Archive for October, 2007

I know, I know…….it’s a cheap shot.  But I couldn’t help myself.

Just think, we still have another 12 months til the 2008 election.

Technorati Tags: 2008 Election, Rudy Guliani, Hillary Clinton

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Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson
21 years old from Sauk City, Wisconsin
1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force
March 13, 2006

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Anderson lost his life after the Humvee he was riding in rolled over as a group of Marines pursued a suspicious vehicle near Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He suffered head injuries in the crash and died as he was being transported to a hospital.

Nicholas Anderson joined the Marines in January 2005 and began a six-month tour of Afghanistan two months ago with the 3rd Marines Weapons Platoon, his father, James Anderson said.

“I just know that he died fighting for what he believed in,” he said. “He wanted to be a Marine and even though it was a major risk he just wanted to go.”

James Anderson said his son, a 2003 Sauk Prairie High School graduate, enjoyed riding his motorcycle, lifting weights, going fishing and hanging out with friends.

He joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard when he was 18, but an injured shoulder forced him to drop out. He then enlisted in the Marines.

“I was very nervous when he first joined the Marines because two words jumped into my head: Afghanistan and Iraq,” his father said. “I just supported him and prayed that it would end before he had to go over.”

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

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

Technorati Tags: Wednesday Hero, LCpl Nicholas R Anderson, Support The Troops,

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From Meez

Technorati Tags: Halloween, Meez, avatars

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You knew it wouldn’t be long before someone created a video to satirize the ridiculous premise of funding the Democrats expansion of SCHIP through an increase of the cigarette sales tax. Not only do the Dhimmicrats do this on the Federal level but the Dhimmicrats in Tennessee have increased the state cigarette tax to fund schools. Course both are at the same time advocating for the banning of smoking everywhere. I’d say this is a conundrum for the Dhimms. In fact the Tennessee Revenuer’s are hunting down cigarette runners coming into the state with more than 2 cartons of cigarettes.

Previous posting – Smokers – light up

H/T from Taxing Tennessee

This whole SCHIP drama is all about politics for the Dhimms!

Technorati Tags: SCHIP, Satire, cigarettes, taxes, Dhimmicrats

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Good news from Frank Gaffney on the United Nations Convention Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS or LOST). Seems as though there can at times be a semblance of sanity at least with some Senate Republicans.  I haven’t heard that there are any Senate Democrats who have retained their sanity.

Media Coverage is LOST

According to Senator Jon Kyl, the entire Senate Republican leadership is now opposed to a controversial treaty supported by the president and an implausible alliance of special interests – from the U.S. Navy to Greenpeace. At a joint press conference last Wednesday, he was one of several Senators to declare that, as a result, supporters would be unable to muster the necessary 67 votes for ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). Yet, it seems not one of the “establishment� media organs felt moved to report these momentous political developments.

More extraordinary still is the apparent news-blackout concerning the fact that virtually every Republican presidential candidate (with the surprising, and hopefully ephemeral, exception of Rudy Giuliani) has announced either outright opposition to the Treaty or deep misgivings about its inevitable effect: conferring more power on international organizations at the expense of U.S. sovereignty. Apart from a front-page article in the Washington Times last Friday and postings by an array of on-line news outlets, bloggers and a couple of newsletters, the so-called “mainstream media� have denied the American people virtually any information about LOST’s growing difficulties.

The seemingly deliberate suppression of bad news concerning an accord favored by the elite is being compounded by a similar lack of transparency on the part of the Senate itself. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has scheduled a panel vote on LOST for Wednesday – ignoring a request from one of his colleagues, Sen. David Vitter, for additional hearings and additional testimony from those opposed to the Treaty.

