Watcher’s Council Nominations – Horses And Bayonets Edition

JoshuaPundit on Oct 24 2012

To send President Obama’s snide little comment from last night’s debate right back at him, he needs to find out how our military actually works. He could start by talking to a Marine or a soldier who’s had his or her life saved because he or she knew how to put their bayonet training to use.

Or to the men of the 10th Mountain, some of whom I’m honored to be acquainted with, who participated in an amazing but undereported endeavor known as Operation Mountain Thrust. It involved them landing by helicopter on the side of a mountain to outflank the Taliban, a position the jihadist thought was inaccessible. Horses and donkeys were used to cart supplies in on a daily basis.

Welcome to the Watcher’s Council, a blogging group consisting of some of the most incisive blogs in the ‘sphere, and the longest running group of its kind in existence. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council.Then we vote on the best two posts, with the results appearing on Friday.

Council News:

This week, The Grouch and The Pirate’s Cove took advantage of my generous offer of link whorage and earned honorable mention status with some excellent pieces they sent in.

You can, too! Want to see your work appear on the Watcher’s Council homepage in our weekly contest listing? Didn’t get nominated by a Council member? No worries.

Simply head over to Joshuapundit and post the title a link to the piece you want considered along with an e-mail address ( which won’t be published) in the comments section no later than Monday 6PM PST in order to be considered for our honorable mention category Then just return the favor by creating a post on your site linking to the Watcher’s Council contest for the week when it comes out Wednesday AM.

It’s a great way of exposing your best work to Watcher’s Council readers and Council members. while grabbing the increased traffic and notoriety. And how good is that, eh?

So, let’s see what we have this week….

Council Submissions

• The Right Planet – Mr. President, Here’s What Offends Me …
• The Noisy Room – A Red and Present Danger
• GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Austere Challenge 2012
• Joshuapundit - Heart Of Darkness – The Real Benghazi Coverup
• Simply Jews –  “Lomonosov or Zuckerberg?” or unbearable pain of a good priest
• The Colossus of Rhodey – Update to Education Notes Post
• Bookworm Room – Romney, even if he didn’t win the debate, walked out of the debate a winner
• The Independent Sentinel – Romney Ran Out the Clock to Victory During Third Debate
• Gay Patriot – Only people who call gay Republicans “faggots” sit on political left
• The Mellow Jihadi – The Appearance of Competence
• The Glittering Eye -The Endorsements Are Coming In
• VA Right! - From Strategy to Execution: Who Won the 2012 Presidential Debates?
• Rhymes With Right – Zero Tolerance Gone Crazy
• The Political Commentator – “Bar Stool Economics” helps to explain taxes Obama-style!
• The Razor – Rural Justice

Honorable Mentions

• The Grouch – Death Panels are HERE!
• The Pirate’s Cove – Hooray! With Two Weeks Left, Obama Finally Finds An Agenda

Non-Council Submissions

• Emmaus Ministries – Col. Davy Crockett on Government Welfare submitted by The Right Planet
• Sultan Knish – Obama’s Last Stand submitted by The Noisy Room
• Swampland – The Election’’s Real Foreign Policy Issue: War with Iran submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
• Bing West – First, Aid the Living submitted by Joshuapundit
• BBC Watch – BBC interviewee’s support for Greta Berlin’s antisemitic videos submitted by Simply Jews
• The Guardian UK – Secret cinema gently subverts Saudi Arabia’s puritanism submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
• White House Dossier -Romney’’s Brilliant Maneuver submitted by Bookworm Room
• Yid With Yid – Here Comes the Obama Hit Squad! submitted by The Independent Sentinel
• Commentary -War of the Late October Gaffes submitted by Gay Patriot
• Right Wing News – Interviewing Stephen Moore On The Truth About Opportunity, Taxes, and Wealth In America submitted by The Mellow Jihadi
• Glenn Greenwald/Comment Is Free – The remarkable, unfathomable ignorance of Debbie Wasserman Schultz submitted by The Glittering Eye
• Human Events – Obama’s “Horses and Bayonets” Insult Backfires submitted by VA Right!
• Prairie Pundit – Foreign election ‘observers’ warned to abide by Texas law submitted by Rhymes with Right
• The Investigative Project On Terrorism – A Red Carpet for Radicals at the White House submitted by The Watcher
• Seraphic Secret – Debate #3: The Statesman and the Community Agitator submitted by The Watcher

Enjoy! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that!

