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Scott Ott offers a dream piece.
...al Qaeda today announced that it would launch its own probe to determine if some of its jihadists and martyrs “may have committed premeditated murder and even intentionally killed civilians.”Which will happen about the same time Dilbert becomes wealthy and babe magnet...
The LA Times examines the response of other diverse Canadian youths, who are apparently now the targets of hate crimes:
Thirty windows were smashed by vandals early Sunday at the huge International Muslims Organization of Toronto mosque in the Rexdale neighborhood just north of here, an incident its Guyanese founder, Omar Farouk, said Muslims were "hoping and praying was an isolated incident."It wasn't readily apparent in earlier reports that many, if not all, of the diverse youths were also Muslims, but apparently they were. I well recall the wake of 9/11 in the States, when many American Muslims reported they were being glared at harshly by other Americans. Perhaps Canada won't slip so far into the dark side, and will have the national courage to carry on as if nothing bad will ever happen again."The Canadian people are very loving and kind — equally are the Muslims," said Farouk, whose mosque is attended by nearly 20,000 people and serves as a gathering place for interfaith community events.
I couldn't resist linking to ZenPundit's "Crusade In Earnest", which highlights the speech of Ronald Reagan on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. Pres. Reagan's words are stirring to this day:
We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved and the world prayed for its rescue. Here, in Normandy, the rescue began. Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny, in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.
The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4:00 am. In Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying. And in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.
Strengthened by their courage and heartened by their value [valor] and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.
I can't help but be in silent awe when I meet a veteran of this great crusade, whose bravery and sacrifice very well helped save the world on that day.
David Horowitz's outfit, FrontPageMag, reviewed Home of the Brave today.
Also, I am scheduled to appear on Mark Levin's Radio Show this Friday, June 9th.
The winner of the John Murtha Inscription Contest is soon to be announced.
More to come re: next week's interview with the one, the only....MANCOW.
Dress Blues?! The last two years have seen me purchase DCUs for Afghanistan, ACUs to replace my BDUs, and now this happens. I guess I am going to have another good year of writing off unreimbursed business expenses...
[Armorer's note: The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941. The performance of the unit in question must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions so as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign. The degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant award of the Distinguished Service Cross to an individual.]
Announcement is made of the following award:
U.S. Presidential Unit Citation Presented to Joint Task Force Two NR-06.025 - June 2, 2006OTTAWA – The Canadian Forces unit (CF) Joint Task Force Two (JTF 2) was presented with the United States Presidential Unit Citation from the United States Ambassador to Canada in a ceremony today. JTF 2 received the citation for its outstanding contribution to the multi-national Special Operations Forces task force in Afghanistan in 2002.
“This presentation of the United States Presidential Unit Citation serves to recognize the outstanding work and contribution of all members of JTF 2,” said Minister of National Defence, Gordon O’Connor. “This unit continues to play a pivotal role in the safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad through its efforts in the campaign against terrorism.”
“JTF 2 has proven to be a significant enhancement to our combat forces in the campaign against terrorism,” said Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier. “This recognition, one of few publicly recognized events we’ve had due to the unit’s counter-terrorism role, serves to highlight the significant impact that JTF 2 continues to have on behalf of all Canadians and our allies.”
On December 7 2004, the President of the United States presented the Presidential Unit Citation to the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force – SOUTH (JSOTF-SOUTH) for its success during operations in Afghanistan from October 2001 until April 2002. Canada’s JTF 2 was one of several international units in JSOTF-SOUTH who have been formally presented with this citation.
The United States Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allied nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after 7 December 1941. The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions as to set it apart and above other units participating in the same campaign.
JTF 2 is a Canadian Forces Special Operations unit responsible for federal counter-terrorist operations. It provides a force capable of rendering armed assistance in the resolution of an incident that is affecting, or has the potential to affect, the national interest. The primary focus is counter-terrorism; however, the unit can expect to be employed on other high value strategic tasks.
Just thought all y'all'd like to know.
The (Sunday) Times Online (UK) carries an excellent opinion piece, describing what is widely misperceived as The Wrong Target. As its subtitle states simply, “Terrorism, not America, is a real and present threat to our freedoms.”
Would that the rest of the world could display such sanity. (Okay, I’d settle for the adult population of the Opposition Party in the US.)
That's how I started my post over at Dadmanly. You can read the whole thing there, but something else happened on my way to an Update.
I didn't make the connection that this was the same "Times" which presented a photo of terrorist-assassinated Iraqis from a prior incident, with the caption, “Victims in Haditha.”
