Terrorists in Our Backyard

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/us/24terror.html?emc=eta1

My Little Brother

Although he looks a lot like me (and I hope I've adapted his kindness of heart and other great qualities), this is my little brother, Greg. I'm proud of him.

Me, A Patriotic Rebel? I'd Kill to Preserve My Freedoms

In recent days and months I've had private conversations with influential men, colleagues and dearly trusted friends whom I would trust with my very life about the direction our country is headed. It is almost as if I speak with them surreptitiously, quietly and with stealth, away from the listening ears of the growing tide of a government that is beginning to swell out of control. It is as if I joined the ranks of the noble characters of those once passed, who vowed to give their very lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Yes, I would fight and rebel in order to preserve the right that is inherently ours to have as human beings.

In a bold effort to rid themselves from brutal oppression, the inspired creators of the Declaration of Independence, solemnly wrote the following words: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Forefather’s wrote the following: “…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

Ezra Taft Benson, a one-time Secretary of Agriculture and an influential ecclesiastical leader, explained the future of these men. He said, “This Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured.” (“Our Divine Constitution,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 4.) Certainly the loyalty to their “cause which was just” was unmatched.

In the Saint John’s Church in Richmond Virginia, Patrick Henry eloquently and profoundly asked, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (Speech before the 2nd Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775.)

I rue the direction our current leaders are taking this country. I will do all in my power to preserve and uphold the sacred and cherished documents of this country I so dearly love, even the United States of America and her heavenly banners, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Taps - Full Version

Another dear friend of mine called today. We were on the same tight knit military tactical team together, along with Johnny. Our mutual friend, Johnny Linde, didn't make it home. Here is an amazing trumpet version of Taps...just for my red-headed buddy who died two years ago on November 5th.

Police Pursuit Overseas

Media in War -- Photo of a Dead Marine

John Bernard is a retired Marine First Sergeant. I was introduced to him recently by his closest friend, retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major Jim Sauer. John's son, Joshua, who joined the Marines like his father, gave the ultimate sacrifice – his life.

The young lance corporal was hit directly by an RPG. Half of his body was blown apart. An AP photographer snapped pictures of the entire bloody and gruesome scene. His cold, pale, expressionless face was plastered on every major news outlet, against the wishes of his parents, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Imagine seeing the body of your son as if you were in war yourself. A mother could hardly stand the sight.

With instant communication and immediate image transmissions made available in the 21st Century, such defiantly, heartless decision-making by the Associated Press begs the question, is our society on the cusp of loving violence? Can we not get enough gore? When will it stop? Are we so yearning for bloody entertainment and so excited to see it that we go to extremes to view it on television, play it on video games, or in the case of Joshua Bernard, watch it as if death, war or killing were fun? It's despicable. It's dishonorable. It's uncivil at heart. By doing so our own media is unconsciously feeding propaganda to our enemy and breaking the hearts of our tender mother's who should in no way be exposed to the deaths of their sons in such manner.

Joshua was a good Christian who read the Bible, said his prayers and did his best to follow Jesus Christ. He received the call-sign of "Holy man" from his teammates – not because he was some overzealous do-gooder, but because he quietly, honorably lived his faith at home and in the battle zone.

Joshua's father began writing to members of the government weeks before his son's death. He wrote and told them about the dangerousness of some aspects of the counterinsurgency doctrine (COIN) with the new Rules of Engagement (ROE). He wrote about the crazy rules that were allowing the Taliban to escape for reasons like they were dressed in burkas, and the ROE wouldn’t allow Marines and Soldiers to stop women – or guys in drag. Also, the troops were being denied supporting fires. These ROE went against the better judgment of sound doctrine and battle-proven tactics. It was as if they were being denied the opportunity to win.

Mission Orders: Fight and win.

Caveat: Tie one hand behind your back and blind-fold yourself. Pretend the enemies will fight fairly or with the same moral beliefs any civil society will.

Results: You lose. You cannot put your moral code on an amoral enemy. You cannot believe they are anything less than terrorists with an entirely different mindset. You cannot think that fighting with trepidation or half-heartedly will ensure success. If you do, you'll lose every time.

I understand it was an aspect of those particular caveats John foreshadowed – too much friendliness to enemies who are seeking to kill and murder and maim our troops – that eventually got his son killed. Joshua's death was a direct result of being led into an ambush by their loosely vetted Afghan interpreter.

We cannot afford to cover our eyes and pretend there are no terrorists among us (like the FBI's uncanny announcement within moments of the shooting at Fort Hood, saying terrorism wasn't a factor). We cannot afford to let rulers and leaders of this Republic sit comfortably on their thrones while Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen die – whether on this land or on any other.

In order to do win, we must act wisely, deftly and, in times of war, viciously. We cannot afford to pacify or placate our enemy, or pretend he doesn't exist. We must root out the enemies among our elected officials who, whether by deliberate deceit or unconscious reason, tear down our beloved Constitution and guarantees of freedom. There's only two ways to ensure freedom: (1) Be good. There is great strength in a nation on its knees; and, (2) although paradoxically difficult for any moral person or civil society, we must fight and win.

Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard was the epitome of a brave Marine fighting to ensure our freedom. Yet his legacy, vicariously implemented by the AP, shows more of his real blood and guts instead of his noble-red blood and patriotic, courageous guts – the true inspired genius of any American Patriot, to include our Founding Fathers.

May God grant that our troops come home…and not in body bags.

Finally, I believe the Lord is very aware of some of the tragic decisions those in our great country has made of late and He puts good, honorable and wise men in positions of influence to help keep our troops safe, preserve our Constitution and our way of life, which is being attacked from multiple angles. May God grant each of us peace and comfort during this time of war, crisis and contingency, and may we all strive to be instruments in His hands to bring about good and lasting purposes.

For further reading, picture viewing or watching interviews of John Bernard, click on the links below:

http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/26208503/over-the-line.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/04/gates-assails-appalling-decision-ap-release-photo-dying-marine/

http://www.nypost.com/t/John_Bernard

http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/article1033549.ece

http://news.aol.com/article/ap-photo-of-marine-lance-cpl-joshua-m/656039

John Bernard's personal blogspot, Let Them Fight or Bring Them Home:

http://www.letthemfight.blogspot.com/

Air Marshal Misconduct - Rape Overseas

EXCLUSIVE: Backlash feared from sex trial of air marshal - Washington Times

Source: www.washingtontimes.com

The director of the Federal Air Marshal Service is warning that a criminal trial in Britain could have serious implications for the agency's international mission, including the possibility of its agents being barred from some overseas flights.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/06/exclusive-backlash-from-air-marshals-sex-trial-fea/

Veteran's Day Thank-You's

Thank you all for your expressions of appreciation. It really means a lot to me. Those kind words truly melted my heart, especially over the days and weeks following my return from Iraq when the memories of one of my best friend's -- who didn't make it home -- was still fresh in my mind.

Suffice it to say, my wife surely deserves a medal for the year alone with all of our little kiddos. My oldest daughter, 10, wrote me a note in crayon today, which simply said, "Thank you. Happy Veteran's Day. I love you." That brought a big smile and nearly a tear.

God bless all our troops.

Veteran’s Day Letter

The following letter was written by Austin Hamner who was serving in Iraq in 2004. The letter is to his daughters, Mary, Laura & Sarah.

Hello girls, I have something very important to tell you about this war and the meaning of Veteran’s Day. We should never forget that Veteran’s Day used to be called Armistice Day. This particular day was chosen because that was the month, day and hour that World War I ended which was November 11, 1918 at 11:00am . This was supposed to be the “war to end all wars”, but of course we know that it was not the last one.

Sometimes on Veterans Day, we lose connection to the real meaning of the day. I’ve written a few words that may help you to understand what it is all about. Sweethearts, I’ve just returned from the memorial service that was held for two very special soldiers. These two men were taken from this world on Monday of this very week protecting our unit. They were very brave men who protected generals and your dad too.

The first man’s name is Specialist Don Allen Clary. He would have celebrated his 22nd birthday on the last day of this year, December 31. His mother must have wondered if she was to have a New Year’s baby when he was born in 1982. That’s the same year as your big brother John. Specialist Clary had a girlfriend, but they hadn’t married yet and so that part of the story will never be known. What we do know is that he built a house before he left and that he loved to fish. He was a tall man who worked with his hands and he was good at most everything he did. He was excited for the future, but first he wanted to serve his country.

The second hero’s name is Staff Sergeant Clinton Lee Wisdom. This hero just turned 39 in August. He was married and had three children who attended three different levels of school, namely: high school, middle school and elementary school just like our family. He also loved to fish even more than Specialist Clary, but he always took one of his children along so they could have ‘quiet time’ with dad. He wanted to run for mayor of his town once he returned to Kansas .

Both men had the job of leading convoys and protecting generals and other high ranking people so that they would be safe. This was a frequent mission to take several high ranking people to the American Embassy in the International Zone. A suicide bomber aimed a truck for the convoy and the VIP vehicles. These two soldiers placed their own vehicle between the suicide truck and the rest of the convoy to protect the riders. The truck detonated and instantly took these two soldiers away from this world. One of the men who was saved was appointed by President Bush and who is now returning to submit testimony before the U.S. Congress in Washington D.C. This high ranking man said that he owes his life to these two heroes and hopes that he can live to be worthy of the great sacrifice these two men made. I am sure that neither he nor the people with them that day will ever forget these two heroes.

Sooner or later all of us will pass on from this life, but those who willingly give their lives for others certainly are true heroes. Jesus once taught the world that, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. That is one way to know that these two men were real-life heroes.

We had a memorial this morning for these two heroes. You might think that Army soldiers are tough and don’t need to have time for this. It is exactly the opposite sweethearts. We too, need time to grieve over the loss of friends and family. A British soldier played the bagpipes as we assembled for the service. The memorial stand had two pairs of empty desert combat boots with M-16 rifles pointed down beside the shoes. Their Kevlar helmets were placed on top of the upturned rifles. The unit that lost the men was called to attention and then role call was made. Each man responded to their individual names. Only silence responded to the names of the fallen heroes. The names were called out three times according to custom before the name is marked as ‘not present’. Shortly afterward, a wonderful trumpet played the mournful notes of “TAPS” while the entire unit saluted. Upon conclusion, each soldier in the entire unit then had a chance to march up to the temporary memorials and render one final salute to their dear friends. Some spent time on their knees in quiet remembrance of their friends. There were many tears among this ‘band of brothers’ today. Yes girls, soldiers cry too.

Within another week, there will be another similar memorial, back in the state of Kansas . The difference this time will be the individual families that will say, “Goodbye.” Specialist Clary and his girlfriend and family along with the wife and children of SSG Wisdom and their close friends and family will say their final farewells. There will be a military funeral which includes a 21-gun salute. Once that is over, the respective families must then adjust their lives without their real heroes being with them anymore.

This is what we memorialize on Veteran’s Day. We remember the sacrifice of the soldiers themselves along with their grieving families. These men were just two of the more than a thousand heroes who have been taken during this conflict. This is the day to also remember all wars that have been fought on behalf of our country. It is important that we remember who these heroes are and that they are not forgotten. It is not just words spoken softly on one day of the year, but that we remember each time we see the wonderful flags flying along the light poles in Greenwood . Each one helps us to remember others who are no longer with us to enjoy the freedom that was given to us as a gift from those who sacrificed earlier in our country’s history.

I am nearing the end of my time here in Baghdad, Iraq and I am so looking forward to seeing you three as well as your brothers again and being together. I will give you extra hugs and kisses because I know that there are children who will not get them from their dad who was taken away on Monday.

Maybe we can visit the Soldier’s and Sailor’s memorial in downtown Indianapolis and remember the other families and heroes so that they are never forgotten too.

Love you,

Papa

We've Already Had Our Cyber-Pearl Harbor. Yikes!

"If I were an attacker and I wanted to do strategic damage to the United States, I would either take the cold of winter or the heat of summer, I probably would sack electric power on the U.S. East Cost, maybe the West Coast, and attempt to cause a cascading effect. All of those things are in the art of the possible from a sophisticated attacker," McConnell explained.

"Do you believe our adversaries have the capability of bringing down a power grid?" Kroft asked.

"I do," McConnell replied.

Asked if the U.S. is prepared for such an attack, McConnell told Kroft, "No. The United States is not prepared for such an attack."

"It is now clear this cyber threat is one [of] the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation," President Obama said during a speech.

Four months after taking office, Obama made those concerns part of our national defense policy, declaring the country's digital infrastructure a strategic asset, and confirming that cyber warfare had moved beyond theory.

"We know that cyber intruders have probed our electrical grid, and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness," the president said.

President Obama didn't say which country had been plunged into darkness, but a half a dozen sources in the military, intelligence, and private security communities have told us the president was referring to Brazil.

Several prominent intelligence sources confirmed that there were a series of cyber attacks in Brazil: one north of Rio de Janeiro in January 2005 that affected three cities and tens of thousands of people, and another, much larger event beginning on Sept. 26, 2007.

That one in the state of Espirito Santo affected more than three million people in dozens of cities over a two-day period, causing major disruptions. In Vitoria, the world's largest iron ore producer had seven plants knocked offline, costing the company $7 million. It is not clear who did it or what the motive was.

But the people who do these sorts of things are no longer teenagers making mischief. They're now likely to be highly trained soldiers with the Chinese army or part of an organized crime group in Russia, Europe or the Americas.

"They can disrupt critical infrastructure, wipe databases. We know they can rob banks. So, it's a much bigger and more serious threat," explained Jim Lewis, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies....

"In 2007 we probably had our electronic Pearl Harbor. It was an espionage Pearl Harbor," Lewis said. "Some unknown foreign power, and honestly, we don't know who it is, broke into the Department of Defense, to the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, probably the Department of Energy, probably NASA. They broke into all of the high tech agencies, all of the military agencies, and downloaded terabytes of information."

How much is a terabyte?

"The Library of Congress, which has millions of volumes, is about 12 terabytes. So, we probably lost the equivalent of a Library of Congress worth of government information in 2007," Lewis explained.

"All stolen by foreign countries?" Kroft asked.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/06/60minutes/main5555565.shtml

See also: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/technology/27compute.html?emc=eta1

Think about the threats to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Think about the possibilities of a Y2K-like terrorist disaster on a 12 million person city. No water, no electricity, no plumbing, no food. The looting and carnage would be insane. A well-planned, well-executed three-pronged attack could spin a city the size of Los Angeles into so much chaos it would make the Rodney King riots look like Romper Room. And, you could leave it to the FBI spokespersons to quickly say there's no link to terrorism within the first five minutes, just like they did directly following the November 5th shooting at Fort Hood. Pshaw. If that solider-killer isn't a terrorist, then I don't know who is.

November 5th was the day Johnny died while we were in Iraq two years ago. He and I served together many years ago on the police Special Reaction Teams on US Army posts in South Korea and at Fort Carson, Colorado.

I spoke with a senior instructor at the DOD Police Academy today who trained the lady cop who was shot -- and who shot -- the so-called Army Major who went on a shooting rampage. She's in good spirits, I'm told. Is it wrong to say I wished I could have shot the guy?

War as PlayStation: death by joystick

War from Cyberspace by Richard Clarke

http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=22340

I only have one word about this enlightening article: Whoa....

In Iraq, after having returned into the military after era of maps and compasses for navigating, I was shocked at the amazing large screen GPS and computer capabilities within each gun truck! I was surprised at the immediate real-time feed of video surveillance from Predator and Reaper drones, and aghast that the reliance of computer systems and networks in a war zone that had become so heavily relied upon. My feelings then and today are if it's electronic, it can break.

