We Need to Finish This

Lt Col Buzz Patterson:
Today our troops are fighting a war that Islamic jihadists declared against the United States more than 25 years ago. Unfortunately and undeniably, there are voices in our nation urging Americans to turn their backs on our troops, cut off their funding, and force them to abandon their missions in Iraq in ignominious defeat.
We simply cannot and must not let that happen. We learned that lesson in Vietnam, and we can ill afford to repeat it in Iraq.

Carter Andress
Baghdad

We are winning this war. I write those words from my desk in the Red Zone in downtown Baghdad as hundreds of Iraqis working with my company -- Shia and Sunni, Arab and Kurd -- execute security, construction and logistics missions throughout the capital and Sunni Triangle. We have been here now over three years.

American-Iraqi Solutions Group, which I helped co-found in March 2004, has been intimately involved with creating the new Iraqi security services. Our principal business as a U.S. Department of Defense contractor is to build bases for the Iraqi army and police and then supply them with water, food, fuel and maintenance services. We are on the cutting edge of the exit strategy for the U.S. military: Stand up an effective Iraqi security structure and then we can bring our troops home.

/snip

I see no civil war between the Shias and Sunnis as I travel practically every day on the roads of Iraq with my Arab and Kurdish security team. The potential for renewed internecine warfare faded earlier this year, when al Qaeda failed to reignite the waning sectarian struggle the second time around with another attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra.

The perfect storm at the beginning of 2007 created the necessity of reconciliation. The Sunni Arabs who had used al Qaeda as leverage in the political struggle to re-establish their minority rule faced genocide in Baghdad from the Shia death squads. With pressure from the new Democratic majority in Congress, the Shia government of Nouri al-Maliki realized that time was running out for a dominant American presence in Iraq and finally allowed the U.S. military to clean up Sadr City, thus alleviating the death-squad activities.

Both the Sunni and Shia Arab sides of the Iraqi political equation (the Kurds have sided with us from the beginning) now see that there is no alternative to American protection. As a result, Sadr's people and the Sunnis have both returned to parliament. As always, democracy is messy, but it is working. We have to be patient, particularly because this nascent reconciliation has left al Qaeda as the odd man out.

Just as the rockets landing in the Green Zone are from a foreign source -- Iran -- the jihadis who destroy themselves in explosions aimed primarily at mass killings of Shia civilians are almost all foreigners. This is al Qaeda, not Iraq.

Even more to the point: The Iraqis basically ignore the al Qaeda car bombs, mourn the dead and then go to work, to school, join and continue to serve in the military and police -- and life goes on. There is no terror if no one is terrorized.

Let us, the American people, not be terrorized into retreating before our enemy -- al Qaeda -- just when they have begun to stand alone, stripped of allies, in a country beginning to enjoy the fruits of a democracy we have sacrificed much blood to help create.

Mr. Andress, CEO and principal owner of American-Iraqi Solutions Group, is author of "Contractor Combatants: Tales of an Imbedded Capitalist" (Thomas Nelson, 2007)

If you think the roads are safe...THINK AGAIN!!!!!

The AP is reporting that Teamsters will try to block Mexican trucks coming into this country.

WASHINGTON - The Teamsters Union said Wednesday it will ask a federal appeals court to block the Bush administration's plan to allow Mexican trucks to carry cargo anywhere in the United States.

The union said it has been told by officials in the Transportation Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that the first Mexican trucks will be coming across the border on Saturday.

It's wierd when issues put you on the side of people you would normally have no use for.

