A Moment Of Truth In Iraq, Pt. II

Taking an American off the street and building him into a competent marine or soldier takes a long time. It's no different with Iraqis

I finished Michael Yon's book last night, and I have to say it may be one of, if not the, best books I've ever read. Again, I stress, everyone needs to go and buy this book. There are so many great stories of thing the troops are doing that you don't get from many media outlets. This book has changed my view of the war. Like most people, I thought the troops were just fighting terrorists and "building schools and hospitals". They are doing so much more. While they're out there trying to root out al-Qeada, they're also having to be diplomats building relationships with local tribe leaders to secure Iraq's future. I strongly recommend that EVERYONE get this book, but I think the people who will benefit the most from it are the people who want to start a withdrawal of troops, people who have claimed that Iraq is lost and those who want to stop funding the war. Read the last two chapters to find out why these are bad ideas.

What did I get out of reading this book? Well, I got a sense that despite what we see and hear in the news, the Iraqi people, for the most part, do want us there. Most feel safer around an American Soldier or Marine than they do they're own military or police. I got that yes, we did some pretty stupid and horrible things in the early parts of the war, but we're making up for it today. I got that with every one story you see on the nightly news about a bomb killing American troops and civilians, there are hundreds of stories of good things going on in Iraq that don't get reported. I got that the Iraqi people are standing up to al-Qaeda and have driven them out of just about every part of the country. Mosul is looking like it may be their last stand. I got that we need more troops and more money sent to Iraq. There's not enough of either. I got that we are winning this war and damn everyone who says otherwise. Before reading this book I was in the "let's give the Iraqi people an ultimatum. Stand up and fight, or we leave". No longer. They are standing up and helping the troops and to pull any out now, when winning this war is actually with in grasp, would be a horrible mistake.

Lack of restraint nearly cost us the war during the first couple of years. Leadership, character, and restraint are why we are winning the war in Iraq -- now

Reason 5 Why America Is Dying

Penn. Representative Paul Kanjorski is a dick. While I'm sorry if that word offends you, I'm not sorry I used it. Because he is. This moron wants the government to set up a "Reasonable Profits Board" to regulate just how much profit "Big Oil" can make. The government telling companies how much money they can make? This is the very basis of Socialism. What's stopping them from going a step further. Why not introduce a bill that states, for the continued safety of the planet and it's inhabitants, you are only allowed to have two children. I mean, less people equals less pollution.

Wednesday Heroes

UPDATE
Okay, the link should be fixed now.

CSM Robert Prosser and LTC Erik Kurilla
1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (Deuce Four)


LTC. Erik Kurilla and CSM. Robert Prosser's story is an amazing one. One that Michael Yon has told far better than I ever could. Warning. The site contains very graphic images. Some may want to turn off images before viewing.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Random Thoughts XXII

Why is it OK for women to talk while we're trying to watch something on tv, but if we try to talk while they're watching something they get pissed off?

He who has the remote has the power

There must be some mistake
I didn't mean to let them
Take away my soul
Am I too old is it too late?

Have you checked out my Myspace page? No. Well the link's right in the sidebar

Firefox isn't as totally awesome as people made it out to be a few years ago

It's 12:11 AM on Saturday, March 29

I love doing the Wednesday Hero posts, but sometimes I just don't feel like working one out. Sometimes there's so much info in an article that I can't fit it all into a few paragraphs. Plus, I hate typing

If you're a fan of Pink Floyd's The Wall, you need to pick up their live two disk Is There Anybody Out There: The Wall: Live 1980-1981. It's better than the studio version. Plus, you get two extra songs that were left off the studio version. The Last Few Bricks & What Shall We Do Now. Also, Richard Wright sounds amazing on keyboards on Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2. A real funk/R&B sound. The only complaint I have is that the transition from Waiting For The Worms into Stop is better in the studio version. It's more powerful.

Am I the only person who likes ABBA?

I hate time travel. It's too complicated. "Don't touch this bug, it might change the future".

Can you sneeze in your sleep?

What about burp underwater?

What's the point of having a fast car if it can't outrun a cop cruiser?

I don't like thongs

Is it a stereotype if it's true?



Pam Anderson hasn't been hot since she was on Home Improvement

It's 6:28 PM on Tuesday, April 15

Why do cats always look at you like it's your fault? They run across the road infront of your car, and then look back at you like you're the idiot who didn't see them.

UFO doesn't mean aliens

Barbecue so good it make you wanna slap ya momma

Time doesn't' really exist. It's just a man made idea. 2pm, 4:37am, 0530 hours. Not real. So you're never actually late or early

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

Oh, Stephen. Why?

I'm a Stephen King fan. Have been for years. But over the past few years he's gotten more hateful in his speech. He's a dyed-in-the-wool ultra hardcore Liberal, so it's not that big of a surprise. But his latest is over the top.

I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that.

He's making it harder and harder to be a fan.

From King's website,

That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt.

He can spin it anyway he wants, but there's no amount of spin that won't make what he said mean "only illiterate people join the military".

A Moment Of Truth In Iraq

I've been reading my signed copy of Micheal Yon's new book, A Moment Of Truth In Iraq, thank you Greta. I'm just about half way through and it is an amazing book so far. If you haven't picked up a copy yet do so. No. Right now. Stop reading this and go order a copy. I'll wait.

OK, good. If you already had respect and love for the men and women serving in the U.S. military reading this book will enforce that. These people are beyond extraordinary. There's one chapter that I liked in particular called De Oppresso Liber(to liberate the oppressed). Maybe Sens. Obama and Clinton should read this book. Maybe they would realize that their plans to pull out isn't so good after all. We pull out, the terrorists move back in and the Iraqi people know and fear it. There's also a great story about Muslims helping to rebuild a Christian church in hopes of getting their Christian neighbors to move back in. And here's something I didn't know. When al-Qaeda goes into a village and destroys it, not only do they rape the women but they also rape the young boys. I didn't know that. There are actually gay members of al-Qeada who help coalition forces track down terrorists. Who knew?

However, if you're expecting a book that cheerleads the war you're going to disappointed. Yon's not afraid to let people know where we've screwed up and who did it. The parts on Gen. Petraus really show where we screwed up in Iraq and what we should have done instead. And let me say this. Gen. David Petraus is the right man to be in charge in Iraq. You learn that real quick from this book.

Reason 4 Why America Is Dying

I won't link to it, but there is a website out there that is a "non-profit organization", as if it's some sort of charity, that allows blind people to hear a description of what's happening in a porno. Not the sounds of the movie but someone actually describing what's happening on screen.

Sheer stupidity and outright ignorance. This is what people are concerning themselves with? No wonder Akbar wants to kill us.