Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah - 2006

We must begin with understanding the Middle East has been in turmoil almost forever, to varying degrees. Fighting and troubles between Arabs and Jews or Muslims and Jews can be dated all the way back to Biblical Times.

I think this current war now going on was once again, a deliberate provocation from Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel. I can’t help but feel the timing is very important as well, given world opinion against Iran and their Nuclear Program. Even though Iran isn’t actually Arab, they are a Muslim Fundamentalist nation led by some really radical nutcases.

Sooner or later the West will have to stand and fight these radicals, as they have been gradually gearing up for and moving towards worldwide domination for at least three decades now. That European nations can’t see this and continue to condemn Israel, who, if you recall, recently made several concessions towards the Palestinians in abandoning much territory, really boggles my mind.

I am not one who is anti-Muslim and feels the entire religion is evil, but they have allowed a faction who wish world domination to hijack their religion and too many have remained relatively quiet, with exceptions being some imams have spoken against the terrorists as well as some 10,000 or so active Muslims are currently serving with and fighting terror in the US Military.

I am really disturbed by all the calls of condemnation against Israel, along with calls for Israel to exercise restraint. Where have all the calls of restraint been against Hamas, Hezbollah and even Al Qaeda? Where has the condemnation ever been against them for the suicide bombings against Israel as well as the rocket attacks from Lebanon? Europe should realize, after two world wars, that evil must be stood up to and squelched before it grows as strong as it has again, but they seem to have forgotten.

I recall the 1973 Arab Israeli war very well as I was still in the Army and we were recalled from Field Maneuvers in Germany and readied to ship out to Israel if need be. If you recall, in the early days of that one, Israel wasn’t doing very well at first, but turned it around and prevailed. I was with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment then, the same one that was instrumental in Iraq and Afghanistan today. We weren’t needed and in a few days, stood down.

I don’t know just where this current fight will lead and yes, I feel Syria and Iran are solidly behind what is happening, maybe to divert attention from their own programs or maybe thinking the US has become weakened to the point that we will not stand alongside Israel and they can wipe her off the map, a fatal decision that I feel could bring nuclear weapons into the fray (although I really hope I am wrong).

If this is the big battle the Bible describes as Armageddon remains to be seen. Various translators and religions interpret that battle differently and there have been several large battles initially thought to be it with so far, none being. Personally, I can’t think that far ahead and see only that once again, a small democratic nation surrounded by dictatorships bent on her destruction is being attacked. Please note, with all the fighting and calls against Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah have yet to release the kidnapped Israeli soldiers who they initially took while demanding the release of some 1500 prisoners.

This is a big mess and I see no easy way out. The real answer, of course, is very simple, but one that century’s of hatred and pigheadedness on the part of Arabs and Muslims won’t allow to happen, simply co-exist and leave each other alone. Fat chance there.

I feel we must support and stand with Israel and at the same time, try to keep others out of this. The Useless Nations once again proves they are worthless as all they can do is condemn Israel and call for Israel to cease fire, something they did, against better judgment before, and the battles just keep coming to oust them from their own homeland. All Middle Easterners have the right to their own existence, including the Palestinians, a group of unwanted Arabs that other Arabs had no use for until the 1960s when they saw them as a group of Arabs they could use against the Jews and to make claims of the land of Israel.

I think it would be very prudent of us to start strengthening our own military forces as history has shown where this can lead. Appeasement of terrorists just leads to more demands and appeasement and terrorist acts against the free world.

I hate war as much as the next person does, but can see that at times, this being one of them, war is the only answer, as evil must be continually stood up against and fought and hopefully, defeated one day. As frightening as it may be, we must trust in our view of God that he sees the evil and guides us to a sure victory.

Murtha Just Can’t Keep His Mouth Shut!

How many times does it take for this aging Representative from Pennsylvania to realize his leftist rhetoric is actually being records and that he has far too many skeletons in his closet to be finger-pointing and accusing?

We first heard of his anti-war rhetoric as he idly accused a squad of combat decorated Marines of murdering Iraqis “in cold blood.” Of course, the investigation into the incident in Haditha wasn’t finished or released, but that didn’t stop John Murtha from standing before Congress and condemning US Marines without any due process, something he also demands be given our enemies bent of actually murdering all of us.