Unfortunately, the Senate Foreign Relations record retains only that testimony which is supportive of this treaty. The other interesting note regarding this treaty and the Senate…

It might seem unimaginable that Bush Administration officials, such as Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and State Department Legal Advisor John Bellinger, could get away with dissembling before a Senate committee led by a Democrat who wants to be considered a serious contender for the presidency. Perhaps that is happening because Sen. Biden could not find the time to attend either of the two hearings he called concerning the Treaty. Neither for that matter did the panel’s two other active presidential candidates, Democrats Barak Obama and Chris Dodd. Don’t bother them with the facts. Let’s vote.

snip….As things stand now, the Foreign Relations Committee’s inaccurate and unbalanced record will be the only public one Senators have to go on. Formal requests made by Sen. Jim Inhofe, a senior member of the Senate’s Armed Services and Environment and Public Works committees, asking them to examine the Treaty’s myriad repercussions for matters within their jurisdiction are going unanswered. The same is true of similar appeals made to those and six of the Senate’s other committees with relevant areas of responsibility by the Coalition to Preserve American Sovereignty

Looks like the all important Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has the same lackluster approach….

Then there is the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. It did manage to hold a hearing on LOST, but it was a classified session and only featured official witnesses. Unsurprisingly, all of them supported ratification. What is surprising, though, is Chairman Jay Rockefeller’s uncharacteristic acceptance at face value of representations by executive branch officials like Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell. Based on such testimony, Sen. Rockefeller recently signed a letter with GOP Vice Chairman Kit Bond declaring that U.S. adherence to the Treaty would have no negative implications for U.S. intelligence. While there are strong arguments to the contrary, like Mr. Biden, Sen. Rockefeller has no time for a second opinion that might produce inconvenient truths.

Technorati Tags: LOST, UNCLOS, Frank Gaffney, Biden, Obama, Dodd, Foreign Relations Committee, United Nation

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Day two is here for the VALOUR-IT netathon.

Your help is needed for us to achieve our goal of $240,000. Every dollar helps so if you can’t donate much, it will still make a difference.

Read this and tell me you can’t manage to fork out a couple of bucks for these Warriors to whom we owe so much.

More Valour-IT in Action

To Soldiers’ Angels,
I wanted to express my gratitude for the computer I was given by all of you. Words cannot convey how very much this means to me. I have never had a laptop before, and being an E-4 I would not have been able to afford one for some time to come. All of you are Godsends. Thank you so much. I wish there was some way I could repay you for this. Thank you again.
Most Sincerely,
Specialist W
U.S.Army

Thank you for the computer donated that I picked up at [the hospital] today. Organizations like Soldiers’ Angels that reach out to service members are never forgotten and are always in our hearts.

Our jobs as service members are just like anybody else’s jobs. We are proud of what we do as servicemembers, but we never see the real reality of our jobs until we go to war. We never wanted to see the reality because if we are lucky we come back normal or the other.

My injuries during my deployment to Iraq, which consist of burns and other injuries, I have finally accepted. And with the generosity of your organization, it brings a lot of comfort to my recovery.

When I was in the burn ward I was probably the first senior-ranking person as a patient. When I was recovering with therapy with the other servicemembers, they thought I was one of the lower ranking personnel. When I told the servicemember I was a master sergeant, he was really surprised and shook my hand and said,” Only lower-ranking people get hurt or killed!” He felt good that at least someone in a leadership position cares! His statement brings back to [mind] your organization, an organization that cares and reaches out. Thank you again, from myself and my family, and the servicemembers and their families.

MSG A

I’m having a problem with the donation widget so to donate to the Air Force Team goal – go here.

Technorati Tags: VALOUR-IT, Wounded Warriors, Support Our Troops, Military, Netathon

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There’s a few details hidden away in House Bill 2640 and Senate Bill 2084 which is innocently called “The National Instant Criminal Background Check System”(NICS Improvement Amendments Act).  GOA (Gun Owners of America ) has all the details on the Veterans Disarmaments section of this ominous bill.  Senator’s Leahy-Schumer say the bill is only about school safety.  What do you think?

False Attempts At Defending The Veterans Gun Ban

Nevertheless, those who merely do word searches for “veteran” — and thus conclude a bill has nothing to say about veterans — try to defend what the Clinton administration did. Take Senator Hatch. He says, the Veterans Disarmament Act specifically excludes “any finding of mental illness that consists only of a medical diagnoses [sic] from being included in the NICS.”