Suffice it to say, the Internet and Secret as well as more cryptic data lines, occasionally went kaput when the weather wasn't just right or when something electronic went bankrupt. The fully dilapidated buildings we worked from were paradoxically outfitted with the latest and greatest super computers, video monitoring devices and communications technology. What a sight that was! Still, when I arranged for my troops to have compasses and maps (not the digital types) as back-ups, they said, "Sir, we don't use those anymore." Au contraire mon frere, we need to be prepared. We need to have plans in layers. The acronym PACE helps line up what plans ought to be made in war:

Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency.

Now, I'm not ignorant and I'm not necessarily caught in the past. I've graduated from the type writer to the electric type writer. And today I obviously use computers and the Internet. Some kid made fun of me recently when I called the Enter button on my laptop a Return button. "What's that?" he said with a sneer after I explained it.

When I worked for the government, I was issued a PDA instead of a notebook and pen, but I still carried the latter as a back up.

I choose to wear simple and easy-to-use analog watches. While digital watches, that can come with digital compasses, barometers and probably James Bond-type death ray lasers, are cool, they just don't do anything for me. Besides, they're not as nice as the indestructibly rugged Rolex anyway. I must confess I don't have one of those either.

When I went sky-diving, I liked the good old fashioned altimeter -- I didn't need one on my wrist that also recorded my heart BPMs, was solar-powered, probably had an internal staple gun hidden somewhere in its complex micro elements, had cellular phone capabilities and which was supposed to serve as "just a watch."

While technology is wonderful, we can't rely that it will work forever. Cyberspace has been attacked and is destined to fail -- at least intermittently -- in the future. Not that we shouldn't use it, but we must develop better defensive and offensive cyber-warfighting capabilities. We must have multiple layered plans for when things go awry, and certainly they will.

...Nevertheless, I now prefer using our tiny GPS in the car whenever going somewhere unfamiliar. Maps are just too expensive, cumbersome and, well, confusing.

Best Fictional Book Ever!!!

Watch out Vince Flynn and Brad Thor, I couldn't put down SHADOWLAND by Steve Williams. I can hardly wait for the rest of the series. Shadowland is like "24" on steroids. Wow!

Gun Control - dark humor, but enlightening

The sign reads:

My neighbor next door wants to BAN all GUNS!
Their house is NOT armed.
Out of respect for their opinions I promise not to use my guns to protect them.

SWAT breaching -- The Wall Banger

Low-Light Shooting Techniques, part 2

The Graham Combat low-light flashlight shooting technique is the best technique for shooting with a flashlight, bar none. I've owned a Combat Loop for a while now. I love it. Again, it beats any other technique or specially designed flashlight out there: Harries, Chapman, FBI, Ayoob, etc.

Religious Freedom Follow-Up

I posted a quote from Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk given on Religious Freedom recently, which has gotten a lot of attention as of late. I recommend any and every reader of this blog to read or listen to the talk in its entirety.

The likes of Keith Olbermann and his ilk have declared Elder Oaks among the worst people in the world because of it. Yet, I agree with every point and aspect of Elder Oaks' talk.

Keeping Things Civil - Orson Scott Card

This writing by Orson Scott Card, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is one of the most brilliant, inspired and -- dare I say, prophetic? -- pieces I've read in a very long time. It follows:

Afterword to novel Empire

The originating premise of this novel did not come from me. Donald Mustard and his partners in Chair Enterainment had the idea for an entertainment franchise called Empire about a near-future American civil war. When I joined the project to create a work of fiction based on that premise, my first order of business was to come up with a plausible way that such an event might come about.

It was, sadly enough, all too easy.

Because we haven't had a civil war in the past fourteen decades, people think we can't have one now. Where is the geographic clarity of the Mason-Dixon line? When you look at the red-state blue-state division in the past few elections, you get a false impression. The real division is urban, academic, and high-tech counties versus suburban, rural, and conservative Christian counties. How could such widely scattered "blue" centers and such centerless "red" populations ever act in concert?

Geography aside, however, we have never been so evenly divided with such hateful rhetoric since the years leading up to the Civil War of the 1860s. Because the national media elite are so uniformly progressive, we keep hearing (in the elite media) about the rhetorical excesses of the "extreme right." To hear the same media, there is no "extreme left," just the occasional progressive who says things he or she shouldn't.

But any rational observer has to see that the Left and Right in America are screaming the most vile accusations at each other all the time. We are fully polarized -- if you accept one idea that sounds like it belongs to either the blue or the red, you are assumed -- nay, required -- to espouse the entire rest of the package, even though there is no reason why supporting the war against terrorism should imply you're in favor of banning all abortions and against restricting the availability of firearms; no reason why being in favor of keeping government-imposed limits on the free market should imply you also are in favor of giving legal status to homosexual couples and against building nuclear reactors. These issues are not remotely related, and yet if you hold any of one group's views, you are hated by the other group as if you believed them all; and if you hold most of one group's views, but not all, you are treated as if you were a traitor for deviating even slightly from the party line.

It goes deeper than this, however. A good working definition of fanaticism is that you are so convinced of your views and policies that you are sure anyone who opposes them must either be stupid and deceived or have some ulterior motive. We are today a nation where almost everyone in the public eye displays fanaticism with every utterance.

It is part of human nature to regard as sane those people who share the worldview of the majority of society. Somehow, though, we have managed to divide ourselves into two different, mutually exclusive sanities. The people in each society reinforce each other in madness, believing unsubstantiated ideas that are often contradicted not only by each other but also by whatever objective evidence exists on the subject. Instead of having an ever-adapting civilization-wide consensus reality, we have became a nation of insane people able to see the madness only in the other side.

Does this lead, inevitably, to civil war? Of course not -- though it's hardly conducive to stable government or the long-term continuation of democracy. What inevitably arises from such division is the attempt by one group, utterly convinced of its rectitude, to use all coercive forces available to stamp out the opposing views.

Such an effort is, of course, a confession of madness. Suppression of other people's beliefs by force only comes about when you are deeply afraid that your own beliefs are wrong and you are desperate to keep anyone from challenging them. Oh, you may come up with rhetoric about how you are suppressing them for their own good or for the good of others, but people who are confident of their beliefs are content merely to offer and teach, not compel.

The impulse toward coercion takes whatever forms are available. In academia, it consists of the denial of degrees, jobs, or tenure to people with nonconformist opinions. Ironically, the people who are most relentless in eliminating competing ideas congratulate themselves on their tolerance and diversity. In most situations, it is less formal, consisting of shunning -- but the shunning usually has teeth in it. Did Mel Gibson, when in his cups, say something that reflects his upbringing in an antisemitic household? Then he is to be shunned -- which in Hollywood will mean he can never be considered for an Oscar and will have a much harder time getting prestige, as opposed to money, roles.

It has happened to me, repeatedly, from both the Left and the Right. It is never enough to disagree with me -- I must be banned from speaking at a particular convention or campus; my writings should be boycotted; anything that will punish me for my noncompliance and, if possible, impoverish me and my family.

So virulent are these responses -- again, from both the Left and the Right -- that I believe it is only a short step to the attempt to use the power of the state to enforce one's views. On the right we have attempts to use the government to punish flag burners and to enforce state-sponsored praying. On the left, we have a ban on free speech and peaceable public assembly in front of abortion clinics and the attempt to use the power of the state to force the acceptance of homosexual relationships as equal to marriages. Each side feels absolutely justified in compelling others to accept their views.

It is puritanism, not in its separatist form, desiring to live by themselves by their own rules, but in its Cromwellian form, using the power of the state to enforce the dicta of one group throughout the wider society, by force rather than persuasion.

This despite the historical fact that the civilization that has created more prosperity and freedom for more people than ever before is one based on tolerance and pluralism, and that attempts to force one religion (theistic or atheistic) on the rest of a nation or the world inevitably lead to misery, poverty, and, usually, conflict.

Yet we seem only able to see the negative effects of coercion caused by the other team. Progressives see the danger of allowing fanatical religions (which, by some definitions, means "all of them") to have control of government -- they need only point to Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Taliban, or, in a more general and milder sense, the entire Muslim world, which is oppressed precisely to the degree that Islam is enforced as the state religion.

Conservatives, on the other hand, see the danger of allowing fanatical atheistic religions to have control of government, pointing to Nazi Germany and all Communist nations as obvious examples of political utopianism run amok.

Yet neither side can see any connection between their own fanaticism and the historical examples that might apply to them. People insisting on a Christian America simply cannot comprehend that others view them as the Taliban-in-waiting; those who insist on progressive exclusivism in America are outraged at any comparison between them and Communist totalitarianism. Even as they shun or fire or deny tenure to those who disagree with them, everybody thinks it's the other guy who would be the oppressor, while our side would simply "set things to rights."

Rarely do people set out to start a civil war. Invariably, when such wars break out both sides consider themselves to be the aggrieved ones. Right now in America, even though the Left has control of all the institutions of cultural power and prestige -- universities, movies, literary publishing, mainstream journalism-- as well as the federal courts, they feel themselves oppressed and threatened by traditional religion and conservatism. And even though the Right controls both houses of Congress and the presidency, as well as having ample outlets for their views in nontraditional media and an ever-increasing dominance over American religious and economic life, they feel themselves oppressed and threatened by the cultural dominance of the Left.

And they are threatened, just as they are also threatening, because nobody is willing to accept the simple idea that someone can disagree with their group and still be a decent human being worthy of respect.

Can it lead to war?

Very simply, yes. The moment one group feels itself so aggrieved that it uses either its own weapons or the weapons of the state to "prevent" the other side from bringing about its supposed "evil" designs, then that other side will have no choice but to take up arms against them. Both sides will believe the other to be the instigator.

The vast majority of people will be horrified -- but they will also be mobilized whether they like it or not.

It's the lesson of Yugoslavia and Rwanda. If you were a Tutsi just before the Rwandan holocaust who did not hate Hutus, who married a Hutu, who hired Hutus or taught school to Hutu students, it would not have stopped Hutus from taking machetes to you and your family. You would have had only two choices: to die or to take up arms against Hutus, whether you had previously hated them or not.

But it went further. Knowing they were doing a great evil, the Hutus who conducted the programs also killed any Hutus who were "disloyal" enough to try to oppose taking up arms.

Likewise in Yugoslavia. For political gain, Serbian leaders in the post-Tito government maintained a drumbeat of Serbian manifest-destiny propaganda, which openly demonized Croatian and Muslim people as a threat to good Serbs. When Serbs in Bosnia took up arms to "protect themselves" from being ruled by a Muslim majority -- and were sponsored and backed by the Serbian government -- what choice did a Bosnian Muslim have but to take up arms in self-defense? Thus both sides claimed to be acting in self-defense, and in short order, they were.

And as both Rwanda and Bosnia proved, clear geographical divisions are not required in order to have brutal, bloody civil wars. All that is required is that both sides come to believe that if they do not take up arms, the other side will destroy them.

In America today, we are complacent in our belief that it can't happen here. We forget that America is not an ethnic nation, where ancient ties of blood can bind people together despite differences. We are created by ideology; ideas are our only connection. And because today we have discarded the free marketplace of ideas and have polarized ourselves into two equally insane ideologies, so that each side can, with perfect accuracy, brand the other side as madmen, we are ripe for that next step, to take preventive action to keep the other side from seizing power and oppressing our side.

The examples are -- or should be -- obvious. That we are generally oblivious to the excesses of our own side merely demonstrates how close we already are to a paroxysm of self-destruction.

We are waiting for Fort Sumter.

I hope it doesn't come.

Meanwhile, however, there is this novel, in which I try to show characters who struggle to keep from falling into the insanity -- yet who also try to prevent other people's insanity from destroying America. This book is fiction. It is entertainment. I do not believe a new American civil war is inevitable; and if it did happen, I do not believe it would necessarily take the form I show in this book, politically or militarily. Since the war depicted in these pages has not happened, I am certainly not declaring either side in our polarized public life guilty of causing it. I only say that for the purposes of this story, we have this set of causes; in the real world, if we should ever be so stupid as to allow a civil war to happen again, we would obviously have a different set of specific causes.

We live in a time when people like me, who do not wish to choose either camp's ridiculous, inconsistent, unrelated ideology, are being forced to choose -- and to take one whole absurd package or the other.

We live in a time when moderates are treated worse than extremists, being punished as if they were more fanatical than the actual fanatics.

We live in a time when lies are preferred to the truth and truths are called lies, when opponents are assumed to have the worst conceivable motives and treated accordingly, and when we reach immediately for coercion without even bothering to find out what those who disagree with us are actually saying.

In short, we are creating for ourselves a new dark age -- the darkness of blinders we voluntarily wear, and which, if we do not take them off and see each other as human beings with legitimate, virtuous concerns, will lead us to tragedies whose cost we will bear for generations.

Or, maybe, we can just calm down and stop thinking that our own ideas are so precious that we must never give an inch to accommodate the heartfelt beliefs of others.

How can we accomplish that? It begins by scorning the voices of extremism from the camp we are aligned with. Democrats and Republicans must renounce the screamers and haters from their own side instead of continuing to embrace them and denouncing only the screamers from the opposing camp. We must moderate ourselves instead of insisting on moderating the other guy while keeping our own fanaticism alive.

In the long run, the great mass of people who simply want to get on with their lives can shape a peaceful future. But it requires that they actively pursue moderation and reject extremism on every side, and not just on one. Because it is precisely those ordinary people, who don't even care all that much about the issues, who will end up suffering the most from any conflict that might arise.

http://www.hatrack.com/osc/articles/empire_afterword.shtml

Religious Freedom

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a former Judge and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently addressed students at Brigham Young University-Idaho. While reading his remarks I pulled just one paragraph that I've been pondering a lot lately. It follows:

The greatest infringements of religious freedom occur when the exercise of religion collides with other powerful forces in society. Among the most threatening collisions in the United States today are (1) the rising strength of those who seek to silence religious voices in public debates, and (2) perceived conflicts between religious freedom and the popular appeal of newly alleged civil rights.

--Source: "Religious Freedom,"Transcript of Elder Dallin H. Oaks speech given at BYU-Idaho on 13 October 2009.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/religious-freedom#_edn5#_edn5, retrieved October 18, 2009

PSD Contractors in Iraq beaten by Iraqi Army/Police

I received the below report recently. It's disturbing. If you knew PSD (and have done it, like I did though in Israel/Palestine) and have worked and lived in Iraq (and knew the culture, like I have with the US Army Reserve), this really makes a lot of sense. The bottom line: this is a quagmire!

I heard it's WPPS security contractors from DynCorp. Since that's who I worked with previously, I know a lot of those guys. I hope they're all okay. No matter the company--DynCorp, Blackwater (Xe), Triple Canopy, SOC, Osen-Hunter, Armor Group, etc., there are troubles when dealing with high risk situations and guys with guns (some of whom do not behave well, e.g. the local Armor Group fiasco in Kabul). The idea for my second book revolves around this issue. I plan to call it, Leaders Wanted: from the War Room to the Boardroom. From there, I plan to do a lot of leadership consulting and training.

I won't go into detail here; you make your own conclusions. Here's the report I received:


The Entry Control Points (ECP) into the International Zone (IZ) have been
increasingly difficult to deal with. It is nothing that is intolerable.
However, in an increasing basis Protective Security Detail (PSD) teams have
been instructed to exit vehicles for search, download weapons and such. That
is okay, because after all, Iraq, like it or not, is its own country and
sets the ground rules.

Well, a few days ago the antics were ratcheted up again. As a team was
entering ECP4 (old CP12) the last vehicle of the motorcade was stopped,
which is not unc ommon. This time though, the vehicles crew was harassed to
give over smoke grenades. Lately IA's/IP's have been asking PSD teams for
everything from water, to ammunition, to money. In following the guidance
from the Department of State (DOS), Regional Security Officer (RSO), the
vehicle commander of the vehicle attempted to find out the name of the Iraqi
in charge of the ECP.

