Duty

Scott Ott:
"Men volunteer to fight, bleed and die for the United States of America because she is the last, best hope for peace and freedom on earth," he said. "They consider the evidence that America has pushed back the veil of tyranny and saved countless millions of men, women and children from imprisonment, torture, starvation, humiliation and brutal death. And they act on that evidence, knowing that the blood of free men is always the price of freedom. While critics jabber about global diplomacy, these men step into the breach to shield us all from the peril of our naiveté about the so-called 'basic goodness of humanity'. These men don't think America is perfect, because they know the evil that lurks in each of our hearts. But they devote themselves to preventing untrammeled wickedness from roaming the earth. Their heads are clear. Their hearts are steadfast. And their sense of duty has shut down gulags, death camps and dictatorships for nearly a century. You can't lure these kind of men with money, slick advertising or blue-sky promises. They need money, but money does not stir their hearts. These men are attracted by the grind, the challenge, the moral obligation and even the thrill of knowing that your heart beats, bleeds and may ultimately stop in service to a dream -- an ideal that has found practical expression in a nation, under God, that we call the United States of America. Most ordinary men live their whole lives in search of meaning, purpose -- a cause to which they can give their hearts. They know the desperation of their empty pursuit of pleasure. They long to spend themselves for something greater than themselves. They know that the grave awaits each of us. They hope to really live before they die. And when, on the street or at the mall, they see a man in uniform, they're filled with gratitude and awe. As they shake his hand and thank him for his sacrifice, they see a reflection of themselves as they wish to be. In a very real sense, those who sign up to serve in the United States military sign their own death certificates. Yet by surrendering their lives, they come to know the joy of duty and the satisfaction of service to others. What else could inspire a young man to step out from his among his teenage friends and to put on the uniform that marks him as the target of every terrorist on earth? Duty. Duty driven by love. Greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friends."
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Oliver North: Words Have Meaning

Oliver North's thoughts on the dumb ass "Dick" Durbin's thoughtless comments and non-apology:

Some people just don't get it. John Kerry couldn't figure out why his fellow swift boat veterans attacked him so vehemently after launching his Presidential campaign with that "reporting for duty" line. Jane Fonda confesses to being "befuddled" about why Vietnam vets, many even older than she is, hurl epithets -- and more -- when she shows up to hawk her books. And now, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and his colleagues are wondering why so many people refuse to accept his "apology" for slandering the men and women of our armed forces by likening them to those of Hitler, Stalin and Cambodia's Pol Pot. In failing to comprehend the consequences of their words and actions, the Fonda-Kerry-Durbin trio serves as an archetype of the far left in misunderstanding the antipathy most Americans feel toward those who aid and abet our enemies. Of the three, Mr. Durbin's June 14 verbal assault from the well of the U.S. Senate is the most egregious. Ms. Fonda's self-gratifying capers with the communists in Hanoi were conducted as a private citizen. Mr. Kerry was in a similar status when he made his unfounded, attention-grabbing atrocity accusations in 1971 before a congressional subcommittee. But Mr. Durbin is no private citizen. He's the Minority Whip, the number two ranking member of his party in the Senate. His were no "off the cuff" remarks. His unsubstantiated accusations of "barbaric treatment" at our terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo came before an assembly that arrogantly describes itself as "the world's greatest deliberative body." Thus it could not have been a surprise to him or his fellow-travelers that his words flashed around the world, demoralizing our troops in the line of fire, and offering our enemies a propaganda windfall. Every major media outlet throughout the Middle East gave "lead story" status to Mr. Durbin's unconscionable remarks. Two days later, after he refused to recant, Al-Jazeera, Saudi Television, Al-Arabya, Lebanon TV, and other mouthpieces for our Islamo-fascist adversaries gleefully reported, "U.S. Senator Stands by Nazi Remark." And, unsurprisingly, Mr. Durbin's belated, tearful, pseudo-apology on June 21, has been ignored by that same media. And he still doesn't "get it." Those who now say "we can put the situation behind us," because Mr. Durbin has finally done "the right thing," are wrong. First, the serious damage done to our country and our military will not be easily undone. Second, what Mr. Durbin offered was no apology or act of contrition: "I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings." That's not a "sincere expression of regret for an offense" -- one of the definitions for an "apology." It is, instead, a further affront to those of us who were obtuse enough to have "misunderstood" his true feelings. Apparently we should have perceived that comparing young Americans in uniform to mass murderers like Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot were terms of endearment. For the record, the combined dead from Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, Soviet gulags, and the Nazi death camps approaches 40 million. To date, the death toll at "gulag" Gitmo is a hefty zero. Zilch. Nada.
As if to prove that he might have real regret for offending some people, Mr. Durbin says, "I am sorry if anything I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time." But when it comes to the men and women of our military it's a different story. Mr. Durbin claims, "I never ever intended any disrespect for them." But then he adds, "Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line to them I extend my heartfelt apology." Try unpacking that. "Some may believe" doesn't confess that he believes his "remarks crossed the line." This is hardly an acknowledgement that he knows how wrong, offensive and damaging his words were to our armed forces and our country. I confess to having done the same thing during a recent television interview. In response to a question I said, "Senator Durbin is Jane Fonda without the tummy tuck and face-lift." Immediately afterwards I was called by a "colleague" and asked if my comment was "over the top," and would I "like to apologize?" Only partly tongue-in-cheek, I replied, "I really don't know if Ms. Fonda has had a 'tummy tuck.' If my remark offended her, I'm sorry." But I wasn't sorry for an affront to Senator Durbin -- nor has he been able to express regret for his attack on our armed forces. Sadly, Mr. Durbin's colleagues have rushed to defend the indefensible. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said "I stand by the statement he made." He then added wishfully, "we are not going to discuss this any more." New York Senator Chuck Schumer tried blaming Republicans, whom he said, "will do anything for a diversion." And California's Dianne Feinstein now claims that things might get better if President Bush gives "regular progress reports to Congress and the American people," and says of Mr. Bush, "It's his war." Perhaps Ms. Feinstein wants us to forget not only Senator Durbin's unconscionable attack on our troops -- but her own affirmative vote on October 11, 2002 in favor of the Iraqi War Resolution. It's her war, too. Those on the far left are employing the same kind of rhetoric and tactics that worked during the Vietnam War -- where overheated rhetoric and the most vile slander are acceptable if they tarnish the President and hurt our war effort. They have no shame. They play politics like the Islamo-fascists conduct warfare -- dirty, ruthless, reckless, with no discernible rules, no regard for fact, and no compunction about stabbing people in the back.