What Hatch is doing is quoting (or referencing) half a sentence in the bill to make the supposed argument that veterans who are only suffering from PTSD will not fall prey to the gun ban, since they are only subject to a “medical finding of disability.”

This is a partial quote from Section 211(c)(1)(C) of S. 2084, which is duplicated in the House bill. But to say this — that people can’t lose their gun rights based solely on a “medical finding of disability” — is to engage in an outright fraud… because the rest of the sentence in the bill says that they can be added into the NICS system if they represent a miniscule danger to themselves or others or are unable to handle their own affairs.

The legislation states that a person can’t lose their gun rights “based solely on a medical finding of disability, WITHOUT A FINDING THAT THE PERSON IS A DANGER TO HIMSELF OR TO OTHERS.” (Emphasis added.) You see that? What little freedom is protected with the one hand, is destroyed with the other. What government shrink isn’t going to say that a person suffering from PTSD is a potential danger — even a teensy, weensy danger — to himself or others?

A BATFE letter from May 9 of this year indicates that this danger does not have to be a substantial threat; it can be just a MINISCULE danger.

Yes, this gets slightly technical. But it helps to actually read entire sentences in the bill, rather than to selectively quote a passage here or there; and it especially helps to read the underlying federal code and regulations.

That’s why Gun Owners of America has posted the entire bill — and a scholarly point-by-point analysis of the Veterans Disarmament Act — here. By reading this information for yourself, you can stay informed on the very real threat posed by this legislation.

When you read through that section, you will understand why the American Legion and the Military Order Of The Purple Heart have both opposed this bill. You will also see the PDF copies of their two letters of opposition, and see Sen. Tom Coburn’s letter which GOA reported on last week. Sen. Coburn sent his letter to Veterans Affairs and asked them to explain how they plan to prevent even more veterans from being disarmed without due process.

Earlier this week, USA Today stated that veterans are seeking mental health treatment in increasing numbers… by an almost 70% jump in a recent 12-month period. Can you see why Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy want this legislation so bad? Hundreds of thousands of veterans are going to be unknowingly sucked into the gun control dragnet.

This is outrageous and is why your Senators need to keep hearing from you on this issue.

Technorati Tags: NICS Improvement Amendments, HR 2640, S 2084, Schumer, Leahy, Veterans Disarmament Act, Gun Ownership, GOA

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From Chuck Muth’s daily email we hear about Lt Col. (ret) Allen West:

“Retired” Lt. Col. Allen West leaves Afghanistan tomorrow to return home to his family and friends after more two years of volunteer duty as an adviser to the Afghan army in their fight against the Taliban. After a little R&R, West will begin in earnest his campaign for Congress in his Ft. Lauderdale-area district. And this has apparently unnerved some folks here stateside, as LTC West explains in what will likely be his final “The West Report” dispatch from the Afghan front.

“Seems my opposition is somewhat ‘concerned’ about me as a candidate. They are already up to their childish tricks.

“Couple of days ago I received an e-mail from the CJTF-82, 82d Airborne Division, Inspector General. The Division is the current US Army Operational Headquarters here in Afghanistan. The Division IG had to investigate a complaint sent to the Department of the Army IG referencing a certain Army lieutenant colonel – me – being ‘political’ during his assignment in Afghanistan.

“Seems someone has been reading our campaign blog while visiting our website and obviously are not military savvy, or else they would know that I officially retired from the US Army on 1 August 2004. The matter was easily resolved and response sent back to Department of Army IG’s office.

“What will be the next trick from the ‘Kids who never got picked to play’? Poor left-wing liberal Democrats. They have just shown a former U.S. paratrooper they are skeered.”

Hahaha. He’s such a trick. Look out in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District. That would be Rep. Ron Klein (D).