He did this, but by all reports went about it in the wrong manner, which in
no way reflects on the rest of the team who are true professionals. However,
he raised his voice towards the Captain and was generally less than polite.
He was told by the Captain to get back in the truck and move on. After
another warning to leave, he returned to the truck and being the idiot he
is, tried to sneak a photo of the Captain. This not so bright idea wasn't
well received. The IA Captain saw the camera, and, with the windows down
because the crew was answering questions, reached in and grabbed the camera.

This is where the wheels fell off and the incident began to spiral out of
control for the PSD members who quickly put up their windows and lock the
doors. This in turn causes the Iraqi soldiers present to start beating on
the doors of the now buttoned up Suburban. As the Suburban moves forward the
T72 Tank that sits at the halfway point in the ECP turns it DSHK Heavy
Machine-gun towards the Sub, and pulls out in front of it blocking its exit.
As a result, the Suburban and its crew stop.

Apparently, while this was going on the IA Captain put out a net call to his
counterparts that an American assaulted him. The story he related was that
the PSD member in the rear seat, the medic, took a photo of him and when he,
the Captain took the camera away, the medic punched him, which didn't
happen. Because of this report, more Iraqis show up and began beating on the
Suburban with their rifles.

At around this time, the Tactical Commander (TC) from the lead vehicle
showed up and approached the Captain in an attempt to de-escalate the
situation. The Captain promptly drew his pistol, pointed it at the TC and
fired 2 rounds over the TCs head. The TC, without missing a beat says,
"Habibi" and reaches his hand out to shake the officers, who unable to shake
hands due to having a pistol in it, holsters his sidearm and shakes hands.
The TC then talks down the situation; the tank rolls back into its normal
position and people begin to chill out.

Well just as everything starts to look okay for the PSD members an Iraqi
Colonel shows up. Accompanying the Colonel are 5 - 6 vehicles full of Iraqi
Army personnel with DSHK's. In addition, Iraqis were swarming down the
street in large numbers loading AKs and strapping on body armor as they
arrived.

The Colonel, believing the Americans had assaulted one of his men was more
than excited. Not listening to anything anyone else had to say, he demanded
the PSD open the vehicle and surrender, which the team, seeing the
seriousness of the situation refused to do. The Colonel, realizing he was
getting nowhere with the team in the Suburban ordered the tank crew to run
over the Suburban. The tank then started up its engines again and promptly
rumbles out into the road for a second time.

Luckily for the PSD members the tank driver wasn't very good at his job, so
it took him some time to try and line up for the drive over Suburban smash
ing. As he was lining up, the PSD crew, understandably fearing for their
lives, decided to try and drive out again. However, as the driver put the
vehicle into gear, the automatic door locks on the front doors popped, the
doors unlocked, and the Iraqis had them open in a flash.

The Iraqis still mistakenly believing the medic had assaulted one of their
own focused on him in the rear seat. However the rear doors were still
locked and they were unable to get to him. The Colonels solution was to
stick his pistol to the head of the Suburban's driver. Seeing this, the
medic decided he didn't want his team member shot on his behalf, so he
opened the vehicle and exited, at which time the swarm of Iraqis began
beating him with fists, feet and rifles. The same pretty much happened with
the rest of the crew; they were all jerked form the vehicle and promptly
flex cuffed and beaten.

While this was going on, due to the firepower and sheer numbers of Iraqi
Army present (about 80 at this time), our QRF team who was on scene was
unable to do anything more than video the incident as best they could and
try to keep an accounting of the team members being beat down. Had they
tried to intercede more than they did, the situation could have easily
escalated into a full-blown shoot out, in which all PSD members and many
Iraqis would have most likely been killed. One member of the QRF did
cautiously approach and he was quickly cuffed and beaten.

Somewhere as the beatings were happening, the military showed up on the
scene in the form of the useless IZ police. Rather than calling for
reinforcements, or senior leadership word from those on the ground was that
the IZ police said something to the effect of "You're contractors, you're on
your own" and left. An Army convoy pulled out of FOB Prosperity located next
to the incident and drove by leaving the contractors to the Iraqi mob. Two
army Majors, or Lt, Colonels, did try to get involved and were promptly
pushed around by the Iraqis.
The Blue Force Tracker, our emergency beacon, was activated early in the
incident sending out a distress call. From reports, other contracting
companies in the area were ready to help. However, help of an armed sort was
not needed at this time. What was needed was diplomacy and someone who could
bring diplomatic sense to bear. Unfortunately, the US Department of State
RSO decided, because we are only a Department of State contractors and not a
DOS Chief of Mission contract that we were on our own. So he didn't lift a
finger. As a matter of fact, DOS took the radios we had, which enabled us to
speak with the RSO TOC in the case of an emergency, and the RSO has severed
all ties with our program, even during times of distress.

Eventually, after physically beating the PSD members, the Iraqis loaded them
into their vehicles, putting one in the truck/boot of the vehicle. They then
drove away to an Iraqi base in the IZ with an Iraqi sitting on the hood
waving his arms up and down, screaming a victory cry as they traveled
through the IZ.

At the Iraqi base, the team members were split up and beat some more. Some
of the PSD members were beaten with weight bars from the Iraqi gym. The
Medic was beaten so bad that he was covered in blood and began projectile
vomiting from the head injuries he was receiving. One person beating him was
an Iraqi General who repeatedly punched him with his Madhi ring encrusted
hand.

Eventually, the powers to be arrived and met with the very General who had
been beating the Medic. They worked things out and secured their release.
The freed men were transported to the Army Combat Surgical Hospital (CSH) at
Victory Base for evaluation. All were released and doing well considering
the possibilities. The medic suffered from a concussion and possibly other
injuries, which may have to be treated in the US.

Star-Spangled Banner...Better With Every Passing Year

A buddy of mine who served in the war posted this link not long ago. Thanks JP!

An Airplane Will Explode

It's just a matter of time before an airplane gets blown out of the sky by a suicide bomber. As an air marshal, that's what I suspected the most.

The below link shows how that would be easily possible. Drug smugglers--"mules"--have hidden contraband in body cavities for decades. Now, the suicide bomber has something to mimic. One al Qaeda member sneaked past air port security overseas with ease prior to detonation.

Mark my words: An airplane will get blown out of the sky.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/28/eveningnews/main5347847.shtml

Let Them Fight or Bring Them Home

This writing below is from a friend and colleague of mine, Jim Sauer. He's a retired US Marine Corps Sergeant Major with a lot of overseas experience. In fact, that's where we met. Having studied counterinsurgency and low-intensity conflict for my master's degree (and in the proverbial sandbox, Iraq) I can very much appreciate his perspective. This is a great read. Thanks Jim!


There have been some phony arguments put forth for another “surge” in Afghanistan. We need not a surge of troops, we merely need to let our forces there do what needs to be done – kill the enemy.

There is this misconception of Afghanistan in particular (and Islam in general) that somehow we can bring Central Asia (and the rest of the Islamic world) kicking and screaming into the 21st Century through good will. This is simply not the case. There is no amount of money to spend, infrastructure to build, schools to provide, hospitals to heal, or good will that Americans can display toward the Afghan people that will produce a lasting effect. I was once told by an accomplished Afghan intelligence analyst that, “you can rent an Afghan, but you can’t buy him.”

The hard fact is that the “hearts and minds” of the Afghan “people” are not for sale! The descendants of “The Great Khan” and their tribal cousins have no interest in being Westernized in any way. And, the human sewers that serve as their political leadership can only be rented. Americans are interlopers in a land where interlopers generally have their heads lopped off.

Nobody read their Kipling. (I know, “who or what was Kipling?” Look it up.) Americans do not know their OWN history (except the spun trash that passes for “social studies” in our heavily socialistic high schools) much less the history of Afghanistan. And, this includes our political leadership! Ask an American on the street – or a congressman in the House – to point to Afghanistan on a map, and they will probably start with their finger cautiously orbiting somewhere over Rhode Island.

This writer spent thirty years listening to and deciphering military acronyms and idiotic jargon. The catch phrase today is “COIN” – Counterinsurgency doctrine. Our political and military leadership act like this is some sort of secret knowledge – Gnostic esoteric knowledge – that is now coming to light. That is crap. There is nothing new here.

Counterinsurgency predates Rome. In modern times, the first COIN doctrine called Small Wars Manual was written by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1935 with the final edition being published in 1940. The first few decades of the 20th Century saw Marines intervening as “State Department Troops” from Central America and Hispaniola to China and the Philippines. The Small Wars Manual is a compilation of information describing nation building, establishing “constabularies”, civil affairs, infrastructure repair, election management, donkey packing and inspiration, river crossing, intelligence gathering, psychology and ethnicity of native peoples, disarmament of the populace, force composition, supply and logistics chains, public image (both in the target nation and in the United States), and everything else it takes to drag a Third-World backwash into the current day and age. There is even a section on inspecting the feet of native troops for bunions, corns, and severe trichophytosis (athlete’s foot).

The manual is also full of contradictions. If one were to summarize in a sentence or two the center of conflicting mass, one might say, “Try to be nice, but if they don’t go along with the program manipulate them. If that doesn’t’ work, kill them – every one of them.” It reminds one of a quip from Vietnam that went, “Let us win your hearts and minds or we’ll burn your damn huts down.”

It seems our current crop of political and military geniuses think that COIN can be conducted in a sanitary manner. This belief is insane. The “small wars” of the 20th Century were every bit as dirty and brutal as any conventional war ever fought.

Legendary Marine Corps hero and two time Medal of Honor recipient Major General Smedley Butler wrote of his “COIN” experience a short tome titled “War is a Racket”. It spelled out the misuse of American forces and the waste of American lives during the first three decades of the 20th Century. General Butler was an unlikely critic of the use of military force – the more reason to heed his caveats.

Though published in 1940, the intervening years of conventional war (World War II and Korea) saw the Small Wars Manual fade into disuse.

The formation of the U.S. Army Special Forces in the 1960s led to an attempt to bring COIN doctrine to Vietnam. While this effort met with some success against the Viet Cong, the introduction of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces diminished the strategic effectiveness of the Special Forces effort. Further, as the NVA entered the fray and the war progressed, the Viet Cong themselves, although diminished by the Special Forces effort, became more sophisticated with regard to their remaining cell structures, logistics, and weapons employment.

There are several things to consider:

1. With the exception of Malaysia, there have historically been very few – if any – real, long lasting counterinsurgency success stories.
2. Wars are like fingerprints and snowflakes – no two are alike
3. The sophistication of the insurgency with respect to tactics, weapons, as well as ethnic loyalties to and from the populace, can negate COIN efforts.
4. The subtleties and grace of Tae Kwon Do are nice, but there’s nothing like a good punch in the mouth.

COIN may be a legitimate strategy in a limited sense when the “insurgents” are seen as outsiders – or at least trouble makers with a foreign ideology – by the native population in a fixed geographic region. However, the insurgency we face is not limited to Afghanistan. It is a global movement. Civilian casualties must be avoided whenever possible – not at all costs. There is no excuse for the wanton slaughter of innocents. However, if a COIN strategy is to succeed, our political and military leadership must demonstrate the willingness to adjust the tactics used in the battlespace in order to allow our troops to kill the enemy.

When The Great Khan rode through Central Asia in the early 13th Century, he did not take into consideration public opinion. He had lands to conquer, people to rule, and resources to exploit. He spread fear and misery across Persia and into Europe. Whether an Afghan is Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, or Turkmen, some – the real Afghan warriors – still have the spirit of the Mongol Horde in their blood.

That having been said, their blood has been thinned by time and centuries of misery. The current crop of Afghanistan’s “Warriors” is almost exclusive to the opposition. The true believers are fighters – cowards too, but fighters nonetheless. By contrast, the bulk of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) are not fighters, nor are they “true believers”. They are simply cowards – frauds – corrupt to the core by any standard and an apostate to their own faith. They are slovenly, drug-addicted, dimwitted, and totally unreliable at any level. Like the Taliban, they are brutal to their own countrymen. They thrive on their petty powers and refuse to shoulder any burden or responsibility. Does this sound too harsh? Not for the Marines and Soldiers who have been killed by the treachery of ANA and ANP who have purposely led them into ambush.

According to the great military minds of our time, these ANA/ANP forces can be trained and formed to fight their own war. At what cost? How many American lives? How many taxpayer dollars? It would take decades if it were simply a matter of sophistication and military training. However, the obstacle is the way and philosophy of life in the Islamic world.

Iraq is a case study in deception. You have been told by the media and our politicians that the Iraqi Army is now capable of maintaining order in Iraq with limited U.S. support. Well, read the news. Iraq is still in chaos. As we withdraw it will become worse; Sunni v. Shitte, Kurd v. Sunni and/or Shitte. Arabs are as brutal as Central Asians. However, they are even worse soldiers, and bring new meaning to the term cowardly. An American colonel who tried to train an Iraqi brigade regularly quips that his greatest accomplishment in twelve months was to get the Iraqis to use the toilets. He was not exaggerating. Americans have no idea how screwed up the world is east of Greece. Iraq is not yet a success story. The insurgency is just laying low. The Muslim mind thinks in terms of years, decades, and centuries – not election cycles. You will hear optimistic talking heads speak otherwise. They will tell you of the great success in Iraq. You will even hear this occasionally from Soldiers, Marines, and “Operators” who have had good experiences with the Iraqi forces. However, their experience is the exception.

Americans have been conditioned and have become accustomed to tiptoeing about, fearing to offend anyone – even those who are offensive to the bulk of humanity. Thus, there is not an American politician or a media guru who will speak the truth clearly.

Although this writer has read extracts from the Koran, there is no claim from this quarter to any real Islamic theological scholarship. My understanding from Muslim acquaintances is that a true Muslim understands the Koran as literally as an Evangelical Protestant understands the Bible. Those who do not are apostates. Relying on the New Testament we believe that “By their fruits ye shall know them.” This is how we know them:

· Dismemberment of American soldiers in Somalia while Somali Muslims danced in glee – October 1993.
· The celebrations in “The Arab Streets” (include all of Islam from Gaza to Indonesia) after the bombings of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the downing of United Flight 93, animating Muslims throughout the world to joy and celebration – September 11, 2001 and the weeks following.
· Dismemberment of Americans from Blackwater in Fallujah complete with the hanging of burned bodies from a bridge to the delight of the Muslim crowd – March 31, 2004.
· Decapitations of Nick Berg, Daniel Pearl, Kenneth Bigley, and others at various times and places.

Lest we think that this barbarism is reserved for Westerners, Islam promotes:

· Honor killings of girls and women not only in Islamic nations, but right here in the good ‘ol USA.
· Child brides.
· Conversion killings of anyone even thinking about leaving the Islamic faith.
· Child abuse and indoctrination via children’s cartoons (Muppets no less!) that make sport of killing Americans and Jews and portray us as pigs and dogs. (You can find them on YouTube!)
· Punishing children for petty theft by having their arms broken beneath the wheel of a truck. (You can find this gem on YouTube as well!)
· Slavery in all its glory. Both for labor and sexual purposes. This is rampant in the Islamic world particularly among our Saudi “allies”. Victims are Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Filipino, Indian, and from any country where one could be lured with the promise of an escape from poverty. Some victims are from the West.
· Cruelty in all its forms to one and all.

Having spent the best part of five years in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel (Gaza/West Bank), I can tell you that I have personally seen an adult man take off his shoe and beat a toddler around the head and shoulders with its heel. The little boy was wearing only a dust soaked shirt that came up above his belly. Yet, not a tear fell on his dirt-smudged cherubic face. He fell down breaking his fall with his tiny hands, but would not – or could not cry. I have seen an adult man suddenly and repeatedly strike a burka-wearing woman with a stick when she tried to exit a compound through a gate without a male escort. I have seen a man beat a donkey on the legs and back with a club until the panicked, pleading, and bleeding animal fell to the ground.

