Blue Star Chronicles

h/t Euphoric Reality

Alternate Captions:

Jo at Jo’s Cafe titles the pic What lunch at the White House looks like when the Democrats win.

Patty from This, That and Frog Hair captions this: Who has the bomb?

I admit it, every so often I used to watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann a long time ago. His sarcastic style of delivery was entertaining at times.

Then he started getting on my nerves.

His show and his schtik went progressively downhill culminating in his OBSESSION with Bill O’Reilly - WHAT’s with THAT? It’s a one sided competition. Why does he feel so compelled to be so competitive with Bill O’Reilly? You can only imply someone is a ‘nazi’ so many different ways before it starts sounding a little creepy. It started getting really old.

Still Olbermann managed to get some news this week. It appears Olbermann was on vacation this week and returned from his vacation for the express purpose of selectively editing and slamming Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld’s speech to the American Legion.. The progressive blogsphere is all a twitter over it. Frankly, if Rumsfeld made that many people mad, he must be doing something right.

Maybe he’s gone off his meds, or is desperate for ratings, or both.

You can find Olbermann’s response to Rumsfeld’s speech here.

h/t and photo Olbermann Watch

Hot Air has the video and writes:

It’s an instant classic of nutroots porn, second only to Colbert’s faux-dissident burlesque at the White House correspondents’ dinner. In fact, Olby goes further than Colby: we’re all used to the comparisons of Bush to Hitler and the Democrats to Neville Chamberlain, but never before have I heard someone compare Bush to Chamberlain — and to Hitler (or some generic “fascist,” if you prefer), both in the span of a few moments.

Sister Toldjah says Olbermann has turned moral equivalency into an artform.

More: memeorandum, Newsbusters, National Review, The Political Pitbull, Riehl World View,

Linked to: Stop the ACLU, The Median Sib, Robinik

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CNN anchor Kyra Phillips gives a tutorial in how to destroy your career, lose friends, embarass yourself, irritate the President of the United States and alienate family members in 2 minutes or less.

BUT, she does verify that ‘passionate, compassionate, great, great’ men do really exist in this world. Oh, and mothers have good vibes and MOST brothers, except hers, have to be protecTIVE.

Also, the mic should be turned on when you are on the air and off when you are in the potty.

WOW! That’s a lot of life’s little lessons to learn in under 2 minutes! Impressive!

Meanwhile, expect the Carrie Underwood ‘Life Lessons by Kyra Phillips’ hit single to be released within days.

Stay tuned and remember, always check your mic.

h/t The Pirate’s Cove

Newsbusters has the transcript and reminds us that this is the same Kyra Phillips who confused U.S. Ambassdor to the U.N. John Bolton, and ‘80s pop singer Michael Bolton. Come on … cut her some slack, it’s quite possible that she really wasn’t listening then either …..

Assorted Babble of Suzie thinks it’s strange that CNN continues to have these ’so-called technical difficulties’.

Also at Hot Air, Hooah Wife, Rightwinged , Wizbang, Ace of Spades, small dead animals, Old War Dogs, Gulf Coast Pundit, San Diego Johnny, File this Under

Linked to: Stop the ACLU, The Median Sib

The Defense Link News

Address at the 88th Annual American Legion National Convention
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Tom [American Legion Commander Tom Bock], I understand that your son is flying a Chinook in Iraq — following in his dad’s proud tradition of military service. Our country is deeply grateful to him — and to all of you who have children or relatives serving in our nation’s military.

They are in our thoughts and prayers. Please tell them we appreciate all they do for our country.

I thank each of you for the love and support you provide for our troops every day.

No one is more proud of those young people than their Commander-in-Chief. I know that President Bush is looking forward to being with you on Thursday.

We are truly fortunate to have a leader of resolve at a time of war. Through all the challenges, he remains the same man who stood atop the rubble of lower Manhattan, with a bullhorn, vowing to fight back; the leader who told a grieving nation that we will never forget what was lost; and the determined President who works every day to fulfill his vow to bring the enemy to justice or to bring justice to the enemy.

Our nation is so fortunate to have the American Legion standing up for all those who are serving our country in this time of testing.