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More From Michael Yon in Iraq

All that remains of a "suicide" bomber.

Battle for Mosul, Part III

Go on over to Michael Yon's online magazine and read this post about the struggle to free Mosul from the oppression of the terrorists. There is a great deal of progress being made that you will never hear about in the "mainstream" media.

Also read this post: Walking the Line which describes Michale Yon's encounter with the top enlisted soldier in Iraq CSM Mellinger.

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Michael Yon: Lost in Translation

Michael Yon is a freelance journalist currently reporting from Iraq.

In this recent dispatch from Michael Yon: Online Magazine, he travels to the village of Yezdinar. Here we learn of an ancient and mysterious religion called Yezidism. It is an interesting combination of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and even Zoroastrianism. They love and respect both Jesus and Mohammed, although they do not believe them to be prophets. These people were heavily oppressed under Saddam Hussein's regime and they were labeled "Satan worshippers" by the one time dictator. Here is an excerpt:

Mr. Qatou described how Saddam's army grabbed two men, each twenty years old, shot them, and then forced the families pay for the bullets.

Mr. Yon continues to interview Mr. Qatou and we learn he was once a POW in Iran for 8 years. We also learn of the utter destruction Saddam wrought onto this village. Most importantly, however, we learn of the rebuilding and hope that the US led liberation of Iraq has brought these people.

An Iraqi. A Kurd. A Yezidi. A village Headman. Whatever the label, more than forty years after his birth, this man came home. Only now, after the latest war, does Mr. Qatou finally have confidence in the peace, after more than a half century of life lived under orders or under sentence.
This seemed like the moment to ask the question, "What do you think of the United States?"
"We cry when America loses one soldier. We pray for the soldiers every night."
Many Kurds had expressed the same sentiment. One had said poetically: "For every drop of American blood, we shed one thousand Kurdish tears."

The Yezidi are isolated and mysterious. While they do live peacefully among the Kurdish people, they are still sometimes viewed suspiciously as they cling very closely to the teachings of their ancient religion.

Interesting fact: Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims. So much for there being no Sunnis cooperating in the new Iraqi government.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AND CHECK OUT THE PICS, IT IS FASCINATING.

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My Favorite Quote:

"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

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Iran's Illegal Ballot Boxes in the US

This is a letter sent to the US from a Pro-Democracy Dissident Movement trying to bring freedom and liberty to the people of Iran.