Kabul has astounding traffic tie-ups. Road rage is limited because one never knows if the other guy may have a flamethrower in his vehicle, but the cursing and honking is legendary. In the spring of 2007, during a massive, two-hour traffic jam on Jalalabad Road, I watched as an Afghan driver and his assistant got out of their flat bed truck in an attempt to beat the heat by lying down in the shade under the tires. The truck was hauling two large containers of medical supplies marked with a Red Cross. The driver apparently forgot to put out the tire chalks, and the truck rolled over both men crushing their heads like peas. Nobody – nobody – lifted a finger to help them. Their bodies were simply pulled to the side and the honking and shouting went on as usual. Life means nothing.

Apologists will bring up the crimes of the West – especially the Crusades. The fact is that the Crusades were waged to counter the Seljuk advance on Byzantium and the atrocities inflicted on Christians and Jews in the Holy Land. The Crusades were waged during a period of time when life in general – not to mention war – was totally barbaric. That degree of barbarism is unimaginable to modern Western sensibilities, but still considered absolutely reasonable by Muslims. Had the Crusades not been waged; had the Habsburg Monarchy not turned back the Ottoman tide at the end of the 17th Century; had Isabel of Castile not driven the Moors from Grenada, you would not be reading this diatribe. You would be illiterate, ruled by a tyrant, and squatting on the dirt floor of a mud-brick shack picking your nose.

On September 24th, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly. He basically put the world on notice. Israel will not tolerate any more nonsense from the Islamic world. In contrast to the incoherent rambling of Gadhafi, the rancorous rants of Ahmandinejad, and the lame political oration given by President Obama, Netanyahu made his points with force, conviction, and clarity. Speaking of Islam he stated:

“In the past thirty years, this fanaticism has swept the globe with a murderous violence and cold-blooded impartiality in its choice of victims. It has callously slaughtered Moslems and Christians, Jews and Hindus, and many others. Though it is comprised of different offshoots, the adherents of this unforgiving creed seek to return humanity to medieval times. Wherever they can, they impose a backward regimented society where women, minorities, gays or anyone not deemed to be a true believer is brutally subjugated. The struggle against this fanaticism does not pit faith against faith nor civilization against civilization. It pits civilization against barbarism, the 21st century against the 9th century, those who sanctify life against those who glorify death.”

With cessation of the draft in the early 1970s America cultivated a professional warrior class. For over thirty years we have trained and equipped the most lethal fighting force ever known to mankind. They have sworn an oath to our Constitution that they take seriously. The question is whether or not their political leadership takes their own oath seriously. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are worthy of competent leadership that they can trust. Our president has demonstrated his contempt for America on foreign soil. In speeches around the world he has apologized for our history and failed to recognize our contributions. His personal history is littered with questionable personal friendships and professional associations. He has denied our Judeo-Christian heritage and stated that “Victory” is not in his vocabulary. We need to ask ourselves if he is worthy to be trusted with making policy that may mean the lives of our brave Warriors.

President Obama and General McCrystal need to review their history. When you treat the Afghans with kid gloves, they will bite off your hand.



Jim Sauer is a retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major and combat veteran with over thirty years of service. Since retiring he has worked in support of U.S. Government efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel.

Source: Personal email from Jim. Originally posted here, but also posted on author Diana West's blog, here.

The Pledge of Allegiance

A good buddy of mine, a former FAST Marine, SWAT team member and former Federal Air Marshal, who is still an American-loving warrior, sent me this great video that was first aired on CBS in 1969. I normally try to focus on spiritual things on Sundays, but I felt this was appropriate to post. After all, we are still "One Nation Under God."

What Matters Most

I poached this from The Island Roys Blog. Thanks!

Do Little Boys Ever Really Take Showers?

One of my boys recently turned 9. My wife said she caught him today wearing the same undershirt to school (and to bed) for several days in a row. "Disgusting boys!" she said.

Funny, he told me something really sneaky the other day, "Pssst... Dad, if mom ever makes you take a shower..." Just that sentence alone made me chuckle on the inside from his perspective. "...If mom ever makes you take a shower, you can just take off all your clothes, wrap yourself in a towel and put a little water on your hair from the sink. She'll never know."

Kids are great, and sometimes little boys can get a bit smelly. Big boys can too. Fortunately, I like to take showers--and use soap!

Terrorist Plot Prediction -- Airports are the Target

FBI agents just raided the residence of a man suspected of making bombs in a plot that spans from NYC to Denver, Colorado. What's their target? It's the airports and airlines. Why do I say that? Well, there's a number of reasons.

First, it's still a very easy target. TSA doesn't have their stuff together enough to stop a grand scale attack even in the meandering lines at the Denver International Airport (DIA). I just finished writing a chapter about the Israeli airport security paradigm in my forthcoming book, "The Work of Death--for God, Family and Country." We aren't as close as we should be when it comes to having safe airports. As a former air marshal, I always felt DIA was one of the better targets for an IED attack because of the way the people are all piled together in tight lines. And, hey, there's no real security before the metal detectors and bomb sniffers anyway. It's a perfectly easy target.

Secondly, attacking the airlines would not only cause mass chaos and terror, but it would be an ideal way to shock the country into further economic difficulty. If you think the airlines had troubles after 9/11, another attack would put several airlines out of business. Would the government use our tax dollars to bail them out? (Cringe) I rue the thought.

Thirdly, hitting the airlines have always been a great emotional and psychological target. The average American would feel that the government simply wasn't able to stop terrorists from striking again. They'd feel--we'd all feel--frustrated that the millions of dollars and bureaucratic levels of government created to help airports since 9/11 were all a giant waste.

Imagine blowing an airliner from the sky--now that would be spectacular. That's what terrorists want. And, they'd probably record it too so the news reels would play it over and over and over.

It wouldn't be that difficult for a dedicated terrorist to sneak some explosives on a plane, particularly one who's very familiar with the airports and who blends in. Consider this:

According to the FBI, agents from the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) searched the home of Najibullah Zazi, as well as the nearby residence of his aunt, Rabia Zazi, near the Denver International Airport, where he picks up and drops off passengers as a driver for ABC Airport Shuttle. Yikes! Talk about prior planning in preparation for a bombing!

According to an AP report, Zazi was born in Pakistan but moved to the United States at an early age and grew up in Queens. He moved to Colorado several months ago, she said. He flew out to NY this weekend; that's when the FBI moved in on both sites. They also put out warnings for people to be on the lookout for people with burns on their hands or face from making liquid, hydrogen peroxide-based explosives.

Hummm...this sounds strangely familiar. Sound like the London Bomb Plot? How about the Bojinka Plot? I'm not going to go into detail with either right now, but suffice it to say, I've dealt with terrorism issues before. Because of our law, it's difficult to arrest or even detain suspected terrorists, but it doesn't mean they're innocent. Now, I've witnessed government mess-ups first hand, but on this one, I think they're right on the money...or on the bomb trail, to be literal. The 24-year-old man who claims he's not a terrorist, doesn't have me convinced.

Check out the news video here: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=15587197&src=news

Betraying Our Dead - Ralph Peters

Ralph Peters

Eight years ago today, our homeland was attacked by fanatical Muslims inspired by Saudi Arabian bigotry. Three thousand American citizens and residents died.

We resolved that we, the People, would never forget. Then we forgot.

We've learned nothing.

Instead of cracking down on Islamist extremism, we've excused it.

Instead of killing terrorists, we free them.

Instead of relentlessly hunting Islamist madmen, we seek to appease them.

Instead of acknowledging that radical Islam is the problem, we elected a president who blames America, whose idea of freedom is the right for women to suffer in silence behind a veil -- and who counts among his mentors and friends those who damn our country or believe that our own government staged the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Instead of insisting that freedom will not be infringed by terrorist threats, we censor works that might offend mass murderers. Radical Muslims around the world can indulge in viral lies about us, but we dare not even publish cartoons mocking them.

Instead of protecting law-abiding Americans, we reject profiling to avoid offending terrorists. So we confiscate granny's shampoo at the airport because the half-empty container could hold 3.5 ounces of liquid.

Instead of insisting that Islamist hatred and religious apartheid have no place in our country, we permit the Saudis to continue funding mosques and madrassahs where hating Jews and Christians is preached as essential to Islam.

Instead of confronting Saudi hate-mongers, our president bows down to the Saudi king.

Instead of recognizing the Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi cult as the core of the problem, our president blames Israel.

Instead of asking why Middle Eastern civilization has failed so abjectly, our president suggests that we're the failures.

Instead of taking every effective measure to cull information from terrorists, the current administration threatens CIA agents with prosecution for keeping us safe.

Instead of proudly and promptly rebuilding on the site of the Twin Towers, we've committed ourselves to the hopeless, useless task of rebuilding Afghanistan. (Perhaps we should have built a mosque at Ground Zero -- the Saudis would've funded it.)

Instead of taking a firm stand against Islamist fanaticism, we've made a cult of negotiations -- as our enemies pursue nuclear weapons; sponsor terrorism; torture, imprison, rape and murder their own citizens -- and laugh at us.

Instead of insisting that Islam must become a religion of responsibility, our leaders in both parties continue to bleat that "Islam's a religion of peace," ignoring the curious absence of Baptist suicide bombers.

Instead of requiring new immigrants to integrate into our society and conform to its public values, we encourage and subsidize anti-American, woman-hating, freedom-denying bigotry in the name of toleration.

Instead of pursuing our enemies to the ends of the earth, we help them sue us.

We've dishonored our dead and whitewashed our enemies. A distinctly unholy alliance between fanatical Islamists abroad and a politically correct "elite" in the US has reduced 9/11 to the status of a non-event, a day for politicians to preen about how little they've done.

We've forgotten the shock and the patriotic fury Americans felt on that bright September morning eight years ago. We've forgotten our identification with fellow citizens leaping from doomed skyscrapers. We've forgotten the courage of airline passengers who would not surrender to terror.

We've forgotten the men and women who burned to death or suffocated in the Pentagon. We've forgotten our promises, our vows, our commitments.

We've forgotten what we owe our dead and what we owe our children. We've even forgotten who attacked us.

We have betrayed the memory of our dead. In doing so, we betrayed ourselves and our country. Our troops continue to fight -- when they're allowed to do so -- but our politicians have surrendered.

Are we willing to let the terrorists win?

Ralph Peters' new thriller, "The War After Armageddon," goes on sale next Tuesday.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/betraying_our_dead_H6T95r1BTCnkC1UbEdUfsO

Finding Hope After 9/11

Aside from watching Glenn Beck on Fox and seeing the TEA party, I'm spending time with family and reflecting on what really matters most in life. This video says it all.

Who Can Forget 9/11?

I don't believe a missile hit the towers, or that the government planted bombs beneath the WTC. I cannot fathom the minds of those who come up with such things. I took about a half hour this morning, September 11, 2009, to watch this home video footage from downtown New York. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5474006551011489413#

I'm sure there are a lot of other powerful videos. Today is a day of remembrance. It's the reason why we're at war. In fact, one of my air marshal buddies is over in Afghanistan now with 20th Special Forces Group. Pray for our troops and pray for the victims of the horrible catastrophe that occurred on 9/11/01.

Explosion on a Plane

With the unfortunate hijacking in Mexico recently I'm reminded of the jihadi terrorists behind the London Bomb Plot. That was the 2006 attempt to blow up British and U.S. planes over the Atlantic. Here's a brief clip of a BBC report on what a liquid explosive might do: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7536167.stm

Who is Van Jones?

Pledge to Serve Obama or the Constitution?

http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=48702

WARNING! This news report has the capacity to be totally disturbing!

House Burnt Down

A neighbor's house burnt down. She's a single mother with five children. I'm amazed at the kindness of my small children, who've offered their toys, clothes and greatest personal treasures to comfort those who've lost everything. I accredit that to my lovely wife.

Family First

"No government at any level, or at any price, can afford, on the crime side, the police necessary to assure our safety unless the overwhelming majority of us are guided by an inner, personal code of morality. And you will not get that inner, personal code of morality unless children are brought up in a family -- a family that gives them the affection they seek, that makes them feel they belong, that guides them to the future, and that will build continuity in future generations. . . . the greatest inequality today is not inequality of wealth or income. It is the inequality between the child brought up in a loving, supportive family and one who has been denied that birthright."

Lady Margaret Thatcher

Graham Combat Blog

Stay Tuned!!!

You can check Matt Graham out in Combat Tactics magazine Summer 2009.

http://grahamcombat.blogspot.com/

My Roots

My ancestors:
http://www.footnote.com/page/460_james_denning/

Homecoming Military Funeral

By the third song I couldn't fight back the tears any longer. This is a must-watch video. A good friend of mine in Afghanistan sent this to me.

http://blip.tv/play/AYGJ5h6YgmE

Excellent Video on Government

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

Independence Day

God bless the U.S.A!

The fireworks going off late last night reminded me of my tour in Iraq. I'm glad to be home and enjoy the freedoms I have. God bless the troops--those who've served, those who are serving and those who will yet serve--and God bless America.

Tools Every Guy Needs

Federal Air Marshal Service: 'The most needless, useless agency in the entire Federal Government'

Interesting...

Subject: OPINION / Federal Air Marshal Service: 'The most needless, useless
agency in the entire Federal Government'

Colleagues,
This article - full of hyperbole and poor analysis - nevertheless highlights
a key challenge for law enforcement, counterterrorism, and
counterintelligence. "HOW DO YOU MEASURE DETERRENCE?" In a world of
limited resources, we must be able to articulate our mission needs. There
are always folks ready to take away our funding. - JHN
---------------------------------

OPINION / Federal Air Marshal Service: 'The most needless, useless agency in
the entire Federal Government'
By Rep. John Duncan Jr. (R-TN)
Published June 23rd, 2009

Rep. John Duncan Jr.
(R-TN)
[Remarks delivered on the House floor on June 19, 2009.]

Probably the most needless, useless agency in the entire Federal Government
is the Air Marshal Service.

In the Homeland Security Appropriations bill we will take up next week, we
will appropriate $860 million for this needless, useless agency. This money
is a total waste: $860 million for people to sit on airplanes and simply fly
back and forth, back and forth. What a cushy, easy job.

And listen to this paragraph from a front-page story in the USA Today last
November: "Since 9/11, more than three dozen Federal air marshals have been
charged with crimes, and hundreds more have been accused of misconduct.
Cases range from drunken driving and domestic violence to aiding a
human-trafficking ring and trying to smuggle explosives from Afghanistan.''

Actually, there have been many more arrests of Federal air marshals than
that story reported, quite a few for felony offenses. In fact, more air
marshals have been arrested than the number of people arrested by air
marshals.

We now have approximately 4,000 in the Federal Air Marshals Service, yet
they have made an average of just 4.2 arrests a year since 2001. This comes
out to an average of about one arrest a year per 1,000 employees.

Now, let me make that clear. Their thousands of employees are not making one
arrest per year each. They are averaging slightly over four arrests each
year by the entire agency. In other words, we are spending approximately
$200 million per arrest. Let me repeat that: we are spending approximately
$200 million per arrest.

Professor Ian Lustick of the University of Pennsylvania wrote last year
about the money feeding frenzy of the war on terror. And he wrote this:
``Nearly 7 years after September 11, 2001,'' he wrote this last year, "what
accounts for the vast discrepancy between the terrorist threat facing
America and the scale of our response? Why, absent any evidence of a serious
terror threat, is a war to on terror so enormous, so all-encompassing, and
still expanding?"

The fundamental answer is that al Qaeda's most important accomplishment was
not to hijack our planes but to hijack our political system.

"For a multitude of politicians, interest groups and professional
associations, corporations, media organizations, universities, local and
State governments and Federal agency officials, the war on terror is now a
major profit center, a funding bonanza, and a set of slogans and sound bites
to be inserted into budget project grant and contract proposals.''