Just last week, he was caught giving a speech in Miami, Florida wherein he was accused of saying; "American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran." After a couple days, he and supporters of his complained that he did not actually say that. According to Murtha, as he excused his gaffe, "I was recently misquoted following a speech I gave at a Veterans forum at the Florida International University Biscayne Campus on June 24, 2006. During the speech, I made a point that our international credibility was suffering, particularly due to our continued military presence in Iraq and that we were perceived as an occupying force. For illustrative purposes, I provided the example of a recent Pew Poll which indicates a greater percentage of people in 10 of 14 foreign countries consider the U.S. in Iraq a danger to world peace than consider Iran or North Korea a danger to world peace.”

You see, he said it, but he didn’t say it, he was, as are all liberals when caught, “misquoted,” “taken out of context,” or “misinterpreted.”

According to a July 8, 2006 Washington Times editorial, where apparently a video was seen of the speech, Murtha’s actual words were, "Every one of our allies think that the United States being in Iraq is more dangerous to world stability and world peace, every one of our allies; Great Britain, every single country... They think it's more, uh, we're more dangerous to world peace than North Korea or Iran.”

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see the Jack Murtha’s of the world actually stand behind their words, for a change?

Now, in an interview quoted in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, Murtha has attacked his opponent, Diana Irey. According to the article, “Murtha said he is concerned about Irey’s motivation for running against him, considering her husband, Robert, is CEO of a Canonsburg-based firm that secured a $300 million contract with the Iraqi government two years ago.“I worry about that,” he said. “If they’re benefiting from this war, and if this is the reason she’s in this, it really bothers me. I don’t like that.”

So, now he is raising accusations of his opponent “profiting off of the War on Terror.”

Ms. Irey responded on her web site, “For the record: My husband, Robert Irey, is a partner in a firm that once had a subcontract with the Iraqi Government, jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, to help the new democratic Government of Iraq take over the burden of defending itself by refurbishing equipment and material destroyed or damaged by the war. Had that contract been fulfilled, it would have allowed the Iraqi Government to take over more of the burden of defending itself sooner – which would have had the result of making possible a withdrawal of U.S. troops sooner than they would otherwise have been able to come home.”

“But that contract was terminated more than a year and a half ago, when one of Bob’s partners and one of their employees were murdered in Iraq - a fact reported at the time by both the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press, and, therefore, presumably known to Jack Murtha.”

She goes on to say that other than one $10,000 down payment, her husband’s firm has not received a dime of the $1.6 million owed.

Doing a bit of digging I discovered just who really might be profiting off of this war. Jack Murtha, that’s who! In an article from the publication, “The Hill,” Jack Murtha is identified as “the No. 1 beneficiary of defense campaign donations in the House … and has not fallen below No. 3 for Congress as a whole” for the past 3 years!

Ms. Irey’s husbands firm has received a paltry $10,000 one time down payment while Murtha has received campaign contributions over $188,000 from Defense Contractors.

How long will it take this time for the Representative from Pennsylvania to cry once again, “I was misquoted and taken out of context?”

John Murtha is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the US Marine Corps he once served in and to the State of Pennsylvania. His 35 year tenure in Congress has made him either complacent or he is so warped with hatred of President Bush and Republicans in general that he forgets his own skeletons before opening his mouth and inserting his foot.

Add these quotes together and his role as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the ABSCAM scandal of the 1980s and it is plain to see he needs to be sent to the unemployment line.
Citizens of Pennsylvania and America deserve better than this.

Cross The Border, Okay. Cross the Street, Get a Ticket, if Elderly in LA.

It is no secret that Mayor Villagiarosa, of Los Angeles, is pro-Illegal Immigration. In his 1999 bid for Mayor he declared that enforcement of immigration laws was a federal responsibility, not that of the local police, should he be elected.

Well, he was elected and obviously has kept true to his desires. L.A. Police may not arrest illegal immigrants within the city unless they see them commit a felony, beyond that of being illegally in the country.

Said Mr. Villagiarosa during his campaign, “[T]hey (Police) need to focus on violent crime, on the crime that violates the rule that thou shalt not hurt me.”

