnn.com/cominghome.
“Coming Home” also will discuss the growing numbers of women in uniform, the effects of long-term deployments, innovations in the way troops keep in touch with loved ones and medical advancements in helping troops recover from war injuries. The Special Report will feature a breadth of stories, audio slide shows, charts and photo galleries as well as a site to allow users to submit personal recollections and messages to troops.
Submit stories and videos, etc., HERE
The Iranians test launched a Shihab-3 missile Tuesday night, most probably in an effort to intimidate the U.S. and Israel on the occasion of a meeting between Prime Minister Olmert and President Bush in Washington.
The Shihab-3 is an Iranian modification of the North Korean Nodong-1, which is an evolution of the old Soviet Scud-C, which in turn was based on the design of the German V-2 from the Second World War.
Of course, much has changed in rocket design since the 1940's. The Shihab reportedly has a range of about 800 miles, and can carry a warhead of about 2500 lbs. But it's basically just a larger, re-engineered version of Wernher von Braun's original design.
IMHO The excesses of McCarthyism effectively immunized the hard left from public scrutiny. While we hear endless battering of the Hard Right in public discourse, the Hard Left is for the most part left to either spread it's message, or in the best case, discredit itself.
I might get to meet some veterans of The Great Raid! Whee!
By the way - if you like pointless blog contests and think you're a geek about militaria - come check out our latest contest and it's conclusion. We try to do one a week, usually highlighting an artifact in the holdings of the Arsenal of Argghhh (this part is *always* under construction and can be punishing if you are coming in with dialup, sorry)!
Castle Argghhh! - the only place on the 'net where you can find stuff like this...
And it *isn't* pr0n.
Something has happened to this country that my grandfathers would scarcely recognize and certainly struggle to fathom. That this requires discussion disgusts me daily.
While it can be traced back to before the 60's (though blossoming then), what really happened was the galvanization of self-loathing using Vietnam as a social catalyst. But the face of this nation changed most significantly when the election of the greatest true conservative leader on a chilly 1980 November evening forced a barely contained media into open rooting for a specific political party. The degeneration of policy discussion and political leadership since has been palpable, fueled by the successes of anti-military media coverage developed during the Vietnam era and skillfully maintained and nearly perfected since then.
And such is the nature of the degeneration of American politics. That this repulsive decay also consumes the very defense of the world's one true beacon of freedom causes true physical discomfort. For we do not own that freedom but are tasked with her defense and care by default.
That we must defend her from ourselves is heartbreaking. That we dare not pause to rest lest we lose her from within is enraging.
How does that go, Life imitates the Onion? This time, it’s the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) imitates Scrappleface.
The New York Times reports that the ACLU moves to halt free speech internally (excerpt in extended entry):
The San Francisco Board of Education appears poised to kick the military's Junior ROTC programs out of the city's public schools, saying the Pentagon's refusal to allow openly gay service members is deplorable and not in line with the school district's anti-discrimination policy.School board members are scheduled to introduce a resolution tonight outlawing the JROTC because of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule. The resolution calls that policy an "unjust, indefensible, unintelligent, state-sanctioned act of homophobia."
Not sure how many kids will lose college scholarships based on this, but the article says “1,625 students in seven San Francisco public high schools” are JROTC members.
Tinfoil sales expected to soar:
Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden won a bipartisan endorsement from the Senate intelligence committee Tuesday to head the CIA at a time of reorganization and troubled morale, and legislative leaders said they hope to have the full Senate confirm him for the job by Thursday.
<...>
Hayden won the backing of the committee's eight Republicans and four of seven Democrats. Those voting against him were Democrats Evan Bayh of Indiana, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
It's Fleet Week in NYC starting Wednesday... Fleet Week was one of my favorite times in New York... All those uniforms! It was always wonderful to stop the sailors and thank them... buy them lunches and dinners... New Yorkers really loved having the sailors around town...
Here's a blog (GASP!) of local (NY) reporter Yaron Steinbuch on Board the Kearsarge, an Amphibious Assault Ship... Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady who was shot down over Bosnia in June 1995 was rescued by Marine helicopters from the Kearsarge. Steinbuch gives a lot of history and details about the ship in the blog.
The Kearsarge, at 40,500 tons, is eclipsed in size by aircraft carriers. The USS Ronald Reagan, for example, weighs more than 100,000 tons. Nevertheless, the Kearsarge is no slouch. Here are some more stats:-- Two steam propulsion plants deliver a combined 70,000 horsepower, propelling the ship at more than 24 knots (about 29 mph for us landlubbers).
-- The generators provide more than 16,000 kilowatts of power -- enough to light 13,500 homes.
-- Two pumping stations give the ship a 450,000-gallon fueling capacity for aircraft and other vehicles.
-- Distilling plants provide up to 200,000 gallons of fresh water daily.
-- The air-conditioning equipment is enough to control a 32-story office building.I don't know how many miles of corridors there are, but they are all white and full of tubes, vents, pipes, levers -- you name it. Some of them are barely illuminated with red lighting. Now if I can only find my cabin, er ... stateroom.
More info on Fleet Week... HERE.including a list of the ships and the locations and special features and presentations around the town.
