From the Halls to the Shores

Sep 26, 2006

Short observation

Bill Clinton is gloriously living up to my original assessment of him in my disclaimer. Give it a click if you don't remember. It's just to your right, on the sidebar. For a little fact checking, just head on over to Hot Air.

More glorious roasting of stupidity is provided by President Karzai.

And for the hat trick: That National Intelligence Estimate that said we're losing the GWOT because of OIF? Yeah. Not so much.

All praise be to Allahpundit!

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 19:18
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Sep 22, 2006

24 MEU embraces the suck

hat tip to my Dad for emailing me the vid, and to Cdr Salamander for already having it on YouTube

UPDATE: A Marine at Camp Fallujah embraces the suck too.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 13:07
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Requesting a flyby

The most kickass pure fighter to ever grace the skies is being put out to pasture by the U.S. Navy, leaving the only people who get to keep flying the thing in Iran, of all places.

Goodbyes and remembrances located here and here. And check out the preview for the documentary that's scheduled to be debuted as NAS Oceana when they do the official retirement tomorrow.

And I'm sure Lex will have something to say... but he's a Hornet driver, so he's probably not all weepy eyed.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 12:31
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Sep 21, 2006

Dat man is da Debil...

When I saw this...

All I could think of was this...

Are the situations the same? Well, no, the little girl is not a hostage. But yes, the propaganda attempt is obvious: Uncle Saddam/Hugo loves the little children - all the little children of the world… even the ones he'd happily kill at the drop of a hat.

For all his bluster, Hugo is quite serious about grabbing the torch of latin american dictatorship from Fidel before it has a chance to go out. Venezuela is WELL on it's way to becoming Cuba. Just in time too, because as soon as Fidel kicks… well, Cuba is going to become Miami. I expect to see an economic boom in Cuba within weeks of Fidel finally dropping dead. On the flip side of that, anybody want to start a pool now on how long it takes for Venezuelans to start building rafts to get themselves the hell out of Dodge?

My favorite speech of his is the old, tired "We're ready for the American invasion" bit. While it would be a nice change for me to go back to my green cammies, and for the Marine Corps as a whole to brush up on our jungle warfare skills, sorry Hugo. You don't pack the gear to RATE a U.S. invasion. We've got bigger fish to fry, and you're just too stupid to be fathomed. For instance, if G.W. Bush is the Devil, I find it interesting that Satan's MONEY is still good enough for your wallet. In a related story, consider getting your gas from somewhere other than CITGO. Yeah, yeah... American franchises, no money goes to Venezuela... whatever. I say, why chance it.

All in all, we'll probably have to deal with Hugo at some point… and when I say "deal," I don't mean that we sit down with him over a cup of coffee and discuss our feelings. Depending on how much he snuggles up to Iran, we may have to do that sooner rather than later... inshallah.

On a side note, in today's "pork takes to the wing" moment, Congressman Rangel put his gravel-gargling voice to work to tell Hugo to stuff it. Memo to Charlie: talk like that will get you "Liebermanned." There's probably already a thread at Democratic Underground calling for your impeachment. (I am just posting now, but I actually wrote this before the update where Allahpundit found the DU thread and proved me right. I'd like to say "damn, I'm good," but DU is just that predictable.)

I will cede Hugo one point, though: the UN still sucks.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 14:35
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Sep 19, 2006

And the surprise meter doesn't twitch...

The "Early Bird" is a compilation of news stories from around the nation that is collected on a daily basis and made available in a text-only format for simple, speedy download (especially in parts of the world where your internet connection more closely resembles dial-up than a T1 line). On Government computer systems you are simply connected, but at your home there are a few hoops to jump through.

I tell you that so you'll understand this. This is from today's "Early Bird." (Please forgive me in advance for linking you to Truthout.org for the New York Times editorial in question, but they have it up for free and the NYT wants your money.)
------------------------------
Unpublished
September 7, 2006

Letter To The New York Times

To the Editor:
Your September 7, 2006 editorial, “A Sudden Sense of Urgency,” asserts that the recent transfer of 14 CIA prisoners means that “President Bush finally has some real terrorists in Guantánamo Bay.” This merits a correction.

Since its inception, terrorists that have been held at Guantánamo Bay have included personal bodyguards of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda recruiters, trainers, and facilitators. One notable individual held at Guantánamo was Mohamed al-Kahtani, believed to be the intended 20th hijacker on September 11th.

That many of these men are terrorists intent on doing America harm is not a simply an assertion made by the U.S. government, but something many detainees themselves have claimed, indeed boasted about. For example, in open commission hearings on March 1, Mr. Al Bahlul boasted five times that he was a member of Al Qaeda involved in an ongoing war against America. In open commission hearings on April 27, Mr. Al Sharbi said, “I’m going to make this easy for you guys: I’m proud of what I did and there isn’t any reason of hiding … I fought against the United Stated. I took up arms.”

