Ramblings and Opinons of an old man!
Simple site to log thoughts on current events and activity. Please feel free to give your comments.
I call it a terrorist attack… I believe most do; however, the administration calls it "workplace violence" - Really?
Some excerpts form the link...
Fellow victims at Fort Hood “were killed and wounded by . . . somebody who was there that day to kill soldiers, to prevent them from deploying,” says Manning.
“And if that’s not an act of war, an act of terrorism, I don’t know what is.”
"I do not believe that a counterterrorism strategy all by itself without a sufficient level of counterinsurgency will work," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. "If you don't have a presence on the ground that's effective, it's almost impossible to collect the kind of intelligence that you need to be equally effective in your counterterrorism."
[...]
Kerry is not promoting sending more troops now. That would be irresponsible, he said, when Afghanistan's election is not yet finished.
"I don't see how President Obama can make a decision about the committing of our additional forces or even the further fulfillment of our mission that's here today without an adequate government in place or knowledge about what that government's going to be," he said.
WASHINGTON — A rising number of Western recruits, including Americans, are traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan to attend paramilitary training camps for militant Islamists, The Washington Post reported late.
LONDON — Britain's top general in Afghanistan has backed his US commander's call for more foreign troops to fight an increasingly bloody Taliban insurgency, a newspaper said Monday.
Lieutenant-General Jim Dutton, the deputy commander of NATO?s International Security Assistance Force, told The Times newspaper that victory was a matter of "straightforward force ratios".
"If you want to achieve long-term stability, and therefore a lack of terrorism potential in an area, you need to be doing more than simply patrolling the skies," Dutton said.
He said he supported US General Stanley McChrystal's request for a troop buildup in the country to counter the Taliban insurgency -- as competing advice over the future war strategy and waning Western public support grows.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Vice President Dick Cheney was addressing the meat-eaters at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He told them that he was glad the administration had tortured people and that he'd do it again: "Would I support those same decisions again today? You're damn right I would."
The United States is a country that takes human rights seriously. We do not torture -- it's against our laws and against our values.[...]
From the very morning our nation was attacked on 9/11, the President of the United States has had to make some immensely enormous decisions. Every day he faces responsibilities that others would pale before. I've been there with him. I've seen him make the tough calls, and then weather the criticism and take the hits. President Bush has been tough and courageous. He's made the right decisions for the right reasons, and he always reflects the best values of the American people. I've been proud to stand by him and by the decisions he's made. And I would support those same -- and would I support those same decisions again today? You're damn right I would.Not quite what Mr. Rutten reported is it? Go figure!
| I concluded in the earlier post that I may just be smarter then a journalist; however, if we listen to John Kerry I can't be... Of course, he obviously has no idea how many soldiers have college educations--whether receiving these educations before, during, or after military service. | |
The U.S. mission in Iraq has now lasted longer than America's involvement in World War II. That should be an occasion for sober reflection. In less than four years -- from 1941 to 1945 -- the United States and its allies managed to defeat two of the most powerful militaries in the world. By contrast, today, we are still mired in an endless conflict in a single small country after the same amount of time.
Boots on the Ground represents the commitment of the United States of American and the multiple capabilities of the American Soldier. It reflects the physical and mental aspect of being the ultimate instrument of national resolve that is both ready to meet and relevant to the challenges of the dangerous and complex 21st century security environment.
...as only Army Special Forces could!"If you are getting this e-mail, it means that I have passed away," the missive said. "No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened."
The Army Special Forces captain, 30, said he would like family and friends to attend his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, "but understand if you can't make it."
The message, distributed by a fellow Green Beret after Toczylowski's family had been notified of his death, added: "There will also be a party in Vegas with a 100k to help pay for travel, room and a party."
CORONADO — A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.