Blue Star Chronicles

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Consider this a cautionary tale. Where is Carrie Nation when we need her the most?

Bwwaaaaahahahahahahahhahaahahhahahhaahhahahaha

Happy Halloween

October 31 - November 2, 2006

Just link and trackback to this post. Nothing to it but to do it.

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Others with open trackbacks: Conservative Cat, Third World County, Planck’s Constant, Common Folks Using Common Sense, Jo’s Cafe, Stop the ACLU, Random Yak, Basil’s Blog, Adam’s Blog,

Disclaimer: trackbacks to this post do not necessarily represent the opinions or standards of the Blue Star Chronicles.

Please check out the posts linked below ~~~~~

Soldiers’ Angel Holly Aho has opened up an online store selling her own fine art and jewerly. SAHA Store could be a good place to start Christmas shopping.

There’s a few things there that I like, if anybody wants to know

It’s good to read the words of those who have declared war against us, lest we forget that this IS a Global war on Terrorism and forget the danger we are in by politicizing the war that was waged against us.

On October 20, 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an address to the Iranian people (really, it was a rant). The address was aired on Jaam-e Jam 1 TV. Here are some excerpts ….

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: This [Zionist regime] was established in order to swallow up the entire region, and to place it at the disposal of the world forces. It is a big lie that it was done in order to protect those killed in World War II, and in order to compensate them.

Over 60 million people were killed in World War II. Let’s assume you are right, and six million [Jews] were among those killed. How come none of you mourn the other 54 million? Why don’t you pay reparations to them? Why don’t you ever think about them? All your sorrow, your pity, your mourning cries are over [victims] who were counted by I don’t know whom…

Obviously, some of the Western countries are being held hostage today by the Zionists. Some Western countries have been paying reparations for 60 years. We sent letters and messages, and asked them: “When will these relations, which evolved from World War II, come to an end?” A war broke out 60 years ago, and some considered themselves the victors in this war. They occupied Palestine. They set up bases throughout the world, and want to act aggressively against all the peoples. They also gave themselves privileges in the international forums, and the other peoples must submit to their control. We asked them when these relations would come to an end. We asked the leader of one of these countries: “Until when will your people have to pay reparations?” For two generations? Three generations? For a 100 years? A 1,000 years? A few thousand years?

The existence of this regime is so essential for these countries that in some of them, they even built monuments. You know that every country builds monuments for the objects of their pride. They take their children, from an early age, to show them these monuments, in order to help them develop their identity, and to instill in their memory the things that make them proud, in order to feel power and honor. In some of these countries, they set up monuments, whose purpose was to degrade that very nation. From an early age, they take their children and say to them: “Look, our ancestors were murderers. Our ancestors used to burn people. We are in debt.”

Something happened three generations ago. Let’s assume it was true. What is the crime of the youth born in Europe today? What is the crime of people living in the world today that they have to pay reparations so high they cannot even be calculated? The peoples have to pay any sum decreed by America and England. What is the reason for this? When will there be an end to these claims? What is their limit? What does America have to do with this? Why does America extort the world, under the pretext of the Holocaust? Why does England extort [the world]? Wasn’t it England that laid the foundations for the fear that led the Jews to flee to the occupied lands?

They said: “We want to establish a place for the survivors.” How many survivors were there? With false promises, you gathered the wretched people from Africa, South America, Asia, and North America, and you brought them there. You banished one people from its land, and you want to create another people by force. Why? Why? Are all those now living in Palestine survivors of the war? We asked [these Westerners]: “The current leader of the Zionist regime – where did his parents live? Where were they?” As you know, some of the leaders of the Zionist regime are in fact Iranians.

[...]

The life of this regime depended on military threat, military force, and the legend that it was invincible. Today, with God’s grace, this false legend has collapsed, with the help of the young believers of Palestine, and thanks to the believing, self-sacrificing commanders of Hizbullah. Today, the Zionists do not feel secure even in their own homes, anywhere in the world.

Today, this community, which was gathered by force, and under false pretexts, and whose members were joined to one another by a paper-clip, in order to create a false illusion of a nation… Today, they have fallen apart. I declare here, loud and clear: With God’s grace, this regime has lost the philosophy of its existence.

