The Bos\’un Locker

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Archive for the ‘Peace movements’ Category

Little Green Footballs (LGF): Most depraved Jihad Video

Posted by thebosun on April 22, 2007

Courtesy of LGF

Saturday, April 21, 2007

The Most Depraved Jihad Video Yet

Both LGF and I felt physically ill after watching this. Don’t click through if you don’t think you can handle it; LiveLeak has a censored clip of the ~12-year old boy seen in a newly released jihad video butchering a helpless captive: 12 year old boy beheads man (Censored Version).

The actual beheading is not shown in this clip, but it’s still one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.

Sat, Apr 21, 2007 at 2:02:04 pm PST

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Posted in 'War on Terror', 9/11, Adam Gadahn, al-Qaeda, Anti Semitic, Anti-Semitism, anti-US, Arabian Gulf Region, Arabs, Asia, Bin Laden, Caliphate, Capital Crimes, counter terrorism, counterterrorism, Crime, Facism, Give war a chance, Global Jihad, International News, Islamic revolution, Islamic Theologian, Islamist, Islamofascism, Middle East, Middle East & Muslim World, Middle East Politics, Mullahs, Murder, Muslim, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Peace movements, Persian gulf, real war, Religion, Religious converts, Religious Freedom, religious war, Sayyid Qutb, Security matters, South Asia, South Asia - Middle East, Terrorism, US hater, US News, Violent Crimes, War, War and Peace, War BLOGGING, World News and Politics, World War III | Leave a Comment »

Bosun’s Parody: 2008 Demogratic Convention Agenda and Time-line

Posted by thebosun on November 28, 2006

 

 

2008 Demogratic Convention Agenda and Time-line

 

 

 

7:00 P.M. Opening flag burning.

7:15 P.M. Pledge of allegiance to U.N.

7:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

7:35 P.M. Nonreligious prayer and worship / Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton

8:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:05 P.M. Ceremonial tree hugging.

8:15 P.M. Gay Wedding — Barney Frank Presiding.

8:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:35 P.M. Free Saddam Rally. Cindy Sheehan – Susan Sarandon

9:00 P.M. Keynote speech: The proper etiquette for surrender French
President Jacques Chirac

9:15 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:20 P.M. Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund.

9:30 P.M. Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo Bay
Sean Penn

9:40 P.M. Why I hate the Military, A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton

9:45 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:50 P.M. Dan Rather awarded “Truth in Broadcasting Citation” presented
by Michael Moore.

9:55 P.M., Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

10:00 P.M. How George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers — Howard Dean

10:30 P.M. Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Mahmud Ahnadinejad.

11:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

11:05 P.M. Al Gore reinvents Internet.

11:15 P.M. Our Troops are War criminals – John Kerry

11:30 P.M. Coronation of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

12:00 A.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

12:05 A.M. Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home.

I received this time-line in an email from an anonymous source and cannot to attest the authenticity of it (the time-line).  It may be subject to change as the the Demogratic Convention organizers see fit (or unfit, who the heck knows).

Posted in apologists and appeasers, Branches of the Government, International Con, Lenin, Liberal Society, Liberal Tolerance, Libs, New Wave, Opinions and Commentaries, Peace movements, Political Pundit, Politics, Politics/Debate, pro-choice, self-induced abortion, Sex, Social Engineering, Society, the morning after, U.S. Senate, Uncategorized, walter mitty, washington scandal, White Collar Crimes, womens rights, Writers | 1 Comment »

What Happened at Hamdania?

Posted by thebosun on November 20, 2006

War is living hell. Make no bones about it. News accounts the actions of Sergeant Lawrence G. Hutchins’ patrol and several of the plea bargained trials of the Pendleton Eight have painted confusing pictures. Moral support of the Pendleton Eight has dwindled as the military members began to plead guilty. To me, It is as if war is on trial itself.

Here is the information as I understand it. On May 24, 2006, Major. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, Commanding General, Multi-National Force – West (MNF-W), requested that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service conduct an investigation into an April 26, 2006 incident in which seven Marines and one Navy corpsman allegedly killed an Iraqi civilian in the area of Hamdaniya, west of Baghdad.

Local Iraqis brought the incident to the attention of Marine leadership at a regularly scheduled meeting on May 1, 2006, that a US military patrol selected an Iraqi man, Hashim Ibrahim Awad, shoved him in a hole, then shot him multiple times. The patrol allegedly placed an AK-47 and a shovel in the hole so they could claim he was in the progress of digging a hole for an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). A preliminary investigation conducted by MNF-W found sufficient information existed to recommend a criminal investigation into the incident.

Additional information was later released that the patrol had originally planned to abduct a local terror suspect and kill him, but, because they could not locate the suspect they picked Awad at random to unleash their fury on.

In past wars this unfortunate incident would have been part of war. However, in the politically correct world we live, the lowest man gets pinned by the empty suits and armchair philosophers. The media, liberals, and leftists would like to relate our current conflict in Iraq with the Vietnam conflict. Peace and antiwar activists like John Kerry, Jane Fonda, and other aging activists from the 1960s have jumped on the bandwagon with Islamists, radicalized Muslims, the al Qaeda network, and others to cry about “President Bush’s War.” It is like the Kerrys and Fondas are trying to relive the 1960s. Unfortunately, the anti-war left used Abu Ghraib as a rally cry last year. Perhaps, the anti-war left is getting mileage or self satisfaction out of Hamdania.

To date, four of the Pendleton Eight have accepted plea bargains. The other four have not been offered plea bargains.

At this point, I am still not sure exactly what happened, why eight of America’s finest decided to murder an innocent Iraqi civilian, or what caused Awad’s demise.

Hutchins’ patrol may have conspired to kill someone, or, perhaps the patrol did not. There may have been mitigating circumstances as to the how’s and why’s this event happened.

In going over the available information on Hamdania, one has to wonder, were there mitigating circumstances. Were the Pendleton Eight hooligans and murderers? Had they joined the Marine Corps and Navy as gangbangers and thugs? Was the behavior learned? What really happened that fateful day in April 2006? Was the behavior caused by some other forces? So far, the plea bargains have not delved into the facts beyond the surface and the media is not looking very far into it.