If you are in the NYC area (or can get one of those last minute cheap weekend fares), please make an effort to show your appreciation and thanks to the men and women of the US Navy... and visit the ships and exhibits and presentations... you won't be disappointed.
Bravo Zulu! Hey Smash!
Courtesy Allah, a new statement from Jessie "Micah" MacBeth.
As a decorated combat veteran of Bush's Iraq misadventure, I am all too familiar with the saying "the first casualty of war is truth." Because this administration sold us a war of empire...
Thanks to author and reporter D. Burge of Iowa for the information.
Bin Laden: Moussaoui Wasn't Sept. 11 Conspirator
The Funeral of CW03 Eric Totten Funeral, 20May06
The Patriot Guard Rode at this Funeral... The pictures are incredible and the work of a 3ID soldier's Dad who rode with the Guard...
Bless them all...
From the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) website:
Boeing Grants "Extra" Lump Sum Money As Thank YouBoeing recognizes employees for military service who were called to active military duty under 9/11 orders between June 2004 and March 2006. These employees will receive a $3,000 lump sum payment in May from Boeing in recognition of their service. "We are proud of your service and grateful for the work you've done to keep our country safe," said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. All Boeing employees and employees of Boeing U.S. subsidiaries are eligible for the payment. This is the second such payment Boeing has provided to employees serving in the military. The first was made in June 2004 to employees called to active military duty between September 2001 and May 2004.
Couldn't help but to find this funny.
Maj P --for those of you who don't know him-- is the USMC's official historian and a fellow VMI man. He's now Op For's emergency backup guest blogger.
More AI Madness... about the USA (of course!) Someone should write these people and let them know that ... ummm... we're at war.
Detentions in Iraq and AfghanistanDuring the year, thousands of “security internees” were held without charge or trial by US forces in Iraq. Regulations governing detentions stipulated that internees must either be released or transferred to Iraqi criminal jurisdiction within 18 months. They also provided that detainees could continue to be interned by the US-led Multi-National Force indefinitely for “continued imperative reasons of security”. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited detainees in internment facilities but not those held in US division or brigade holding facilities immediately after arrest.
In Afghanistan, hundreds of detainees continued to be held in US military custody without charge or trial or access to families or lawyers at Bagram airbase, some for more than a year. Although the ICRC had access to detainees at Bagram, it had no access to detainees held in an unknown number of US forward operating bases. There were reports of ill-treatment in such facilities, including detainees being stripped naked during interrogation and deprived of food and sleep.
So raise your hand if you are shocked that the worst claims that AI makes are that these terrorists and murderers are being held too long and that they occasionally might be naked... and hungry? (I'm looking around to see if anyone has raised their hand in the room I'm in... nope. No hands here...)
Somebody wasted no time in updating his Wikipedia entry.
about Amnesty International, but their 2006 Annual Report is probably the most biased and anti-American piece of drivel ever written. If you read the regional overviews, not only are we apparently the largest most evil violator of human rights in the world, but you're going to be surprised to learn that every other country in the world that has violated someone's human rights at some point in that country's history could not have done it without explicit or implicit help/cajoling/assistance from the USA... Damn we must be good... er, bad.
These quotes are just from the AI Secretary General about 2005...
Grave abuses in Afghanistan and Iraq cast a shadow over much of the human rights debate, as torture and terror feed off each other in a vicious cycle. The brutality and intensity of attacks by armed groups in these and other countries grow, taking a heavy toll on human lives.
Despite the opposition of the USA, support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) has grown ...
In the USA there was similar questioning of the Bush Administration’s claim that in its fight against terrorism it could exempt itself from the prohibition against torture and ill-treatment. [...]In the end, it was President Bush who blinked first and was forced to withdraw his opposition to the bill. However, the bill had a serious sting in its tail, with an amendment which stripped Guantanamo detainees of the right to file habeas corpus appeals in a federal court and barred them from seeking court review of their treatment or conditions of detention. Nevertheless, the President’s public climb-down was indicative of the pressure being put on the Administration by powerful divisions within the USA and increasing concern among its allies abroad.
Love to see those Europeople squirm...
European governments squirmed as one story after another revealed their role as junior partners of the USA in its “war on terror”. There was public outcry following media reports of possible collusion between the US Administration and some European governments on “CIA black sites” – alleged secret detention centres on European territory.
"lone voice in the wilderness"?? hooboy...
The demand for the closure of the detention centre in Guantanamo Bay gained greater momentum with the UN, various European institutions, and political and opinion leaders, including prominent US figures, adding their voices to the growing pressure. What was once AI’s lone voice in the wilderness has now become a crescendo of condemnation against the most blatant symbol of US abuse of power.
ok, this horse is seriously dead and broken... hold the whip...
The USA has not categorically rejected the use of certain forms of torture or ill-treatment. It has failed to institute an independent investigation into the role of senior US officials in the abuses committed in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere, despite growing evidence of high-level involvement.
yep... it's all our fault...
The “export value” of the “war on terror” has not decreased either. With the tacit or explicit approval of the USA, countries like Egypt, Jordan and Yemen continue to detain, without charge or fair trial, people suspected of involvement in terrorism.
If you're looking to waste your money, you can buy the full report for about US$47. You can also just read it online...
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