A two-front war

I was re-reading Samuel Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" recently. The book was best remembered for his politically incorrect statement that "Islam has bloody borders," which was taken as controversial by the multiculturalists then at the helm of the national dialogue, despite the fact that, you know: It does.

It holds up pretty well, and reminds me that while we're currently engaged in a "two-front" war, it's not the one that most of us think about when we hear those words:

The more immediate threat to our social cohesion in America, according to Huntington, comes from the multiculturalist attack on those principles of Western civilization and what he labels the “American Creed”: Liberty, democracy, individualism, equality before the law, constitutionalism, and private property.

We know what the multiculturalists want to walk us away from. It isn't clear what they'd like us to walk towards. And their timing could not be worse.

Rememberance Day - Veterans Day - Armistice Day

Today is the day that we honor, thank and remember our men and women Veterans, those of yesterday and those of today, those that came home and those that didn't, those that stood up and answered the call.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— John McCrae (1872-1918)

Thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for our freedom and thank you in helping make this the greatest damn country on this planet.

Remember for many newly-returned troops, this is the first Veterans Day they will spend as veterans. This weekend, thank them and help us welcome them home.

For those that have been injured help us help them with Project Valour-IT - Voice Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops.
We, have been granted a reprieve, Valour-IT donations will continue thru Monday Nov 12

I want to thank all of our donors and team members for their generous support in this worth while program.

Others express thanks to our Veterans:

I love this quote by Lucianne Goldberg: “There are only two life forces that have offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I.”

What is a vet?

Google Finally Honors Veterans Day ; Having ignored Veterans Day since 1999, Internet behemoth Google has finally chosen to commemorate this holiday by decorating its logo.

Via email - Haider Ajina

Greetings,
Today November 11th is Veteran's Day. This is an opportunity to honor, recognize and thank our men and women who have served in the armed forces. Especially our men and women who have liberated Iraq, from the clutches of a brutal fascist dictatorship, and are now working tirelessly with enthusiastic Iraqis to bring Iraq into the 21st century. In free Iraq the law protects Iraqis’ lives, dignity and property. Free Iraqis’ religious practices, their free speech and their human rights is guaranteed by a constitution. Free Iraqis vote for their leaders, criticize them and live to tell about it. Free Iraqis are not systematically brain washed, not exiled, not tortured, not abused, not gassed and not killed by an abusive government.

Free Iraq’s economy is booming, commerce is flourishing, unemployment is plummeting, wages are rising, health care is improving, medicines are available, foreign investment is coming in. In free Iraq political debate is celebrated, free thought is encouraged, hundreds of newspapers have sprung up. In free Iraq, civil servants, teacher and doctors make 25 to 50 times what they used to. The number of vehicles on Iraqi streets has tripled in the last 3 years. Irrigation canals are carrying water again. Farmers are free to sell their produce in markets. The marshes have been 80-90% restored with wild life returning and Marsha Arabs returning to their old way of life. City folk are returning to their urban towns because they now have drinking water and power they did not have.

Iraqi schools have been modernized and rebuilt; school curriculum does not teach children to read by reading “I love Saddam”, curriculum no longer calls for bigotry, ethnic polarization and enticing violence and war nor is it anti-Semitic. History is not distorted. Just to list a few of the countless achievements in Iraq.

To all the men and women who have served and serving in Iraq, to all the families of those who have paid the ultimate price to all those who have suffered during their service in Iraq, my family’s and my deepest thanks, gratitude and pride both from my family in the U.S. and my family in Iraq for all the sacrifices, endurance and service for our great country and Iraq and the Iraqis. God bless all of you and keep you safe.

Regards
Haider Ajina
Mckinleyville.

Families of the Fallen

NYT: Bush and Relatives of Fallen Lean on Each Other

The Storeys, of Palmer, Mass., joined a growing list of bereaved families granted a private audience with the commander in chief. As Mr. Bush forges ahead with the war in Iraq, these “families of the fallen,” as the White House calls them, are one constituency he can still count on, a powerful reminder to an unpopular president that even in the face of heartbreaking loss, some still believe he is doing the right thing.

There's a bit of re-writing of history too:

That official, who would speak only anonymously, said the “overwhelming number of families talk about the good their loved one felt they were doing.” This official said families were not screened; when Mr. Bush is traveling, the Pentagon finds local families for him to meet. And not all the meetings are cordial; two years ago, one mother, Cindy Sheehan, emerged from her audience with Mr. Bush complaining that he had been dismissive of her, and went on to start a political crusade against the war.

On a CNN Wolf Blitzer Late Edition broadcast Sunday, U.S. Senators George Allen (R-VA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) both told Blitzer that in the furore created by the protest that they believe President Bush should personally meet with Cindy Sheehan. She is the mother of a soldier son killed in Iraq in April 2004, and leader of a protest march now camped near the presidential ranch in Crawford, Texas.

After returning from commercial break, Blitzer told his guests that CNN had just received a news bulletin from the White House. The bulletin said that Bush had met previously with Sheehan in the summer of 2004. Both Senators and Blitzer withheld further comment on the matter during the remaining segment of the show.

Later that day, Cindy Sheehan herself appeared on CNN Sunday with Blitzer and said she did meet with Bush in Seattle with fifteen or sixteen other families.

She defended her current protest by saying, "The whole meeting was simply bizarre and disgusting."

"'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.'

"The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.

"The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.

"For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.

For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.

"'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."