[...]

I said to them: If you do not agree, open the doors, open the gates, and allow these uninvited guests return to their countries. Let them return to their homeland. If the Western countries that support the Zionists feel sympathetic toward them, they should give them financial aid, so that they can live in their own countries.

[...]

We have some advice for the supporters of this regime. We say to them: First of all, do not seek a new crime. Every crime being perpetrated today, every youth who dies in Palestine today, every home that is demolished, and every incursion into the neighboring countries will be accredited to the supporters of this regime, and the nations will exact their revenge.

[…]

Our proposal is as follows: Since you brought [this regime] over there, you yourselves pick it up, by the arms and legs, and remove it from there. This will make the peoples of the region improve their attitude toward you. These will be the first steps to a long-lasting friendship with the peoples of the region. This will be to your advantage.

You may say: “We feel uncomfortable doing this, because the Zionists control our countries, the propaganda machinery is at their disposal, and if we want to gain voters, we need their money and their support. Therefore, we feel uncomfortable doing this.”

Fine. We made you another proposal: Allow that which you advocate take place in Palestine. After all, you advocate democracy, and you claim that the peoples should control their own destiny. So let the Palestinian people decide upon its own path by means of a referendum. In response, you say: “We might lose our reputation.” Our response is: You have no reputation left anyway! Where do you still have a reputation anywhere in the world?

In the recent war in Lebanon, you saw with your own eyes that the whole world was against you. Even in Argentina, where the Zionists devise conspiracies, generate strife, and put pressure on the Argentinean administration, the people took to the streets.

[...]

This [Zionist] regime is on the verge of death, and we advise you to start thinking about your long-term interests and long term relations with the peoples of the region. At the end of the day, these are all ultimatums. No-one should complain tomorrow. The things are stated clearly.

[...]

What is this Security Council anyway? The whole world knows that America and England are the enemies of the Iranian nation.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Khamenei is the leader.

Death to those who oppose the rule of the jurisprudent

Death to America

Death to England

Death to the hypocrites and Saddam

Death to Israel

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: They have taken control of the leading positions in the Security Council, and have the right of veto, and they are prosecuting and judging us, and they want to carry out the verdict. Sir, this is the logic of pharaonic times. The days of this logic are over. The Security Council, in its present condition, is illegitimate. Its resolutions are illegitimate. Do you want to be the judges, the rulers, the prosecutors, and those who carry out the verdicts? These days are over. Nobody accepts this behavior of yours. Even the illiterate old women of the Himalayas will not accept this behavior of yours.

The islamofascists believe they defeated the what they once believed to be the invincible Israel in Lebanon. They are emboldened.

Ahmadinejad’s proposal to Britain and the United States is to take Israel out of the Middle East in order to improve our relations with the Middle East. He then proposes that the West allow Palestine to determine their own destiny by destroying Israel.

He blames Israel for every bad thing that happens in the Middle East and of controling the world. He sees the failure of Israel to prevail in Lebanon as a sign from God that Israel is weakened and as he said, the world is against the West.

He then declares that Israel is on the verge of death and tells us clearly that these things are ultimatums.

He completely rejects the validity of the United Nations and any sanctions that are proposed.

There are those in the West who think we need to talk with Ahmadinejad and reason with him. How do you reason with an unreasonable man? With a meglamaniac actually.

Leaving Iraq would leave a vacuum there that Ahmadinejad would be more than happy to occupy. It is my belief he is already providing weapons for the insurgents. They are getting increasingly sophisticated weapons and al-Qaida operatives are coming there from all over the world.

The islamofascist are emboldened by the weak response of Israel to the invasions of hezbollah and hamas. They are emboldened by the media reports that the American people have turned against the war and are demanding the President pull troops out of Iraq. I have seen reports on islamic websites stating they expect American troops will be out of Iraq by the end of this year. They are celebrating the defeat of the Republicans in the upcoming elections and declaring victory over the mighty Amercian Army. They are emboldened.

They have been warning us, Osama bin Laden and Ahmadinejad, that they intend to destroy us. There has been a recent al-Qaida warning to Canada. Yet there are still those that refuse to hear the warnings and still insist on blaming the United States for their problems.