It is unfortunate that one of America’s largest newspapers concludes these men are not “real terrorists.”

Sincerely,
Dorrance Smith, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs

Editor's Note: The New York Times declined to publish this letter.
------------------------------

The NYT: all the news that's fit to print... for the Caliphate.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 17:13
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Sep 17, 2006

Roundabout

Call me silly, call me drunk... (I'm both, by the way). The wife scored a last minute ticket to see Toby Kieth, wich leaves me alone with the computer, the iPod, and a big shelf of booze. So here's a short list of things that will be fixed when I'm emperor of the 'Verse...

First things first - this guy...

is DEAD.

And in a related story, the Pope might consider growing a pair.

And in a further related story, I'm gonna go hog wild on some punks.

And finally, my cousin (the younger bother of my other cousin who got hit by a VBIED about two years ago) deploys to Iraq this week. And he's in a job with a high probability of bad shit happening. God, protect that kid.

And while we're at it, get spooled up... and remember what I said in my last post.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 22:42
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Sep 11, 2006

Choose

Today there will be no shortage of people looking back at the events of five years ago. Remembrances will be made. Comparisons between now and then will occur. A whole lot of people will be looking backward.

I’m looking forward. And unless a few things change, I don’t like what I see.

As September 11, 2002 approached, both myself and a Marine friend had family members, civilian friends, and even total strangers ask us, “What are you going to be doing for the anniversary? Are you getting the day off or something?” To the family members and friends who asked this we were more polite, but the basic answer we gave was along these lines: “Are we gonna take the day off? What are you - stupid? We’re gonna do what we always do. We’re gonna go to work and we’re gonna protect your right to ask idiotic questions.” Ever since then, that’s what I’ve been doing. I go to work. I learn every thing that I can about the enemies of this country. And I do my part – small though it might be – to outthink, outwit, and outlast the bad guys. Call it “Survivor” if you want to. Only here, you don’t get kicked off the island… you get killed. Or you kill the other guy first.

And that question – “Are you going to take the day off?” – still haunts me. Not because of how stupid it is just on it’s face, but because of the underlying attitude: Let’s take a day off instead of doing MORE to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Maybe I’m just uninformed, but I’m a history buff, and I’m pretty sure that on December 7, 1942, no American was considering taking the day off. They were hustling, working, sacrificing, to make sure that the same thing didn’t ever happen again. That seems to be in short supply these days.

What we face now is an enemy as cunning, as manipulative, as politically savvy, as any who has ever walked the planet. He will claim responsibility for attacks and then send out others to deny them. He will tell you it was an inside job perpetrated by the Americans, and then laugh about how America got what it deserved. He’ll tell you this is not a war about religion, then that it’s all about religion, then cry foul about President Bush using the word “crusade,” but tell you that “jihad” doesn’t mean what you think it does.

He’ll tell you all this because he knows that while you’re trying to wrap your truth-based, best-intentions-seeking, western mind around his double-talk, he can get you fighting amongst yourselves and then stab you in the back… or the front, if you prefer…

I’m happy to see that the President had a moment of clarity a couple weeks ago and called the enemy by their name: Islamic fascists. I’m glad he did it. I’m even more glad to see that it upset them when he did.

However, I do not like the term. I think it understates the problem. Fascism, as we understand it nowadays, is inextricably tied to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler. The problem is that the enemy we’re currently engaged with predates Hitler’s national socialism concept by over one thousand years. That, and I’m a big proponent of Godwin’s Law and it’s corollaries (which state that anyone who mentions Hitler or Nazis in a discussion not expressly about Hitler or Nazis immediately loses the argument.)

No, I would prefer it if we called the enemy by his true name: Jihadi (or Jihadist, if you like). These are people bent on one goal and one ideal. They want to make the world just like them. Every country an Islamic country. Every place of worship a mosque. Every opinion approved by the Prophet. There will be conformity, submission, or death. I’m not guessing at this. I’m taking it straight from the playbook.
Then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer [become believers] and pay the poor-rate (i.e. TAX – Mike), leave their way free to them. (Koran 9:5)

Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily (i.e. TAX, once again – Mike), being brought low. (Koran 9:29)
There are various translations out there, and native Arabic speakers are quick to point out that we here in the West don’t have a good translation. Well, as soon as they can show me the one that doesn’t involve either my death or monetary extortion, I might believe them. But so far, all I see is my pockets getting emptied or plans being made for me to fit into a coffin that’s only 5' 2''… and I’m 5'11''. Of course, there’s door number three – we all become good Muslims, and the world becomes a nice, big, homogenous caliphate, with rainbows and puppydogs for everyone. Well, maybe not the puppydogs…

Then there are those who I truly believe think Islam is meant to be peaceful. And to these good people I say, “Not everyone got the memo.” You can talk till you are blue in the face about how Islam is the ‘religion of peace,’ and how Americans are just ill-informed. Again, until you convince everybody on the other side that they are following some kind of flawed interpretation of Islam, then they have embraced this as a holy war. And while we don’t have to fight like we are conducting a holy war ourselves, it would be folly to act like the enemy isn’t. I say “would be.” Actually, I should say “IS.” Because that is what we are doing.