After much thought, comment and reflection, I have to say: Gerard Baker is one classy and subtle guy.
I am certain he had nothing to do with the photo mixup or outrageous "mis-captioning" of the photo with Sunday's Haditha story. And he wants to let his conservative and pro-war American readers and bloggers know, that yesterday, they aimed their fire at "the wrong target." Hence the title of his piece on Monday.
Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.
- George C. Marshall, 1880 - 1959
Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained.
- Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington, 1769 - 1852
Keep those in mind as you read this from the (not New York) Times.
The wrong target: Terrorism, not America, is a real and present threat to our freedoms.
Al-Haditha, a town on the Euphrates northwest of Baghdad, is still a place where fighters blend into the populace and literally use civilians as cover. Coalition forces may shoot only when threatened, ground rules that call for exemplary discipline and courage in conditions where their observance increases the risk of injury or death.
And just because I like it:
Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There's just too much fraternizing with the enemy.
- Henry Alfred Kissinger
H/t, Jim C.
As a hypothetical: What happens if a similar result were returned in the Haditha cases, if any? After the media has declared them "unprovoked" and "the My Lai of Iraq," a sitting Congressman and former Marine has declared it to be worse than what the media reported, etc, etc?
The Bagram case didn't get nearly the publicity. After so much of the political and media establishment have gone "all in" on Haditha, a result of "Not Guilty" would be a firebomb. It would be guaranteed to result in both a media storm declaring military justice to be slanted, and a political push to trim military autonomy by bringing the military justice system under some form of increased political surveillance.
That's a lot of pressure on the panels who might be hearing the cases. If that kind of pressure were being brought to bear from within the Executive branch, it would be a case of undue command influence. I'm not saying they won't get a fair trial -- I assume the jury will do its duty regardless of the pressure. I'm just saying that it looks to me like there's a similar argument shaping up to the "command influence" defense. I hope the media and political classes will awaken to the damage they could be doing to the process of justice, and back off their rhetoric.
Is a trifecta.
D-38. The cost of preparation.
H-5, D-Day. A Screaming Eagle jumps.
H-Hour, D-Day. A photo essay.
If and/or when a list of personnel comes out listing who is being charged with what – in the end, and after much time and money spent – the Jury will have the final say. Private Corsetti may never fully clear his name – but a Jury of his peers did what they could.
The jurors, who included five senior sergeants, two lieutenant colonels and two colonels, deliberated less than half an hour before returning their verdicts. They acquitted Private Corsetti even on the charge involving alcohol, which his defense lawyer, William E. Cassara, readily admitted.Not Army JAG's finest hour.
I've got an excerpt from a letter written by a Marine in Fallujah that I believe is worth your time. Original letter was published here.
In Fallujah, the people watch Al Jazeerah. However, they also watch CNN. A lot of them fear that the United States will soon cut and run. The people of Iraq see when our country is divided. When they see rallies to “Bring The Troops Home,” they see that as a sign that we will end our efforts prematurely.
Sec. Rumsfeld completes a successful visit to Vietnam. Limited officer exchanges via the Pentagon's IMET (International Military Education & Training) program are due in the near future, as well as cooperation on medical training, demining and finding the remains of Vietnam War soldiers. A new trade pact signed last week all but ensures Vietnam will join the World Trade Organization (WTO) by next year. Visits by US Navy ships will continue as well, with a 4th visit in 4 years planned later this summer.
And thus the US continues its string of diplomatic successes in SE Asia.
So I had to go find the first alphabet, too, and found Chairforce. I also found this cartoon. I think there are other people *cough*submariners*cough* who might fit that description...
Update: Bronze Star nonwearers, rejoice!
One wonders what the pubilc relations fallout of this will be. We're in a war of ideas, and I think the Army is foolishly handing our enemies and rivals a free victory. It just doesn't look right to the rest of the world for the US to be picking and choosing what parts of international law (which it helped create in the first place) it wants to adhere to now.
Philip Bobbitt, author of the seminal "The Shield Of Achilles", recently said it best:
You must bring the law into the closest possible coordination with strategy, and what this administration has done, and I support the war in Iraq, what they have done is heartbreaking, because they have steadily removed the greatest source of their power, which was the rule of the law. You may think of Abu Ghraib as a battle and we lost. Guantanamo is a battle that we have lost. It will cost us lives, it will cost us political influence, and above all it may cost us, our strategic objectives. Not simply by ignoring it but by having a studied contempt of the law, and not just international law, which needs desperately to be reformed, but for even our domestic laws. The administration has kicked away what should have been its strongest prop.
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