Technorati Tags: Watcher's Council,collection of articles,news,news nuggets,bloggers,blogosphere,debates,educate yourself,troops,alternative media,presidential debates,Election 2012,2012 Election,Marines,Benghazigate

Help Save USMC Sergeant Rex

Please contract your U.S. Senator, Senator Chuck Schumer, USMC or Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, who oversees military service dog training to help save Sgt. Rex and unite him in retirement with his partner Marine Cpl. Megan Leavey.

Marine Cpl. Meagan Leavey and her canine partner, Sgt. Rex, were trained to detect roadside bombs and other materials. Now, she's trying to adopt him before he's put to sleep.

‘REX is my partner. I love him’ – Retired marine fights to adopt military dog before it’s put to sleep.

The Blaze Marine Cpl. Megan Leavey served with her four-legged partner Sgt. Rex through two tours in Iraq, completing hundreds of missions searching for roadside bombs until an insurgent explosion took them both out of service.

More than five years later, Leavey, 28, is fighting to adopt the dog she handled since her earliest days as a Marine before the German shepherd is put to sleep.

“Rex is my partner, I love him,” Leavey, who lives with her father in Rockport, N.Y. and works as a dog handler, told MSNBC. “We have been through so much together…I’ve spent day and night with this dog. It’s a very strong bond.”

Leavey was discharged in Dec. 2007, but Rex — considered a valuable work dog — was put back in service after he recovered from his injuries. That was until a month ago, when he was diagnosed with a kind of nerve paralysis that left him unable to serve, the Westchester Journal News reported.

It’s now a race against the clock as Leavey struggles to cut through military red tape and adopt Rex before he is put down. “As a safety precaution, they don’t give all dogs away,” she told the Journal News. She said Rex, a strong “alpha dog,” never hurt anyone he wasn’t supposed to.

“The dilemma with me is the minute they say he can’t be adopted, because he‘s sick and because he can’t work, they’d have to put him to sleep,” she said. “Not because he’s too sick to live a good life, but because they can‘t utilize him so it wouldn’t make sense for them to keep a dog they’re not going to work at the kennels. I don’t want to let that happen.”

But time is ticking, she said. “This is not [the Marines'] first priority,” Leavey told New York Fox affiliate WNYW-TV. “A lot of times it gets lost in the shuffle.”

To help speed the process up, she reached out to veteran’s organizations and to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who sent a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, who oversees military service dog training. In the letter, Schumer detailed the relationship Leavey and Rex had and credited them with saving countless lives, according to the Journal News.

If Leavey’s request is granted, Rex will enjoy a sizable home with a fenced-in yard. Until she hears more, all she can do is wait. “It’s a partnership,” Leavey told the newspaper. “I feel like I know Rex so well. I’m so looking forward to seeing him again.”  barenakedislam

Sergeant Rex: The Few. The Proud. The Marine K-9 that Must Get Home

What will it take to realize the contributions that dogs provide to humanity in peacetime and in war? If you’re going to say a cup of Alpo, then maybe you should own a cat. Seriously. Without question, dogs have proven their place within the echelon of our combat fighters serving overseas. At home, they’re just as capable of saving lives, detecting cancer, building morale, helping the blind or just making you laugh. Some of them can even dial 911 nowadays.

They know your quirks. They understand you too damn well. They can sense your enemies. No matter what they persevere through in life, they without question will remain by your side until the very end.