And finally, Professor Lustick wrote: ``For the country as a whole, however,
it has become maelstrom of waste.'' And there is no agency for which those
words are more applicable than the Federal Air Marshal Service.

In case anyone is wondering, the Air Marshal Service has done nothing to me,
and I know none of its employees. But I do know with absolute certainty that
this $860 million we are about to give them could be better spent on
thousands of other things.

As far as I'm concerned, it is just money going down a drain for the little
good it will do. When we are so many trillions of dollars in debt, a
national debt of over $13 trillion, we simply cannot afford to waste money
in this way.

http://www.gsnmagazine.com/cms/features/news-analysis/2205.html

Copyright 2009 World Business Media, LLC

Watch This Video!!!

My little brother sent me this message:

This guy reminds me of you when he talks... and kinda how he looks... watch the video...



Call me crazy, but this is one of the most spectacular and moving videos I've ever seen. The music is incredible. What a great way to start off my day!

Mountain Vision

A few years ago I met Jeff Evans on a flight. He was on his way to entertain a few crowds with his amazing story-telling ability. Jeff and I had a lot of things in common. I admired him and was intrigued by the incredible things he did, most notability leading a blind man to the summit of Mount Everest. His book, Mountain Vision: Lessons Beyond the Summit, is a must read for all. I just sent two copies of the book to a couple of friends.

I've given away nearly a dozen of his books to date. The last person who I gave a copy of the book to said she was going to buy a copy to send to each of her children. Don't miss Mountain Vision. His videos are incredible too. By the way, he just teamed up with Franklin-Covey to offer terrific leadership anecdotes to many, many people.

Rep. Randy Forbes on our Nation's Judeo-Christian Foundations

Famous Family Nights

Anne Bradshaw's new book will hit stores in late 2009.

Home From Iraq Now for One Year This Week

One word: Ahhhhh..... HOME!

Mormon Tabernacle Choir -- Powerful, Inspirational

2nd Amendment Gun Rights

October 16, 1991 is a day I remember well. I was attending college in Texas, not too far from Killeen. That day a lunatic named George Hennard drove his pick up truck in through the wall a Luby's Cafe, got out of his truck and began a shooting spree, killing as many people as he could. Up to that point, there was no other shooting incident where one man had killed so many people. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hennard)

I remember thinking -- somehow wishing, as it were -- that I could have been there with a gun to stop that mad man.

This is a must-see video.

Too Many Suicides in US Army

"Not all wounds are visible. If you are feeling depressed or suicidal, seek help."


--Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Kenneth O. Preston

http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/dhpw/Readiness/suicide.aspx

Columbus's Inspiration

I LOVE TO READ.

Look at the gem I found today while reading.

I have seen, and truly I have studied all books and cosmographies, histories, chronicles, and philosophies and other arts for which our Lord with provident hand unlocked my mind, sent me upon the seas and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed, but who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me? [Jacob Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, p. 18]

I LOVE AMERICA.

May God grant that this beloved land and the cherished, heavenly-inspired political documents established by our Founding Forefathers be maintained and established forevermore.

ATF Agent & The Rancher

A friend sent me this joke.

An ATF officer stops at a ranch in Montana, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, 'I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.' The old rancher says, 'Okay, but do not go in that field over there.'

The ATF officer verbally explodes saying, 'Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me.' Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the farmer. 'See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish....on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?'

The old rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the ATF officer running for his life chased close behind by the rancher's prize bull. With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get "horned" before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The old rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....

'Your badge! Show him your badge!!! '

Attitude Determines Altitude

"You're going as high and as far in this life as you ATTITUDE will let you," I remember one inspirational speaking saying over a decade ago. I haven't forgotten it.

Interestingly, the phrase "attitude determines altitude" has new found meaning to me as of late, especially after watching a great documentary film. Last weekend I dropped by the local video store and checked out the new releases. I was absolutely surprised and delighted to see the documentary film Blindsight. I had planned on purchasing it recently anyway. So, of course, I rented the award-winning film. We watched it as a family.

The film is about a blind mountain climbing team hiking the highest mountains in the world…in Tibet. The team of experienced mountain guides in the film hail from among the best climbers in the world—Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man who reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2001, and Jeff Evans, who led him there.

I highly recommend Blindsight and Farther Than the Eye Can See, a film about the latter ascent, as well as Jeff Evans' book Mountain Vision: Lessons Beyond the Summit. You can purchase it on-line at http://www.mountain-vision.com/.

Symposium: Islamic Terror and Sexual Mutilation

"Mutilation expresses rage that can not be satiated by murder." That's a statement by Dr. Nancy Kobrin, a counterterrorism expert, on a poignant symposium recently posted on FrontPageMagazine.

My Hiatus & Wonder Woman

I haven't blogged for so long that I started out writing the word "September." Suffice it to say I can't stay away. I think about blogging all the time, like last week when I wanted to write about my infatuation with Wonder Woman. Linda Carter used to be my dream woman. But my wife is my Wonder Woman. She's simply amazing – my wife, that is. It's not her long, nice legs only. Nope, I really love how she cooks, cleans, and impresses me daily with keeping our five munchkins alive and well. For all I know she has some magic bracelets helping her out (note the kickback from the ballistic shields from the epic saga of the original Wonder Woman.)

Mostly I remember blogging because people comment on my old posts. I've gotten a lot of strangers comment. The PR manager from the Ontario Canada Police Department wrote and asked if she could have their Chief quote something I wrote. Today a motivational speaker from England wrote a kindly comment on my Rotten Attitude blog.

My rib has been hurting. It's the same rib my buddy Johnny broke years ago. He was killed in Iraq…and I blogged on it.

Blogging for the Washington Times was fun, but I couldn't keep up with the pace – the cost/benefit didn't pan out for me, so I kindly dismissed myself. Shoot, I can't even keep this blog up, but I've had a few friends call and ask me why I haven't written in a while.

Well, between watching Tevo-ed episodes of "24" instead of sleeping (what can I say, I'm a big fan), changing dirty diapers, picking up prescriptions for the Pink Eye that's hit all my girls, having battles with our lame VOIP (that Internet phone really stinks), and working, I have very little time. In fact, I've been doing so much lately, that I don't have time to write it all. Yes, I finally bought a planner!

…and, I finished my paper for the Just War Theory Project. I titled it "To Save Lives" – The Dichotomy of Killing in Order to Save.

PS I don't have time tonight to proof-read this blog, catch up with all my old friends on Facebook, or prepare a speech I'm giving next week.

Washington's First Inaugural Address

Taken from http://www.ushistory.org/ValleyForge/washington/inaugural.html:

At his first inauguration, George Washington took the oath of office for the presidency on April 30, 1789. He was standing on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City with his hand on an open Bible. After he finished taking the oath, the audience in attendance gave a thunderous ovation and bells of the various churches began ringing in his honor. After his oath of office was completed, he went to deliver his inaugural address to Congress.

"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aide can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes; and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.

In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow-citizens at large, less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.

Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which them past seem to presage.

These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me I trust in thinking, that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free Government can more auspiciously commence.

We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps finally, staked of the experiment...

I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the Benign Parent of the Human Race, in humble supplication that, since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessings may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend."

There is Danger in Opportunity

There is a Chinese character that has a double meaning. The character means both danger and opportunity.

The other day I accidentally left my car keys in the ignition while filling up with gas. To make matters worse, I entered into the gas station. A guy with my background simply doesn't do that. Oops. Often crime is an opportunity. Keys in vehicle equals free vehicle to some.

Right after filling up I drove down the road to get a Subway sandwich for lunch. I parked, went inside (bringing my keys, of course), and ordered some grub. The lady ordering in front of me went to pay for her sandwich then realized she left her money in the car.

This was a dangerous opportunity for me. Why? Because I thought I should secretly pay for her sandwich while she was gone to her car, and I could have gotten caught! It was a non-crime of opportunity.

It's odd going out of your comfort zone, I guess that's why it's called a COMFORT zone. But I made a commitment to myself long ago that when my heart speaks, I'd not only only take good notes, but I'd go out of my way to ACT.

Serving others is pretty wonderful, especially when it can be done anonymously.

I'm quite older now, but when I paid for the lady's meal, I recalled my Eagle Scout days. The Boy Scout slogan is, "Do a good turn daily." It was nice to do a good deed. There might not always be old ladies to help cross the street, but occasionally there are opportunities--even dangerous ones. Those are the moments to seize.

Police Shooting

Long chase, shorter shoot-out here.

Ultimate Fighting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdtmmpj-fZ8


I used to spar with Damon years ago when we lived in Southern California. That was way back when I was actively taking martial arts. Damon's first pro fight went well. Way to go, Damon.

Fireproof Your Marriage

My wife and I went to see the film Fireproof today. How refreshing it was to watch a movie with morals -- a movie that stood for something -- a movie that spoke about goodness, forgiveness and love. It seems there are mostly movies about revenge, greed, avarice, and immoral behavior. I highly recommend this movie. What a great movie! There was no bad language or crude scenes. It was of highest quality.

An LDS magazine named Meridian had this to say recently. The above pictures by Amy Fisher were taken from that website. It shows protesters outside the Los Angeles LDS temple.

Editor's Note: As some of you know, Meridian was hacked into last week, apparently by Prop 8 opponents, and in the place of our content was placed a homosexual pornographic film.

I simply do not understand the hate coming from the gay and lesbian community. We did not event what a marriage is. That's as old as Adam and Eve.

I believe and support...


The Family: A Proclamation to the World, which reads:


We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Veteran's Day - Again

A friend of mine sent this video.

This morning I had a strange dream. It was Veteran's Day and I wanted nothing but to go home. I was in a very bad neighborhood in the U.S. – a fictional city with a real name, to put it in 'dream' speak. I was threatened by a transient with an M-16. Someone killed/murdered him and cut off his head. It was horrifying and excessive. I tried to get a friend, who also happens to be one of the top executives of Oracle, to allow me to leave the area with him and his wife. He didn't see me. I was stuck in the very horrible neighborhood — the kinds of horrors and horrible ghettos which are only in dreams, at least to most of us. I "stole" a truck-like conveyance, then some cross county-type skis to get out of town. The people harassed me and chased after me. I took off running just to get home. It was a nightmare.

There are some Veteran's who have experienced things that I never have or likely never will. They indeed have demons. They've seen things – and others have done things – that are truly horrifying, though justifiable in war. Some of them are my closest friends, and they just want to come home. But the thoughts of their nightmarish experiences resurface again and again. They cannot run away, though they try. Their thoughts will always stay with them though they may physically be home.

God bless all those who serve. Those who haven't experienced fighting for freedom can never truly understand the gratitude of freedom and peace. It is the bane of warriors to keep us safe, and I cannot express my gratitude enough for them – my colleagues, my teammates, my friends.

...some of them didn't make it home, some of them never will.

Anti-Traditional Family Seekers Riot in California

I went on a full-time mission for my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in southern California. I served there for two years. I also lived there after my mission and volunteered as a temple worker at the L.A. temple.

A Google search reveals the threats pouring out against the church. Those who want homosexual marriages are attacking my faith since we stand for traditional marriages. Fortunately, many good people and institutions feel the same way we do. For instance, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento released a statement which began:

Catholics stand in solidarity with our Mormon brothers and sisters in support of traditional marriage — the union of one man and one woman — that has been the major building block of Western Civilization for millennia.

We live in interesting times...

Picture: Los Angeles Police Department officers guarded the Los Angeles Mormon Temple during a "No on 8" protest this past Thursday.

Case Law and People's Will Destroying Families

A federal appeals court ruled in February that [Massachusetts] can deny parents the right to remove their second-graders from classes that required reading books such as King and King, which is about two princes marrying.

That was from an article I read last week in USA Today. It caused the hairs on my neck to rise!

Interestingly, and thankfully, the gay marriage ban in California, known as Proposition 8, passed, according to the LA Times. It's a sign of tragedy, however, that the numbers were so close: 52% to 48%.

A close and trusted friend of mine rebutted my opinion by saying that one of his closest friends is a lesbian who lives in Mass. I have met and worked with several people of the gay and lesbian community, but I do not believe that the minority should rule. Most importantly, family is what matters most. The family -- a mother, a father and children -- is the fundamental unit of society and it should be strengthened as such.

Sex and TV

RAND has produced some excellent reports in terrorism studies. Recently, however, I discovered some researchers also found out some shocking news. The title and the studies' abstract tells it all:

Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings From a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Objective
There is increasing evidence that youth exposure to sexual content on television shapes sexual attitudes and behavior in a manner that may influence reproductive health outcomes. To our knowledge, no previous work has empirically examined associations between exposure to television sexual content and adolescent pregnancy.

Methods
Data from a national longitudinal survey of teens (12-17 years of age, monitored to 15-20 years of age) were used to assess whether exposure to televised sexual content predicted subsequent pregnancy for girls or responsibility for pregnancy for boys. Multivariate logistic regression models controlled for other known correlates of exposure to sexual content and pregnancy. We measured experience of a teen pregnancy during a 3-year period.

Results
Exposure to sexual content on television predicted teen pregnancy, with adjustment for all covariates. Teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content (90th percentile) were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure (10th percentile).

Conclusions
This is the first study to demonstrate a prospective link between exposure to sexual content on television and the experience of a pregnancy before the age of 20. Limiting adolescent exposure to the sexual content on television and balancing portrayals of sex in the media with information about possible negative consequences might reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. Parents may be able to mitigate the influence of this sexual content by viewing with their children and discussing these depictions of sex.

Psycho lady cuts up kids, stuffs them in freezer

I just heard about a lady that was arrested for attempting to kill her 7 year old daughter. She had already killed two other kids and cut up their bodies and threw them in the freezer. Usually, for the sake of personal security, I wouldn't say that I'm in that area now, attending a NRA Law Enforcement Instructor shooting course, but I had called up the local Calvert County SWAT commander a couple weeks ago to ask for some local assistance and now I'm here. Anyway, the kid who works at the hotel here behind the desk is the one who found the 7 year old and called the cops. The full story is sickening.

Surely there's a special place in hell reserved for people like that.

It was the Lord himself who said: But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (New Testament | Matthew 18:6)

What greater offense than murder and abuse and torture of innocent little children?! The damnable practice of wholesale abortion and the unspeakable offenses of physical, emotional and sexual abuse is deplorable. No honorable person would be guilty of it. Such things must be stopped.

Occasionally, when caught in the very act of committing a heinous, felonious crime, law enforcement are legally allowed to use deadly force, if needs be, to stop it.

If I've ever had any qualms about why I teach people to kill other people, the thought just disappeared. As my buddy Matt Graham says, "The more effective you are at taking a life the more successful you will be in saving one."

God, save the children. Too many of them suffer.

I recall the words of one U.S. ambassador on an interview with NPR years ago. He spoke about the great conflict of the Hutus and Tutsis in Central Africa. He said he went to a hospital where he saw a young baby girl that had a bayonet stab wound to her genitals. What kind of barbarian would do such a thing?!

I recall the innocent baby I saw in ER when I was called to investigate suspected child abuse only three weeks before our first baby was born. The 3 month old baby girl had a cigarette burn on her cheek, her skull had 7 to 9 fractures. Her arm was broken as was both of her legs. I felt so sorry for her. She screamed and could not be comforted. Her two young parents just stood there. A specialist on child abuse was called in from a local department. He said that according to the wounds, someone took the baby by both legs and smashed her head several times into a hard object, like a table top or a wall or the floor. That's what broke both of her legs and gave her fractures on her tiny little skull.

I cannot help but think of the words of the late prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley. Years ago he had this to say. I can't help but to include the majority of it.

