Guantanamo Bay a Haven for Abuse

Story: "

The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a blo

ody lizard tail into makeshift weapons, Pentagon reports say.

Incident reports reviewed by The Associated Press indicate Military Police guards are routinely head-butted, spat upon and doused by "cocktails" of feces, urine, vomit and sperm collected in meal cups by the prisoners.

They've been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through the small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say. Serious assaults requiring medical attention, however, are rare, the reports indicate.

The detainee "reached under the face mask of an IRF (Initial Reaction Force) team member's helmet and scratched his face, attempting to gouge his eyes," states a May 27, 2005, report on an effort to remove a recalcitrant prisoner from his cell.

"The IRF team member received scratches to his face and eye socket area," the report said."

Good grief.. Why do we put up with these scum? Bread and water, not MREs is what they should be eating. And then take the Quaran, and other religious accompaniements away. There is no reason US soldiers should have to put up with this.

Don't mess with the USMC

Story: "Now, 21-year-old Galen Wilson has 20 confirmed kills in four months in Iraq— and another 40 shots that probably killed insurgents. One afternoon the lance corporal downed a man hauling a grenade launcher five-and-a-half football fields away.

Wilson is the designated marksman in a company of Marines based in downtown Ramadi, watching over what Marines call the most dangerous neighborhood in the most dangerous city in the world.
...
During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds — hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death.

"You could tell he didn't know where it was coming from. He just wanted to get away," Wilson said. Later that day, he said, he killed another insurgent.

Wilson says his skill helps save American troops and Iraqi civilians.

"It doesn't bother me. Obviously, me being a devout Catholic, it's a conflict of interest. Then again, God supported David when he killed Goliath," Wilson said. "I believe God supports what we do and I've never killed anyone who wasn't carrying a weapon."
...
Guns have long been part of Wilson's life. His father was a sniper in the Navy SEALS. He remembers first firing a sniper rifle at age 6. By the time he enlisted he had already fired a .50-caliber machine gun.

"My father owned a weapons dealership, so I've been around exotic firearms all my life," said Wilson, who remembers practicing on pine cones and cans. "My dad would help me hold (an M-16), with the butt on his shoulder, and walk me through the steps of shooting."
...
Though Wilson firmly supports the war, he used to wonder how his actions would be received back home.

"At first you definitely double-guess telling your wife, mom, and your friends that you've killed 20 people," Wilson said. "But over time you realize that if they support you ... maybe it'll make them feel that much safer at home."

He acknowledges that brutal acts of war linger in the mind.

"Some people, before they're about to kill someone, they think that — 'Hey, I'm about to kill someone.' That thought doesn't occur to me. It may sound cold, but they're just a target. Afterward, it's real. You think, 'Hey, I just killed someone,'" says Wilson.

Insurgents "have killed good Marines I've served with. That's how I sleep at night," he says. "Though I've killed over 20 people, how many lives would those 20 people have taken?""

There's not much more to say, but thats why our guys are fighting in Iraq. To kill them there, so they don't kill us over here.

Hezbollah in Neighborhoods

Story: "The images, obtained exclusively by the Sunday Herald Sun, show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons.

Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with cannon."

You'll have to click the link to get the pictures, but my headline wins the award from Captain Obvious of 'Duh'.
Still, its nice to have pictures.

Iran gets it right

Story: "Iran is to publicly hang five men convicted of carrying out bombings in the southwestern oil city of Ahvaz as well as a militant convicted of involvement in a massacre in the southeast.

Mohammad Ali Surai, Yahya Naseri, Nazem Barihi, Abdolemam Zaeri and Abdolzahra Helichi, were all sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in Ahvaz, the hardline Kayhan newspaper quoted a judiciary official as saying on Sunday.

The paper said the convictions and sentencing were upheld by the Supreme Court.

It did not say when the executions would be carried out, nor which specific bombings the group were linked to. Two Arab separatists have already been hanged over attacks in October 2005, although a further attack took place in January."