A little history is required here:
I spent 5 years driving a tractor-trailer; specifically I drove a moving van for United Van Lines.
I was an independent contract carrier. In other words I was non-union.
I drove in the late 70's to early 80's, and was driving at the time of the so-called "truckers strike", during which time I saw some of my fellow independents get shot at, have rocks , and in one instance a bowling ball, dropped off overpasses onto their rigs, and was a witness to one instance of a particularly nasty trick of hanging a five ounce lead fishing weight on mono-filament over the edge of a bridge wall at windshield height. The driver doesn't see it until the weight encounters the windshield. Imagine driving along at 65 MPH and suddenly your windshield shatters, covering you with glass...all of these incidents were allegedly perpetrated by union drivers (Teamsters) who were unhappy about the pending de-regulation of the trucking industry.
Coming from a "right to work" state, Virginia, my attitude towards unions has always been biased. Unions are for people who couldn't normally hold a job, and had to have the protection of an organization to keep them from getting fired for failing to perform their duties. I know thats a stereotype... We've all heard the stories. (The one exception to this, in my mind, is the UMW. If there was ever a class of workers who needed protection, it's the miners)

The one redeeming aspect of unions is SAFETY!!!!!!!!! Safety is paramount. Safety is Job One.
There is no other single issue more important than getting home after your job is finished in the same condition as when you left that morning.

This is why I have to stand with the Teamsters on this one. This is a not a "they're taking my job issue". This is a safety issue. If we start letting Mexican trucks into this country, it will be a disaster. There is no ICC, no DoT, no safety inspections, no verification of competence for drivers, that I am aware of, in Mexico.

The first Mexican truck that kills a family on vacation becasue the driver was inexperienced, or the truck wouldn't have passed one of our safety inspections, is going to be a very bad day for this country.

It goes back to one more thing: the borders
I haven't even broached the subject of terrorism. Whats to stop al'caca from loading up a truck with explosives and just driving right across the border?

CLOSE THE DAMN BORDERS NOW!!!

Jeeez Louise, what has to happen to make the government see the absolute stupidity of this?

DISCLAIMER: The above is the express opinion of a God fearin', USA loving, gun-totin' , cammo wearing, pickup truck drivin, country-music listenin', NASCAR watchin', terroist hatin', former Marine, redneck male member of society. No one says you have to agree.

The Fairness Doctrine? CAIR has it's own version

WND

Christian TV show out, Muslim pressure group blamed

....CAIR said it had asked earlier this month that CBS remove Keller's nightly talk show. CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier had told CBS chief Tom Kane as well as WTOG that he objected to the programming.
"In the hate-filled program, 'Live Prayer with Bill Keller,' Islam and Muslims are referred to in the most vicious and bigoted of terms. For example on May 2, 2007, host Bill Keller said: 'Islam is a 1,400-year-old lie from the pits of hell. It's leading a billion peoples [sic] to hell ... those who follow this false religion will die and be lost for all eternity.' On the same program, he also said, 'The false religion of Islam is about hate, lies and death,'" the letter said.
"It is our belief that anti-Islamic rhetoric like that used in 'Live Prayer with Bill Keller' is exactly the type of language that is likely to incite hate crimes against the American Muslim community," the letter said.....

OK let me get this straight...a Christian preacher interprets Scripture on TV and CAIR gets its' collective panties in a wad and suddenly it's hate speech.

Well, isn't that speshull (my very best Church Lady)

I guess I need to help a bit now...

HEY CAIR OVER HERE LOOK AT ME!!!!
Radical Islam is a religion of evil. It's practises make satan grin with delight.
Your people follow the teachings of a false prophet who screwed little boys.
Radical Islam IS A RELIGION OF HATE

Did you hear me???
Let me be perfectly clear:


RADICAL ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF HATE!!!!!!!

Come get me, you bunch of perverts..........

The Burdens of General Patraeous

Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online

Gen. Petraeus must cope with the reality that should a half-dozen, or perhaps even one, of his some 160,000 soldiers, in the heat of combat, shoot a wounded terrorist, the damage done could rival losing an entire battle — a fact well known to a religiously zealous enemy that feels no such humanitarian constraints. Radical Islamists may be the enemy, but American forces in the field must downplay, not accentuate religious differences, if they are to keep on their side Muslim forces loyal to an elected government.