It’s all part of Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic vision.

I think it’s time we really listen to what our emeny is telling us.

crossposted at Jihad du Jour

J. D. Pendry writes that he’s probably a below average American ….

Looks like I’m not an Average-American. Whether I’m above or below the mean is debatable. Each time I hear the news, or look at the Internet some pundit person or pollster tells me what Average-American thinks. It’s odd how my thinking always falls into the group that doesn’t think as Average-American does. So, I can only conclude that I am the Below Average-American. Either that or some entities are working extra hard to convince me of it.

He goes on to explain how he came to that conclusion. I tended to agree with most everything he said. So I guess that makes me below average as well.

Both politicians and the main stream media grossly underestimate those of us that are below the average (which I believe is most of us) and gear their propaganda campaigns to the mentality they have decided we are.

Now we’re hearing about some active duty soldiers who are petitioning their representatives to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq. It’s their right to do that. John Kerry and others did it. I guess they’re no different from our bevy of retired Generals and are probably following their example. I expect Average-American will hear much about this group of soldiers, in between the campaign slime ads, in the days before the election. He will not hear much about the achievement and sacrifice of other Soldiers unless we Below-Average Americans make an effort to tell him.

Why don’t we do that?

Yes, excellent idea. Why don’t we do just that.

So have you sent a letter or a package to a Soldier for Halloween? Have you sent one at all?

It doesn’t matter if you know the Soldier, Sailor or Marine personally, just send them a note or package. They are alone over there and missing home.

Send them something to let them know that we appreciate what they are doing to keep us safe.

They are hot, tired, working 24/7, dodging IEDs, snipers and motars, wearing many pounds of gear and sleeping in less than comfortable conditions - when they can sleep.

They can’t get the things we take for granted. Like razor blades or candy. You can get a flat rate box at the post office, fill it to the brim and send it for just a few dollars. It means a lot to the guys that are over there. If you can’t send a package, just write them a note and say ‘thank you’.

On top of all that, the only American channel they can get (other than military channels) is CNN - so for all they know the whole country is against them!!

So do it.

Seawitch has an excellent post on the American disconnect with our Soldiers.

She has the links you need to find ways to help stay connected and support our troops.

While in some parts of the country, there maybe a sense of disconnect, I don’t see in my neck of the woods. And for those who would like to be connected with our men and women and those British, Aussies and Canadians who are fighting aside us, below are numerous links:

She has some suggestions:

The disconnect that Kevin percieves can be overcome by getting involved. I urge you to do whatever you can. Just sending a letter or postcard via Any Soldier or sending one of the Soldiers Angels packages or even sending a book via Books for Soldiers will let our men and women who are serving know they are not forgotten. Get involved!.

Yeah - what she said. Go over and get more ideas of what you can do.

linked with: Jo’s Cafe, Echo9er, Pursuing Holiness, The Right Nation, The Random Yak, third world county, Adam’s Blog, Woman Honor Thyself, The Florida Masochist, The Bullwinkle Blog, Stuck On Stupid, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Church & State, 123 Beta, Amboy Times, Leaning Up Straight

I was reading blogs and Cotillion emails last night, simultaneously, and thought it was a perfectly good time to blog a little about the Cotillion Colloquy. That’s how I think of it, colloquy. I mean, there is A LOT of chatter over there.

I was a little surpirsed when I was first asked if I would like to join the Cotillion. Who am I kidding, I was shocked. What on earth could my little blog offer this group of bright, clever, conservative women bloggers?

As it turns out, they are a great group of women, wonderful friends and in the short time I have been a member of the Cotillion, I have come to truly care about the women who participate. Did I mention they talk a lot. I mean A LOT!

They are some of the best women bloggers in the blog world.

Here, I’ll show you what I mean.

Fausta takes exception to the muslim cleric who compared an unveiled woman to uncovered meat.

When I first read this statement I thought, “what nation is that? Iran? Saudi Arabia?”

The nation is Australia, and the cleric is Australia’s mufti.

She has a transcript of the sermon in which this muslim cleric made these assertions. She then compares this attitude with the Georgia man accused of mutilating his daughter’s genitalia with a pair of scissors - “to avoid bringing shame on his family”.