With the provision that these men are indeed guilty of the bombing and killing of innocent civilans, this is the best way to administer justice. No panzying around for 20 years, and then putting them to sleep, and then poisening them one at a time. No, instead you demonstrate what capital punishment really is, and hang the 6 guilty men in public.

We should do this in the US.

Hurricanes and Global Warming

Story: "Scientists linking the increased strength of hurricanes over recent years to global warming have not accounted for outdated technology that may have underestimated storms' power decades ago, researchers said in a report published Friday.

The research by Chris Landsea of the National Hurricane Center challenges two studies published last year by other respected climatologists.

``The methodology is fine. There's no problem with the way they analyzed the data,'' said Landsea, who is science and operations officer at the hurricane center. ``The problem is with the data itself.''

The study claims historical storm data has been rendered out-of-date by new technology that better estimates the strength of hurricanes. He pointed to advancements in the quality of satellite imagery that is used to estimate a storm's strength when it can't be directly measured by aircraft or on land.

In short, Landsea said, there were far more Category 4 and 5 storms in decades past than previously thought, because satellite imagery has improved so greatly."

And there it is. Some scientists disagree with the greatest myth of our time, Global warming and its devestating effects.

Mexico Mission

A quick summary of my recent trip to Mexico, for those of you that are interested.

The drive down took like 12 hours, and the border crossing was really easy. We got setup in a house on Sunday night, provided by a wonder family, the Cantus. I was on the work team, with my Dad, another man from the church, two ladies my age, and myself. Monday morning, we bought 20 gallons of paint, and started painting the church. We usually worked from 9 till 11:30, ate lunch, and then worked till 4. The Prince of Peace Church is about 50 feet long, 25 feet wide, and about 20 feet high. The right side has a ledge that sticks out about a foot, so we stood on that to paint the 2nd story. On the left side, there was a cinder block wall that we stood on, which was about 8 feet high. Using 12 foot rollers can get really tiring. On Thursday, we started painting the wrought iron fence and window covers, with a white oil based paint. That stuff was awful, On Thursday, the church served us tamales, and the 7 I ate were the best I've ever tasted. Friday morning, we bought a different brand of paint, and finished up around 12.

The VBS team saved around 35 kids, and the sports team around 10. The trip was very successful, and I'll probably be going back in November to help build a house.

Abortion Bill passes

"A bill that would make it a crime to take a pregnant girl across state lines for an abortion without her parents' knowledge passed the Senate Tuesday, but vast differences with the House version stood between the measure and President Bush's desk.

The 65-34 vote gave the Senate's approval to the bill, which would make taking a pregnant girl to another state for the purposes of evading parental notification laws punishable by fines and up to a year in jail.

The girl and her parents would be exempt from prosecution, and the bill contains an exception for abortions performed in this manner that posed a threat to the mother's life.

...

"No parent wants anyone to take their children across state lines or even across the street without their permission," said Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "This is a fundamental right, and the Congress is right to uphold it in law."

..."Congress ought to have higher priorities than turning grandparents into criminals," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass."

And who said the conservatives were loosing? This bill passed, despite the kicking and screaming of the democrats, in both houses.
This is sort of a no brainer bill as well. In the public schools, a kid can't get a pain pill with out a parents permission, but it should be ok for someone to take the kid to murduer a child? What a double standard.

Isreal vs. Hizbollah, rd. 2,456

Story: "Israeli forces battled to take over a second Hizbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon on Tuesday in intensifying ground clashes with the guerrillas' frontier garrison, sources on both sides said.

Calling Bint Jbeil "one of the major Hizbollah centers", an Israeli military spokesman said tanks and troops had sealed off the town, killed or wounded dozens of guerrillas, and were engaged in sporadic firefights with the hold-outs.

"We are operating in the town. I can't say we are in total control of the town yet," the spokesman said."

I don't care what kind of weapons Hizbollah has from Iran, there is no way they can take on the IDF head on. They may be able to take away the political support back home with civillian strikes, but the IDF is in the process of compleatly wreaking their infrastructure, command chain, and recruitment centers.

