From the mouths of babes:

There may still be hope for the U.S.A. yet, with a generation like this coming up.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:43 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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With all the Hollywood cretins coming out against the war in Iraq these days;comparing it to Viet Nam, it's nice to use the wayback machine and see what a prominent actor thought of of the situation then (circa 1966). Mr. Mithum was correct then, and would be correct in saying the same thing about Iraq now. Proof that being an actor doesn't necessarily mean that your brain has to have been turned to mush:

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's been far too long since I've had the energy or the fire to put up a decent post, and for that I apologize, but I think I've turned the corner on that front at last, and I sincerely hope that this is the first of many posts to come.

Part of the problem was that my medical conditions caused, as Ol' Jimmuh Cahtah would say: "a great malaise"; nothing seemed to penetrate the fog bank I seemed to be floundering in....poor excuse, I know, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Then I Beth*A came across this example of Hip-hop (of all mediums!) over at BlackFive that broke through the haze and really turned the light on for me again.

Please don't let the format put you off of listening to a truly powerful message. Those that know me KNOW how much I DESPISE the Hip-Hop/Rap genre, but this a case of the (very) rare exception to the rule:

(If you're like me and are hip-hop impaired as to comprehension of some of the words, I copied them from Blackfive and placed them below the fold.) more...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 12:09 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Check these out!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:07 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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It seems that there was a concerted effort by anti-war types within the Pentagon to convict the Haditha Marines of a so called "massacre", based on evidence PROVIDED BY THE Insurgents ISLAMOFACISTS on the other side of the events occuring on Nov. 19, 2005.

That members of the upper echelon of our own military would use such "evidence" provided by our enemy to try to prosecute our own soldiers is bad enough, but then we have them providing baseless accusations to the MSM. And THEN we have Rep. Jack Murtha (Jackass-PA),EXMarine, using that information, without even trying to ascertain it's authenticity.

He was trying to gain political traction on the backs of his former comrades in arms; ensuring that the "court of public opinion" would convict these men and ruin their reputations for the rest of their lives, regardless of the outcome of any legal proceedings......to my mind it demonstrates the self-serving degenerate slime that this EXMarine "War hero" has become. Mr. Murtha even went so far as to PUBLICLY try to convict the Marines involved even prior to reading an official report, which had not even been compiled as yet, relying on hearsay evidence of aquaintances (presumably) in the Pentagon.

Any reasonable person that had done any type of research into the case against the Haditha Marines should have smelled a rat after asking the first question that any investigator worth his pay asks; "what is the source and credibility of the information/evidence used against the accused"?

Mr. Murtha didn't even try to ASK this one simple question. He saw an opportunity to advance his own self-agrandizing anti-Bush agenda and proceded to loudly and publicly convict these Marines in the court of public opinion, with the all too gleeful assistance of the Media.
And he continued to do so even in the light of new evidence exonerating them.

There is a word for publicly accusing someone of serious crimes in public when you have a fair idea that the information you use to accuse them is incorrect, and that word is SLANDER

Mr. Gonzales, please, PLEASE: grow a pair and have the courage to to what is right and demonstrate that NO ONE is above the laws of our land, even those in high public office.

Prosecute Mr. Murtha to the greatest extent allowed by law and show the elites in Washington that they are being watched and WILL suffer the same fate as any other Citizen when they willfully transgress and break the law.

To the Haditha Marines: Realize that there ARE people pulling for you in your corner; maintain your faith and keep your heads held up proud and strong. Try to explore if there are any civil actions you can take against any accusers such as that piece of Murthaslime, and show him that a TRUE Marine NEVER gives up the fight against an enemy, whether foreign OR Domestic.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:35 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I found this at A Soldiers Perspective and thought it really should be given the widest viewing possible, so without furthur blather from me, here is:

When God created a United States Marine, it was into the sixth day of overtime. An angel appeared and said, “You’re having a lot of trouble with this one. What’s wrong with the standard model?”

And the Lord replied, “Have you seen the specs on this order? It has to be able to think independently, yet be able to take orders; have the qualities of both a military mind and a compassionate heart; be a leader of junior Marines and learn from seniors; run on black coffee; handle critical ops without a Military Procedure Manual; be able to manage a difficult subordinate, an irate supervisor and a demanding OIC; have the patience of a saint and six pairs of hands, not to mention the strength of three its size.” The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands - no way!”