Political correctness that was once an annoying little way of twisting words to somehow lend “equality” to races, genders, and creeds, is now a weapon being used to victimize terrorists and legitimize actions that have led to the deaths of millions worldwide over the course of centuries. Only political correctness would allow the “traumatic childhood” of Zacharias Mousawi to be a determining factor in his escaping the death penalty. Nevermind whether or not he plotted against America and had a hand in the deaths of multiple thousands. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Only political correctness would allow the phrase “broad strata of society” to be applied by the Canadian Police to the terrorist plotters that were rolled up in June… nevermind the fact that all of them are Muslims of arabic descent.

And only political correctness would allow the history of Jihad – hundreds of years of campaigning, destruction, and forced conversion or submission – to be whitewashed into the footnotes of history texts, and somehow justified as some type of defensive action in retaliation to the Christian Crusades.

These are people who call Israel a Nazi state, and then claim there was no Holocaust, call Osama bin Laden a true hero to be followed and emulated, but who couldn’t have POSSIBLY been responsible for the events of 9/11 because – hey, who plans in a CAVE, ferallah’sake? - and will happily confirm that President Bush is simultaneously the single most evil super-genius to ever draw breath and a doddering idiot who can’t count to four. These are the kings of double-speak and using our own western standards against us, while adhering to no discernable standard of their own other than “all infidels must die.”

And how do we treat them? “Biggles! Put him in… THE COMFY CHAIR!”

If a/c, three hots and a cot, and interrogations under the most extreme conditions that can be provided by a Lay-Z-Boy are how jihadis are doing their “hard-time” in Gitmo, well, hell… Allahu Ackbar, baby! Sign me up. And you damn well better have high-speed internet when I get there, or I’m calling the ACLU, mofo…

This is what it has become, five years on from the biggest attack on American soil ever. Al-Qaida gets recliners, while Marines get shackles. Political correctness at it’s finest.

Want to speed through airport security? Buy your ticket under a name like Abu Omar. Maybe join CAIR, too. We don’t want to profile… that would be mean. And just to show you how fair we are, we’ll stop the 86 year old Medal of Honor winner, and give him a pat down… And if you like maybe a cavity search too… Would that make the baby Muhammed smile?

I know that some wingnut will eventually slime on over here and scream into the comments about what a racist I am, and how much of a chickenhawk I am, and why don’t I join the military if I believe in the cause so much and volunteer to go to Iraq to die for Bushitler-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Halliburton’s oil war. You are an idiot.

As to the bottom points - don’t type before you read, you moron. I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and will happily wear it to your next Code Pink rally, you fucking spineless assclown.

As to the first point, profiling IS NOT racism. Remember the DC sniper? He was SUPPOSED TO BE an angry white male all by his lonesome. Turned out to be two angry black males, who happened to dabble in a little thing called Islam, and had grand plans involving extortion and setting up terrorist training camps. Odd that…

There are people whose whole job is to put together a profile for the cops/FBI/CIA/whoever to work off of. Most times it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But whether or not it hurts your wittle feewings, I don’t give a damn. In the case of Malvo and Muhammad, the profile was wrong. Oddly enough, Islamic motivations played some kind of a role where none was expected.

Those who say that the two had no ties to Islamic terrorist groups are right. But they were just ahead of the times. Did the guy who busted into the Jewish Community Center in Seattle and started shooting up the place have any organizational ties? What about the guy who used his car to run down students at the University of North Carolina? In both cases, not that I’ve heard of. But then, after the actual event, you don’t hear much do ya? Press reporting just kinda stops, because hey, don’t want to fuel that “backlash,” do we? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, folks. Nothing to see here. We need to be fair. Your strip search will be in Room 2, Sister Mary Catherine. Please cooperate for your own protection.

I see this getting worse before it gets better. I see a mass casualty event that ends with a mushroom cloud rising over a US city before the American public throws the political correctness playbook out the window. And even then… even then, the MoveOn.org and Daily Kos nutballs will rail against Bush, for (1) letting it happen, or (2) doing it himself to put the commoners back in line… or both… even if it’s 2010, and Hillary has been in charge for 2 years… you watch.