The chinese sun

Story: "BEIJING, July 24 (UPI) -- The first plasma discharge from China's experimental advanced superconducting research center -- the so-called "artificial sun" -- is set to occur next month.

The discharge, expected about Aug. 15, will be conducted at Science Island in Hefei, in east China's Anhui Province, the Peoples Daily reported Monday.

Scientists told the newspaper a successful test will mean the world's first nuclear fusion device of its kind will be ready to go into actual operation, the newspaper said."

If this works, it opens up a new realm of possibilities.
1. North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lybia, and all the african countries don't need nuclear power that has weapons grade rubbish. This sun could do it for them!
2. Forget the fight over Yucca mountain in Nevada, lets just use this.
And one more option:
Spiderman 2 anyone? Maybe this doesn't work, and China is no longer a problem in the world.

Ain't technology something!?

Lieberman and strange bedfellows

BREITBART.COM - Bill Clinton Campaigning for Lieberman: "His political career in jeopardy, Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday, 'I'm in a big fight here,' and looked to Bill Clinton to help him avoid defeat in next month's Democratic primary.

'And it's an important fight,' the three-term Connecticut senator said as he struggled to turn back a surprisingly tough challenge from war critic Ned Lamont.

The former president wasn't the only nationally known Democrat campaigning for Lieberman as the lawmaker sought to rebuild support among Democrats who long supported him.

Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, an ardent critic of the war, praised Lieberman for his stand on other issues. 'If you want to meet a leader on the environment, a leader on all the difficult choice issues, you got one here,' she said at a campaign stop at a candy store.

Even then, Lieberman was looking forward to Clinton's visit.

'You know, I'm in a big fight here, and I understand that ... and as our mutual friend who's coming in later today, President Clinton, always reminds us, every campaign is about the future,' he said.

The most recent public poll rated the race a tossup with the wealthy Lamont, whose Web site boasts that he will give Connecticut, 'finally, a senator who will stand up to George Bush.'"

Bill Clinton campaigning strongly for Lieberman, and Hillary Clinton refusing to say a postive word on his behalf. Seriously, are these two even married?

Lieberman is probably the only democrat senator I would vote for, and it's because he gets the War on Terror. I hope he wins this election, and its a shame that he needs help from Bill Clinton and Barbara Boxer in his race.

Iran takes a stand

"Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared Sunday that Israel had "pushed the button of its own destruction" by launching its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hizbullah militia in Lebanon."


Suprise, Iran wants to destroy Isreal, and 'isolate' it's allies in the west. How? I presume with bombs strapped to kids for Isreal, and Oil embargos on the US and others.

Great war going on people, and I've missed a lot of it. Its about time Isreal defended itself.

I'll be back, rd. 2

I am leaving for a missions trip to Mexico sunday morning, and will return the next sunday.

Yes, I am coming back, and I believe for the final time this summer.

And that picture isn't a sunset, its a sunrise.
Because I'll be coming back.
(MVB, if your reading this, you should come back too.)

God speed to ya'll.

Gun victory

" The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to prohibit the confiscation of legally owned guns during an emergency like last year's Hurricane Katrina, marking another victory for the gun lobby.

By a vote of 84-16, the Senate embraced an amendment by Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican. He attached his measure to a domestic security spending bill for the fiscal year starting October 1 that the Senate is expected to pass soon."

File this vote under 'der'. The Second amendment is not to be violated. And of course, the usual crew of wimpy liberals decry the desicion, with Edward 'I wasn't drunk' Kennedy saying "pay-back time by the National Rifle Association" and Dick Turban relating this to people sniping National Gaurdsmen.

W steps up to the plate

Story:""The best way to stop the violence is for Hezbollah to lay down its arms and to stop attacking. And therefore I call upon Syria to exert influence over Hezbollah," Bush said about the flare-up that could overshadow this weekend's meeting of world powers.