Maybe you think that sounds a bit “extreme” for some folks who don’t see dogs taking their rightful place by the side of man (and women). Well if you’ve ever been crossing a street wondering when the next IED will go off around you, then you’d probably have a change of thought. I could not even imagine doing this, let alone having a furry companion by my side wondering what danger the next dark, dusty, street corner could bring. The more we look at our dogs as accessories, the more damage we’re doing to their existence. We are short changing the number one species on this planet that can help progress humans beyond our own character flaws. Put a peace-preaching animal lover in the same room with a hard-as-nails veteran K-9 handler and rest assured they will have a lot in common. How many people do you know are capable of loving you for who you are while at the same time taking a bullet for you – without question?

Steadfast loyalty, trust, and instinct are something that no cruise missile or predator drone can ever come close to. You can enhance weapons system all you want, but a dog will get by in the field without tools, batteries, or even body armor. The evolution of our dogs in war did not require a circuit board upgrade, they simply adapt by nature. During World War I they were tasked with killing rats in the trenches. Today they faithfully serve our soldiers as patrol dogs, IED detectors, scouts, messengers, and even parachute behind enemy lines. One could argue that, along with our omnipotent United States Army Rangers, our war dogs will always “lead the way“.

During two dangerous tours of duty in Iraq, a German Shepard named “Sergeant Rex” lead the way along with his handler, Corporal Megan Leavey. Both of them were severely injured in an IED attack. As you can imagine and IED can inflict as much mental damage as physical damage to a soldier. These scars do not stay in Iraq. They come home with you. Her K-9 partner does not just deserve “to come home”. It is required that Rex comes home to be with Megan and live a normal life that he earned, as did Megan, in Rockland County, NY.

Sergeant Rex, at 10 years old and considered no longer serving, probably possesses the same stubbornness and vigor as General George S. Patton. Old and wise beyond his years, seeing firsthand the intensity of combat, his situation is mired in “bureaucratic red tape”. Our politicians say they are trying to “work the channels” so Megan and Rex can be reunited through adoption.

A battalion of Marines, gear, and tech can be deployed anywhere in the world within 24 hours or less. You’re going to tell Corporal Levy that you can’t fast track a dog adoption? You don’t need a government accountant to figure this out. After all, our politicians fly luxury jets across the country to attend cocktail parties and rallies. Wouldn’t it be nice if he could hitch a ride back to New York?

Imagine a dog that saves your life in war, only to be left behind while you go home to relive, re-imagine, and repeat every nightmare scenario that you encountered during your tour(s). Now imagine this dog, who probably saved countless other Marines, has to sit in a kennel with other dogs – only waiting to be put to sleep.

Fellow soldiers recount their experiences with each other as a form of therapy. Sergeant Rex, alongside Megan, forged through blood, sweat, and fire must start a new life and serve his country in a civilian capacity. Like two old soldier buddies sitting on the porch recounting their days in Korea or Nam, you simply cannot deny this companionship. It is a companionship that leads the way for humanity.  by gspecadmin on March 10, 2012

BNI READER Barbara kindly gave us a link to Baghdad Pups. I’m going to write to them and see if they can help with this. Maybe you can too: OPERATION BAGHDAD PUPS

Source: Just One More Pet

"I'm 63 and I'm Tired"

by Robert A. Hall

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish our black President was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing , all-intrusive federal government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight man-made global warming, which no one is allowed to discuss or debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Albert Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or a life of crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military ... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and self-absorbed journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or middle-class or poor.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, plasma color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have these things in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the tax dollars flowing to their causes.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making for the rest of us. I'm just sorry for my young, beautiful granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate - Read More at Tartan Marine

Outcry Over Vets' 'End of Life Care

The guide, called 'Your Life, Your Choices,' was suspended under the Bush administration but has been revived under the current Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sen. Arlen Specter on Sunday called for hearings to scrutinize a guide for veterans' end-of-life care which one former Bush official says sends a "hurry-up-and-die" message to injured troops.