About a year ago, I participated in the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. And when I looked out into the audience, I could see a great many American Legion caps. It was a reminder of the millions who sacrificed for our country, so many of whom did not come home.

And it was also a reminder of all that American Legionnaires do to for our servicemen and women. Indeed, through nearly nine decades of service, the American Legion continues to find new ways and to undertake new initiatives to embody their motto: “For God and Country.”

The Department of Defense is proud to be a partner with you in the “Heroes to Hometowns” program, which is helping severely wounded veterans with job searches, their homes, and other activities to aid the transition to civilian life. Your partnership with the “The America Supports You” campaign helps communities, organizations, and individuals across this nation express their appreciation to our troops, and to their families.

And, on a personal note, I commend the American Legion for its sponsorship of the Boy Scouts. I know there are some places where Boy Scouts are a subject of scorn.

Well, I was a proud Cub Scout, then a Boy Scout; then an Explorer Scout; an Eagle Scout; and, in 1975, a Distinguished Eagle Scout. The Scouts represent some of the best qualities in our great country — and they certainly deserve our support!

The American Legion has achieved a great deal for our country since its founding in the months following World War I, when those folks came together in a hotel in Europe to find a way to help some of their fellow veterans who would be coming home soon.

Indeed, that year — 1919 — turned out to be one of those pivotal junctures in modern history — with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the creation of the League of Nations — a treaty and an organization intended to make future wars unnecessary and obsolete.

Indeed, 1919 was the beginning of a period where, over time, a very different set of views would come to dominate discourse and thinking in the west.

Over the next decades, a sentiment took root that contended that if only the growing threats that had begun to emerge in Europe and Asia could be appeased, then the carnage and destruction of then-recent memory of World War I might be avoided. It was a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among the western democracies. When those who warned about a coming crisis — the rise of fascism and Nazism — were ridiculed and ignored.

Indeed, in the decades before World War II, a great many argued that the fascist threat was exaggerated — or that it was someone else’s problem. Some nations tried to negotiate a separate peace — even as the enemy made its deadly ambitions crystal clear.

It was, as Churchill observed, a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last.

There was a strange innocence in views of the world. Someone recently recalled one U.S. Senator’s reaction in September 1939, upon hearing that Hitler had invaded Poland to start World War II. He exclaimed:

“Lord, if only I could have talked with Hitler, all this might have been avoided.”

Think of that!

I recount this history because once again we face the same kind of challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism.

Today, another enemy — a different kind of enemy — has also made clear its intentions — in places like New York, Washington, D.C., Bali, London, Madrid, and Moscow. But it is apparent that many have still not learned history’s lessons.

We need to face the following questions:

* With the growing lethality and availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow vicious extremists can be appeased?
* Can we really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?
* Can we truly afford the luxury of pretending that the threats today are simply “law enforcement” problems, rather than fundamentally different threats, requiring fundamentally different approaches?
* And can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America — not the enemy — is the real source of the world’s trouble?

These are central questions of our time. And we must face them.

We hear everyday of new plans, new efforts, to murder Americans and other free people. Indeed, the plot recently discovered that would have killed hundreds — possibly thousands — of innocent men, women, and children on planes coming from Britain to the United States should have demonstrated to all that the enemy is serious, lethal, and relentless.

But this is still — in 2006 — not well recognized or fully understood. It seems that in some quarters there is more of a focus on dividing our country, than acting with unity against the gathering threats.

We find ourselves in a strange time:

* When a database search of America’s leading newspapers turns up 10 times as many mentions of one of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib who was punished for misconduct, than mentions of Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith, the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Global War on Terror;
* When a senior editor at Newsweek disparagingly refers to the brave volunteers in our Armed Forces as a “mercenary army”;
* When the former head of CNN accuses the American military of deliberately targeting journalists and the former CNN Baghdad bureau chief admits he concealed reports of Saddam Hussein’s crimes when he was in power so CNN could stay in Iraq; and
* It is a time when Amnesty International disgracefully refers to the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, which holds terrorists who have vowed to kill Americans and which is arguably the best run and most scrutinized detention facility in the history of warfare, as “the gulag of our times.”

Those who know the truth need to speak out against these kinds of myths, and lies, and distortions being told about our troops and our country.