I would like to offer mitigating circumstances that our media has completely ignored or refused to explore, Combat and Operational Stress

“Combat / Operational Stress Reaction” (COSR) is an issue that will likely affect every Marine unit. Left not addressed, the effects of combat and operational stress can lead to long-term psychological injuries. Although not as visible as physical trauma, psychological injuries have been a significant portion of total casualties in any conflict. In the American military, combat stress reactions were noted as early as the Civil War. After the First World War, large numbers of combatants suffering from “shell shock” sought medical attention. Combat stress reactions were observed in more than 20% of US troops in World War II, and in the Korean War, 10% of medical evacuations were attributable to combat stress. Some estimate that as many as 30% of Vietnam veterans suffer from the long-term effects of untreated COSR. Approximately 15% of long term casualties after the Gulf War were psychological in nature. Effectively addressing the psychological effects of such stress both before and after it occurs can greatly improve a unit’s readiness status.

The linked information from the Navy Corpsman, HM3 Melson J. Bacos’ Attorney, Link to Attorney Sullivan’s Website, offers a glimpse at mitigating circumstances that have fallen on the deaf ears of the news media and public during the emotionally charged witch hunts, errr …. “Trials” of the Pendleton Eight. Perhaps the leadership was not tuned into their troops emotional health in the field and did not take every precaution to debrief them after combat action and stressful patrols. Perhaps the leadership contributed to this unfortunate incident. Pay particular attention to the video Interviews of HM3 Melson J. Bacos that were provided by his attorney.

God bless those whom we send in harms way to protect the freedoms that we take for granted. God bless the Pendleton eight, too.

For the latest courts-martial information of the Pendleton Eight trials, please visit: United States Marine Corps Iraqi Investigations.

Posted in 'War on Terror', al-Qaeda, apologists and appeasers, Coffee and Conversation, counter terrorism, counterterrorism, Courts Martial, Crime, Crime and Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, exclusive commentary, Hamdania, International News, Iraq, Judicial, Justice Department, Middle East, Middle East & Muslim World, Military, Military Law, Murder, News, Opinions and Commentaries, Peace movements, Political Prisoners, real war, U.S. Military, UCMJ, US Armed Forces, US News, USMC, Veterans, Violent Crimes, War, War and Peace, War BLOGGING, World at War, World News and Politics | Leave a Comment »

Who is exactly saying, ‘Rumsfeld must go?’

Posted by thebosun on November 4, 2006

Cross posted courtesy of Big Dog’s Weblog

Andrew Sullivan has a piece at his Time blog indicating that the Army Times is calling for the resignation or firing of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The Army Times is not an official Army publication and is not a professional journal. As Oak Leaf points out over at Stop the ACLU, the Army Times is part of the Army Times Publishing Company and, in addition to the Army Times, includes the Air Force Times, Marine Corps Times, and Navy Times. It also includes the Federal Times, Defense News and Military Market. These publications are owned by the Gannett Group which also owns USA Today. Oak Leaf also reveals that the writers of the “military papers” also write for USA Today.

So the big question is, who is calling for Rumsfeld’s job?

So the big question is, who is calling for Rumsfeld’s job? Did all the guys in the military get together and decide that they wanted Rumsfeld out and then they called the Army Times, an unofficial publication or did a bunch of folks at USA Today decide that they wanted Rumsfeld out and at the same time they would like to see Democrats do well this Tuesday so they wrote the story and published it in a paper that would make it appear as if the military were behind it? I don’t know but it is awfully strange that this is being released a few days before the election and it is being released by a surrogate of a liberal American Newspaper.

Sullivan calls the military desperate but when I read the piece I see a publication making a last minute move of desperation before an important election. It is painfully obvious that all the buzz words are there in order to influence voters. From Sullivan’s piece:

But until recently, the “hard bruising” truth about the Iraq war has been difficult to come by from leaders in Washington. One rosy reassurance after another has been handed down by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “mission accomplished,” the insurgency is “in its last throes,” and “back off,” we know what we’re doing, are a few choice examples.

Rumsfeld

Since this publication is primarily bought by the military one can only conclude that the Gannett Group is either trying to persuade military members to vote Democrat (the military overwhelmingly votes Republican. This is why Democrats like Ed Rendell and Al Gore try to discount their votes) because all their leaders have lost confidence in the President’s party or they are trying to influence the general public by giving the appearance that a military publication is not backing the SECDEF. I lean toward troop influence, look at the buzz words and how they are aimed at the troops. They told you these things and they lied. Can you continue to trust them. That is how I read it. People should not be fooled by the article’s claim that this has nothing to do with the midterm elections. It has everything to do with the midterms.

I agree with Oak Leaf that many of these military papers are on their way out. I never subscribed to one and I only bought the Army Times when the promotion list was coming out so I could see if I or one of my soldiers got promoted. Usually, one of us bought the paper and shared it with all the others so no one else wasted their money. If you planned it right you could get your haircut the day the paper came out and read it for free at the barber shop. Now that we have Al Gore’s Internet, we can look up promotion information instantly.

Three days until the elections and this piece comes out. It is yet another hatchet job run on the Republicans by the liberal biased MSM and the terrible part is that they disguised it as a military piece. Liberals have no courage of their convictions, not even the libs in the newspaper business. My mother always told me to consider the source. Considering the source of this hit job, I would ignore it.

Others with an opinion:
Sister Toldjah | Blue Crab Boulevard | Macsmind | Flopping Aces | QandO

 

Posted in apologists and appeasers, Complaints, Democrats and Republicans, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Domestic Politics, Dublicitous Democrats, Liberal Society, Liberal Tolerance, Libs, Marines, Media watch, Military, News, North America, Opinions and Commentaries, Peace movements, Political Prisoners, Political Pundit, Politics/Debate, scam artists, Scams, Schemes & Scams, U.S. Military, US Armed Forces, US News, USMC, World News and Politics | 3 Comments »

Islamization of France

Posted by thebosun on October 7, 2006

Back by Popular demand.  This article was reprinted with permission from Tech Central Station.

This article was written in summer 2003, over two years before this one week of rage engulfed France. Maybe, Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” theory is not far off the mark.  Perhaps France should have listened to Mounicq and heeded the warning that he has written about.