The guide, called "Your Life, Your Choices," was suspended under the Bush administration but has been revived under the current Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jim Towey, former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, told "FOX News Sunday" that the document makes injured veterans feel like a burden, encourages the severely injured to die and should be tossed out.

Asked about the document, Specter, a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, said it raises "a lot of questions" and that he would call for hearings immediately.

"I think consideration ought to be given right now to suspending it pending hearings," Specter, D-Pa., told "FOX News Sunday."

Towey first wrote about the revival of the manual last week in The Wall Street Journal.

"This is a slippery slope," he said Sunday. "When you look at the book it makes people feel like they're a burden and they should do the decent thing and die. ... When a veteran comes back from Iraq, they shouldn't be given a book like this."

Towey called the guide "fundamentally flawed" and said it should be pulled from the Web site.

But Tammy Duckworth, an injured veteran who is the assistant secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the manual is still under revision -- as stated in a disclaimer on the official Web site -- and has not officially been "reinstated."

She said it was one of many options for injured veterans, calling it "simply a tool."

"This ultimately is about the ... health care for veterans," Duckworth said.

Though Duckworth said the document has not been fully vetted, an official directive from July tells VA health practitioners to refer veterans to the document. Duckworth questioned whether that directive had been authorized at the highest levels.

Towey said the questions posed by the guide embed the suggestion that veterans who are suffering may want to choose death.

One section titled, "What Makes Your Life Worth Living?," offers a checklist of scenarios -- the person filling out the form is asked to rate whether life would be worth living under each of them.

"I am a severe financial burden on my family," says one of them. "My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family," says another.

Click here to read the "Your Life, Your Choices" guide.

Posted: Daily Thought Pad

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Memorial Day Message From Lt. Col Oliver Nortth

Dear Proud American,

Thank you to all those who have worn this country's uniform and have served in our Armed Forces. We especially pay tribute to those whose lives were lost in defense of this country.

Memorial Day, is a special time for all of us to remember that America enjoys freedom today because of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines who have sacrificed their lives for the defense of our nation.

In Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I’ve seen these heroes make that final sacrifice for our country. It’s never easy. What makes it more difficult is to know that this American’s dying prayer is for a loved one back home.

Their last appeal is to us – their fellow countrymen – to care for the families they’ve left behind.

That is what we do here at Freedom Alliance – we care for the families they have left behind. Our Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication of our servicemen and women, who have sacrificed life or limb in defense of our country, by providing educational scholarships for their children.

One of our scholarship recipients is Andrea Padgett, who just graduated earlier this month from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Andrea’s father, Chief Warrant Officer Elmer Padgett, flew helicopters for the United States Army.

Sadly, Andrea’s father was killed in a helicopter crash just before her first birthday. Even though she barely knew him, his life is an inspiration to her today: “I have grown up aspiring to achieve the level of courage, bravery and dedication that my father achieved while serving in the United States Army. He has not only shaped my entire life and choices through his service, he has also touched many other people’s lives. Because of his choice to follow his dream of becoming a pilot, I have gained the courage and inspiration to follow my own dream of being a veterinarian, even though people have told me of the challenges involved.”

We cannot bring Andrea’s father back to her, but we are deeply honored that the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has helped make her father’s dream of a college education for her, come true.

Providing scholarships to the children of our heroes is our way of honoring their service and sacrifice. Will you help us in this cause with a special Memorial Day contribution to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund? Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, a “Living Memorial to America’s Military Heroes.”

Through the generosity of many patriotic Americans, the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has awarded $2.5 million in scholarships to hundreds of young Americans all around this great country. However, the need for our Scholarship Fund is ever-increasing. More than 4,900 American servicemen and women have been killed during Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind thousands of young children who deserve our help.

With your special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, these children will not only attain a college education, but they’ll know that their parents are heroes – not because of the way they died, but because of the way they lived. Please GO HERE to make your gift now.