The struggle we are in is too important — the consequences too severe — to have the luxury of returning to the old mentality of “Blame America First.”

One of the most important things the Legion has done is not only to serve, and assist, and advocate as you’ve done so superbly for much of the past century — but also to educate and speak the truth about our country and our military.

Not so long ago, an exhibit on the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian during the 1990s seemed to try to rewrite the history of World War II by portraying the United States as an aggressor. Fortunately, the American Legion was there to lead the effort to set the record straight.

This watchdog role is even more important today in a war that is to a great extent fought in the media on a global stage — to not allow the lies and the myths be repeated without question or challenge — so that at least the second and third draft of history will be more accurate than the quick first allegations.

You know from experience that in every war there have been mistakes and setbacks and casualties. War is, as Clemenceau said, a “series of catastrophes that results in victory.”

And in every army, there are occasionally bad actors — the ones who dominate the headlines today — who don’t live up to the standards of their oath and of our country.

But you also know that they are a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of honorable men and women in all theaters in this struggle who are serving with humanity and decency in the face of constant provocation.

And that is important in this “long war,” where any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere.

Our enemy knows this well. They frequently invoke the names of Beirut and Somalia — places they see as examples of American retreat and weakness. And as we have seen most recently — indeed, this month — in Lebanon, they design attacks and manipulate the media to try to demoralize public opinion. They doctor photographs of casualties, use civilians as human shields and then provoke an outcry when civilians are accidentally killed in their midst.

The good news is that most of the American people, though understandably influenced by what they read and see in the media, have inner gyroscopes and good centers of gravity.

And I am confident that over time they will evaluate and reflect on what is happening in this struggle and come to wise conclusions.

In Iraq, a country that was brutalized and traumatized by a cruel and dangerous dictatorship is now undertaking the slow, difficult, and uncertain steps to secure a new future, under a representative government — one that is at peace with its neighbors, rather than a threat to their own people, their neighbors, and to the world.

As the nature of the threat and the conflict in Iraq has changed over these past three years, so have the tactics and deployments. But while military tactics have changed and adapted to the realities on the ground, the strategy has not — which is to empower the Iraqi people to defend, govern, and rebuild their own country.

The extremists themselves have called Iraq the “epicenter” in the War on Terror. They mean it. And our troops know how important completing the mission is.

A Soldier who recently volunteered for a second tour in Iraq, likely captured the feelings of many of his peers. In an e-mail to friends he wrote:

“I ask that you never take advantage of the liberties guaranteed by the shedding of free blood, never take for granted the freedoms granted by our Constitution. For those liberties would be merely ink on paper were it not for the sacrifice of generations of Americans who heard the call of duty and responded heart, mind and soul with ‘Yes, I will.’”

Someday that young man may be a member of the American Legion, attending a convention such as this. I hope he will be. And one day, a future speaker may reflect back on this time of historic choice — remembering the questions raised as to our country’s courage, dedication, and willingness to continue this fight until we have prevailed.

I believe the question is not whether we can win. It is whether we have the will to persevere.

I believe that Americans do have that steel. And that we have learned the lessons of history, the folly of turning a blind eye to danger, and of ignoring our responsibilities. These are lessons you know well — lessons that your heroism has taught to generations of Americans.

May God bless each of you. May God bless the men and women in uniform and their families. And may God continue to bless our wonderful country.

I put the entire speech in this post because it is being categorized in the MSM as Rumsfeld ‘accusing’ democrats of cowardice. He doesn’t say that anywhere in this speech.

Various news outlets are reporting the original AP report verbatim without regard for what the speech actually says. The only reasons for doing this is being too lazy to actually look at the speech themselves, being in too big a rush to jump on the bandwagon for fear of missing a story that they don’t take the time to look at the speech themselves, or a willingness to undermine Rumsfeld and by extention the Bush administration and the Global War on Terror. That is seen at CNN, Forbes, FOX, Washington Post and ABC.

His speech reinforced some thoughts that have been taking form in my mind about the refusal of America to accept how lethal this enemy is. And to not hear what is being repeatedly declared to us by the enemy. And the fact that the progressives of this country insist on dividing people into categories, democrats or republicans, rather than seeing us all as Americans who have everything at stake in this Global War on Terrorism. By doing this, they are undermining the military, the administration and ultimately the United States of America.