I see it taking something to THAT level before we as a nation GET IT. And until then we’ll just limp along. Political infighting and finger pointing will rise to a crescendo that will make the stuff we’re seeing now look like a high school student council election. Americans will become even more divided between those who want to take the fight to the bad guys and those who want to go all isolationist and figure that if we just get the hell out of the Middle East we’ll be left alone. Mr. Chamberlain? Yes… table for two… Mr. Hitler called and said he’s running a bit late, but to go ahead and start appeasing without him… (but there I go, braking Godwin’s Law…)

And then it’ll happen. And it’ll hurt. Like nothing this country has felt before. And THAT’S what it’s going to take for us to take the gloves off. A lot of hurt. Because nobody back here is feeling the pain. Nobody back here is paying attention. And everybody back here is applying our standards to the enemy. And the enemy don’t play that.

Win or die. It’s that simple. There is little available in the way of a third option that suits both parties. So that’s what it comes down to: win or die. And unless we pull our head out of our ass, and do it right quick, that “win” option doesn’t seem to be the front runner.

Bad guys need to fear us. Bad guys need to respect us. Bad guys need to know that when the Americans come knocking on their door in the middle of the night, they WILL NOT be going to what amounts to a damn health spa. They need to fear us worse than their darkest nightmares of hell. They need to be willing to shoot themselves in the head to escape what the Americans might have in store for them. They need to wonder how the Americans even found them, and then cower in the corner in pants-wetting dread of what awaits them. “So you want to torture innocent people, then?” I hear Code Pinko-boy scream out. No… but I want Jihadis to not have the slightest idea what they’re in for when we show up. Thanks to the New York Times, so much for that plan.

Which sends me back to square one… and a mushroom cloud.

So today, remember those who died, and remember those who did it. Sear the names of the dead onto your heart, and sear the names of the perpetrators into your brain. Commit yourself to the fight. Treat EVERY day like it was today. Don’t wait for the anniversaries as they come and go. Every day is a day in the fight against Jihadis… because for them, every day is a day in the fight against you.

If there are three images you must remember from 9/11 let them be these:

The slain.

Those who would wish it to happen again.

And our resolve to stand against evil.

Steel yourselves. Harden your hearts. And get ready.

Be victorious or perish.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 18:08
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Sep 10, 2006

Know thy enemy: Part 23,487

Saudi Arabia's Religious Police Issue Ban on Pet Cats, Dogs

Anybody who comes after my cats or dog had better kill ME first. The biggest tell in the whole story comes right here though:
The prohibition on dogs may be less of a surprise, since conservative Muslims despise dogs as unclean. But the cat ban befuddled many, since Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad loved cats — even in one instance letting a cat drink from his ablutions water before washing himself for prayers.
That's how much we are reviled here in the west, folks. It was good enough for the original jihadi, but now that it reflects a more western attitude, you better put a ban on that shit.

This makes me want to go adopt another dog...

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 11:29
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Sep 4, 2006

News flash

Crocodile hunter dead at 44 - killed by a stingray barb to the heart.

I've been saying for years that he was going to go out "with his boots on," probably on TV. Well, he was filming a documentary when it happened, and I wish I could say I'm surprised... (UPDATE: What I'd actually always said was "He's gonna die on live TV in front of an international audience." It might not be live, but I may be closer than I'd initially thought. Check it out.)

But after watching him come within a millimeter of having his nuts bitten off by a Black Mamba - the world's most lethal snake - a couple years ago, I knew that he could only play with fire for so long before he got burned. BAD. Of course, he was holding the snake by the tail at the time, and I'm not any kind of expert, but is that really the spot to hold on to the thing... if you're gonna hold it at all?

I feel for his family. I think the man was truly a lover of wildlife and a great conservationist... noble causes, both. But he was one step up the ladder from the guy who went out to live with the Grizzlys and got himself eaten. The only part about this that's shocking is that it was a stingray that got him. Human fatalities due to stingrays are only a handful a year - probably less than two dozen, from what I could find. This was actually one of the SAFER animals that Steve could have been with. How ironic. He'll definitely be missed.

Posted by: Mike the Marine / 17:17
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From the Halls to the Shores

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Dissenters Stifled: 1

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Links

Archives

Sep 26, 2006

Short observation

Sep 22, 2006

24 MEU embraces the suck

Requesting a flyby

Sep 21, 2006

Dat man is da Debil...

Sep 19, 2006

And the surprise meter doesn't twitch...

Sep 17, 2006

Roundabout

Sep 11, 2006

Choose

Sep 10, 2006

Know thy enemy: Part 23,487

Sep 4, 2006

News flash