I also invite you to join me in honoring our brave defenders of freedom this Memorial Day by supporting the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. This year-round outreach honors members of our Armed Forces – those who have been wounded in combat and are recuperating at military hospitals throughout the United States – as well as those currently serving on the frontlines.

The Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program regularly receives requests to help wounded troops who are recuperating in Wounded Warrior Transition Units and military hospitals all around the country.

Thanks to the generosity of many patriotic and generous Freedom Alliance supporters, we recently were able to help two combat-wounded veterans, Master Sergeant Dexter and Specialist Doug, by flying them from Fort Bragg in North Carolina out to Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Desert, California to meet and train with their new, seeing-eye dogs. MSG Dexter lost his sight during a demolition training accident while gearing up for deployment and SPC Doug lost his sight when he was hit by an IED during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After returning home with their dogs, Freedom Alliance received this thank you from SPC Doug: “Just wanted to thank you for all your help in getting us, Dexter & me, out to Palm Desert to receive our guide dogs. It was a great and moving experience. Here is a photo of our class at the war dog memorial. My dog’s name is Zihn. Thank you again!!”

Please GO HERE to make your most generous Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. Your support NOW will enable us to continue providing grants to our combat-wounded heroes, and also provide support to our troops on the frontlines.

Freedom Alliance continues to send care packages, which include thousands of cards and letters of appreciation, to those risking their lives on battlefields all over the world. Recently, at a Freedom Festival in Jackson, Tennessee, hundreds of patriotic Americans collected more than 3,000 pounds of goodies and much-requested items for Gifts from Home care packages that Freedom Alliance shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan, just in time for Memorial Day.

So, I come to you, with an urgent appeal to open your heart with your most generous contribution to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Having made 11 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, I can tell you how much these Gifts from Home mean to these courageous men and women, who are so far away from home and their families.

This year, Freedom Alliance has hosted Troop Appreciation Dinners and other special events for service members in 10 different states. Many more Support Our Troops events are planned throughout the rest of this year to thank our troops for their service and sacrifice for our country and to give them an enjoyable time out with their friends and families.

Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible and special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Will you please join with me and Freedom Alliance to pay tribute to our front-line warriors and their families? May we count on you, as together we honor and thank them for the sacrifices they have made for our country and please keep them in your prayers.

Semper Fidelis,

LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.)
Founder and Honorary Chairman
Freedom Alliance

P.S. Join me in celebrating Memorial Day by flying Old Glory and saying “Thank You” to our troops and their families.

Posted:  Ask Marion – Daily Thought Pad

US Ship Captured By Somali Pirates-- 20 Crew Members Held ...US Crew Retakes Ship... Pirates Capture Captain of U.S. Ship

Joe Biden was wrong (again): He should have said our President will be tested MANY times in the first 100 days...

That US ship picked the wrong time to be hijacked.
20 US crew members were taken hostage by Somali pirates today.

The hijacked vessel carrying 20 Americans is believed to be a Maersk cargo ship, similar to one seen in this photo. (FOX)

The US Navy has ordered its ships to the scene.
Team Obama said they were monitoring the situation.
No doubt, they are looking for a place to hold talks.
FOX News reported:

The U.S. Navy ordered its ships to the scene of a hijacking off the coast of Somalia Wednesday after pirates commandeered a U.S.-flagged cargo ship crewed by 20 U.S. citizens.

Officials would not say how many Navy ships are on the scene nor would it confirm the nationality of the crew members, but sources told FOX News the Danish-owned ship is operated by U.S. shipping company, Maersk Line Limited.

Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said he has "no information to suggest the 20 crew members of the Maersk Alabama have been harmed by the pirates."

The Department of Defense has taken the lead on information-gathering. Whitman declined to comment when asked if military action would be taken.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the White House is "closely monitoring the apparent hijacking of the U.S.-flagged ship in the Indian Ocean and assessing a course of action to resolve this situation."

TigerHawk says this is "testing time" for Team Obama.