It’s time to decide which side you are on rather than solely focusing on what you have to do to win an election and gain power.

More later, it’s bedtime.

UPDATE:
It’s interesting to me that most of the blogs discussing this speech are left leaning and spend most of their posts calling Rumsfeld names along with anyone who would even consider to take his speech seriously and are taking their information solely from the articles taken from the AP report.

In my opinion - it’s an important speech with an important message. But I suppose it doesn’t matter when you can just toss if off to Rumsfeld being a ‘fascist’ or ‘nazi’. How sad.

The close-mindedness and intolerance of the left is mind-boggling. It’s hard to believe people can maintain that narrow a view of life in this age.

QandO sperated fact from fiction.

Say Anything say Rumsfeld Nails It. Yes - we want MORE of this!

Find out more at NewsBusters, Red State, In the Bullpen

Steven Centanni and Olaf Wiig are giving an interview of their experiences while being held hostage by islamofascists.

It turns out the kidnappers don’t like being called islamofascists. They probably don’t like being called jihadists either or murderers or anything else that accurately describes what they are.

The released hostages tell that their captors told them that all the problems in the Middle East would all be solved if all Westerners would just convert to islam!!!

Golly gee whiz, if only we’d known it was that simple. All we have to do is get out the korans, put on burkas and submit to islam!

What were we thinking - we could have had peace all this time!

The interview is still on-going, so we’ll see if there’s anything else they don’t like.

Oh - they haven’t said so - but I think they don’t like this picture either ….

I think that makes me an infidel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Massachusetts Republican says ‘Give Me Liberty or Give Them Death’

Michelle Malkin discusses islams long history of forced conversions.

Ms. Underestimated has much more complete coverage of the interview as well as a complete set of videos from the interview.

Hot Air has a video of highlights

Linked to: Jo’s Cafe, Stop the ACLU, bRight & Early, The Median Sib, The Pirate’s Cove, 123Beta, Planck’s Constant, The Dumb Ox, Outside the Beltway

[This is not intended as any judgement on the actions of Centanni or Wiig. I have no idea how I would respond in such a situation and can't honestly say that I would do any differently. I'm grateful they are free of their captors and relatively unharmed. I hope the same for the Israeli Soldiers who are being held. My concern for the purposes of this post is not in the actions of Centannie and Wiig, but in the expressed mission of not only their captors, but other islamofascists. That is the determination of this enemy to force the world into submission to islam.]

Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl, parents of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl are asking why the U.N. has done nothing to help the recently kidnapped Israel Soldiers.

From an article today in the WSJ Opinion Journal:

As the parents of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal’s reporter who was kidnapped and brutally murdered in Pakistan in 2002, we share the anguish of the families of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and their frustration with the international community for failing to secure the release of their loved ones. For more than six weeks now, these soldiers and their families live each day tortured by unimaginable fears and shattered hopes, praying desperately for the nightmare to end; we relive this nightmare each time an innocent person falls victim to the inhumanity of terrorist abduction.

Whatever success the U.N. Security Council would presume to claim, it cannot be said that Resolution 1701 has effectively addressed the direct cause of the fighting–the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and Eldad Regev, 26, by Hezbollah, and the earlier abduction of Gilad Shalit, 19, by Hamas. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s call for the unconditional release of these soldiers has been ignored. Moreover, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the terrorists have not only seized the soldiers as hostages for political blackmail, they have not allowed the Red Cross to visit them. Their families do not know their physical condition; they have no proof they are even alive.

The terrorists continually ignore any calls for civilized behavior without consequence. The Pearl’s article continues:

And so now these families of Ehud, Eldad and Gilad are asking to meet with Kofi Annan. They wish to plead with the secretary-general to use the full weight of his moral authority to mobilize and intensify the efforts of the international community he leads–an influential body that has managed to compel two fierce armies to cease hostilities–to address this flagrant violation of humanitarian law.

On that score, these families are correct: The time has come for Mr. Annan to personally and aggressively intervene, and to insist publicly that, at the minimum, the Red Cross, or his personal humanitarian representatives, be given immediate access to these soldiers.