From SMCCDI: daneshjoo.org
Joint public letter sent to White House, US Homeland Security and FBI on Islamic regime's ballot boxes in US

To Whom it May Concern:

We have learned that the Clerical regime in Iran is planning to set up Voting Stations for their upcoming Presidential Elections in different locations throughout the United States. There is currently no diplomatic relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Officials of the Islamic Republic in New York, at the United Nations and in Washington DC (at Iran Interest Section in the embassy of Pakistan) are prohibited to travel beyond a certain limited area (in New York no more than 12 miles and in Washington not past 25 miles of their offices). According to the Islamic Republics laws any ballot box has to be monitored by an IRI official representative. Therefore it is both against the United States regulations and the Islamic Republic of Iran laws for any such voting stations to be set up throughout the United States.

Four years ago in Los Angeles such voting stations were set up in different hotels where certain IRI representatives had reserved meeting rooms under false pretences. At that time Iranian democratic opposition groups in Los Angeles tracked down those venues and with the help of responsible officials at those locations and the LAPD were able to shut-down all those illegal "voting stations" down.

Now we are contacting you in advance to seek your assistance in stopping this illegal activity once we are notified of their exact locations. That diehard terrorist regime will not stop the spread of its anti-American brand of Islamic Fundamentalism throughout the world. The Islamic Republic has recruited, trained, funded, harbored and provided safe-haven for terrorists and terrorist organizations in the past 26 years and continues to do so today. The United States and the free world must stand united against the theocratic mullahs and their terrorist mercenaries and support the movement of Iranians for the establishment of a democratic, free and secular government.


Respectfully,

Aryo B. Pirouznia of SMCCDI

Roxanne Gangi of IRIC

Roozbeh Farahanipoor of Marzeporgohar
© Copyright 2003 SMCCDI: daneshjoo.org

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What to do About Healthcare

Here is a story about a medical emergency experienced through the British socialized system and the American system. It reaffirms why I am against socialized healthcare: filthy hospitals causing infections, decrepit and outdated equipment, and sky high cost of living due to extremely high taxation to pay for the system. However, the British healthcare providers are to be applauded at their professionalism and ability to do so much with so little. In this story the patient's husband had to help out by purchasing supplies from a local pharmacy and by cleaning the filthy hospital room. Our system is very expensive because of the fear that the patient will sue the hospital. In Britain the loser pays court costs and therefore that fear does not impede the hospital's ability to help its patients. Both systems have strengths and weaknesses. There must be a middle ground that would enable our system to become affordable for every American without heavy taxation to socialize healthcare. Read the entire story and you will understand what I mean. I cannot accept socialized medicine as a solution because, as the case is in Britain, it would destroy our economy and lower our standard of living. London's cost of living is twice as high as Manhatten's yet the average salaries in London are half what they are in America. Thus, while everyone in Britian has "free" healthcare they are also living around the poverty line to pay for the system.

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Photo taken in one of Saddam's Palaces

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The Good News You're Not Getting

Michael Yon: A Fork in the Road
Dohuk, Northern Iraq-
Approaching Dohuk, a short drive north of Mosul, brings to mind the countryside in Italy. The war is over in Dohuk. After suffering perhaps a half century of fighting, the people have finally gotten peace they wanted long ago. With the old Iraqi government vanquished, Dohuk is thriving. In fact, this Iraqi city appears to be doing at least as well--perhaps remarkably better--than many comparably-sized towns in Italy. A visit to this place affords more than a break from the rugged routine of war. It also provides a postcard of a possible future for all of Iraq.

Coalition military presence in the region is scant, and those who travel here come mainly for shopping, or to relax and drink tea with friendly Iraqis, who often will not allow Americans to pay. Despite there being a few too many "thank yous," the people know when they are intruding and have the manners to smile and quietly go about their way.A group of soldiers from Deuce Four planned to drive to Dohuk, so I asked to hitch a ride. We drove out from Mosul without being attacked, and within a short time passed "the green line" into Kurdistan, where every odometer click was a mile deeper into safety. Checkpoint after checkpoint, the Kurdish police and soldiers searched cars and papers while smiling and waving the Americans through.Once in Dohuk, American soldiers removed helmets and body armor, and carried only their weapons. The commander set them free, with orders to return later that day. I walked with some soldiers to a department store where we passed by the kiddie rides outside. The storefront may well have been in Colorado Springs, or Munich. There were big push-carts for the adults, and little carts for the children.

To read this entire dispatch from Michael Yon, and to see the pictures that go with it click HERE

For another perspective of Dohuk, please visit the website from the University in town: http://www.uni-dohuk.net/web/gallery.html

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