Written By Jean-Christophe Mounicq
First published in Tech Central Station on 08/28/2003

If Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilization” theory is right, France is on the front line. With at least six and maybe eight million Muslims living in its territory among a total population of 60 million, France is the most “islamized” Western country. Seeing France’s inability to adapt to globalization or to the aging of its population, it could be bad news for the world that the French are the first to be forced to facilitate the emergence of a “modern” Islam.

As nearly every Western country absorbs a fast growing Muslim minority, every Westerner should look closely at France. A French failure to integrate Muslims could lead to a general European and Western failure. Those who don’t believe in the clash of civilizations might at least see a clash between traditional Islamic values and Western republican values. This raises the question of the compatibility of Islam with secular democracy (separation of church and state) and human rights (especially the rights of women and of non-Muslims).

All Muslims do not interpret the Koran identically and do not practice the same forms of Islam. But which Islam is going to win in Western countries? Even if they do not say it openly, more and more French citizens fear an Islamist victory that could lead to religious and civil war. The vote in favour of Jean-Marie Le Pen is emblematic of this fear. Locally, votes in favour of the National Front are linked to the proportion of Muslim immigrants in the population.

Stephen Schwartz, in his book The Two Faces of Islam, has an optimistic view of the Islamic question and believes any problems stem from the radical Wahabist sect. The Saudis finance most mosques and Islamic schools all over the world. This leads to a worrisome preponderance of Wahabi influence over Muslim thought. One has to admire the courage of Schwartz, whose fight against Islamo-fascism is of extreme importance.

Schwartz thinks Islam is essentially a religion of “tolerance” and that Mohammed was a “man of peace”. Yes and no. Muslims do tolerate others but they also give them an inferior status. Mohammed was a man of peace but also a warrior. The beliefs of Mr Schwartz are so strong that he converted to Islam. His choice certainly demonstrates one solution to preventing a clash of civilization.

As every non-Muslim may not be in the mood to convert, and as every Muslim does not adhere to the same peaceful reading of the Koran, one may be permitted a more  pessimistic view. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are not terrorists. But from Bali to Riyadh, from Karachi to Jerusalem, from Moscow to New York most terrorists are Muslims. In his book Why I Am Not a Muslim, Ibn Warraq, born Muslim, contends that “all Muslims still take the Koran literally” and hence “there is no difference between Islam and Islamic fundamentalism”. It is certain that, as Bernard Lewis wrote, “the creed and political program of Islamic fundamentalist are not compatible with liberal democracy.”

So what percentage of Muslims is fundamentalist? From Algeria to Turkey, when Muslims are free to vote, Islamists regularly win 30 to 40 percent of the votes. In France… the result was no different. In May 2003, the French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, organized elections for a Representative Council of French Muslims. The Islamists of the UOIF (Union des Organisations Islamistes de France) won over 40 percent of the votes.

This election was a major failure for Sarkozy, who wanted to promote moderate Muslim leaders like Dalil Boubakeur, head of the Mosque of Paris. Before the elections Dalil Boubakeur denounced “the Islam of the suburbs, the Islam of the excited” and was anxious about “more and more young going from the suburbs to Peshawar”. He asked “Why shave the beards in Kabul while cultivating them in the Paris area?”

The result of the election, which took place among Mosque-goers who are more fundamentalist than “average” Muslims, was to give power to the president of the UOIF — who wears a beard and asserts that “our constitution is Koran” — a way to reject the constitution of France and live according to Islamic (Sharia) law clearly opposed to French law. The problem with Islam is that it is not only a religion but also an ideology that intends to rule man’s life on earth.

Was the victory of the Islamists really a surprise given the recent resurgence of anti-Semitism, mainly instigated by young Arabs, in France? After 9/11, in the 19th Arrondissement of Paris, many blew their automobile horns loudly. After the beginning of the new Intifada in Israel, thousands shouted openly “death to the Jews” in Strasbourg. During the Iraqi war, thousands waved portraits of Saddam, Israeli flags with Nazi emblems and Bush portraits with Hitler’s moustache.

A stranger may wonder at the lack of French reaction. Is it because the Catholic French are also anti-American and anti-Semitic? The answer is: no. It is more a mixture of laziness (“we’ll see later”), fear (“do not provoke Muslims, they may become terrorists”), bad conscience (“Crusades, colonies, unemployment”), optimism (“we will invent the best system”) and difficulty confronting reality.

Economics plays a major role in the “Muslim problem”. The overwhelming poverty in Middle Eastern and North African countries, ruled for centuries by Islam, drives their populations to desperation. The Islamists, nostalgic for the glorious past of the Caliphates, place the blame for these conditions mainly on Westerners, rejecting the fact that the problem has its roots in the failure of their own societies. With one of the highest unemployment levels for youth among OECD countries, France is in a bad position to provide a model of integration.

Many Muslims came to France only to benefit from the state welfare system, get free social housing, free school, free Medicare, and family allocations but with no desire to adapt to French rule of law. Last July, Sarkozy passed a bill intended to control immigration networks and to stop some Muslim customs: polygamy, excision, repudiation and forced marriage. One hopes that he will be more successful than with the election of his Islamic council. If the Islamization of France goes on it will accelerate the clash of civilization.

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Posted in 'War on Terror', al-Qaeda, anti-US, apologists and appeasers, Arabian Gulf Region, Arabs, Bin Laden, Caliphate, Coffee and Conversation, counter terrorism, counterterrorism, exclusive commentary, Freedom, Freedom of Speech/Politics, Global Jihad, holy martyr, Human Rights, International News, Islamist, Islamofascism, Liberal Society, Liberal Tolerance, Libs, Middle East, Middle East & Muslim World, Middle East Politics, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood, News, Opinions and Commentaries, Osama Bin Laden, Peace movements, Political Prisoners, real war, Religious converts, Religious Freedom, religious war, Saad Bin Laden, Security matters, TCS Daily, Terrorism, World News and Politics | Leave a Comment »

Islamic Extremist Calls For Pope’s Death

Posted by thebosun on September 18, 2006

Courtesy of Jay at Stop the ACLUWar On Terror, News

Apologies are not enough for to appease the hearts of Islamic extremists. Apparantly nothing is. Burning down churches wasn’t enough. Martyring a nun by shooting her in the back was not enough. No, for some the bloodlust can not be quenched without making the Pope into a martyr as well.

