Yalla Ya Nasrallah

Watch this video and then try to tell me that the Israelis DON'T have the right attitude!

And I bet that they won't have their senior military brass censure their troops for singing it either....unlike the Marines did with "Jihadi Girl".

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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(First, a gargantuan THANK YOU to Delftsman, for offering up his forum for my thoughts. He's a brave man. ;-) And a card-carrying member of the Warrior Caste)

Recently on a prominent Milblog, this topic was debated in a very PC fashion by those formerly, or currently in the Military. They carefully danced around saying this outright, and I can see from their point of view why they might feel the need. I've always found soldiers to be a modest lot. (lol - in some ways) and most of them probably do believe there is no difference between those who serve and those who haven't donned a uniform.

I however, do not.

Okay I'll say it, proud and loud, to all you former and current military men and women out there:

I believe the Warrior Caste IS a better group of people on the whole. You understand and voluntarily embrace commitment to something bigger than yourselves. Being willing to risk your own life for a stranger, a buddy, a cause, an ideal, a country, is NOT COMMON FARE. It takes a level of courageous resolve not found in everyone.

Family members have been in the military for generations, back to the Revolution. My brothers and I didn't go in that direction, for differing reasons. Doesn't mean we're not good people, and tons just like us are probably your neighbors and friends and eventually, your coworkers. However, we all would be calling on YOU should an enemy suddenly land in our backyards. We could maybe hold the fort awhile, some of us, but troops would eventually have to come to rescue our tails. Knowing this truth, one does what one can to support you all in other ways.

You guys perhaps cannot agree without being jumped all over for being elitist. But I don't see it is a judgement AGAINST others, rather as an acknowledgement of what IS. We need folks like you; always have, and probably always will. We are damned lucky to have you.

The very, very, very, least we can do for you in return is support and defend you from your smaller enemies - the press, protesters, loneliness on deployment, making sure you can come home and carry on with your lives; by blogging, attending rallys, sending mail and care packages and helping out those family members you must leave behind - so that you can engage a more immediate threat, a more implacable enemy with that much clearer a mindset.

I cheerfully (and cheeringly) acknowledge that there are people braver than me, just as there are those who are kinder, smarter, etc. It seems like finding and learning from such folks is a good way to grow in these areas. Not denying that any area for growth exists!

Posted by: beth*A at 04:35 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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As of yet I haven't written anything about the events transpiring between Israel and Gaza...Lebanon...Syria...Iran..

Too many others can do a much better job of giving the history of the conflict and updates on the present state of the conflict better than I ever could.

Those that know me already know how I stand, it would just be self-indulgent fluff to try to just reiterate it.

For those that don't know me, let me just say that I believe that Israel has shown a remarkable forbearence in restraining itself in the face of overbearing provacations for many years, and it's far past time that the gloves to come off.

Israel is fighting for it's very right to exist...they tried appeasement, they tried political negotiation, they let their citizens live in an atmosphere of danger, not knowing where,when, or how bad the next act of terrorism would hurt them; without responding in a justified military fury. They have been subjected to UN resolutions calling them genocidal when they took any actions to defend themselves from these predations, and watched in silence as the rest of the world funded those that committed these brutal acts.

Enough is enough. I wonder if the IDF takes 52 year old cardiac patients that don't speak Hebrew?

The United State need do nothing at present other than to watch Irael show how it's done, oldstyle; and supply anything that the IDF/IAF need in the way of armament.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:58 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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MG of Iraqi Bloggers Central asked the two most important questions of those that are involved in the day to day grind of life in a war zone:

"In the end, do you feel that Iraq was worth your time and effort?"

"And could you tell us why?"

Not all the responses were positive, and thats to be expected,in fact it's good, because it shows that our men and women aren't the "jingoist rah-rah pawns" that the left would have you believe they are; but it seems that the overwhelming majority do believe that what they are doing/did was right and worth the sacrifices made.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:54 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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For the last three years, those of us on the right side of the blogoshere have argued that the MSM has presented a biased, anti-US picture of the action in Iraq, while the left side have claimed that the bias runs in the opposite direction.

Well, that argument will continue to be fought, I'm sure, but while the Leftsiders use their own filters of academics and feelings oriented to demonstrate their POV; I think that most of us on right side will continue to use those that have actually "been there, done that" to show our POV.

In the first week of June, there was a conference of General/Flag officers at Ft. Carson,Co. where some of the differences between the general perceptions of the general public and those that served in theater. were discussed, among other topics pertaining to the conduct of operations.

Here's just a taste:

Public Affairs: We are losing the public affairs battle for a variety of reasons. First, in Iraq, the terrorists provide Al Jazeera with footage of their more spectacular attacks and they are on TV to the whole Arab world within minutes of the event. By contrast it takes four to six days for a story generated by Army Public Affairs to gain clearance by Combined Forces Command, two or three more days to get Pentagon clearance, and after all that, the public media may or may not run the story.

and

Third, the stories that are filed by reporters in the field very seldom reach the American public as written. An anecdote from Col. McMaster illustrates this dramatically. TIME magazine recently sent a reporter to spend six weeks with the 3rd ACR as they were in the battle of Tal Afar. When the battle was over, the reporter filed his story and also included close to 100 pictures that the accompanying photographer took. TIME published a cover story on the battle a week later, allegedly using the story sent in by their reporter. When the issue came out, the guts had been edited out of their reporterÂ’s story and none of the pictures he submitted were used. Instead they showed a weeping child on the cover, taken from stock photos. When the reporter questioned why his story was eviscerated, his editors in New York responded that the story and pictures were too heroic. McMaster had read both and told me that the editors had completely changed the thrust and context of the material their reporter had submitted.(emph mine~D)

The Left says that the MSM is "the corporately owned lap dog of the Administration" while we on the Right have repeatedly pointed out that "stories always seem to be slanted against American interests". Probably both views have a modicum of reality to them (being biased, and a reasonably cogent type, I still subscribe to the Rights view as being the one much closer to the reality, of course).

Enough of my blather however, go read the link and see what you think.

to GuyK for the heads up

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:56 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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