Maybe with this in her memory, I’m sure that 82 year-old Mavis Coyle was completely taken aback when, on February 15, she was given a ticket for “jaywalking” and “obstructing traffic” because the elderly lady, walking with a cane in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other, was taking too long to cross an intersection. By too long, I mean she couldn’t get across the four-lane intersection in the short allotted time the Pedestrian light stays green.

The ticketing officer, a motorcycle officer, said she entered the intersection after the “do not walk light” started flashing. Mavis disputes this and said the light had just changed. A reporter, in April, tested this very light and found it would not change to green unless the button was pushed for it to change. Then, according to him and others who have used this intersection, the light gave someone between 20 to 27 seconds to cross the busy intersection. At one point, a group of High School students couldn’t cross in the allotted time and ended up running, something I would not expect of an 82 year-old lady.

Once was the time, way back when there was actually some common sense in the world, that the motorcyle cop would either have gotten off his motorcycle and helped Mavis across the street. Or, he would have maneuvered his bike to block traffic until she crossed. Ticketing an elderly person crossing in the approved crosswalk too slowly would never enter the mind.

Whatever happened to Pedestrians have the right away? Are we so busy that we have forgotten our elderly and would run them over to get to our next stop a few seconds earlier? Have we become so callous as to demand the elderly stay off the streets so we don’t have to slow down just a little? Just be glad she wasn’t driving, as some have tried to keep doing beyond when they should.

I remember as a young Boy Scout, we prided ourselves on helping the elderly across the street, even if we had to make cars wait a few seconds. Back then, few seemed to mind the wait and were looking forward to a time they could leisurely cross a street without worrying about running or being run over.

L.A. Police have said they are cracking down on people improperly crossing streets due to an increased pedestrian accident rate. I don’t see this elderly lady using the crosswalk as “improper crossing,” due to her being slow.

Is this the “violent crimes” candidate, and now Mayor Villagiarosa was thinking of during the 1999 interview? Are the elderly in Los Angeles being targeted while police turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants?

In an obvious face saving effort, a court commissioner sent her a notice that she was found guilty of “jaywalking,” but the $114 fine was being waved.

Makes me wonder if she were an elderly illegal immigrant if Police would have ticketed her at all. If so, would Mayor Villagiarosa himself have waived the fine or buried the ticket?

United Flight 93 – The Movie

On the 4th of July 2006, the History Channel saw fit to televise this movie outlining the bravery of the crew and passengers of ill-fated Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. A very fitting day to show such a movie.

It's an intense movie, but a must see for every Red Blooded American or even those who see bravery in standing up to Terrorists, regardless of country.

It's hard to imagine the terror that filled the passengers, but who realized they were left with no choice but to fight and possibly die, or just die. Regardless of what individuals chose on the flight, no one can complain. Of 4 highjacked flights, this was the only one that did not reach or hit it's target, instead crashing into an empty field in Pennsylvania, leaving no survivors.

What does irritate me is that so many theaters have decided, or were afraid, to show this movie at this time, so close to elections. As I understand it, the left in America is opposed to the showing of this movie believing it will influence voters to vote for those who will take a strong stance against the type of animals that perpetrated this act of terror.

WTF is wrong with these people? Can they be so power hungry so as to sell out the country to terrorists, hoping they will have power? H-E-L-L-O, if the Islamofacist terrorists win the War on Terror, they will be the power, no one else.

It's time for Americans and freedom lovers all over the world to stand together and defeat these animals. There is no negotiating with or appeasing them. They only understand death, their own.

The fighting in Iraq is against the very same type of terrorists, today. Like it or not, what choice was left for President Bush, with the entire world stating Saddam Hussein held massive amounts of WMDs and the strong possibility they would fall into the hands of animals that would have no problem unleashing them. That they weren't found in any significant quantities just leads me to believe they were moved elsewhere.

Wake up, people. This war is real and very necessary, if you wish to keep engaging in your leftist drivel, Islamofascists will give you even less leeway than you currently receive from Conservatives.

It's not only your life you are endangering; it is mine as well as my families.

Well done, passengers and crew of Flight 93, may you rest in peace and know you performed well, leaving a brave example for others.