And the Lord answered, “Don’t worry, we’ll make other Marines to help. Besides, it’s not the hands which are causing the problem. It’s the heart. It must swell with pride when other Marines do well, sustain the incredible hardship of combat, beat on soundly when it’s too tired to do so, and be strong enough to continue to carry on when he’s given all he’s had.”

“Lord,” said the angel touching the Lord’s sleeve gently, “Come to bed!”

“I can’t,” said the Lord. “I’m so close to creating something unique. Already I have one who can complete a 26-mile forced march with full pack, handle a 9mm and an M16 with astounding accuracy, conduct land navigation in the dark, and operate field communications.”

The angel circled the model of the Marine very slowly. “It’s too serious,” she sighed.

“But tough,” said the Lord excitedly, “You cannot imagine what this Marine can do or endure.”

“Can it feel?” asked the angel.

“Can it feel!” replied the Lord. “It loves the Corps and country like no other!”

Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the Marine’s cheek. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you you’re trying to put too much into this model.”

“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “That’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?” asked the angel.

“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, frustration, pain, loneliness and pride.”

“You’re a genius!” exclaimed the angel.

The Lord looked at her somberly and replied, “I didn’t put it there.”

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:54 PM | Comments (98) | Add Comment
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FRIENDS: Never ask for food
MILITARY FRIENDS: Are the reason you have no food.

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad.

FRIENDS: Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was wrong.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Would be sitting next to you saying, Damn...we f@#$ed up...but that shit was fun!"

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Cry with you.

FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"

FRIENDS: Are for a while.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Are for life.

FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "Bitch, you better drink the rest of that, you know we don't waste... That's alcohol abuse!!!"

FRIENDS: Will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will knock them the f@#k out!!

FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will forward this...

h/t j. McLeod

Posted by: beth*A at 01:33 AM | Comments (35) | Add Comment
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Kim du Toit calls for us to once again become "a nation of riflemen".

Lance Cpl. Galen Wilson, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., holds his rifle at a base in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, July 20.

LCpl. Galen Wilson exemplifies that credo. A designated marksman for his infantry platoon, LCpl Wilson has twenty credited sniper kills, with forty more 'probable' kills. Every one of those men had only one goal in mind: to kill as many of our soldiers as they could. As long as we have men such as LCpl Wilson that are ready,capable, and willing to do the dirty work of war, we will be a strong nation.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:06 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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A Marine footlocker plopped itself down with a ‘THUNK!’ on my porch today, with the help of a postal worker, who insisted on helping me lug it’s sandy, battered dark-green plastic self over my threshold.

The weighty locker’s arrival was not a surprise, as I had received an overseas call just days before from the young Marine Lance Corporal, a friend stationed in Fallujah, who had asked that I be ready to receive it in lieu of his wife who attends school out-of-state. There is only one correct response to that kind of request. ‘Absolutely!’

“It’s gonna be heavy”, he warned. Like I care. He and his unit are being redeployed stateside at the end of this month, having (God willing) survived 7 more months in the land of sun and fun that is Iraq. His buddy’s locker should also show up here in a day or two. I’ll drag it inside and add it to the pile of suitcases, golf clubs, book boxes and odds and ends of Marine regalia that currently litter most of my spare room.
One pair of spare desert boots sits perched atop the whole heap. There is always room for more.

I make it a point to ask them, these young men who represent the best of us, the wall of safety/blanket of security/ call it what you will, that we are so fortunate to have guarding our nation - one particular question when they come home. I fully intend to ask it of these two in the very near future.

No. It’s not the 6-million dollar question. ‘Didya kill anyone?’ They will get that one from every corner; the idly curious, the morbidly fascinated, concerned family members, those who only use it to condemn - and they each will have to respond to that question often enough for me not to ever want to add to that burden.

Many of them hadn’t heard my question before . One even expressed his amazement that ‘nobody else had ever asked him that’, and he’d been back nearly a year from his 3rd deployment in 4 years.