A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.

Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be “subject to capital punishment”.

His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral on a day that worldwide anger among Muslim hardliners towards Pope Benedict XVI appeared to deepen.

The irony of the reaction by the Islamic extremist mobs needs not be ignored. I’m not sure whether or not the Pope deliberately through down the guantlet but his words did turn out to be prophetic and the truth. I really don’t see any reason why the pope should apologize and retreat. The only thing that should be regretted is that the central theme of his speech, that of reason and peaceful dialogue, was completely and willfully ignored. In the Islamic extremist animal mind, jihad was the “reasonable” answer.

An Iraqi militant group led by al Qaeda vowed a war against the “worshippers of the cross” in response to a recent speech by Pope Benedict on Islam that sparked anger across the Muslim world.

“We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya,” said an Internet statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council, an umbrella group led by Iraq’s branch of al Qaeda.

“We shall break the cross and spill the wine. … God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome. … God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen,” said the statement.

Hmmm. Doesn’t seem like they are interested in dialouge. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that noticed the irony in all of this.

THE Archbishop of Sydney has drawn a link between Islamists and violence, a strident attempt to defend the Pope just as the pontiff tries to hose down Muslim anger around the world.

Cardinal George Pell says “the violent reactions in many parts of the Islamic world” to a speech by Pope Benedict justified one of the main fears expressed by the world’s Catholic leader.

“They showed the link for many Islamists between religion and violence, their refusal to respond to criticism with rational arguments, but only with demonstrations, threats and actual violence,” Cardinal Pell said in a statement yesterday.

Amen.

Dan Riehl has a video to help you ponder the question of whether Islam is a religion of peace or a legion of terror.
Atlass Shrugs looks at giving terrorists rights.

Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator linked with Iraq al-Qaida Says Pope, West Are Doomed

Posted in 'War on Terror', al-Qaeda, Anti Semitic, Anti-Semitism, anti-US, apologists and appeasers, Arabian Gulf Region, Arabs, Caliphate, Christian, counter terrorism, counterterrorism, Domestic Terrorism, Egypt, Facism, Freedom, Freedom of Speech/Politics, Global Jihad, Hizbollah, Hizbollah Vs Israel?, Human Rights, International News, Iran, Iraq, Islamic revolution, Islamic Theologian, Islamist, Islamofascism, Israel, Israel/Hizbollah, Jerusalem, Jew hater, Judism, Liberal Society, Liberal Tolerance, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Middle East & Muslim World, Middle East Politics, Military, Mullahs, Murder, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood, National Counterterrorism Center, National Security, NCTC, News, North America, NSA, Peace movements, Persia, Persian gulf, Politics, Politics/Debate, real war, Religion, Religious Freedom, religious war, Security matters, South Asia, South Asia - Middle East, Terror Surveillance Program, Terrorism, US News, War, War BLOGGING, World News and Politics, Zionist Empire | 4 Comments »

President Bush Addresses American Legion Convention in Utah 8/31/2006

Posted by thebosun on September 1, 2006

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 31, 2006

President Bush Addresses American Legion National Convention
Salt Palace Convention Center
Salt Lake City, Utah

     Fact sheet Fact Sheet: Winning the Struggle Between Freedom and Terror in the Middle East
     Fact sheet In Focus: National Security
9:08 A.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. It’s great to join you here in one of America’s most beautiful cities. I appreciate your hospitality. I’m proud to stand before some of our country’s finest patriots, our veterans and their families. (Applause.) And I’m pleased to call you my fellow Legionnaires — (applause) — I suspect I may be the only one here, though, from Post 77, Houston, Texas. That’s what I thought. (Laughter.) If you’re from Post 77, behave yourself here in Salt Lake. (Laughter.)

 Laura did remind me the other night, though, that a few of my fellow members — at least I’ve joined a few of my fellow members in another illustrious organization, the “Over 60 Club.” (Laughter.)

For almost 90 years, Legionnaires have stood proudly “for God and country.” (Applause.) From big cities to small towns, the American Legion name brings to mind the best of our nation — decency, generosity, and character. (Applause.) I thank you for a lifetime of service. I thank you for the positive contributions you make to our nation, and I’m proud to join you today.

First, I want to thank Tom Bock, the National Commander, for his kind introduction and his strong leadership. I always am pleased to welcome the Commander to the Oval Office to discuss common issues, and you’ve done a fine job leading this organization, Tom. I also want to thank your wife, Elaine, and I particularly want to pay respect to your son, Captain Bock, of the United States Army, who’s joined us today. (Applause.)

I appreciate being here with Carol Van Kirk, the National President of the American Legion Auxiliary. And I want to thank all the Auxiliary members who are with us here today, as well. (Applause.)

I’m proud that the Governor of this great state, Jon Huntsman, and his wife Mary Kaye, have joined us. Governor, thank you for your time. I’m also proud to be joined by two United States Senators who are strong supporters of the United States military, Senator Orrin Hatch, and Senator Bob Bennett. (Applause.)

Members of the congressional delegation from the state of Utah have joined us: Congressman Rob Bishop, and Congressman Chris Cannon. Thank you both for coming. Proud you’re here. (Applause.) I thank the state Senator, John Valentine, who is the President of the Utah State Senate. I appreciate Speaker Greg Curtis. I want to thank all the state and local officials who have joined us here today. Most particularly, I want to thank you all for giving me a chance to come and speak to you. I particularly want to thank all the Gold Star families who have joined us today. May God bless you. May God bless you. (Applause.)

 As veterans, all of you stepped forward when America needed you most. From North Africa to Normandy, Iwo Jima to Inchon, from Khe Sanh to Kuwait, your courage and service have made it possible for generations to live in liberty. And we owe you more than just thanks. We owe you the support of the federal government. And so, in my first four years as President, we increased funding for veterans more than the previous administration did in eight years. (Applause.) Since then, we’ve increased it even more. My budget for this year provides more than $80 billion for veterans — that’s a 75-percent increase since I took office. It’s the highest level of support for veterans in American history. (Applause.)