II. Fighting For Democracy?
In the Cold War, America justified supporting authoritarian regimes in Asia, South America, and the Middle East on the basis of their expressed and shared opposition to Soviet-sponsored global communism. We had some nasty SOBs on our side in the Shah, Pinochet, Somoza, and Papadopoulos. The U.S. apology was that elected socialist governments would inevitably devolve into Communist ones, either by intent or subversion. With 7,000 nukes pointed our way, we supposedly had no margin for utopianism. So America erred on the side of short-term assumed loyalty, stability, and security.

But well before the Cold War, the United States put realist concerns above principled idealism. That’s why we generously supplied a mass-murdering Soviet Union in its war against a mass-murdering Nazi Germany or didn’t restrict too much the methodology that Chiang Kai-shek employed against Japanese invaders.

The present war, however, is again qualitatively different: We are not seeking to quell the violence in Iraq or Afghanistan by the imposition or use of a brute. Instead we expend blood and treasure in the hopes that a consensual government can fight as well as a dictatorship — while at the same time ensuring freedom for its people.

So in Iraq, not only are we waging a war according to American rules of engagement, but for the idea of constitutional government run by a poor, deeply traditional, tribal, and often religiously fundamentalist population.

General Petraeus knows that Iraq Security Forces can get information out of detained terrorists much easier than we can. But he also accepts that winking at systematic torture would be at odds with his directive to protect and promote constitutional government.

The “Invisible America” Hillary Never Sees

by Christopher G. Adamo

No politician of recent decades could match the Clintons for sheer audacity and brazenness. Time and again, they appear in front of the cameras to declare an alternative reality, which Americans are then supposed to accept, based solely on the volume with which the Clintons shout its existence. Hillary’s outrageous new campaign ad, which recently began airing in Iowa, stands as the latest example of the relentless and despicable Clinton political strategy.

In her ad, she seeks to sound alarms with the message “As I travel around America, I hear from so many people who feel like they’re just invisible to their government. Americans from all walks of life across our country may be invisible to this president, but they’re not invisible to me, and they won’t be invisible to the next president of the United States.”

In light of Hillary’s own past, such a statement represents almost unfathomable hypocrisy. If any living politician should hold the title for being aloof and indifferent, it is the former First Lady turned Senator.

A few of the more reprehensible examples of Senator Clinton’s behavior (though the list is by no means complete) should serve to remind us of just how outlandish it is for her to accuse others of being unreachable or unsympathetic to the plight of the common citizen.

Stories abound of Hillary Clinton’s tirades as First Lady, carried out in front of her Secret Service detail, who were regularly subjected to her profanity and venom. Surely, anyone with even a modicum of decency would spare helpless subordinates from the airing of such dirty laundry, unless of course she did not regard them and their sensibilities as sufficient to warrant any regard or consideration. They were, after all, merely servants.

In the same vein, America should never forget the disgraceful abuse of the Marine Corps Honor Guard, charged with sentinel duty at the White House. During official gatherings, some of these outstanding Marines, who had been rewarded with White House duty as a result of exemplary performance, were pressed into service as “waiters” and “bellhops” for the Clinton guests.

Once again, the disgrace being visited on them was a matter of complete indifference to the First Couple, who obviously considered them mere chattel to be exploited in any manner that the Clintons found convenient.

And the list goes on. Among the most despicable episodes of the Clinton Presidency was the criminal abuse of power in the firing of the White House Travel Office staff. Desiring to supplant the long time employees of the White House Travel Office with personal friends of the Clintons, Hillary determined that it would be more politically expedient to trump up some charges against the original staff, thus “justifying” their firing.

Did Hillary pause for even one moment to consider the devastation she was bringing upon wholly innocent federal workers, for no other reason than to protect herself from criticism? Eventually, the entire staff was exonerated from the spurious accusations, but not before some had consumed their entire life savings defending themselves in court, attempting to salvage their needlessly battered reputations.