Why are men so vicious as to bring about the causes that lead to such terrible fratricidal conflict? Great, I believe, will be their tribulation in the Day of Judgment when they must stand before the Almighty accused of the suffering and destruction of these little ones. I am grateful for kind and generous people of many faiths and persuasions across the world whose hearts reach out in sympathy, many of whom give freely of their substance, their time, even their presence to help those in such terrible distress. I am grateful that we as a church have done much of significance, as President Monson pointed out last night, in sending medicines, food and clothing, and blankets for warmth and shelter to those who suffer so terribly, and particularly to children who otherwise most certainly would die.

Why should they suffer so much in so many places? Surely God, our Eternal Father, must weep when he sees the abuse that is heaped upon his little ones, for I am satisfied they hold a special place in his grand design. That place was confirmed when his Son, the Savior of the world, walked the dusty roads of Palestine.

“And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

“But Jesus … said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Luke 18:15–17).

How great is our responsibility, how serious the responsibility of Christian people and men and women of goodwill everywhere to reach out to ease the plight of suffering children, to lift them from the rut of despair in which they walk.

Of course such suffering is not new. Plagues of disease have in centuries past swept across continents. War has caused the deaths of millions who were totally innocent. Children have been bartered and traded; they have been used as tools by vicious masters; they have mined coal for long hours day after day in the dark and cold depths of the earth; they have worked in sweatshops and been exploited like cheap merchandise.

Surely after all of the history we have read, after all of the suffering of which we have been told, after all of the exploitation of which we are aware, we can do more than we are now doing to lift the blight that condemns millions of children to lives that know little of happiness, that are tragically brief, and that are filled with pain.

And we need not travel halfway across the earth to find weeping children. Countless numbers of them cry out in fear and loneliness from the evil consequences of moral transgression, neglect, and abuse. I speak plainly, perhaps indelicately. But I know of no other way to make clear a matter about which I feel so strongly.

One major problem is the now-common phenomenon of children bearing children, of children without fathers. Somehow there seems to be in the minds of many young men, and some not so young, the idea that there is no relationship between the begetting of a child and responsibility for its life thereafter. Every young man should realize that whenever a child is begotten outside the bonds of marriage, it has resulted from violation of a God-given commandment reaching at least as far back as Moses. Further, let it be known clearly and understood without question that responsibility inevitably follows, and that this responsibility will continue throughout life. Though the mores of our contemporary society may have crumbled to a point where sexual transgression is glossed over or is regarded as acceptable, there will someday be accountability before the God of heaven for all that we do in violation of his commandments. I believe further that a sense of accountability must at some time bear upon every man who has fathered a child and then abandoned responsibility for its care. He must sometimes stop and wonder whatever became of the child he fathered, of the boy or girl who is flesh of his flesh and soul of his soul.

The burdens that fall upon a young woman who alone must rear her child are unbelievably heavy and consuming. They are likewise heavy upon society through taxes levied to meet the needs of such children and their mothers.

In the United States “in the six years between 1985 and 1990, estimated public outlays related to teenage child-bearing totalled more than $120 billion. …

“Of unmarried teens who give birth, 73 percent will be on welfare within four years [that is almost three out of every four].

“In 1991 federal and state expenditures for aid to families with dependent children … totalled $20 billion plus administrative costs of $2.6 billion” (Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children, New York: Carnegie Corporation, April 1994, p. 21).

The obstacles facing children born and reared in such circumstances are formidable, to say the least.

The answer is straightforward. It lies in adherence to the principles of the gospel and the teaching of the Church. It lies in self-discipline.

Would that every youth might realize this and be governed accordingly. There would be so much less of heartache and heartbreak. Its importance cannot be overemphasized because the consequences are so serious and so everlasting.

I realize that notwithstanding all of the teaching that can be done, there will be those who will not heed and will go their willful way only to discover to their shock and dismay that they are to become parents, while they are scarcely older than children themselves.

Abortion is not the answer. This only compounds the problem. It is an evil and repulsive escape that will someday bring regret and remorse.

Marriage is the more honorable thing. This means facing up to responsibility. It means giving the child a name, with parents who together can nurture, protect, and love.

When marriage is not possible, experience has shown that adoption, difficult though this may be for the young mother, may afford a greater opportunity for the child to live a life of happiness. Wise and experienced professional counselors and prayerful bishops can assist in these circumstances.

Then there is the terrible, inexcusable, and evil phenomenon of physical and sexual abuse.

It is unnecessary. It is unjustified. It is indefensible.

In terms of physical abuse, I have never accepted the principle of “spare the rod and spoil the child.” I will be forever grateful for a father who never laid a hand in anger upon his children. Somehow he had the wonderful talent to let them know what was expected of them and to give them encouragement in achieving it.

I am persuaded that violent fathers produce violent sons. I am satisfied that such punishment in most instances does more damage than good. Children don’t need beating. They need love and encouragement. They need fathers to whom they can look with respect rather than fear. Above all, they need example.

I recently read a biography of George H. Brimhall, who at one time served as president of Brigham Young University. Concerning him, someone said that he reared “his boys with a rod, but it [was] a fishing rod” (Raymond Brimhall Holbrook and Esther Hamilton Holbrook, TheTall Pine Tree: The Life and Work of George H. Brimhall, n.p., 1988, p. 62). That says it all.

And then there is the terrible, vicious practice of sexual abuse. It is beyond understanding. It is an affront to the decency that ought to exist in every man and woman. It is a violation of that which is sacred and divine. It is destructive in the lives of children. It is reprehensible and worthy of the most severe condemnation.

Shame on any man or woman who would sexually abuse a child. In doing so, the abuser not only does the most serious kind of injury. He or she also stands condemned before the Lord.

It was the Master himself who said, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). How could he have spoken in stronger terms?

If there be any within the sound of my voice who may be guilty of such practice, I urge you with all of the capacity of which I am capable to stop it, to run from it, to get help, to plead with the Lord for forgiveness and make amends to those whom you have offended. God will not be mocked concerning the abuse of his little ones.

When the resurrected Lord appeared on this hemisphere and taught the people, the record states that as he spoke to them, “he wept, … and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

“And when he had done this he wept again” (3 Ne. 17:21–22).

There is no more tender and beautiful picture in all of sacred writing than this simple language describing the love of the Savior for little children.

Of all the joys of life, none other equals that of happy parenthood. Of all the responsibilities with which we struggle, none other is so serious. To rear children in an atmosphere of love, security, and faith is the most rewarding of all challenges. The good result from such efforts becomes life’s most satisfying compensation.

President Joseph F. Smith said on one occasion: “After all, to do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man-kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman. One is universal and eternal greatness, the other is ephemeral” (Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 285).

I am satisfied that no other experiences of life draw us nearer to heaven than those that exist between happy parents and happy children.

My plea—and I wish I were more eloquent in voicing it—is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture. They need kindness and refreshment and affection. Every home, regardless of the cost of the house, can provide an environment of love which will be an environment of salvation....

Save the children. Too many suffer and weep. God bless us to be mindful of them, to lift them and guide them as they walk in dangerous paths, to pray for them, to bless them, to love them, to keep them secure until they can run with strength of their own, I pray in the name of him who loves them so very much, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Death Notification Letter

Dear Mrs. ––,

We regret to inform you of your husband’s death. We know it comes as striking news to you, your family and loved ones. How tragic that men, and women alike, must depart from this life at such a young age. Our deepest sympathies and affections are extended to you and your family. We – and I especially – cannot begin to comprehend the grief and sorrow that you’ll experience within the next few days.

In this vocation lives of good men, like your husband, are put on the line to save others, and to better the society in which we must live. This means any small error can be costly. Our team failed to protect your husband, and together we will forever regret it.

We honored and revered your husband – our brother – in life; we wish to bequeath his memory in death. God bless you; may He remain with you and comfort you in your trials and loneliness.

We extend to you our deepest regrets and most sincere apologies.

Respectfully yours,


Jeffrey Denning
Delta Squad


That was a pseudo-letter I wrote at a Special Operations Response School (SORT) I attended many years ago. The letter isn't real, but the content is poignant and has validity. The letter meant even more to the operators on that training team whose teammate died the year before in an incident.

Last week, and this up-coming week, I get the privilege of working with several law enforcement and private security professionals, engaging in shooting and tactical training. I enjoyed speaking with some of them about various SWAT incidents and police shootings, and I've made some new friends in different parts of the U.S. and throughout various agencies.

My participation once again reminded me of the importance to train hard and train realistically. In a job where lives are on the line, it is imperative that those who train must to so to their utmost ability. There cannot be negligence or irresponsibility. And, those in charge of training must know their jobs well. You cannot draw water from an empty bucket. Continued training is imperative.

A couple SWAT commanders have asked me recently to assist in training their teams. If I could, I'd donate time, energy and literally millions of dollars to help my brothers and sisters in law enforcement. We sleep comfortably in our beds only because noble, brave sentries guard the night. They are the ones who stand between us and the criminals, crazies and cranks. To borrow the words of another, they do the things we're too afraid, too unskilled or too civilized to do for ourselves. We want to be protected, but we really don't want to see how it's done.

To all the unsung warriors in thankless jobs, to include their families who often bear the sorrows and frustrations of such a livelihood vicariously, thank you. Thank you.

Thirty Pounds Frustrated

A couple weeks after being home from Iraq (earlier this summer), I wrote an article for SWATdigest.com. They published it online this month. If you happen to read it, please fill in where I messed up -- a syntax error here, a grammatical error there.

I've thought about those days over four months ago now. There definitely was a transitional period for me when returning home from Iraq that was quite strange, but I feel great today. I'm back to my normal self. Studies show, however, that soldiers exhibit greatest problems between 6 and 8 months after deployment.

Today a law enforcement officer showed me a CCTV-taped video of a Marine back from Iraq who shot and killed two cops at a corner store. I guess some can lose the weight of anger and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) or they can gain it, as the cited example suggests.

As far as our fifth baby goes (see picture below), did I mention she was the result of my very relaxing Caribbean cruise during mid-tour break? I suggested to a retired cop that such a trip is highly recommended. She replied that if pregnancy was the end result of a Caribbean cruise, she didn't want it. I enjoyed the humor.

Read the article Thirty Pounds Frustrated here.

October 23, 1983 Beirut USMC Barracks Bombing

American lost over 200 military men in a deadly strike in Lebanon over 25 years ago today. French troops were attacked as well in a simultaneous explosion down the street. While there were a few car/truck bombs before that time, this attack was the proverbial harbinger. It would usher in the modern-day era and future of suicidal terrorist tactics. This attack would motivate bin Laden in a way that had not done so before. Mainly, because the U.S. pulled out of Lebanon after this fatal blow.

Today is a time for reflection and honoring those who've fallen. The War on Terror didn't happen on 9/11; it happened long before then.

Mormon Family Supporting Traditional Marriage Targeted

SUV Denouncing Mormon Family's
Support for Prop 8 is Finally Moved

By Sandra Gonzales

10/22/2008 06:27:46 PM PDT

After San Jose residents Michele and Bob Sundstrom placed a Yes on 8 banner on their home, they found this sport-utility vehicle parked in front of their home Sunday with anti-Proposition 8 slogans painted on the windows.

At last, the SUV with the inflammatory slogans denouncing a San Jose family for supporting Proposition 8 is gone from Harwood Road.

"They came last night, washed the paint off and drove away," said Bob Sundstrom, whose family incurred the wrath of two gay-marriage supporters after the family hung a huge banner on their garage in favor of the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. "What a relief, I'm happy it's gone."

Sunday, two women in a Chevrolet Surbuban drove up in front of the Sundstrom's home and painted their sport-utility vehicle's windows with slogans accusing the devout Mormon family of seven of being "bigots" and "haters."

So for the next few days, the Sundstroms were forced to reckon with the eyesore. Police told them the vehicle would be towed away if was not moved in three days.

Tuesday evening, however, one of the women whom Sundstrom recognized from the previous encounter showed up, washed off the slogans and then left in the SUV.

"She wasn't in the mood for conversation. It's obvious we weren't going to change each other's view," Sundstrom said. "She brought her own bucket to wash off the paint."

The SUV is registered to Mara McWilliams and Renee Mangrum, who married in 2004 when San Francisco began performing gay marriages. Neither could be reached for comment.

Even now, the entire episode still rankles Sundstrom.

"It astounds me that someone would do this," he said. "It's been quite a civics lesson for me and my friends."

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_10788236?nclick_check=1&forced=true

Low-Light Shooting Techniques

In the November issue of Tactical Weapons, which I have right here next to me, there's a big article about Matthew Graham, a former Federal Air Marshal (and personal friend) who invented the Graham shooting technique. He now owns his own business as a top-notch firearms and tactics instructor. If you go on SureFire's website, you can see the product he invented, called Combat Rings.

I shot last night, and showed the technique to several others in the law enforcement/private security realm. The Graham method is a hit among anyone who knows anything about night or low-light shooting. I know because I showed it to guys who've been shooting for several years and they liked the Graham method best. Of course, this tiny blog entry doesn't give the Graham technique justice, and I don't plan on explaining it here. But, suffice it to say, Matt Graham is one of the best operators I've ever had the pleasure to work with. You can check out his website here.

What's Most Important

Nothing outside the home really matters. While it is important to balance work, recreation, social and physical development, et al, nothing is as important to me as my wife and children. When things are good at home, it's really good. I feel so very blessed.

I was on Fox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfPB35qqslU

Our 5th Baby

The Future of Aviation Security

Not too long ago, I was interviewed by FrontPageMag.com with a very impressive group of experts about aviation security. For an interesting read (mostly from my colleagues' comments), check out the interview here: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=04a9c231-d610-43a8-af41-7870e0dd3ba2

Documentary Film, Movie Trailer I am in

http://www.pleaseremoveyourshoesmovie.com/

Click on Movie Trailer.

I Believe in Angels

In a recent General Conference for the church I belong to, a leader declared:

From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children...

Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world.

Yes, I believe in angels. And, as the result of a Caribbean cruise my wife and I took when I was on mid-tour leave from Iraq, we were blessed with an angel in the form of a tiny baby girl a few days ago. Our life is extremely blessed.

Police Raid and Potential Danger

I've done something akin to this before, but it was with a door on a house. Fortunately, no one got hurt because we were standing in a safe area. This is the reason why training is so vital and important.

Israeli Military Hostages Released -- Bodies Only

A colleague in international counterterrorism, with whom I have been in contact with over time, has a poignant question posed on a Jerusalem Online video blog. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/tvblog4.asp

Suicide Bombing and Imagery

For a great read, check this out. The book, by Dr. Nancy Kobrin, is sure to leave you captivated. Having read the manuscript, I can attest to that.

Reflections on Growing Older

I must admit, the picture of me on this blog is a few years old. A hair cut today reminded me of that. I was more eager to have my good-looking hair stylist (my foxy, very pregnant wife) put more hair on than take off.

After speaking with a new lieutenant last weekend at military drill, I turned to a colleague and said, “That [conversation] made me feel old.”

“You are old,” he quipped.

“I think I’m just getting more mature,” I told my wife after she observed my hair (or the loss thereof).

“No, you’d have to act more mature for that to happen.” She smiled. I guess I’m not growing up, then. To be more precise, I’m simply growing old.

Earlier this week I heard the song, the good ship lollipop, or something like that. I can sing it. I can hear the song in my mind and envision a young, curly-haired, effervescent Shirley Temple dancing and singing on our old black and white television. Those were the days when we used knobs, not remotes.

Yesterday we bought a new vehicle. It talks to us; we can respond to her and she obeys. That’s quite amazing. There’s a DVD player for the kids, complete with remote, cordless headphones. Of course, the TV is all in color and has a surround sound Bose system. The rear view mirrors even readjust themselves when you back up. My wife is ultra happy. I told her it was her gift for cutting my hair all these years for free and giving me a whole quiver full of cute kids.