The U.S. pressed for the Group of Eight's approval of a statement identifying Hezbollah as the main culprit and emphasizing the importance of maintaining a democratic Lebanon.

Israel launched its offensive after Hezbollah guerrillas crossed the Israel-Lebanon border and captured two Israeli soldiers on Wednesday. Since then, Israel has bombarded Lebanon's airport and main roads while Hezbollah, backed by both Syria and Iran, has launched hundreds of rockets into Israel.

Bush blamed Hezbollah's rocket attacks at Israel from its base in southern Lebanon, and the militant group's capture of the two Israeli soldiers for triggering the fierce fighting."

And thats calling it the way it is. I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for the region that declared war on Isreal, they are getting what they asked for, open war. And now that open war is upon them, I don't think they like it much.

Why is Iran on the Axis of evil? Because they support Hezbollah, and have declared that Isreal should be wiped off the map, along with well advanced nuclear ambitions.
And why is Syria on the UN security council???????????????? The abundant lack of sense in that organization is earthshattering.

Open War

"Hizbollah's chief pledged open war on Israel on Friday after it bombed his home, saying "look at it burn" when an Israeli warship that had earlier rocketed Lebanon was attacked and set ablaze.

"You wanted open war. We are going to (wage) open war," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a telephone message broadcast live on Hizbollah television after his house was hit as Israel ramped up the assault it launched after Hizbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight."

Mr. Hassan has no idea what he's got coming. Isreal by itself has the strength to take on the region. If the US enters the brawl, then we may finally root out the terror in the region.

If Syria and Iran are not careful, the war may carry over to them. Which would be a good thing.

I'll be back!

Howdy,
leaving tommarow morning for a confrence in Corpus Christi, and I'll be back Friday. Most likely will not have internet access, so the war against ignorance will be put on hold in the interm.

Have a good week!

Terrorists arrested

Story: "Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials said Friday.

FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by destroying vital transportation networks, one official said. Lebanese authorities, acting on a U.S. request, have arrested one of the alleged plotters, identified as Amir Andalousli, the other official said. "

Thats the second time in a month that our intel services have been on top of these guys before they strike. Well done, FBI.
The terrorists were planning on striking the Holland subway between New York City and New Jersy, rather then the financial district.

GA Court: Gay Marriage ruling

Story: " The Georgia Supreme Court, reversing a lower court judge's ruling, decided unanimously that the [Gay marriage] ban did not violate the state's single- subject rule for ballot measures."


Bravo. Finally, another court that defers to the legislature on an issue, rather then taking an active role in creating law.
And an excellent decsion on the gay marriage issue.

NY Court: Gay Marriage ruling

Story: "New York's highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law.

The Court of Appeals in a 4-2 decision rejected arguments from gay and lesbian plaintiffs throughout the state that their inability to get marriage licences in New York violated their constitutional rights.

Judge Robert Smith said New York's marriage law clearly limits marriage to between a man and a woman and any change in the law should come from the state Legislature."

Bravo. Finally, a court that defers to the legislature on an issue, rather then taking an active role in creating law.
And an excellent decsion on the gay marriage issue.

On Polar Bears and the Artic

We covered the start of this epic trek in a post titled 'Greenpeace is Confused', back in the end of may. 2 guys, canoeing to the north pole to look at the polar bears. We had a fascinating discussion with Jim, a guy who worked in the Attourney Generals office in the state of Washington, and claimed to have visited both poles.

The story of the two ends this way:
"Two environmentalists became the first people to reach the North Pole by canoe and on foot in summer, in an expedition aimed at drawing attention to how global warming is threatening polar bears with extinction, the explorers said in a satellite telephone interview.

When they got there on Saturday, the Pole was covered with water.

"What really surprised us was the state of the ocean," said Lonnie Dupre, 45, a carpenter from the Midwestern state of Minnesota.

"We've seen the ocean bursting up under our feet," he said. "We expected flat, condensed ice from about 86 degrees north but when we got here the ice was completely pressured and fractured everywhere."