UPDATE: The Americans are holding at least part of the ship.
CBS News is reporting, via LGF:

The crew of a hijacked U.S. cargo ship is in a standoff with Somali pirates after attempting to retake the vessel, military sources told CBS News correspondent David Martin.

The sources told CBS News that crew members overpowered the pirates, taking one into custody, but the hijackers still held the ship’s master hostage.The American crew is in control of at least part of the ship and crew members have been in contact with their families.

There has been no official confirmation regarding the ship’s status.

FOX News has more.

COMMENT:  Talk about not getting things squared away... My stepson served in Somalia in the 80's where the American Marines were spat upon and not allowed to react. My daughter had her Semester at Sea sailing re-routed by these same Pirates in 2005 and it is all only getting worse...

Thoughts For The Day For Veterans Day Observed

“All of us who served in one war or another know very well  that all wars are the glory and the agony of the young.”

     - President Gerald R. Ford

History of Veterans Day

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day to remind Americans of the tragedies of war. The fighting in World War I had ended a year earlier, at 11 A.M., November 11, 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month).

Two years later on Armistice Day, an unknown American World War I soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., in the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Thousands of people came to watch the elaborate ceremonies that took place. Similar ceremonies had taken place the previous year in England and France: an unknown English soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey in London, and an unknown French soldier was buried at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution calling for the observance of Armistice Day in schools, churches, and other suitable places. Twelve years later the day was designated as a national holiday. In 1939, a year after Armistice Day became a national holiday, World War II broke out in Europe. The start of this war ended the idealistic hopes that World War I was “the war to end all wars.” Over four hundred thousand American troops died in World War II.

After the Korean War (1950–1953), during which over 36,000 Americans died, Congress considered making Armistice Day a day to commemorate veterans of all wars, not only those who served in World War I. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming the holiday a remembrance of all wars and changing its name to Veterans Day.

A law passed in 1968 moved the Veterans Day celebration to the fourth Monday in October.

However, the original date, November 11, was historically significant to many Americans, and ten years later the observation of Veterans Day returned to its original date.

In 1958, two more unidentified American soldiers were laid to rest next to the unknown soldier of World War I. One of the soldiers was killed in World War II, and the other in the Korean War. In 1984, a fourth unknown serviceman was added to the tomb. He had died in the Vietnam War.

However, in 1998, the identity of the Vietnam War soldier was discovered through DNA testing, and his remains were returned to his family. The crypt reserved for the unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is now empty.  Veterans Day celebrations include parades and speeches held in towns and cities throughout the United States. The focal point for national ceremonies, however, continues to be the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery and the amphitheater surrounding it.

Every year, special services begin at 11 A.M. with two minutes of silence. After the playing of “Taps,” the president places a wreath at the tomb. A color guard procession and several speeches, one of them usually by the president, follow it. Approximately 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Today marks the anniversary  of the armistice that ended World War I, a day now  known in the U.S, as  Veterans' Day. I never served in the military, for which I am sure they are  thankful. Like many others, I certainly have not approved of all the military adventures in  which our nation has participated, but I honor those who have served. On this day I say, "Thank you!" 

“However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind.”   …General Douglas MacArthur, 1880 - 1964 

 

Veteran’s Day Recipe:  Navy Bean Soup 16 ounce package dried navy beans water 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 1 onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 pound chopped ham 1 cube chicken bouillon 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley salt & pepper to taste 1 bay leaf Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover the beans but an inch or so. Drain. Combine beans, vegetables, ham, seasonings and enough water to cover in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for two hours.  Add more water 2-3 cups or as much as needed. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 2 hours. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Please add our troops and their families to your Christmas and Thanksgiving prayers!  Remember, whether you support the present war or not… We are at war and we have troops giving their lives almost daily~

 

Also… yesterday, November 10, 2008 was the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. 

Marine Corps Tribute

 God Bless Our Troops Everywhere!!