Check out this great logo on Lt. Col West’s donation page -

 

Technorati Tags: Lt Col Allen West, Florida, 22nd district, congress, 2008 election

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This is such a retarded report on Mexican drug cartels smuggling drugs into the US. The drug cartels have American manufactured guns so of course CBS News is blaming the guns, not the drug smugglers! Nor are they lamenting the porousness of US borders. This biased, pathetic excuse for a reporter (ohhhh, he’s not really a reporter, Keach Hagey is a paid “professional” blogger for CBS) then transforms the story into a BDS rant on Darfur. Unbelievable!

They get into Mexico stuffed into the baggy pant legs or hidden in the trunks of “ants,” or gunrunners — often aided by corrupt customs officials. The weapons are often bought legally at gun shows in Arizona and other border states where loopholes allow criminals to stock up without background checks.

Guns are now flooding into the country in part because of the cartel war, and in part because of the ease of buying high-powered weapons since the U.S. assault weapons ban was not renewed in 2004, according to an ATF official.

The American taxpayer must now mop up the bloody results of the ban’s demise: President Bush has promised $500 million in U.S. aid to help Mexico battle drug cartels, who are formidable precisely because of their steady supply of AK-47s and grenade launchers that were made In the U.S.A.

About that $500M in aid? Truly this is a test in logic for the administration, stay with me here. President Bush wants to give the Mexican military $500,000 to aid in fighting the Mexican drug cartels. The problem with this logic is the Mexican military IS aiding and assisting the Mexican drug cartels. So, the $500M in aid is just going to be used against the US. Yeah, that all makes sense.

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII).  If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

Technorati Tags: Illegal aliens, Mexico, drug cartels, Guns

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Do you know this man?

Is that impressive or not? lol. Aside from Chuck’s antics, he is impressive. It’s because of Chuck who had an idea, that Valour IT was born.

Here’s the story: Project Valour-IT began when Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss’ fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of providing laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.

How does VALOUR IT work?

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. As of October 2007, Valour-IT has distributed over 1500 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country.

Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support the purchase and distribution of laptops, but also offers a sponsorship option. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.
Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and earsâ€? at several medical centers, identifying possible laptop recipients. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers’ Angels representatives at the following medical centers:

* Balboa Naval Hospital

* Brooke Army Medical Center

* Madigan Regional Medical Center

* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)

* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton

* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)

* Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Thanks to the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Valour-IT is also able to reach patients in VA hospitals who would benefit from a Valour-IT laptop.

How to donate?

Our goal for this fundraising netathon is $240,000 and runs from October 28th through November 11th (Veterans Day). Each service team (Air Force, Marines, Navy, Army – hey where’s the Coasties?) has a $60,000 goal I’m on Team Air Force, so if you’re going to donate then click on MY AF BUTTON…….please?

Note – Oct. 29th at 3:15 – there’s a technical glitch with the donation widget which the wizards behind the curtain are working furiously to correct.

Note – Oct. 30th at 10:30am – we’re changing donation widgets. The widget on my right sidebar at the top seems to be functioning correctly but I’m having a problem embedding the new code in a posting. So, you can also donate to the Air Force Team goal by going to this link.

Or if you’re not an online person then you can mail in a check to

Soldiers’ Angels
Project Valour-IT Fund
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104
If you donate by mail, then be sure to include your name, address, phone number and email address. And I’d really appreciate it if you would include that this is for the Air Force Team considering that’s my team! If you have any questions you can call (615) 676-0239.

Soldiers’ Angels has been designated a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity by the IRS. Donations are tax-deductible and may be eligible for matching funds from donors’ employers (ask your employer). Be sure to consult your tax advisor for further information.

Readers, besides donating, you can also help by…..

# Check for employer matching donations (or lay the groundwork for a corporate donation during the fundraiser)
# Find items to auction—check with authors, celebrities, etc., or offer your own service or product for auction. Items can be military-related or of general interest
# Give a heads up to your local press/political connections by offering links to Valour-IT sites and telling them about Valour-IT’s history

If you’d like to receive this information in an email format ( so you can forward this information to everyone in your address book…heheh), you can contact me at bearcreekledger@bearcreekledger.com.

Technorati Tags: Valour IT, Wounded Warriors, Support Our Troops, Military, netathon

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