Ok, so they made it. Bravo. And they discovered liquid water on the pole. As for their measurments, this is how they are regarded.

"Dupre and Larsen have been collecting samples of ice and snow to help scientists measure the degree to which the ice cap is retreating. Scientists are calling these measurements the Holy Grail of global warming data because no one has ever taken accurate measurements of the Arctic ice during the summer."

Am I the only one disturbed here? We call these findings disturbing, with absolutly NO baseline, or long term analysis of the area. How do we know it hasn't always been this way? Even the satilites can't help, because the region is covered in a fog most of the time.

Now, if I am wrong, please correct me. But is not fog just a low lying cloud? And a cloud is evaporated water. So wouldn't this fog come from melting water? Hmm?

Again, the use of junk science to further a political, enviromentally driven agenda is incredible.

US Flag Waving an epidemic

Story (AFP): "It's a true epidemic: the red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes banners are everywhere in the United States - on house facades, front lawns, cars and clothes.

Hitting an high point on the July 4 US Independence Day holiday, it is a genuine phenomenon of American national pride that, inevitably, gets a good but also sometimes unwanted boost from commercial exploitation.

"It's a little strange, this obsession of the flag," French author Bernard-Henri Levy wrote after traveling across the country.

"Everywhere, in every form, flapping in the wind or on stickers, an epidemic of flags that has spread throughout the city," Levy wrote in "American Vertigo" of the riot of banners he saw.

"Old Glory," as the US flag is affectionately called, can be seen in abundance through the year in the American heartland and the South, and to a lesser extent in cities like New York and Los Angeles."

Coming from a Frenchman, this may be a compliment. A man is jealous because his country has no national pride. America does, and we are proud to be Americans. Why? Because we're free.

But what really irks me about this article is the epidemic is not just refered to by the Frenchman, but it continues on in the rest of the article.

I hope ya'll had a great Independance Day, or 4th of July, depending on where you live. I did, and the flags were waving.

The State of Fear: Leadership

Many of the problems in todays world can be traced to a lack of leadership. I believe that a very large majority are caused or eviscerated by the scarcity of leadership in the world.

It starts in the home. Courtesy of the feminist movement in the 60's and 70's, many men have lost the ability to effectively lead. As the genders became muddled, women tried to emulate men, so men began to emulate women. When this happened, the family became a mess, with no solid authoritarian structure. This led to a new generation in the 90's, a generation including myself, who look at the world, and see a vacuum of leaders.

Why do we see this vacuum? Because it exists. Very few people, in America especially, have been taught to lead, and have learned that the risks of leadership do not balance well with the rewards. In the Second of the World Wars, we had great leaders of men, who lead the charge to defeat the Nazi's and the Japs. During the Cold war, we still had remenants of that leadership, and it was personified by Ronald Reagan. But by the end of the 80's, the new generation was devoid of many leaders. In the new millennium, we are still besieged by a lack of leaders, and the assault on the ones we have.

So, what does it take to make a leader? It starts in the home, and in the way one is raised. If a child is raised with responsibility, they naturally take care of themselves and others as they age. People who are raised to take responsibility and lead rise to the situatition. In the old days, people were applauded if they succeeded, and if they failed, rather then buried in the dirt, told to learn for next time. Now days, we have very close scrutiny of every move, so when a leader trips, a pack of hyenias is there to pick up the body and turn it into a corpse of a leader. When a leader succeeds, the next line is 'what have you done for me lately?'.
This, and the assault on men in leadership by the feminist movement, has caused a state of fear for leaders, and the rewards very often times are not seen to justify the risks required by those in leadership.

Gas price high, people still travel

Story: " The roads and airports will likely be pretty crowded this weekend. AAA over 40 million people will travel over the Independence Day weekend. That's a record.

AAA spokesman Mantill Williams says more than 34 million of those holiday travelers will be going by car."

Even with the price of gas real high, people still travel. Let this be a lesson to folks who want to raise taxes on gas to slow consumption and save the enviroment: IT WON'T WORK.