What I ask is this: Â’What did you do over there that you are proudest of?Â’

To a man, they have yet to give the same answer. The first response I received, a newly-minted Sgt. was quietly honored to be put up for a Bronze Star with a V for Valor, but he never did say what he’d done to have achieved that and it felt wrong to press. Another, a Corporal, had formed a close bond with an Iraqi interpreter who worked and lived at the camp where they both worked, it not being safe for the ‘terp’ to live off base with his family.

JC, the Marine who got me involved with this ‘fine mess’ that is the Marine Corps when he began moonlighting at my store, and who I thank nightly in my prayers for granting me the opportunity to get to know these young men and women, was both proud and relieved that he’d brought his whole Squad home, SAFE, from walking over 70 ground patrols in Ar Ramadi, one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq for our troops. Most of his men even thanked him, and said JC had been a hardass, but they understood now, why.

A 23 year-old LCPL, shot once, hit by an IED in his right arm and back, and who will probably be having PT for the rest of his days, - but who willingly went out on 2 more deployments after that even though he couldÂ’ve been medically discharged - said he and his buddies pulled some young Iraqi school kids out of a building that had caught fire. All suffered some burns as a result - but they got those kids out.

A Sergeant I work with now on Base, who happens to be a gifted artist, said he felt like the time he spent with local children, handing out school supplies and the cliché but oh, so important beanie babies and candy, and just being a sort of pied piper to the little ones, was something he still carried with him and always would. (He told me that when the big kids would snatch of the smaller kids freshly distributed soccer balls or stuffed animals, he would ‘make sure’ that the little ones would get them right back!)

Another Marine, who left just this Friday on his second deployment, said the first go Â’round he and his men Â’adoptedÂ’ one special little girl and they checked up on her, and made sure her family had things they needed. They were always hospitably received, and he raved about the goodness of their hot chai and warm bread! He is hoping to be able to hear of/see her again. Long shot, butÂ….
OneÂ’s unit laid the most communications equipment/cable in the history of the Marine Corps. Endless miles of the stuff. Yet another made sure his men got what they needed, supply-wise, becoming quite proficient at wheeling and dealing with both the locals and other logistics folks so that his unit didnÂ’t have to go lacking, ever. One time one of his CPLs busted a file cabinet that heÂ’d been putting together for a higher-up, who was furious. In a panic, the beleaguered CPL came to him to pay for another, but the PX was all out. It just so happened that the filing cabinet was the exact same one he himself had bought earlier in the week, though, so he gave the CPL his, gratis. Assembled and ready to go.

----------------------------

Some knew their answer to my question right away. Several gave me their responses a day or so later, after they’d mulled it over. I thought it spoke to their achievements in the sandbox that they had so many things to choose from that it took some thinking to single out the ‘best’.

I came into this from the outside world, having a Dad who served, but no one currently. These Marines IÂ’ve met through my work; either off, or now on, Base. If you ever wonder about the young troops of today, and whether they have what it takes to commit and fight, and achieve victory in this War, I can answer that by asking myself my own question:

What am I proudest of?

THEM.

Posted by: beth*A at 06:32 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Here's whats waiting for you if you dare to show yourself!

If you care to care to bask in more of the pulcritude that the IDF has, GO HERE.

To GuyK.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:51 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Caroline B. Glick has something to say about the proposed cease fire in Lebanon...I hope that the leaders of Israel and here in the U.S. take her advice to heart....otherwise, we're in for a struggle that will make Iraq look like a Sunday School outing...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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At least one of the Haditha 8 is starting to fight back. SSgt. Frank D. Wuterich has filed suit in federal court against Sen. John Murtha for defamation.

It's about damned time. I have the distinct feeling that there are going to be a lot of things coming out in this trial that a lot of the brass of the Marine Corps won't enjoy being have exposed.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is one Canadian that truly "gets it". He lays it all out.

to Liz at Explicitly Ambiguous

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yeah, it's a propaganda film extolling the virtues of a military branch, so WHAT?

The stats are impressive. I had never heard some of them...that, for example, Israel has only lost 27 aircraft in it's entire existance, while achiving an average kill ratio of 57 to 1. ANY military would be deservedly proud of performance like that.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:21 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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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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Odyseus has crafted a great cartoon about what he feels is the general consensus of feelings among Marines about Jack Murtha(D-Pa) and his recent efforts "in support of the troops".

Just HAD to steal borrow it...

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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