In his pivotal tell-all book “Unlimited Access,” former FBI agent Gary Aldrich relates the rules of conduct instituted in the White House and Old Executive Office Building under the Clinton regime. According to Aldrich, staff members were to clear the hallways when Hillary was out and about. If anyone did happen to meet up with her in passing, they were not to make eye contact with her. In other words, as underlings they were to remain absolutely invisible to her.

Even while out among the public, Hillary’s actions bespeak of someone who remains deliberately out of touch with real Americans, at least when the cameras are not running. Firefighters and rescue workers at Ground Zero recounted the startling events of her visit, which corroborated the worst suspicions of her complete disinterest and lack of concern for them as human beings.

According to their first-hand accounts, when she appeared on the scene, Senator Clinton strode right past them with her photo-op crew, posed for a picture or two, and then left as she came in, without venturing even a glance in their direction. Clearly, other than their use as convenient props for her publicity, they were completely irrelevant and “invisible” to her.

Invariably, last week’s audience, whoever they may be, heard statements that have since been completely contradicted by what she now professes to this week’s audience. In essence, they immediately became “invisible” once the cameras were gone and they no longer were of any use to her.

Hillary Clinton’s behavior, while more blatant than that of Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, stems from the same basic character flaw that defines all liberals seeking or holding public office. In their minds, the real purpose of the “little people” whom they incessantly tout as their primary and heartfelt concern is to provide justification for the continued empowerment of the liberal agenda.

Thus can be explained every disastrous liberal social experiment, from the cesspool of public education where the children of so many Americans of meager means are hopelessly trapped, to the nightmarish prospect of a similarly structured government “health care” system into which Hillary and her kind would subjugate the rest of us if given a chance.

The real victims of liberalism remain invisible to its chieftains, except when being informed as to how lucky they are to be the “beneficiaries” of this enlightened bureaucratic compassion.

As such they will only ever be of value as long as they can be maintained in their underling status. Contrary to popular myth, Democrats do not believe in any virtue or worthiness of the “little people” except that they may be kept “little” in perpetuity.


Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer and staff writer for the New Media Alliance. He lives in southeastern Wyoming. He has been active in local and state politics for many years. His contact information and archives can be found at www.chrisadamo.com

Operation Eagle Justice

September 15 is swiftly approaching. Please visit the Gathering of Eagles website for more information on how you can join the Eagles in DC for Operation Eagle Justice and stand up for our courageous military and veterans. Anti-American leftist groups such as ANSWER and the Muslim American Society will once again bring their "anti-war" crowd to DC.

As they did in March, the GoE will be there, too, with a grand showing of support for our heroes in uniform and to protect our memorials from potential vandalism. From GoE's website -

"It is imperative that we stand up to them and every other anti-American group that will be there on September 15th. Our troops and our nation can settle for no less than victory in Iraq and Afghanistan…and we as Eagles can settle for nothing less than victory on the home front."

I couldn't have said it better. Let's support our troops and the Eagles this September 15! If you cannot attend, please see www.gatheringofeagles.org to see how you can support this critical mission.

MAF Gets Much Needed Help

From an Academy Award winning actor.

Melanie Morgan made the announcement Friday morning on her radio show.
You can listen here. You can download or listen. The announcement is about 45 minutes into the program.

The actor is none other than Mr. Jon Voight. Hopefully you were lucky enough to catch Mr. Voight's interview with a certain FoxNews host who does not allow bloviating.
Mr Voight is a true Patriot IMAO, and believes in the military, the mission, and the threat they are protecting us from.

According to Melanie, Mr. Voight contacted her with an offer to assist in any way he could, with the Fight for Victory Tour.

More details as they become available.

America Is What This Is About

I have a developed an intense dislike for proffessional politicans.

However, there comes a time when politics must play a role, and the reason is simple:
Politicians make policy and policy affects the military.
Whether it's active duty, retired or veteran, politicians ultimately decide the fate of many issues facing our miltary.
We must cultivate and encourage politicians who understand and are willing to make policy favorable to the issues. We have to make sure the politicians know there are ordinary American citizens, voters, who care about the way the government treats its' Warriors.