For many veterans, health care is a top priority, and it’s a top priority of my administration. When Congress passes my 2007 budget, we will have increased the VA health care budget by 69 percent since 2001. We’ve extended treatment to a million additional veterans, including more than 300,000 men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. (Applause.) We’re building new VA facilities in places where veterans are retiring, so that more veterans can get top-quality health care closer to their homes.

I appreciate the Legion’s strong history of care and compassion for your fellow veterans. Earlier this week, I traveled to Mississippi and Louisiana to mark the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Veterans were hit hard by this storm, and American Legion posts all across the United States responded with vital relief. In an hour of suffering, you showed the good heart of our nation, and you showed the world that America can always count on Legionnaires. (Applause.)

I also appreciate the Legion’s long history of supporting wise legislation in the Nation’s Capital. Earlier this year, the Senate voted on a constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration — we came within a single vote of passing it. The administration looks forward to continuing working with the American Legion to make sure we get this important protection in the Constitution of the United States of America. (Applause.)

Your organization supported another good piece of legislation called the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act. This bill ensures that families of fallen service members will not have to endure protests during military funerals. (Applause.)

 My administration will also continue to work to locate the men and women in uniform whose fate is still undetermined — our prisoners of war and personnel missing in action. We will not forget these brave Americans. We must not rest until we’ve accounted for every soldier, sailor, airman, Coast Guardsman, and Marine. And we will always honor their courage. (Applause.)

At this hour, a new generation of Americans in uniform is showing great courage in defending our freedom in the first war of the 21st century. I know that Legionnaires are following this war closely, especially those of you with family and friends who wear our uniform. The images that come back from the front lines are striking, and sometimes unsettling. When you see innocent civilians ripped apart by suicide bombs, or families buried inside their homes, the world can seem engulfed in purposeless violence. The truth is there is violence, but those who cause it have a clear purpose. When terrorists murder at the World Trade Center, or car bombers strike in Baghdad, or hijackers plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic, or terrorist militias shoot rockets at Israeli towns, they are all pursuing the same objective — to turn back the advance of freedom, and impose a dark vision of tyranny and terror across the world.

The enemies of liberty come from different parts of the world, and they take inspiration from different sources. Some are radicalized followers of the Sunni tradition, who swear allegiance to terrorist organizations like al Qaeda. Others are radicalized followers of the Shia tradition, who join groups like Hezbollah and take guidance from state sponsors like Syria and Iran. Still others are “homegrown” terrorists — fanatics who live quietly in free societies they dream to destroy. Despite their differences, these groups from — form the outlines of a single movement, a worldwide network of radicals that use terror to kill those who stand in the way of their totalitarian ideology. And the unifying feature of this movement, the link that spans sectarian divisions and local grievances, is the rigid conviction that free societies are a threat to their twisted view of Islam.

The war we fight today is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century. (Applause.) On one side are those who believe in the values of freedom and moderation — the right of all people to speak, and worship, and live in liberty. And on the other side are those driven by the values of tyranny and extremism — the right of a self-appointed few to impose their fanatical views on all the rest. As veterans, you have seen this kind of enemy before. They’re successors to Fascists, to Nazis, to Communists, and other totalitarians of the 20th century. And history shows what the outcome will be: This war will be difficult; this war will be long; and this war will end in the defeat of the terrorists and totalitarians, and a victory for the cause of freedom and liberty. (Applause.)

We’re now approaching the fifth anniversary of the day this war reached our shores. As the horror of that morning grows more distant, there is a tendency to believe that the threat is receding and this war is coming to a close. That feeling is natural and comforting — and wrong. As we recently saw, the enemy still wants to attack us. We’re in a war we didn’t ask for, but it’s a war we must wage, and a war we will win. (Applause.)

In the coming days, I’ll deliver a series of speeches describing the nature of our enemy in the war on terror, the insights we’ve gained about their aims and ambitions, the successes and setbacks we’ve experienced, and our strategy to prevail in this long war. Today, I’ll discuss a critical aspect of this war: the struggle between freedom and terror in the Middle East, including the battle in Iraq, which is the central front in our fight against terrorism.

To understand the struggle unfolding in the Middle East, we need to look at the recent history of the region. For a half- century, America’s primary goal in the Middle East was stability. This was understandable at the time; we were fighting the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and it was important to support Middle Eastern governments that rejected communism. Yet, over the decades, an undercurrent of danger was rising in the Middle East. Much of the region was mired in stagnation and despair. A generation of young people grew up with little hope to improve their lives, and many fell under the sway of radical extremism. The terrorist movement multiplied in strength, and resentment that had simmered for years boiled over into violence across the world.

Extremists in Iran seized American hostages. Hezbollah terrorists murdered American troops at the Marine barracks in Beirut and Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. Terrorists set off a truck bomb at the World Trade Center. Al Qaeda blew up two U.S. embassies in East Africa, and bombed the USS Cole. Then came the nightmare of September the 11, 2001, when 19 hijackers killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children.

In the space of a single morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. We realized that years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. Instead, the lack of freedom in the Middle East made the region an incubator for terrorist movements.

The status quo in the Middle East before September the 11th was dangerous and unacceptable, so we’re pursuing a new strategy. First, we’re using every element of national power to confront al Qaeda, those who take inspiration from them, and other terrorists who use similar tactics. We have ended the days of treating terrorism simply as a law enforcement matter. We will stay on the offense. We will fight the terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

Second, we have made it clear to all nations, if you harbor terrorists, you are just as guilty as the terrorists; you’re an enemy of the United States, and you will be held to account. (Applause.) And third, we’ve launched a bold new agenda to defeat the ideology of the enemy by supporting the forces of freedom in the Middle East and beyond.