She wonders will moral people speak out.

Because, without a doubt, the immorality of believing that women do not have a right to their own genitalia, a right to have that that they are born with, by God’s grace; the immorality of thinking that a father has the duty to inflict such harm on his own daughter; the immorality of believing that women are “uncovered meat”; and the immorality of sermonizing that not wearing a veil, “swaying when they walk”, and wearing make-up deserves rape, is, or at least ought to be, clear beyond any question.

She cites Dr. Sanity’s writings on the oppression of women in islam. But the issue is deeper. Fausta asserts that it’s about an entire civilization being dragged into the Dark Ages through systematic intimidation.

Linda at Something … and Half of Something takes apart a recent al-Reuters article claiming Israeli violations of palestinian prisoner rights in Oh, Those Evil Joos.

A 53-page report claims Israel flagrantly violates international humanitarian laws in their treatment of prisoners. The report outlines atrocities on the part of Israel such as denying prisoners visitation.

Perhaps the Israeli government should look to the palestinian government for policy on how to treat prisoners. Hamas executed 18 year old Eliyahu Pinchas Asheri within hours after kidnapping him. Gilad Shalit has completely disappeared, no one has heard from him since Hamas kidnapped him.

Linda has an idea as to a solution to the problem.

Cat has a wonderfully uplifting video over at CatHouse Chat. The Love of a Father for his Son.

BTW, you can hear Cat on Wide Awake Radio on Sundays. Check her out.

Go see it. You’ll be glad you did.

Carol at Alabama Improper is improperly out dancing tonight rather than blogging. Now what’s THAT about?? But she did leave us with some improper Halloween humor before she took off for the improper dance floor and an improper social life.

Greta at Hooah Wife has some Deep Thoughts on Hate.

I have been struggling for a long time with the idea of hate. I may loathe, despise, but do I really want to hate? Is that a healthy quality to possess? Does it distract us from our lives so much that we lose sight of what is really important? I’m talking about grown-ups behaving badly (soon to be a new series on this blog). Kids are innocent, grown-ups create monsters and hate.

Read it and respond to it. There is a very interesting discussion going on in the comments section.

Over at And Rightly So, Raven says We Need More Mels - Thomson that is. Not just for New Hampshire, but for America!

She gives an account of the late Meldrim Thomson, Jr. Thomson, former Governor of New Hampshire. He was a character who took on the State of Massachusetts.

* When Massachusetts had state troopers sit in the parking lot of New Hampshire state liquor stores and copy down the license plates of Bay Staters cheating Massachusetts’ tax on booze, Thomson ordered New Hampshire state troopers to arrest their Massachusetts colleagues for loitering.

Ha! Very interesting read!

Have you ever dreamed of a loved on who has died? Carol, The Median Sib, takes an emotional and tender look at how we dream of of loved ones who have died here and here.

Her posts have lead to some interesting discussion in her comments.

Dreams. They’re quite a mystery.

What do you think?

She’ll be hosting the Carnival of Education next week - so keep an eye out for that.

The Girl on the Right takes on the Australian Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali who compared unveiled women to uncovered meat.

We in the West often refuse to see the evil in a culture whose leaders not only make these types of statements, but who find acceptance and approval of the culture. She has a strong and to the point summary of the muslim view of women.

And of the willful blindness of the West….

And while I don’t think I have much right to be preaching morality and religion to anyone, I truly belive that in our Judeo-Christian societies, if we were better Jews and Christians, we would believe in evil as much as we believe in good. For you can’t have one without the other. It is a balance. And if we cannot acknowledge evil wherever it may be, how the hell can we claim to be morally superior and doing good?

BTW, the photo on the left (of the Girl on the Right) is her personal choice rather than choosing a veil. Read about it here. I wonder how that looks with pearls?

Wild Thing has an alarming post at the PC Free Zone, West Point Caves to Muslims.

When I read this my first thought was ‘!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’.

All the fine soldiers who graduated at West Point are rolling over in their graves. I would not want to be in a foxhole with any of these guys when the lead started flying. Well it cannot be more diverse than training tomorrow’s jihadists.