This is the least we can do for those who made the choice to serve.

No matter the member rolls, regardless of agenda, whatever name the group decides to call itself, what we do is for the good of this country and the men and women standing in harms way now, those who have bled for us, and those who have already been there.

We salute those who took the responsibility for our safety at the risk to their own.
We acknowledge the sacrifices of those who stand the fence and say
"Go to sleep. Nothing will happen tonight, not on my watch"

These warriors deserve nothing but our total and undivided commitment to their welfare, because they're a little busy right now, and probably don't have the time to do it themsleves.

We should be so consumed with this agenda that we don't have time for anything else, especially egos and personalities.

It's about the country and the troops. Because we won't have one without the other.

Eagles Landing, Move America Forward on KSFO Radio Friday

San Francisco – Col. Harry Riley, U.S. Army (ret.) representing Eagles Landing which is rallying pro-military forces to support Gen. David Petraeus when he reports to Congress in September, will be the guest of Melanie Morgan, Chair of Move America Forward, on her KSFO 560 AM radio show Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

In addition to broadcasting in the San Francisco area, KSFO can be heard on the Internet at http://www.ksfo.com/home.asp. Melanie Morgan and co-host Lee Rodgers broadcast from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., Pacific Time – 8 a.m. to noon on the East Coast. Bryan Sussman will join Melanie Morgan on Friday’s show.

Colonel Riley spearheaded the highly successful gathering of veterans in Washington last March that deflected left-wing pro-terrorism efforts to undermine the military and deface national war memorials. He is working with Eagles Landing, which includes veterans of the Gathering of Eagles, to again bring thousands of veterans and supporters to DC on Sept. 15.
Move America Forward is sponsoring a nationwide caravan that will start in California and arrive in DC to join with other organizations in a massive show of support for Gen. Petraeus and the military.

Col. Riley will discuss Eagles Landing’s efforts thus far, and additional steps that will be taken leading up to the Sept. 15 arrival date. He also will explain why veterans and supporters by the tens of thousands believe it is necessary to again gather in Washington.

A Message from Vets for Freedom

WEEK 6: "Cost of Defeat" Call-in Campaign
It has been brought to our attention that some of you may not have received the entire e-mail when it was originally sent. Below is all the pertinent information you will need for this week.In the past two weeks, Vets for Freedom has released television advertisements in 5 states (read about them here & here) and stood up State Chapters in 26 states. We plan to release 5 more TV ads this week, and formally announce 5 additional State Chapters. And every day, our membership numbers expand rapidly. Without question, we are on the offensive throughout America - communicating to members of Congress and the American people a very clear message: give General Petraeus, and his counter-insurgency strategy, the time, troops, and resources necessary to succeed in Iraq.

But rest assured, Washington DC-based, anti-war radicals are also active, and they plan to make their next political statement on Thursday, August 16th. According to a MoveOn.org strategy memo, they will "release a hard-hitting report to local media on what the war has cost your congressional district. This will happen on August 16th." MoveOn.org will send out press releases in every congressional district stating how much the Iraq War is costing American taxpayers. But, of course, they fail to ask a more fundamental question: what is the cost of defeat in Iraq? And what will it ultimately cost America-in lives, treasure, and reputation-if we declare defeat at the hands of Al Qaeda & Company?

What You Can Do This Week!
On Thursday, August 16th, as a direct response to MoveOn.org's crass attempts to politicize the Iraq War, Vets for Freedom is asking all of its members to participate in our "Cost of Defeat" Call-in Campaign.