The freedom agenda is based upon our deepest ideals and our vital interests. Americans believe that every person, of every religion, on every continent, has the right to determine his or her own destiny. We believe that freedom is a gift from an almighty God, beyond any power on Earth to take away. (Applause.) And we also know, by history and by logic, that promoting democracy is the surest way to build security. Democracies don’t attack each other or threaten the peace. Governments accountable to the voters focus on building roads and schools — not weapons of mass destruction. Young people who have a say in their future are less likely to search for meaning in extremism. Citizens who can join a peaceful political party are less likely to join a terrorist organization. Dissidents with the freedom to protest around the clock are less likely to blow themselves up during rush hour. And nations that commit to freedom for their people will not support terrorists — they will join us in defeating them. (Applause.)

So America has committed its influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism. We will take the side of democratic leaders and reformers across the Middle East. We will support the voices of tolerance and moderation in the Muslim world. We stand with the mothers and fathers in every culture who want to see their children grow up in a caring and peaceful world. And by supporting the cause of freedom in a vital region, we’ll make our children and our grandchildren more secure. (Applause.)

Over the past five years, we’ve begun to see the results of our actions — and we have seen how our enemies respond to the advance of liberty. In Afghanistan, we saw a vicious tyranny that harbored the terrorists who planned the September the 11th attacks. Within weeks, American forces were in Afghanistan. Along with Afghan allies, we captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters; we closed down their training camps, and we helped the people of Afghanistan replace the Taliban with a democratic government that answers to them. (Applause.)

Our enemies saw the transformation in Afghanistan, and they’ve responded by trying to roll back all the progress. Al Qaeda and the Taliban lost a coveted base in Afghanistan and they know they will never reclaim it when democracy succeeds. And so they’re trying to return to power by attacking Afghanistan’s free institutions. And they will fail. (Applause.) Forces from 40 nations, including every member of NATO, are now serving alongside American troops to support the new Afghan government. The days of the Taliban are over. The future of Afghanistan belongs to the people of Afghanistan. And the future of Afghanistan belongs to freedom. (Applause.)

In Lebanon, we saw a sovereign nation occupied by the Syrian dictatorship. We also saw the courageous people of Lebanon take to the streets to demand their independence. So we worked to enforce a United Nations resolution that required Syria to end its occupation of the country. The Syrians withdrew their armed forces, and the Lebanese people elected a democratic government that began to reclaim their country.

Our enemies saw the transformation in Lebanon and set out to destabilize the young democracy. Hezbollah launched an unprovoked attack on Israel that undermined the democrat government in Beirut. Yet their brazen action caused the world to unite in support for Lebanon’s democracy. Secretary Rice worked with the Security Council to pass Resolution 1701, which will strengthen Lebanese forces as they take control of southern Lebanon — and stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state.

I appreciate the troops pledged by France and Italy and other allies for this important international deployment. Together, we’re going to make it clear to the world that foreign forces and terrorists have no place in a free and democratic Lebanon. (Applause.)

This summer’s crisis in Lebanon has made it clearer than ever that the world now faces a grave threat from the radical regime in Iran. The Iranian regime arms, funds, and advises Hezbollah, which has killed more Americans than any terrorist network except al Qaeda. The Iranian regime interferes in Iraq by sponsoring terrorists and insurgents, empowering unlawful militias, and supplying components for improvised explosive devices. The Iranian regime denies basic human rights to millions of its people. And the Iranian regime is pursuing nuclear weapons in open defiance of its international obligations.

We know the death and suffering that Iran’s sponsorship of terrorists has brought, and we can imagine how much worse it would be if Iran were allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Many nations are working together to solve this problem. The United Nations passed a resolution demanding that Iran suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Today is the deadline for Iran’s leaders to reply to the reasonable proposal the international community has made. If Iran’s leaders accept this offer and abandon their nuclear weapons ambitions, they can set their country on a better course. Yet, so far, the Iranian regime has responded with further defiance and delay. It is time for Iran to make a choice. We’ve made our choice: We will continue to work closely with our allies to find a diplomatic solution — but there must be consequences for Iran’s defiance, and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. (Applause.)

In Iraq, we saw a dictator who harbored terrorists, fired at military planes, paid the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, invaded a neighbor, and pursued and used weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions demanding that Saddam Hussein fully and openly abandon his weapons of mass destruction. We gave him a last chance to comply — and when he refused, we enforced the just demands of the world. And now Saddam Hussein is in prison and on trial. Soon he will have the justice he denied to so many for so long. (Applause.) And with this tyrant gone from power, the United States, Iraq, the Middle East, and the world are better off. (Applause.)

In the three years since Saddam’s fall the Iraqi people have reclaimed sovereignty of their country. They cast their ballots in free elections. They drafted and approved a democratic constitution and elected a constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. Over the same period, Iraq has seen a rise of terrorist and insurgent movements that use brutal and indiscriminate violence to frustrate the desire of the Iraqi people for freedom and peace. Al Qaeda terrorists, former elements of Saddam’s regime, illegal militias and unlawful armed groups are all working to undermine Iraq’s new democracy. These groups have different long-term ambitions, but the same immediate goals. They want to drive America and our coalition out of Iraq and the Middle East, so they can stop the advance of freedom and impose their dark vision on the people of the Middle East. (Applause.)

Our enemies in Iraq have employed ruthless tactics to achieve those goals. They’ve targeted American and coalition troops with ambushes and roadside bombs. They’ve taken hostage and beheaded civilians on camera. They’ve blown up Iraqi army posts and assassinated government leaders. We’ve adapted to the tactics — and thanks to the skill and professionalism of Iraqi and American forces, many of these enemies have met their end. At every step along the way, our enemies have failed to break the courage of the Iraqi people; they have failed to stop the rise of Iraqi democracy — and they will fail in breaking the will of the American people. (Applause.)

Now these enemies have launched a new effort. They have embarked on a bloody campaign of sectarian violence, which they hope will plunge Iraq into a civil war. The outbreak of sectarian violence was encouraged by the terrorist Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s man in Iraq who called for an “all-out war” on Iraqi Shia. The Shia community resisted the impulse to seek revenge for a while. But after this February bombing of the Shia Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra, extremist groups mobilized and sectarian death squads formed on the streets of Baghdad and other areas. Our Ambassador reports that thousands of Iraqis were murdered in Baghdad last month, and large numbers of them were victims of sectarian violence.