I have a very bad feeling about this, is this infiltration?? OK so shall we take a minute to imagine one of these Muslim cadets flying fully armed B52s into buildings.

So now, West Point is commanded by politically correct damn fools!!

She reminds us of the muslim Soldier who threw a grenade into the officers’ tent in Kuwait? And the muslim West Point graduate who was busted for espionage.

Make sure to read the comments while you are over at her place.

Tammy over at A Mom and Her Blog has the gall to complain about the weather in South Florida! I have no sympathy for her on that.

She also has a couple of posts on the Michelle Gardner-Quinn case in Vermont, here, here.

My question is for those of you in the Burlington area…I know I have some readers there, and I know I’m getting hit with those of you from search engines, as well. Are you finding yourself being more careful now? I know Burlington is a huge party city…hell, I used to run the streets there myself, and I don’t remember EVER being careful. Is this changing things for y’all? Or are you finding yourself feeling confidant that they have the guy and there’s no need to take precautions? How has this whole thing affected you?

While you are there - check out a post from her husband, My Shining City. It’s good food for thought and discussion.

(Tammy, this is what happens when you don’t give me a post - I can’t choose!!! lol)

Tammy also does blog design - just letting you know ….

Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has decorated for Halloween - go over and check it out.

She’s also on a rant about the bias at WikipediaPR Watch/SourceWatch. She’s a bit shy and has a hard time expressing her opinion - so please give her some encouragment

Note that they port entries over from Sourcewatch to Wikipedia and refuse to even discuss the bias or accuracy of that information. They’re like 9/11 conspiracy nuts with their “facts”–if something is within the realm of possibility and imagination, all sorts of things can be deemed as “facts.” Their “Sunlight Foundation” needs some sunlight shining on themselves (the whole CMD conglomerate, that is).

Beth has a couple of excellent Kool-aid posts as well after doing some dumpster-diving at Kos and DU. That’s left her wondering if Will we ever have normal elections again?

They’re already virtually pronouncing the elections a fraud before Election Day. Can you imagine how it’s gonna be if the Republicans DO maintain control of Congress? They really do believe that anyone who’s positive about the GOP’s chances must “know something” about some sinister plot.

Oh, and just in case, the nutroots is working on another Brilliant Scheme™–Google bombing the elections. Yeah, that’s a really ethical way to do it–Google bomb a smear campaign …

Very adolescent, wouldn’t cha say?

Oh, and here’s her follow-up to the google bomb campaign.

Drink up!

Here’s a post that will get your blood pressure up. In Guest of honor at Miramar Marine Corps Ball is out in favor of Marine tradition Beth is outraged by who the Marine Corp invited to be guest of honor at the Miramar Marine Corps Ball.

Ultimate Fighting Championship brawler Tito Ortiz was slated to fill that chair at the beginning of the month, but canceled on Thursday after air station officials asked him to un-invite his girlfriend and date for the event, porn star Jenna Jameson.

It’s good he canceled as it didn’t go over well with the Marines. Beth quotes some reactions and looks at what honoring the birthday of the Marine Corps is really about.

THAT is what you honor at a Marine Corps ball, not silly Ultimate Fighting Championship dudes (and their porn star girlfriends). If you decide to throw tradition out the window in favor of the celebrities du jour, you may as well abandon the tradition altogether.

How about the guest of honor should be a real American Hero - a Marine - not a celebrity.

On a less serious note and in honor of Halloween, annika gives us Pumpkin Nation!

It’s a poignant story of love triangulation, set to a pulsating beat.

She also has some great pointers for celebrating Halloween …..

I’m personally bummed that I didn’t get to met our favorite Not Quite Rocket Science scientist, CaltechGirl, while she was in Atlanta recently ….

But aside from that - if you like ESPN, check out her collection of SportsCenter commercials videos

This cracked me up. What happens when you cross a PETA guy with a scary animal science lab? Find out from Holly at Soldier’s Angel.

Wow! And that’s just a hand full of the Cotillion ladies!! I told you they were chatty!

Bold, Beautiful and Brainy - it’s a lethal combination!