BYU wins UCLA

I must admit I don't follow sports like I used to, but I've followed members of my church who've played: Steve Young spoke at my sister's high school graduation years ago. After Dale Murphy retired, he served as a mission president in Boston. And, I once saw Shawn Bradley in my congregation in Dallas. To say he's tall would be an understatement. I went to church with Rulon Gardner, the Greco-Roman wrestler with the biggest upset in the Olympic games (Sidney 2000). He used to let our baby daughter, who's now grown, suck on his expensive watches during Sunday School.

Anyway, it's a good day to me, even though I don't follow sports, when Brigham Young University does well -- handing UCLA its worst lost in nearly 80 years.

PS I also went to high school with a guy who was on the Olympic bomb sled team that won the Silver Medal at the Salt Lake games.

Hunting with Palin?

I do have to say, I would trust going hunting with her more than I would Dick Cheney!

Vice President and Laughs

Our nation's first Vice President, John Adams, served under President George Washington in 1789. Of the position, Adams wrote that it is "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived."

With the recent running mate selections of both the Democrats, and more recently the Republicans, I feel a bit deflated. I was hoping McCain would pick Romney. But Romney would show him up. Nevertheless, the lady governor from Alaska seems quite up to the challenge. But frankly, I'm not thrilled of either Party's candidates. I suppose I will only base my vote not on whom I like more, but whom I would least like to see in the Oval Office.

If you've seen the old Richard Pryor movie Brewster's Millions, I feel like voting what his character suggested: Vote none of the above. I'm just not that thrilled about this election. We need a Ronald Reagan, an FDR, or a John Adams. But, on a lighter note, perhaps we need to write-in a candidate. Bill Cosby comes to mind.

With Cosby as President, we'd all probably laugh a little more. After all, laughter is, indeed, the best medicine.

John Adams' Day of Fasting...Prayer

Of late I have been studying the amazing life of John Adams. I am intrigued at his genius and at his purpose in life. I believe he was raised, prepared and inspired of God to be one of America's Founding Fathers.

Today, Sunday, while I fast and pray for my own purposes, I choose to quote his inspired words. I wonder what would be said today if a leading politician of our time were to make, as he did, such a proclamation. How would he (or she) be received?

John Adams' Proclamation of Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer (March 23, 1798)


As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety without which social happiness can not exist nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty or of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity, are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation by the unfriendly disposition, conduct, and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredation on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow-citizens while engaged in their lawful business on the seas--under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants.

I have therefore thought fit to recommend, and I do hereby recommend, that Wednesday, the 9th day of May next, be observed throughout the United States as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens of these States, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations, offer their devout addresses to the Father of Mercies agreeably to those forms or methods which they have severally adopted as the most suitable and becoming; that all religious congregations do, with the deepest humility, acknowledge before God the manifold sins and transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as individuals and as a nation, beseeching Him at the same time, of His infinite grace, through the Redeemer of the World, freely to remit all our offenses, and to incline us by His Holy Spirit to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for his inestimable favor and heavenly benediction; that it be made the subject of particular and earnest supplication that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it; that our civil and religious privileges may be preserved inviolate and perpetuated to the latest generations; that our public councils and magistrates may be especially enlightened and directed at this critical period; that the American people may be united in those bonds of amity and mutual confidence and inspired with that vigor and fortitude by which they have in times past been so highly distinguished and by which they have obtained such invaluable advantages; that the health of the inhabitants of our land may be preserved, and their agriculture, commerce, fisheries, arts, and manufactures be blessed and prospered; that the principles of genuine piety and sound morality may influence the minds and govern the lives of every description of our citizens, and that the blessings of peace, freedom, and pure religion may be speedily extended to all the nations of the earth.

And finally, I recommend that on the said day the duties of humiliation and prayer be accompanied by fervent thanksgiving to the Bestower of Every Good Gift, not only for His having hitherto protected and preserved the people of these United States in the independent enjoyment of their religious and civil freedom, but also for having prospered them in a wonderful progress of population, and for conferring on them many and great favors conducive to the happiness and prosperity of a nation.

Given under my hand and the seal of the United States of America, at Philadelphia, this 23d day of March, A. D. 1798, and of the Independence of the said States the twenty-second.

JOHN ADAMS

My Other Blog

I write another weblog. In fact, lately, I've been writing that one more. Check it out. It's over on the left under Aviation Security.

My Motivational Blogs

If you're new to my blog, please read this, this, and this, and finally this. These are a few blogs that will get you revved up and motivated. At least, that's the hope.

McCain's Veep Pick

The GOP just blew the race for the Whitehouse. Let's see if I'm right come November 5th.

In an attempt to make up for what he lacks, charisma and spunk, or conversely what the Dems had with a minority and what the GOP lacked, he went overboard with the lady governor from Alaska. Who is she?

This might be a race closer than Gore's Florida gig. Then again, the Dems might just win it by a landslide. Either way, I think the Republicans just sank the ship. I'd like to hear the reasons why the pundits and strategists gave him that advice. Likewise, it would have been nice to have been in the meetings just prior to the big changes at Blockbuster video in the final quarter of 2006 when the CEO decided to compete with Netflix and do away with late fees. Any Joe Average could have told him those astronomical fees were Blockbuster's bread and butter. I could have told him!

And, what was the result? Millions upon millions of dollars in lost profit the first quarter of 2007, after the failed plan was implemented. Blockbuster video lost more money at that time than it ever had in its history.

So, what's the moral to the story?

First, sometimes change isn't good. Too often, I've witnessed new directors who want to leave their mark, but they do it the wrong way.

And secondly, too often there are sycophants (a.k.a. 'yes men') who'll agree with the dumb ideas their bosses impart just to get ahead.

Henry Ford said the secret of his success was that he surrounded himself with men more talented than himself...and he listened to them!

Heart-Wrenching

One of my best friends just got orders to go back to Iraq. He already served a tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and is 60 percent disabled. He got off Active Duty Regular Army almost two years ago so he could live a normal life again.

While making ends meet and waiting for his job offer to start working for the Department of State with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Services, he lived away from his wife and daughter out of necessity. He is currently in training with the State Department and nearly finished.

His family is not allowed at training, which takes place in a couple of different states. So far, he's been separated from them since July 2007. He also went into the Inactive Reserve status or, as it's called now, the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) after leaving active duty. Last week he received a notice to report in September to go to Iraq with an Army Reserve unit, prior to graduating with his classmates or being stationed with the State Department in Miami.

When he told his wife over the phone that he had gotten orders to Iraq, she collapsed in tears. His daughter has a calendar marking down the days so when her daddy gets home he can take her to Disney World like he promised. Now, he can't. He'll be gone another year, at least.

He's not afraid to serve. He's willing to serve. He told me, "Just allow me to at least be a father and a husband again...at least for a little bit." He begs some time to spend with his family. I wish he didn't have to go at all.

If I hadn't gone through it myself, I wouldn't be writing this. Having experienced the pain, I can't help but write about it. Not many people know what it's like, but I now have first-hand knowledge.

My friend was told there are three more IRR-scheduled mobilizations over the next few months. This affects many, many lives and yet we rarely take the time to think about it.

Sad News

I learned a soldier I had worked closely with in Iraq was killed this last week in an automobile accident. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

...He was so young.

There's pathetic irony to live through war and drive the dangerous roads of Iraq only to die on the roadways in America. I've written about such things before here and in a moving story here.

Police Humor

Why did the police officer go to bed?

Because he was an undercover cop.

Kill Bin Laden -- A New Book

A new tell-all exposé reveals how senior politicians and military commanders incompetently ran operations to capture or kill Bin Laden.

The furor of American patriotism ran deep in the aftermath of the crumbling World Trade Center tower wreckage. Usama bin Laden sat in his Afghanistan cave smiling at the news. 3,000 killed, the Pentagon destroyed, United 93 evaporated, and two more planes smashed into lower Manhattan. While you and I watched news footage in disbelief and purchased American flags, there were others who went searching for the man responsible.

Dalton Fury led the way. His book, Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man, by St. Martin's Press will be released in October.

The following information is given on the book's website:

In late November 2001 forty members of the U.S. Army's super secret counterterrorist unit known as Delta Force were sent to the Tora Bora Mountains in eastern Afghanistan to kill terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden.

These Delta operators linked up with a handful of CIA operatives, Army Green Berets, British Commandos, Air Force Combat Controllers, and a few Tactical Signal Collectors to lead a small army of Afghan Muhjahideen against bin Laden and a thousand or so of his most dedicated al Qaeda fighters.

Do you have something to ask the author? Well, now is your chance to ask the retired senior Delta Force commander a question. Email your question to:

DaltonFury@yahoo.com

He'll compile a list of the top ten at the end of each month and post them on the book's website along with his answers. If your question is chosen, he'll place your name on a piece of paper and put it in one of the boots he wore in Tora Bora. Once a month, from June through September, he'll randomly draw a name. The four winners will receive a signed copy of Kill Bin Laden.

Finally, I’ve heard it straight from the mouths of other Delta Force operators how much they loathe Eric Haney, a former Delta operator who went public and wrote Inside Delta Force: The Story of America’s Elite Counterterrorism Unit. The TV series The Unit is based on Eric’s book and he serves as its tactical consultant.

With all the personal struggles Dalton must have faced and with some of his personal contacts who have blacklisted him (or who will), I’d rather take a kinder approach and say, “Good for you, brother. Your decision took A LOT of courage."

The Ethos and Skill of Killing

You don't need to be or become evil to combat evil. It goes against laws of life and living to, for example, be amoral or immoral to stop immorality. No principle of civility gives way to uncivil manners or unprincipled precepts. It is impossible to be bad and good at the same time.

Or is it?

There is some bad in each of us. We all fall short of perfection; no one is perfect. There was only One who was perfect. But each of us can maintain perfection in certain aspects of our lives. For the modern-day warrior – those in military, law enforcement or private security – the question arises do I have to be bad to stop bad?

I again refer to my initial sentence: You don't need to be or become evil to combat evil.

A few years ago I published an article with www.SWATdigest.com that gained wide attention, and I even had a friend mention what I had written there yesterday after we went shooting. I believe it struck a chord with those who carry weapons for a living. I titled it, "The ethos and skill of killing." I will include it here for the reader with a few minor changes. Here it is. Enjoy.

At the tactical level you and I have had to make the conscious decision to kill, if necessary, in order to preserve life. A close friend of mine, Matthew Graham who owns www.trainingtargets.com and who invented the Combat Loop and Graham shooting Method for low-light shooting, created this profound statement. He likes to say something to the effect of, “The more effective you are at taking a life, the more successful you’ll be at saving lives.”

Saving lives is, after all, the purpose of special ops.

Moral Justification

It is interesting to note that the motto of the U.S. Army Special Forces is De Oppresso Liber, or to liberate (or free) the oppressed; the U.S. Air Force special operations Pararescue jumper’s (PJs) motto is “That Others May Live”; and the motto of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team is Servare Vitas, Latin for “To Save Lives.” These mottos denote selfless service and love for mankind.

At the recent SWAT Digest Counter Terrorism conference held in July 2006, dynamic speaker Dr. Jason Winkle spoke, in part, on the moral and psychological justifications warriors need in order to win deadly force confrontations. Often the important aspect of religious or spiritual justification is not taken into the equation or it is meshed with the moral theory of “just war” or jus ad bellum. Warriors with a Judeo-Christian or otherwise “civil” heritage need not abandon the tenants of their faith.

Years ago at a military training exercise an Army Ranger told a group of us to “murder” all of the role players. At the right moment, I took the opportunity to confront his choice of words.

There is a serious difference between killing and murdering—not only legally, but religiously. Literally translated, the word for “kill” in the commandment Thou shalt not kill is the Hebrew word ratsach. Ratsach means to dash to pieces or kill, especially murder.

When I lived and worked in Israel long after that experience I didn’t learn Hebrew, but I did learn that there were other words for kill or put to death in the Torah and Old Testament, like katal or muwth. Yet these words were not used in the sixth commandment.

I believe that modern-day warriors, like those civilly and morally religious warriors of old, can have charity—or pure love in our hearts—and still act properly in the position of our duties. Although we despise the many actions of criminals and terrorists, we do not need to hate them personally, even against those persons who we may use deadly force to stop.

Dangerous Hesitation

There is a tacitly dangerous feeling that pervades among law enforcement, the criminal justice system and the civilian population. We too often feel obliged to get seriously injured or have innocent people die before we feel fully justified to use deadly force. It is often legally and tactically unnecessary to pause or hesitate. This is dangerous. It is precarious. It is foolish and it could get us killed.

This philosophy of waiting beyond the last second—beyond the point of being justified legally and tactically—will turn potential winners into losers. And winning and losing here could be the difference between living and dying.

A friend of mine who spent many years in the German Spezialeinsatzkommando, SEK for short, told me several years ago about a pivotal moment in his life and career. His police special operations team responded to a barricaded situation in which the male suspect murdered his wife and dragged her bloodied, lifeless body into the basement. My friend, Thomas (I’m choosing to leave out his last name), was chosen by his team leader to take the shield/bunker, walk down the slippery blood-bathed wooden stairs and apprehend the suspect.

As he turned the corner at the bottom of the basement, Thomas saw the suspect holding a pistol to his own head. As Thomas walked toward the suspect, the man turned his gun and fired at my friend. Thomas instinctively fired back. Both of them missed. The suspect was apprehended after the veteran German tactical officer slammed the shield into him and wrestled him to the floor.

As Thomas told me the story I could tell that he had rehearsed the possibilities of what could have been a disastrous, fatal ending. The suspect, for instance, could have shot Thomas’ legs or exposed arm. Worst of all the suspect could have very easily wrapped his arm around the bunker and shot my friend.

Thomas rued his actions. He told me with all seriousness that next time he would not miss. I took it to mean that if he was ever presented with a similar situation, the suspect would receive multiple—and I would add, justifiable—lethal injuries.

Usually we come close to dying before we really decide to kill. We get lucky and live. We think next time I won’t hesitate or next time I’ll be more aggressive. What we fail to put into the equation is that there may not be an alibi. We may only have one chance to get it right. All of our training and experience boils down to a split-second decision that will undoubtedly come when we least expect it.
The more experience we gain, the less willing we are to take chances. But it doesn’t have to be that way. From the moment of tactical infancy to warrior adolescence we can make up our minds who will win the fight and how it will be won.

Self-Introspection and Preparation

We shouldn’t necessarily be eager to fight. Those who long for confrontation invite trouble. But we should be morally, tactically and psychologically ready for a deadly force situation. We must know the use of force well. We must be prepared, and this may mean combating any religious, spiritual, moral or psychological qualms about justifiable killing. We won’t have time to decide whether or not to use deadly force when that fateful moment comes.

Self-introspection and serious soul-searching should begin long before the police academy, but still there are too many officers who have rarely, if ever, gone there frequently enough. This cannot be avoided if an officer expects to win a deadly force confrontation. If we are not 100 percent ready and willing to kill—to aggressively use deadly force when warranted—then we are a danger to ourselves, our partners, our teammates and the community.

Societies’ protectors, regardless of individual religious beliefs, need to get prepared psychologically, emotionally, and morally in order to help win up-close deadly force encounters. This development, I believe, may also help those who get into a deadly force confrontation to function well socially and emotionally thereafter.

Ensure that you are more lethal than your enemy. (Note: He’s not an “opponent” if he’s bent on killing you.) Act with controlled aggression and violence of action. Believe in winning long before the “test”. (To achieve we must first believe.)

Finally, going back to the Counter Terrorism conference, John Giduck, author of Terror at Beslan, said that the motto of the Russian special forces group, Alpha, was: “If not me, then who?”

You are the warriors. We need you. You have what it takes. No one can take your place personally, and very few have what it takes to get and keep a job in law enforcement. You have the capacity to kill, if necessary, in order to save lives. Learn about it. Think about it. Prepare for it. Or it will prepare for you.