This cruelty and carnage has led some to question whether Iraq has descended into civil war. Our commanders and our diplomats on the ground in Iraq believe that’s not the case. They report that only a small number of Iraqis are engaged in sectarian violence, while the overwhelming majority want peace and a normal life in a unified country. Iraqi leaders from all backgrounds remember the elections that brought them to power, in which 12 million Iraqis defied the car bombers and killers to claim, “We want to be free.” (Applause.)

Iraq’s government is working tirelessly to hold the nation together and to heal Iraq’s divisions, not to exploit them. The Iraqi people have come a long way. They are not going to let their country fall apart or relapse into tyranny. As Prime Minister Maliki told the United States Congress, “Iraqis have tasted freedom and we will defend it absolutely.” (Applause.)

America has a clear strategy to help the Iraqi people protect their new freedom, and build a democracy that can govern itself, and sustain itself, and defend itself. On the political side, we’re working closely with Prime Minister Maliki to strengthen Iraq’s unity government and develop — and to deliver better services to the Iraqi people. This is a crucial moment for the new Iraqi government; its leaders understand the challenge. They believe that now is the time to hammer out compromises on Iraq’s most contentious issues.

I’ve been clear with each Iraqi leader I meet: America is a patient nation, and Iraq can count on our partnership, as long as the new government continues to make the hard decisions necessary to advance a unified, democratic and peaceful Iraq. Prime Minister Maliki has shown courage in laying out an agenda to do just that — and he can count on an ally, the United States of America, to help him promote this agenda. (Applause.)

On the security side, we’re refining our tactics to meet the threats on the ground. I’ve given our commanders in Iraq all the flexibility they need to make adjustments necessary to stay on the offense and defeat the enemies of freedom. We’ve deployed Special Operation forces to kill or capture terrorists operating in Iraq. Zarqawi found out what they can do. We continue to train Iraqi police forces to defend their own nation. We’ve handed over security responsibility for a southern province to Iraqi forces. Five of Iraq’s 10 army divisions are now taking the lead in their areas of operation. The Iraqi security forces are determined; they’re becoming more capable; and together, we will defeat the enemies of a free Iraq. (Applause.)

Recently, we also launched a major new campaign to end the security crisis in Baghdad. Side by side, Iraqi and American forces are conducting operations in the city’s most violent areas to disrupt al Qaeda, to capture enemy fighters, crack down on IED makers, and break up the death squads. These forces are helping Iraq’s national police force undergo retraining to better enforce law in Baghdad. And these forces are supporting the Iraqi government as it provides reconstruction assistance.

The Baghdad Security Plan is still in its early stages. We cannot expect immediate success. Yet, the initial results are encouraging. According to one military report, a Sunni man in a diverse Baghdad neighborhood said this about the Shia soldiers on patrol: “Their image has changed. Now you feel they’re there to protect you.” Over the coming weeks and months, the operation will expand throughout Baghdad. until Iraq’s democratic government is in full control of its capital. The work is difficult and dangerous, but the Iraqi government and their forces are determined to reclaim their country. And the United States is determined to help them succeed. (Applause.)

Here at home we have a choice to make about Iraq. Some politicians look at our efforts in Iraq and see a diversion from the war on terror. That would come as news to Osama bin Laden, who proclaimed that the “third world war is raging” in Iraq. It would come as news to the number two man of al Qaeda, Zawahiri, who has called the struggle in Iraq, quote, “the place for the greatest battle.” It would come as news to the terrorists from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and other countries, who have to come to Iraq to fight the rise of democracy.

It’s hard to believe that these terrorists would make long journeys across dangerous borders, endure heavy fighting, or blow themselves up in the streets of Baghdad, for a so-called “diversion.” Some Americans didn’t support my decision to remove Saddam Hussein; many are frustrated with the level of violence. But we should all agree that the battle for Iraq is now central to the ideological struggle of the 21st century. We will not allow the terrorists to dictate the future of this century — so we will defeat them in Iraq. (Applause.)

Still, there are some in our country who insist that the best option in Iraq is to pull out, regardless of the situation on the ground. Many of these folks are sincere and they’re patriotic, but they could be — they could not be more wrong. If America were to pull out before Iraq can defend itself, the consequences would be absolutely predictable — and absolutely disastrous. We would be handing Iraq over to our worst enemies — Saddam’s former henchmen, armed groups with ties to Iran, and al Qaeda terrorists from all over the world who would suddenly have a base of operations far more valuable than Afghanistan under the Taliban. They would have a new sanctuary to recruit and train terrorists at the heart of the Middle East, with huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. And we know exactly where those ambitions lead. If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities.

We can decide to stop fighting the terrorists in Iraq and other parts of the world, but they will not decide to stop fighting us. General John Abizaid, our top commander in the Middle East region, recently put it this way: “If we leave, they will follow us.” And he is right. The security of the civilized world depends on victory in the war on terror, and that depends on victory in Iraq. So the United States of America will not leave until victory is achieved. (Applause.)

Victory in Iraq will be difficult and it will require more sacrifice. The fighting there can be as fierce as it was at Omaha Beach or Guadalcanal. And victory is as important as it was in those earlier battles. Victory in Iraq will result in a democracy that is a friend of America and an ally in the war on terror. Victory in Iraq will be a crushing defeat for our enemies, who have staked so much on the battle there. Victory in Iraq will honor the sacrifice of the brave Americans who have given their lives. And victory in Iraq would be a powerful triumph in the ideological struggle of the 21st century. From Damascus to Tehran, people will look to a democratic Iraq as inspiration that freedom can succeed in the Middle East, and as evidence that the side of freedom is the winning side. This is a pivotal moment for the Middle East. The world is watching — and in Iraq and beyond, the forces of freedom will prevail. (Applause.)

For all the debate, American policy in the Middle East comes down to a straightforward choice. We can allow the Middle East to continue on its course — on the course it was headed before September the 11th, and a generation from now, our children will face a region dominated by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. Or we can stop that from happening, by rallying the world to confront the ideology of hate, and give the people of the Middle East a future of hope. And that is the choice America has made. (Applause.)