Make sure you check out all of the Cotillion blogs. They are smart and sassy - you just might like it.

Also seen at Carnival Submit Form at Conservative Cat and The Truth Laid Bear’s ÃœberCarnival.

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After I posted this link to the Call to Duty: Boots on the Ground video at the US Army website, Beth at MVRWC sent this video.

HOOAH!!!

Previous post here.

The DoD calls out the New York Times.

October 27, 2006: The U.S. Department of Defense is now taking its requests for corrections public through a website known as For the Record. Here, the Department of Defense is openly calling for corrections from major media outlets, and even noting when they refuse to publish letters to the editor.

The most recent was this past Tuesday, when the DOD published a letter, that the New York Times refused to run, which contained quotes from five generals (former CENTCOM commander Tommy Franks, current CENTCOM commander John Abizaid, MNF Commander George Casey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, as well as his successor, Peter Pace) that rebutted a New York Times editorial. This has been picked up by a number of bloggers who have been able to spread the Pentagon’s rebuttal – and the efforts of the New York Times to sweep it under the rug – across the country.

The Defense Department has been dealing with a number of misleading stories. From Newsweek’s misreporting of a Koran-flushing incident (caused by a detainee, not guards as reported by Newsweek), to claims of prisoner mistreatment (often without context, including one instance where a detainee spat on an interrogator), to a massive rewriting of an embedded reporter’s report on the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s efforts in Tal Afar, by editors of Time magazine, to the revelations about NSA efforts, the DOD has been barraged by numerous stories, many of which were followed by angry editorials.

The DOD is pushing back, not only putting out requests to correct the record (with the refusals published as well), but also citing stories of heroes that the media has failed to cover – usually two or three a week. Among these are accounts of those who have been awarded medals for battlefield bravery, like Navy Cross recipients Robert J. Mitchell Jr. and Bradley A. Kasal, as well as Silver Star recipients Juan M. Rubio, Sarun Sar, Jeremy Church, and Leigh Ann Hester. The DOD has also followed CENTCOM’s lead in running pieces on what terrorists actually say – another item largely ignored by the mainstream media.

The Department of Defense is acting in an effort to avoid a repeat of the aftermath of the 1968 Tet Offensive. On the battlefield, American and South Vietnamese forces won a victory – effectively destroying the Viet Cong and crippling North Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam. However, media misreporting, including Walter Cronkite’s famous mischaracterization of the war as a “stalemate”, took away the victory that had been won on the battlefield. Such a scenario is less likely now, largely due to the presence of the internet (including blogs), talk radio, and other news networks – and the Department of Defense is taking advantage of alternative ways to get around the mainstream media. – Harold C. Hutchison (haroldc.hutchison@gmail.com)

The media has waged a war on the United States and has actively participated in promoting the propoganda put out by enemies of the United States.

It’s about time the DoD fought back.

Help spread the truth.

tiara tip MVRWC for the story and the graphic.

Spreading the truth: Villainous Company, PC Free Zone

crossposted at Jihad du Jour

HOOAH!!!

This is a MUST see.

tiara tip to Greta at Hooah Wife.

I think these posters from North Korea are pretty telling.

It seems pretty obvious that Kim Jong-Il doesn’t mean us any harm. I’m sure his apology is sincere.

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So What’s Everybody Talking About?

October 27 - 29, 2006

Just link and trackback to this post. Nothing to it but to do it.

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Others with open trackbacks: Third World County, Outside the Beltway, Stuck on Stupid, Bullwinkle Blog, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, Conservative Cat, Florida Masochist, Adam’s Blog, Pursuing Holiness, Church & State, Stop the ACLU

Disclaimer: trackbacks to this post do not necessarily represent the opinions or standards of the Blue Star Chronicles.

Please check out the posts linked below ~~~~~

Total war is the concept of destroying the enemy’s ability to wage war as well as the will of the the people to wage war. General William T. Sherman is generally credited with the concept of total war.

In his version of total war, there were not so many human casualties, comparatively, but the infrastructure of the society he burned his way through was destroyed. Railroad tracks were destroyed and the South was cut off from the rest of the world, with no way to communicate nor could they sell or acquire goods. Their supply lines were cut off and their property destroyed.