CBS Miami Interview

Here's one interview I recently did.

A Spiritual Journey & Interview

Recently I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Candace Salima. She’s a wonderful person and I hope to get to know her better. We share the same religion and the same enthusiasm about it. In this interview, unlike the recent radio interview, documentary film interview or television news interview, I was able to share more about my religious perspectives and how that has influenced my personal life and professional career. You can see more here.

How To Break A Terrorist

The author of this up-coming book just sent me a note. Don't skip over this one. Check it out here: www.howtobreakaterrorist.com

Controversial Email I forwarded

This is the whole reason for the TSA Witch hunt and CNN interview exposing it. Check out the email I forwarded here.

PS I've never divulged any classified or Sensitive Security Information (SSI) and I never will. But, the nonsense must stop if we're going to keep innocent people safe!

Am I Really That Bald?

I’m the former Federal Air Marshal (FAM) on the Drew Griffin CNN report on Anderson Cooper 360 last night. As a side note, I’m really not that bald. (Okay, I’m in denial.)

Anyway, on a more serious note, I can’t thank CNN enough. Bravo. Well done. I'm hopeful that things will change for the better within the TSA and the FAM Service.

For a portion of the story and trailer, click here.

For more Aviation Security blogs I write click on the link on the far left. (Note: I deliberately leave off the newspaper’s name so more Google hits will take readers there and not here to my personal blog.)

CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 Tonight

Here's what the CNN link says about the report I was interviewed for:

Responding to a stinging CNN report, the TSA went on what's been called a "witch hunt"...AC 360 has the unnerving details.

10:00 pm Eastern

I interviewed with CNN in my Flip-Flops

Be sure to check the story here today. It's the front page story on CNN.com. Also stay tuned to Anderson Cooper TOMORROW night for the full interview and story. I thought they'd only show from the waist up, so I didn't bother with my choice in tactical pants and flip-flops. LOL.

I'm also being interviewed later today with a radio station about my Avaition Security blog (another story altogether). Be sure to click on the link at the left every day or so for updates.

<<<<<<<-----------------OVER THERE.

I guess for the radio, I can wear my flip-flops, eh?

Using the Internet for Good

A lot of filth exists in cyberspace, but the new technology can be used for much good. A leader in my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder M. Russell Ballard, recently wrote on Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet.

I deliberately avoid mentioning the "major newspaper" I blog for because I want Google searchers to go to that link and not my blog. (Click on the Aviation Security link on the left.) Nevertheless, since writing about something shocking--literally--the W.T. blog link has had over 100,000 hits to that article alone. Naturally, some people visit this sight, my personal blog.

Here I get to write about whatever I want, to include occasionally mentioning my faith. I'm an American; and I'm completely grateful for my faith, my family and my country.

Marc's Last Letter Home

The following is a powerful letter from Marc Alan Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq August 2nd 2006 and awarded the Silver Star; he is remembered for his heroism and dedication. [A colleague of mine] got this letter from Debbie Lee – Marc’s mother who has taken up a banner to honor her son and all of America’s Mighty Warriors. [This colleague forwarded this email on to me. Marc served in Ramadi, Iraq, where I also served.]

Glory is something that some men chase and others find themselves stumbling upon, not expecting it to find them. Either way it is a noble gesture that one finds bestowed upon them. My question is when does glory fade away and become a wrongful crusade, or an unjustified means by which consumes one completely? I have seen war. I have seen death, the sorrow that encompasses your entire being as a man breathes his last. I can only pray and hope that none of you will ever have to experience some of these things I have seen and felt here. I have felt fear and have felt adrenaline pump through my veins making me seem invincible. I will be honest and say that some of the things I have seen here are unjustified and uncalled for. However for the most part we are helping this country. It will take more years than most expect, but we will get Iraq to stand on its own feet. Most of what I have seen here I will never really mention or speak of, only due to the nature of those involved. I have seen a man give his food to a hungry child and family. Today I saw a hospital that most of us would refuse to receive treatment from. The filth and smell would allow most of us to not be able to stand to enter, let alone get medicine from. However you will be relieved to know that coalition forces have started to provide security for and supply medicine and equipment to help aid in the cause.

I have seen amazing things happen here; however I have seen the sad part of war too. I have seen the morals of a man who cares nothing of human life…I have seen hate towards a nation’s people who has never committed a wrong, except being born of a third world, ill educated and ignorant to western civilization. It is not everybody who feels this way only a select few but it brings questions to mind. Is it ok for one to consider themselves superior to another race? Surprising we are not a stranger to this sort of attitude. Meaning that in our own country we discriminate against someone for what nationality they are, their education level, their social status. We distinguish our role models as multimillion dollar sports heroes or talented actors and actress who complain about not getting millions of dollars more then they are currently getting paid.

Our country is a great country, don’t get me wrong on this, otherwise none of us would be living there. My point of this is how can we come over here and help a less than fortunate country without holding contempt or hate towards them if we can’t do it in our country. I try to do my part over here, but the truth is over there, United States, I do nothing but take.

Ask yourself when was the last time you donated clothes that you hadn’t worn out. When was the last time you paid for a random stranger’s cup of coffee, meal or maybe even a tank of gas? When was the last time you helped a person with the groceries into or out of their car?

Think to yourself and wonder what it would feel like if when the bill for the meal came and you were told it was already paid for.

More random acts of kindness like this would change our country and our reputation as a country. It is not unknown to most of us that the rest of the world looks at us with doubt towards our humanity and morals. I am not here to preach or to say look at me, because I am just as at fault as the next person. I find that being here makes me realize the great country we have and the obligation we have to keep it that way. The 4th has just come and gone and I received many emails thanking me for helping keep America great and free. I take no credit for the career path I have chosen; I can only give it to those of you who are reading this, because each one of you has contributed to me and who I am.

However what I do over here is only a small percent of what keeps our country great. I think the truth to our greatness is each other. Purity, morals and kindness, passed down to each generation through example. So to all my family and friends, do me a favor and pass on the kindness, the love, the precious gift of human life to each other so that when your children come into contact with a great conflict that we are now faced with here in Iraq, that they are people of humanity, of pure motives, of compassion.

This is our real part to keep America free! HAPPY 4th

Love Ya

P.S. Half way through the deployment can’t wait to see all of your faces

Marc Lee

Don't Mock My Country

I fully condemn the detestable mockery of our sacred national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, which was recently twisted and sang at a public government meeting in Denver, Colorado.

A black female jazz singer sang a version of what has been called the “Black national anthem,” according to this article.

I don’t care if we have a black president or not; I care about WHO the president is.

I don’t care what color my neighbor is; I care about how GOOD my neighbor is.

The Star Spangled Banner has been switched and demeaned in the past. It has been switched up and sang with Spanish lyrics, different words, meaning and sound. That’s not right either!

I don’t care that my neighbors came from Mexico; I care if they’re here legally.

I just came back from Iraq. When I sang The Star Spangled Banner the first time after coming home, I cried. I wept so hard I couldn’t sing. I wrote about it here.

I fought side by side with my black friends and even a Cuban-American. I’ve been a police officer and have been helped tremendously by my African American partners. On the corollary, I worked in the most dangerous part of the city, which subsequently was predominantly black. So, I arrested several blacks, several Hispanics and several white people.

I don’t care what color you are or what language you speak; I care how you treat me and my family.

I’ve made wonderful friends in South Korea, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, England, Germany and all over the United States. Over ten of my cousins, nieces and nephews are adopted. They come from China, Tonga, and South Korea. I have a half-nephew who is Hispanic, and a niece who is black. So I don’t care about skin color.

I believe that while we are different, we all are created in the image of God. We might have different customs, cultures and looks, but we all have the same spiritual DNA.

But when it comes to singing MY national anthem, in the country I love most, I refuse to have anyone wrest or twist the lyrics, the words or the tune.

Francis Scott Key was on a ship trying to negotiate a release of several American’s who had been captured by the British. While on the ship he witnessed the attack against Fort McHenry. The hail of artillery was sure to destroy the men and their will, but it didn’t. The ramparts (or high walls) surrounding the fortress, still stood and the flag – the beautiful, wonderful American flag and all it stood for – still flew high come morning. It was that wonderful site which prompted Francis Scott Key to pen perhaps the greatest lyrics in all history, and in all the world.

In war, there is no color. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, know no color. We all speak one language. As Americans, and Americans in uniform, we’re all different and we’re all unique. Differences make America what it is – wonderful, beautiful, a land of great opportunity.

It was war that prompted Francis Scott Key to write those inspired lyrics. It wasn’t difference that bound the Founding Forefathers together to create the defiant and wonderful Declaration of Independence which we celebrate at this most incredible time of year. Nor was it separation that helped many of those same men to formulate the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Three American contractors were held hostage in Columbia for five years. They were brought home today. I wrote about before here. God bless the men and women who assisted in their rescue, and God bless America.

We’re more similar than we are different, and in war as in peace, we should forget color and language. We must be one. To be one – “one nation under God” – we must not abandon the tenants of our nation’s history. Yes, we must remember the Buffalo Soldiers and rue the terrible and horrible history of slavery, but we must also remember that our ancestors bound together to fight against British tyranny to establish this land of peace and promise.

So, don’t ever change those beautiful, inspiring and wonderful lyrics. Don’t mock America. We’re still one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Blessing to Heal

Today I visited Arvydas. He looks so much worse than in his pictures. He couldn’t come to the door. All of his hair is now missing. He had bloody scabs in both ears and his hands are withered and scaly. He can’t open his hands or show his palms.

His muscles have atrophied and his skin condition looks much worse.

He has had some sort of stem cell transplant. We should know in 3-6 months if it takes hold or not.

Although Arvydas is not a member of my faith, I nevertheless asked him if he’d like to receive a priesthood blessing, an invitation which he accepted.

The priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. It was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith in the 1800s and was passed from those holding the authority on to me and other devout and worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

While giving the blessing, by the laying on of hands, I wept for my friend. Prior to the holy ordinance I told Arvydas that I had thought to offer him a blessing while struggling myself in Iraq. I was at the lowest point of my life over there. Surely, he knows what it’s like to suffer. I was able to come home and leave my trials behind, but at the present time, Arvydas, isn’t able to be healed. Be it according to the will of the Lord.

To the invalid begging alms in front of the temple at the gate Beautiful, the Apostle Peter, who held the same priesthood authority, declared, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk…and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”

Sometimes miracles happen. And yet if all ailments were immediately cured it would eliminate the need for faith. Sometimes our trials and ailments are our greatest assets and most worthwhile investments, though we wish they would disappear and ne’er return. Great blessings can come from great struggles and burdens. I believe I’ve changed for the better because of my pains, struggles, trials and burdens. Of greatest mention is a deeper desire to help others – a greater concern and love for all. The whole world could use more compassion and less war.

Gratitude

America is wonderful. I sure love being home.

I’ve been back from Iraq now just over one month. I still have great spurts of overwhelming gratitude, like yesterday when I went to a store and bought a sandwich. Later, I went on a date to a movie with my wife.

I love seeing the kids. I also love mowing the lawn and, yes, even grocery shopping. One friend exclaimed, “Well, if you like doing that so much, please come mow our lawn and do our grocery shopping.”

I laugh and smile more in America; its home.

Texas Polygamy Compound Not Mormon

"To the best of our knowledge, no one at the Texas compound has ever been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." That statement is according to a recent appeal from the LDS Church General Counsel to publishers of major newspapers, TV stations and magazines. I have had personal correspondence with Lance B. Wickman, General Counsel, in the past. He's a Vietnam Veteran and a man of great wisdom and integrity. I respect him greatly.

AP Report: Court rejects death penalty for raping children

I do not agree with the Supreme Court's decision.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_child_rape

AP Report: Mormon Church Speaks Up on Marriage in California

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking California members to join the effort to amend that state's constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman.

A letter sent to Mormon bishops and signed by church president Thomas S. Monson and his two top counselors calls on Mormons to donate "means and time" to the ballot measure. A note on the letter dated June 20 says it should be read during church services on June 29, but the letter was published Saturday on several Web sites.

Church spokesman Scott Trotter said Monday that the letter was authentic. He declined further comment, saying the letter explains the church's reasons for getting involved.

The LDS church will work with a coalition of churches and other conservative groups that put the California Marriage Protection Act on the Nov. 4 ballot to assure its passage, the letter states.

In May, California's Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, saying gays could not be denied marriage licenses.

"The church's teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the formation of families is central to the Creator's plan for His children," the four-paragraph letter states.

"We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman," church leaders say in the letter. "Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

California Mormons - there are more than 750,000, according to a church almanac - have heard and heeded similar calls from their leaders before.

In 2000, a letter from the pulpit asked members to give time and money in support of Proposition 22, a ballot measure prohibiting California from legally recognizing gay marriages performed outside the state. It passed but was later struck down by the courts.

As a member of the LDS faith, I wholeheartedly endorse and support those efforts. It is disturbing to me that the voice of the people has not been heard above the shrill cries of a few. I served a two-year volunteer mission in southern California. Relatives were recently called to serve as mission President and matron of the San Diego temple.

I even have a gay friend who I grew up with that used to be active in the Church that now lives in California. While I love my friend, I do not believe his views of what a family is and should be are correct, assuming he is likewise on board with gay marriage.

No, I believe, as LDS Church doctrine states, that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

And, moreover, we believe that "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Read more here.

"Disposable Heroes"

...an investigative report, here.

How not to kill Bin Laden

How not to kill Bin Laden

VA testing drugs on war veterans

The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using small cash payments to attract patients into medical experiments that often target distressed soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found.

Read the disturbing report by Washington Times reporter Audrey Hudson, here.

I Vote Romney for VP

Mitt Romney is best suited to run as John McCain’s vice president in the general election, former presidential strategist Karl Rove said Sunday.

“Romney is already vetted by the media, strong executive experience both in business and in government, has an interesting story to tell with saving the U.S. Olympics, and also helps McCain deal with the economy, because he can speak with the economy with a fluency that McCain doesn’t have,” Rove told “Fox News Sunday.”

See full article here.

Modern-Day Warriors & Words

Mark Twain once said, "The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

I had a conversation not long ago with a guy I've known for a while. We shared some more personal experiences this time, however. He told me that while he was deployed to Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, that he shot a clean-shaven man all dressed in white, that was walking rapidly and suspiciously into their camp. He shot him right in the "head", he said. It turned out to be as he suspected: the man was a suicide bomber. His quick actions and good aim saved a lot of people.

I've taught numerous tactical firearms courses. Years ago I developed a course and I've taught those in law enforcement and the military how to identify and stop a suicide bomber. The best place to shoot a suicide bomber is in the head. I usually say, shoot them in the "face." I think that startles a lot of people, even those who carry weapons everyday for a living. It somehow makes killing a little more personal.

We cannot be so dissociated from reality that we fail to keep others safe. Those charged with protecting the innocent have the burden of seeing, knowing and occasionally doing what others don't want to do or don't want to know. Such was the case with my aforementioned friend. His actions disturbed him. If it didn't he would be totally uncivilized.

He told me that the would-be suicide bomber looked at him right in the eyes before he shot him. That means he shot him in the "face". The face or the head -- does it really matter? Yes. I once knew a man who was teaching several special ops guys (myself included). He used the same terminology I use: shoot them in the face. The bureaucrats overseeing the training were so repulsed that all training was stopped for several months.

I guess, the psychology of lyrics and semantics is just as powerful, if not more so, than any suicide bomber walking into a crowded place and blowing up, severing his flesh and sending shards of bone and cutting metals deep into others' bodies. Now that's repulsive.

There are things I wish I didn't know. But if I can shield my children and the majority of my neighbors who really don't understand the real threat some human beings are capable of, then I'll gladly do it. Such is the bane and burden of modern-day warriors.