We see a day when people across the Middle East have governments that honor their dignity, unleash their creativity, and count their votes. We see a day when leaders across the Middle East reject terror and protect freedom. We see a day when the nations of the Middle East are allies in the cause of peace. The path to that day will be uphill and uneven, but we can be confident of the outcome, because we know that the direction of history leads toward freedom.

In the early years of our republic, Thomas Jefferson said that we cannot expect to move “from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.” That’s been true in every time and place. No one understands that like you, our veterans, understand that. With the distance of history, it can be easy to look back at the wars of the 20th century and see a straight path to victory. You know better than that. You waged the hard battles, you suffered the wounds, you lost friends and brothers. You were there for dark times and the moments of uncertainty. And you know that freedom is always worth the sacrifice.

You also know what it takes to win. For all that is new about this war, one thing has not changed: Victory still depends on the courage and the patience and the resolve of the American people. Above all, it depends on patriots who are willing to fight for freedom. (Applause.) Our nation is blessed to have these men and women in abundance. Our military forces make this nation strong; they make this nation safe; and they make this nation proud. (Applause.)

We thank them and their families for their sacrifice. We will remember all those who have given their lives in this struggle — and I vow that we will give our men and women in uniform all the resources they need to accomplish their missions. (Applause.)

One brave American we remember is Marine Corporal Adam Galvez, from here in Salt Lake City. Yesterday Adam’s mom and dad laid their son to rest. We’re honored by their presence with us today. (Applause.) About a month ago, Adam was wounded by a suicide bomb in Iraq’s Anbar Province. When he regained consciousness, he found he was buried alive, so he dug himself out of the rubble. And then ran through gunfire to get a shovel to dig out his fellow Marines. As soon as he recovered from his injuries, Adam volunteered to go back to the front lines. and 11 days ago, he was killed when a roadside bomb hit his convoy.

Here is what Adam’s mom and dad said about the cause for which their son gave his life: “Though many are debating the justification of this war, Adam believed in his country — Adam’s belief in his country did not waver, even to the point of the ultimate sacrifice. It’s our hope and our prayer that people share the same conviction and dedication to our troops and fellow Americans.” (Applause.)

Our nation will always remember the selflessness and sacrifice of Americans like Adam Galvez. We will honor their lives by completing the good and noble work they have started. (Applause.) And we can be confident that one day, veterans of the war on terror will gather at American Legion halls across the country, and say the same things you say: We made our nation safer; we made a region more peaceful; and we left behind a better world for our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.)

Thanks for having me. May God bless our veterans. May God bless our troops. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 9:52 A.M. MDT


Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060831-1.html

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Soldier Attacked Outside Military Base in Washington State

Posted by thebosun on August 31, 2006

As hear on KTTH AM radio, Sytman and Boze morning show, this morning:  Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and local Tacoma area law enforcement officers are looking several individuals who “allegedly” attacked a National Guardsman in uniform as he was walking into a convenience store. 

Sytman and Boze said that a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and someone asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.  Apparently the guardsman indicated that he had. 

The individuals exited their vehicle brandishing a weapon and proceeded to beat the guardsman.

As they left the scene, the attackers called the guardsman “a baby killer.”   

The driver as described as a white man, 25-30 years old, with short blond hair, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.   The passengers were white males about  the same age with red baseball hats and red sweatshirts during the attack.Apparently a $1,000 reward is being offered. 

Also reporting the story, Tacoma News Tribune: Guardsman attacked, beaten in Parkland.

Investigators suspect the man was attacked because of his uniform. “The indication is it’s because he was a soldier,” sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said. “There are some specific questions (the attackers asked) that were military related and what his involvement in the war was.”

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in an attack against a uniformed National Guard soldier in Parkland. Callers remain anonymous.

Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.

Are our Pacific Northwest peace activists and left wingers changing tactics, or, were there other reasons for the attack?  Stand by for more information.

Posted in Civil Liberties, Coffee and Conversation, Complaints, Crime, Crime and Justice, Domestic Politics, Freedom, Give peace a chance, Give war a chance, Judicial, Law & Politics, Liberal Tolerance, News, North America, Peace movements, Police & Law Enforcement, real war, Uncategorized, US News, Veterans, War and Peace | 1 Comment »

US dismisses Syrian Objections; And Rightly So.

Posted by thebosun on August 24, 2006

According to a follow-up news article in News.Com.Au, the voice of Sydney and Eastern Australia: The United States flatly dismissed Syria’s strong objections to the possible deployment of a multinational force along the Syria-Lebanon border.

Asked whether Washington took Damascus’s reservations seriously, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino replied: “No”.

Ms Perino said the unanimous UN Security Council approval of a resolution calling for such a force and said of Syria: “I’m not sure that they’re a party to this discussion”. “Lebanon is a sovereign country. It is its own territory. If the president of Syria was not supplying Hezbollah, this wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place,” she said.

Bravo, Ms. Perino, tell it like it is. ‘Bout time a White House pundit spoke the straight facts. Perhaps there is hope for the White House, yet. Just the other day President Bush uttered the inflammatory words, Islamofacists. The village idiot, Charlie Rangel, and the rest of his liberal pundits had a fit.

Apparently as reported in several other news sources, Syria threatened to close its border with Lebanon if an international UN force is deployed along it. I sincerely hope that the UN will become brave enough to enforce the agreements that it put forth. Go ahead Syria, close the border. International sanctions should be placed immediately.

But, of course we are talking about the dysfunctional United Nations. Who knows. Even, President Bashar al-Assad has warned that a deployment of international troops along Lebanon’s border with Syria would be a “hostile” act against his country. Hope John Bolton has some manly friends in the United Nations and gets this thing straightened out.

We had better watch the developments in Lebanon closely and remember the obstructionists of Middle East peace. And, I am not talking about Israel.

Link to the story: US dismisses Syrian objections

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Syria warns against deployment of troops (on Lebanese side of the border)

Posted by thebosun on August 23, 2006

As reported by Reuters, Syria warns against deployment of troops on the Lebanese side of the Syrian – Lebanese border. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel’s foreign minister said Wednesday the situation in Lebanon was “explosive” while Syria’s president says the deployment of international troops along the Syria-Lebanon border would be a “hostile” act. For the rest of the story, Syria warns against deployment of troops

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