Sherman left a huge swath of destruction in his wake from Chattanooga to Savannah and then up through the Carolinas. He was universally hated throughout the South, for generations. But he did break the extremely strong will of the South and the war ended.

I find it hard to believe that Sherman was the first to practice total war. When I think about it, although I wasn’t there at the time, I think surely the Vikings and the Romans practiced total war. In fact, I imagine that until the wars of the 20th century, total war was probably how war was conducted.

Now we think we are civilized. We think we can conduct a war while winning the hearts and minds of the population with which we are at war. Of course, we tell our selves we are not at war with the population, just the extremist who are hiding among the population. Therefore, we have to spare the population. We also don’t want to damage any buildings.

We certainly don’t want anyone to be angry with us for being powerful and ruthless in our defense of our Nation.

The problem with this strategy is that the ‘extremist’ are hiding among the population. That implies that the population is protecting them and allowing them to be there.

I am fully aware that this is not a conventional war. This isn’t one nation fighting against another. This is a war of civilizations, of ideologies. But the war is still fought in places and in those places there are people who are hiding and assisting those who are killing our troops.

When our Soldiers are being hit by snipers we have to know that the snipers have had some assistance from someone to get into a position to fire at our troops. When insurgents put out IEDs to target American convoys, someone in the nearby towns has to know they are doing it and are providing them assistance. There has to be a place to hide, a place to keep their equipment, a place to rest, etc. If nothing else, they have to at least be aware of it and doing nothing to assist the troops.

The Forward Operations Bases (FOB) that our Soldiers are in are being hit by mortars constantly. Those mortars are coming from somewhere. And the people in the villages know where they are coming from.

So while the baby boomers are in control of the country, the peace and love generation of pacifist, we find ourselves in the most dangerous situation our country has been in. The very real threat of losing our power and being vulnerable to any enemy that wishes to do us harm.

Our oceans no longer protect us. Rogue nations are obtaining nuclear capability. Worse, they are not afraid of us. No one believes we have the will or the willingness to be ruthless enough to stop them. Our words, sanctions and resolutions are meaningless. Our enemies know what they hear in the American media, that the American people are soft and unwilling to do without anything, ANYTHING, for the safety and good of the country. The ‘me’ generation does not value self-sacrifice for the good of the country.

Even worse, the argument I hear often is that we are wrong for even thinking of it in terms of our country versus their country. Who is to say who is right and who is wrong, they ask. Why should we believe we are entitled to win over someone else? Do we believe they have less of a right to their way of life than we do? These people don’t seem to understand that we are not fighting people who think the same way. They will have no problem denying them the right to think or speak as they feel right.

Not taking sides is equivalent to taking sides against your own people.

Sending our Soldiers out to search for terrorists in neighborhoods that they are simultaneously expected to win over with kindness is sending our Soldiers to slaughter. Putting up camps for our Soldiers in neighborhoods that are not secured is leaving them in an untenable situation for a Soldier. A situation in which he is not allowed to do what he is trained to do, fight. He is expected to sit there and wait for the mortar that will hit and wonder if the next one will hit him. Being hit by snipers, with mortars or with IEDs by ghosts and having a complete inability to fight back is not a Soldier’s nature. This is demoralizing for Soldiers.

Fighing and dying is one thing. Being a sitting duck is a whole other thing. No Soldier is trained to be a sitting duck and should never be asked to be one.

Obadiah Shoher writes Less than total war is futile at Samson Blinded

Could Israel conquer the Arab states? Yes, but only in penetrating mobile strikes, not in the protracted “humane” warfare. The extent of victory made all the difference between the first and the second world wars. After the first war, the Entente did not enter German capital, devastate the country, or change the government and its constitution. The enemy was humiliated and left to rearm. It did rearm and stroke back with vengeance in twenty years. French and the British occupied Egypt with meager efforts, established local administration, and ruled the country with little opposition. Egypt is unlike Germany in that its people lack the culture of moderation (other Arabs are still more wild), but we also have the example of Japan which turned its educational system around after the war, taught international coexistence to the children, and opened itself to the world. Israel needs to heavily control the occupied Arab states for a decade or so. That will suffice to bring about the lasting reforms in education and mentality. The occupational administration won’t be that hard: Machiavelli taught that totalitarian states are easy to rule because their people are used to unfreedom.