Will he? It seems unlikely. Sadly, this is not the first time that concerned parents have turned to Mr. Annan in much the same circumstances. Six years ago, another delegation of distressed families came to the U.N. with a similar tragedy, following the abduction of three Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah from under the noses of Unifil and, by some accounts, with their help. The investigation that was subsequently conducted found that the U.N. had made “serious errors in judgment” by hiding information that “would have been helpful in an assessment of the condition of the three abducted soldiers.” At that time, the U.N.’s interest in appearing “neutral” overshadowed its commitment to the preservation of human lives. The world cannot afford a repeat of such inaction and poor judgment.

The U.N. hid information that could have helped? There are accounts that Unifil actually assisted in the abduction of Israeli Soldiers? I frequently find myself wondering why we continue to look to the U.N. for any form of leadership.

As for ‘moral authority’? The U.N. has been so riddled with scandal that I imagine it would difficult to grasp hold of any lingering threads of moral authority.

Undoubtedly, the secretary-general will tell the families of Ehud, Eldad and Gilad that he has dispatched a high-level team to Beirut that will urge the release of their loved ones. But that team negotiates behind closed doors. And by not publicly demanding the unfettered access of humanitarian representatives to the kidnapped soldiers, Mr. Annan has deprived his team of the force of credibility and seriousness they need in those negotiations.

Could it be because they are not to be trusted?

When our son Daniel was in captivity, millions of people around the world prayed for his safe return. In that prayer, they made a solemn pledge never to allow abductions of innocent people to become the norm of civilized society, no matter the political purpose, regardless of grievance or goal.

Kofi Annan’s resolve against these acts of terrorism will determine to a great extent what norms will govern our society in generations to come, and whether organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas will gloat in unruly appetite or be reined in by moral principles. We urge Mr. Annan to make bold and brave efforts to ensure–as a legacy and gift–that we will not allow our children and our world be taken captive by terror. Mr. Secretary-General, this time, help bring the boys back home.

Mr. Annan making bold and brave efforts would indeed be a gift. Perhaps, just once, when it really matters, he will stand and deliver. There could be a first time.

National Review Online writes:

At least the Pearl’s aren’t harboring any illusions about whether Annan will actually try to intervene.

More at Reject the UN

Linked to: Jo’s Cafe, Pursuing Holiness, Adam’s Blog, Third World County, Bullwinkle Blog, The Median Sib, Robinik

cartoon by Mike Lester

BREAKING!

They are in a hotel in Gaza. No more information at this time!

See previous post

Linked to Assorted Babble of Suzie, Jo’s Cafe, Right Wined

more at memeorandum

Fox News is reporting that it has just received video of Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig.

The video appears in the early morning hours on Sunday, August 27, after there had been encouraging news of efforts to free the hostages on Saturday. (here, here and here). [Blogs reporting the immenent release yesterday include Hot Air, Wizbang, Jawa Report, Michelle Malkin ]

In the tape the two men appear seperately against a blank background. They are dressed in muslim garb and are reading scripted statements with little expression.

Both recite verses from the koran and take vows converting to islam.

In his statement, Steve Centanni urges President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair to open their hearts to islam and that it’s the only right path.

Both men read their scripts and they appeared to me to be glancing up nervously at persons out of the camera’s view. The men are clearly under duress.

It ends with the statement that islam is the true religion of all people.

This second video is just breaking on cable news. There is still an expectation that the men may be released within hours.

UPDATE - 5 am ET: Captors state in this video that Centanni and Wiig have liberated themselves by converting to islam.

others posting: Right Winged, Assorted Babble of Suzie, Jo’s Cafe

more at memeorandum

From the Marine Corps Times

Hearing for two charged in Iraqi’s death slated for Monday

By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The preliminary hearing for two Marines — who are among seven Marines and one sailor at Camp Pendleton charged in an Iraqi’s death — is slated to begin next Monday, two weeks earlier than initially planned, Marine Corps officials said.

The Thursday announcement came two days after officials said that the top commander rejected several defense attorneys’ requests to skip the initial investigative hearings and proceed to a court-martial.