And we are not alone in this effort.
We are proud to be partnering with Families United for the Troops and Their Mission, a grassroots coalition of thousands of Gold Star and Blue Star families including some with loved ones currently in harm's way. Both the troops-and their families-will be making calls this Thursday! So mark your calendar and call your members of Congress to explain the "Cost of Defeat" in Iraq. Tell them that defeat in Iraq would mean the following things:
A bloodbath in Iraq, costing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi lives and possibly destabilize the entire Middle East region.
A failed state in Iraq and a safe haven for Al Qaeda to plan future attacks against America and her allies.
An emboldened Iran in pursuit of nuclear weapons and a victorious Al Qaeda in pursuit of new ways to kill Americans at home and around the world.
For more tips and information about what to say when you call, please read the "Call Tips" section at the end of this email. We have provided a word-for-word script.


On Thursday, call your 2 Senators and 1 Representative. Call their offices in your home state and remind them of the "Cost of Defeat" in Iraq. Use the links below to find the phone numbers for your members of Congress: Contacting your U.S. SenatorsContacting your U.S. Representatives
After you have called your members of Congress, call the following 10 Senators and remind them what the "Cost of Defeat" would look like if they vote to undercut General Petraeus and the mission in Iraq in September. Phone numbers are provided below for phone numbers in their home state:
Senator Chuck Grassley
R - Iowa
515-288-1145
Senator Sam Brownback
R - Kansas
785-233-2503
Senator Pat Roberts
R - Kansas
785-295-2745
Senator Ben Nelson
D - Nebraska
402-391-3411
Senator Mitch McConnell
R - Kentucky
502-582-6304
Senator Norm Coleman
R - Minnesota
651-645-0323
Senator John Sununu
R - New Hampshire
603-647-7500
Senator Judd Gregg
R - New Hampshire
603-622-7979
Senator John Warner
R - Virginia
540-857-2676
Senator Mark Pryor
D - Arkansas
501-324-6336
When you're done with the calls on Thursday, please shoot a quick email to info@vetsforfreedom.org and let us know. And if you had any particularly interesting exchanges, we'd love to hear about it.

What Else Can You Do This Week?
Attend Your Senator's Town Hall Meetings. We need pro-mission veterans and citizens at every single town hall meeting in August, encouraging members of Congress to support the mission in Iraq. If you find out about a Town Hall meeting in your state, do two things: 1) Attend! 2) Let us know at joel@vetsforfreedom.org.

Sign Up to Show Up in September. We still need more veterans to sign up early and join us on September 17 & 18 at our nation's capitol. Just send an email to events@vetsforfreedom.org with your name, military bio, your home state, and contact information. Once we receive this information we can start the process of arranging your travel and scheduling your appointments in Washington, DC.

Visit our "Live From Iraq" Blog. Check daily for updates from Jeff Emanuel, Iraq war veteran and Vets for Freedom member, who is reporting from the front lines in Iraq. He will provide daily "on the ground" updates from inside the surge.Our comrades in Iraq have Al Qaeda on the run-and it's up to us to keep radical anti-war groups on the defensive for their ill-informed and partisan viewpoints.

When you call the senators, a few important things to remember:
Always be courteous. The person answering the phone is likely a young staffer.
If you are calling a Senator who represents your home state, say "I am from [City, State] and am a member of Vets for Freedom. I recently returned from Iraq [or insert relevant experience] and I respectfully request to speak with Senator [name]." When they ask to take a message, say "I'm calling to tell Senator [name] that I oppose MoveOn.org's attempts to undermine the mission in Iraq and to remind the Senator what the "cost of defeat" in Iraq would be. Defeat in Iraq would mean [cite three reasons above]... Please pass along this message to the Senator."
If you are calling a Senator who is not from your state, say "I am a veteran of the Iraq War [or insert relevant experience] who served with [insert unit] in [insert location] from [insert dates]. I am a member of Vets for Freedom and I'm calling to tell Senator [name] that I oppose MoveOn.org's attempts to undermine the mission in Iraq and to remind the Senator what the "cost of defeat" in Iraq would be. Defeat in Iraq would mean [cite three reasons above]... Please pass along this message to the Senator."

Move out and draw fire!
Regards,
Pete Hegseth
Iraq War Veteran 2005-2006
Executive Director, Vets for Freedom