As Obadiah points out, not ending a war lead to a more vicious war a few years later. I take it even further in that I believe that all the wars of the 20th century can be traced back to not finishing the job of the first world war.

Back to General William T. Sherman. As a born and raised Southerner (Georgian to boot) and descendant of multiple generations of Southerners, I have to say that Sherman’s name has been synonymous with the devil. That’s the way it is with a defeated society. But I will step out on a limb here, knowing that it’s not proper to find anything but evil in Sherman. He did end the war between the states. Knowing what I know about the South and nature of the average Southerner, I feel that I’m safe to say that the South would have fought to the last man, woman and child had it not ended as it did.

I believe history tells us that Japan would have done the same thing. It took two atomic bombs to bring Japan to it’s knees. Two.

Both societies have grown from the ashes of their societies and are stronger and better societies than they were prior to their defeat.

I have lost faith in our politicians (if I ever had any to begin with). I don’t think wars should be fought by politicians. Warriors should fight wars and should not have their hands tied by the political winds that blow continents away. Soldiers should not have to get permission from the Pentagon to return fire or to use certain weapons. They should be able to use whatever means are at their disposal to defeat the enemy. I thought we had learned that lesson in Vietnam, but apparently not.

These half measures are appalling and it is unacceptable for our Soldiers to be put in this kind of danger with the prospect of court martial hanging over their heads if they fight back. We need to win in Iraq. It was strategic genius to take Iraq. But it has been handled poorly. It should have been taken, not played with.

If the people of this country can not muster the stomach for total war than we need to admit we are not the nation we once were, relinquish our status as a global power and surrender. That will be a frieghten prospect for us - and also for the rest of the world that look to us to keep them safe.

I keep looking at the politicians on the horizon and wondering who can lead us in this Long War. The war that will define the beginning of the 21st century. This war that is, indeed, a Global War on Terror. I’m looking for a wartime president and I don’t see one anywhere. I still have hope that one will emerge.

David at Third World County looks at some of the unique problems/opportunties presented in Iraq and has some ideas about partitioning Iraq.

Linked with: Third World County, Outside the Beltway, Samantha Burns, Stuck on Stupid, Bullwinkle Blog, Woman Honor Thyself, The Florida Masochist, Stop the ACLU

Paris is burning again. Or is it still?

French ‘youth’ (that’s code for muslim immigrants) burned buses on the eve of the anniversary of the riots of October 2005. Apparently, even after the rioting of last year, these muslim youth still feel disenchantment.

Youths forced passengers off three buses and set them on fire overnight in suburban Paris, raising tensions Thursday ahead of the first anniversary of the riots that engulfed France’s rundown, heavily immigrant neighborhoods. [source]

Actually, No Pasaran reports there were 4 buses hijacked and burned.

About 10 ‘youth’ hijacked one bus with pistols, forcing passengers off the bus and then torching it. WAIT JUST A MINUTE! I thought guns were outlawed in France. So how did they get guns?

The French government responded with something along the effect of ’somebody ought to do something’.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said the events “should lead to an immediate response.”

“We cannot accept the unacceptable,” he told reporters in the northern suburb of Cergy-Pontoise. “There will be arrests. … That is our responsibility.”

Villepin also said efforts should be directed to “revitalize” troubled neighborhoods, and repeated the government’s insistence that authorities rid France of “lawless zones” where youth gangs operate.

The transportation authority responded that they would avoid ’sensitive’ neighborhoods.

These weak and ineffective responses have not had any effect on the disillusionment of the ‘youth’ who keep burning and rioting in France - except that this year they are burning buses instead of cars.

The muslim community is calling for more understanding and acceptance. They are saying that it’s probably not okay to keep burning things, but if that’s what it takes to get what they want ……

Appeasement and denial haven’t gotten the French very far as yet. Maybe if they keep trying it’ll eventually work.

Plus & Ultra says there’s no cause for alarm….

Also at: LGF, Gateway Pundit.

crossposted at Jihad du Jour