The decisions, and uncertainty over the legal process that preceded them, sent officials and defense teams scrambling to prepare for the Article 32 hearings late this week.

Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, whose case was tentatively set to begin Sept. 25, and Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, who had eyed an Oct. 18 start, instead will hear the evidence against them during a joint Article 32 hearing starting next Monday, said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a Marine Corps Forces Central Command spokesman at Camp Pendleton.

The Marine Corps has charged Magincalda and Thomas with premeditated murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and other charges for their role in the alleged shooting of an Iraqi in the village of Hamdaniya on April 26. Thomas is also facing charges of assaulting another Iraqi man on April 10.

The two Marines are among a group of eight men with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, charged in the man’s death. The eight, known locally by supporters as “the Pendleton 8,” have been confined at the Camp Pendleton brig, where they were placed after their return from Iraq on May 25. Seven are infantrymen, one is a Navy corpsman.

Defense attorneys, who unsuccessfully petitioned to have the men released pending the hearings, lost in another quest to shorten the process. At least four defense teams, who say they are frustrated that the government has provided them little evidence and information through the normal discovery process, had sought to waive their right to the Article 32 hearing and proceed directly to court-martial.

Approval of a waiver isn’t automatic, however. On Aug. 22, Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis, commander of MarCent and I Marine Expeditionary Force, rejected the requests “in order to make a fair and impartial decision on the disposition of these cases,” said Maj. Jeffrey Nyhart, a Camp Pendleton spokesman.

The three-star general “wants an impartial analysis of the charges and evidence afforded by an Article 32 investigation,” Nyhart said.

Mattis took command last week from Lt. Gen. John Sattler, who is heading to a Pentagon assignment.

In the position, Mattis isn’t just the top operational commander. He’s also the convening authority, the senior officer in the Marines and sailor’s chain of command who will ultimately rule on whether they should be court-martialed and what the punishment, if any, should be.

During an Article 32 hearing, an investigative officer hears testimony and weighs evidence on the charges. The IO, who is usually a judge advocate, makes a recommendation to the convening authority on whether the defendant should face any of the charges at court-martial, be punished at a lesser administrative session or have the charges dropped. The final decision rests with the convening authority, with the advice of his or her command judge advocate.

As of Thursday, the hearings for the other six Kilo members remain unchanged:

• Sept. 12: Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr.

• Sept. 25: Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington, Pfc. John J. Jodka and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos.

• Oct. 18: Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III and Lance Cpl. Tyler A. Jackson.

The denial of the waivers didn’t please the defense attorneys.

Joseph Casasc, one of two San Diego attorneys representing Jodka, said the Corps has “systematically denied” their requests for evidence, including intelligence reports and the “rules of engagement” in place at the time, funding for expert witnesses, and support to allow them to travel to Iraq to question alleged witnesses.

Attorney Jane Siegel, a retired colonel also representing Jodka, in a statement called the decision to hold the Article 32 hearing “a wasteful rubber stamp exercise.”

The decision puts Jodka “in an Orwellian situation,” Casas said in a statement issued late Tuesday. “He must endure an Article 32 hearing that promises thoroughness and impartiality, but must go to the hearing without significant evidence in his defense. He’s being asked to charge the enemy guns without his rifle and flak jacket.”

Casas said he wasn’t sure whether Jodka’s case, set for Sept. 25, would proceed earlier.

Don’t forget the world is watching. Our boys; Marines, Sailors and Soldiers, deserve the benefit of the doubt.

The world is watching, not for America to devour it’s own at the alter of political correctness, but to prove she has the STRENGTH OF WILL to do the RIGHT thing by her own people, by her own warriors.

h/t Raven

Previous:

• Demand Justice for the Pendleton 8
• Rally for the Camp Pendleton 8
• Civil Liberties for Terrorists but not for U.S. Soldiers

linked to: Third World County, Jo’s Cafe, Stuck on Stupid, Bullwinkle Blog, TMH’s Bacon Bits, Woman, Honor Thyself, Stop the ACLU, The Right Nation, Wizbang, bRight & Early, Leaning Straight Up, Basil’s Blog, Church and State, 123Beta

You Betcha I’m a Proud Army Mom trackbacked with Weekend Updates