Blue Star Chronicles

I am so honored that Blue Star Chronicles was chosen as ‘Blog of the Week’ last week by A Keyboard and a .45. Unfortunately, I was snowed under with work over the past week and not checking my email and didn’t know it until today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven’t checked out JR’s blog - get on over and check it out. He does a wonderful job and as you might guess from the title of his blog, he’s well armed!

Thinking about .45s I got to wondering if those who want to ban guns from law abiding citizens remember that there was a reason why the .45 got the nickname ‘the peacemaker’? It’s something to think about …..

Staff Sgt. Kara Opperman
332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron

Staff Sgt. Kara Opperman performs a quality control check Feb. 13 on fuel coming out of a fill stand at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Sergeant Opperman ensures the fuel is safe and meets Air Force specifications before it is used for aircraft and equipment.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

Those of us sitting comfortably in the United States are far removed and disconnected from what our Warriors are dealing with on a daily basis. It’s seems like a strange disconnect to me. We are at war, but you’d never know it unless you are paying close attention.

I found this post on one of our Soldier’s blogs. It brought tears to my eyes and I wanted to share it. While we are going through our days unaffected we need to remember what these guys are doing.

I left the billets early tonight for the mission. I racked my machine gun in the cradle, and sat on top of the truck. I plugged in my iPod, took a sip of coffee, and sat back to watch the sunset. Somehow, the setting sun always seems to look better here than at home; the sunsets are the one beautiful thing about this place. I watch as the dying sun slowly sinks, its rays falling across sand, mud, guard towers, satellite dishes, and all the other things that have come to mean home for a time. The sky is brilliant with golds and crimsons- here and there a tendril of flame licks up a wisp of cloud.

Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice/From what I’ve tasted of desire/I hold with those who favor fire

The sun has set, and Venus shines low in the sky in poor reflection. The others are starting to straggle out to the vehicles. It’s time to prep for the mission. Tonight, we’re going back up into the general area where we lost three of ours so shortly ago- not the same road- and this is the first time we’ve been back that way. I look around at my friends and try to read their faces. They could be scared, and most of us are, a little. They could be numb- just doing their job. Again, most of us are, a little. However, I think that most of us are out for blood. It might sound horrible, inhuman, even medieval, but the fact of the matter is that someone out there killed friends of ours, and we’re going back into a place where we just might get the guy that did it. We’ll never know if it was him, of course, but there’s always the chance that we’ll even the scales unknowingly.

Killing is not natural to sane people, no matter how often it has happened over eons. There are many ways that you can reconcile yourself in some way to the idea of killing another human. You can think of it as duty- you have a job, and that job requires violence. You can hate- the easiest of all excuses, and the most exhausting. You can look at it as simple survival- if you don’t kill him, then he’ll kill you. However you justify it, you are still in a war, and people will still die. It wears on everyone- the American deaths, the “collateral damage” we inflict on people in the wrong place at the wrong time, the innocents killed when some faceless murderer blows himself up in a crowd. Yes, even the enemy dead take their toll.

The headphones sing-
If I ever leave this world alive/I’ll come back down and sit beside your feet tonight/Wherever I am you’ll always be/More than just a memory/If I ever leave this world alive

One more mission.
One more chance to find a bomb.
One more chance to save a life.
One more chance to take one.

One more chance to die.

via Random Dreamer

Yes, it’s true. The message that was sent to the world in the 1960s is being reinforced by the democrats in Congress.

As you all know by now, the democrats made a big splash by passing a non-binding resolution that they disapprove of what they call the war in Iraq.

From Conversations With Brit & Grit

In a replay of the last war the Democrats lost for us, Nanny Pelosi has engineered a spineless vote in Congress to pass a “non-binding” resolution against President Bush’s running of the war in Iraq. While this vile spit-in-the-face attempt to spit in the face of our troops, who, while risking their lives in service to their country, are totally committed to the war, failed to make it through the Senate, it still serves to prove how cowardly and anti-American the liberals are.

During the Vietnam years, these same people succeeded in telling the world that America could not be trusted and even worse, that America could be defeated. Now, they seem to be oh so proud of themselves to be sending that same message out loud and clear for the world to hear.

This resolution means nothing in reality. It’s just more whining and verbiage. If the democrats really believed what the resolution says, the natural question would be why don’t they have the courage to follow it up with some sort of plan or action. They aren’t, they won’t and they don’t.

And they are downright GLEEFUL about it. They are so gleeful they are GIDDY!!

The democrats do this while we have Troops in harms way. Their action severely endangers our Troops. They make sure they use phrases like, ‘we support the troops, but …’, but their actions say otherwise.

Passing this non-binding resolution has nothing to do with the Troops. It has nothing to do with what’s in the best interest of the United States. It has EVERYTHING to do with power and flaunting power. It has everything to do with flaunting the power of THE PARTY. Their party. The only thing they are loyal to. THE PARTY. The party that the democratic party has become, the Socialist/Communist Party of the United States.

Of course, for Nancy, it’s really just all about her.

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More on Nancy Pelosi
Read Charlie Daniel’s response to this congressional posturing.

Presented by Point Five Blog ‘Tonight Our Troops Dine In Hell!’. From the creators of ‘Vietnam’, prepare for defunding.

We are countering this attack on America.

An Open Letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi

Dear Sir and Madam,

You have said often enough that you don’t believe in the war in Iraq and that you want to bring the troops home. Yet all you do is talk and sign non-binding resolutions which only goes to show that you really don’t mean what you say about ending the war or that you’re just playing political games and in doing so giving aid and comfort to a dedicated enemy.

Now if you’re serious about ending the war you have the means and the votes to do just that. Simply cut off the funding for the troops, bring them all home and the American people can transfer the deed to this war and the ramifications of what you do to the Democrat party and you can live with the results.

You say you support the troops, but that has to be a lie. If you supported them and you truly think the war is wrong, you’d bring them home or either dispense with the poisonous rhetoric and get in behind them and help them get the job done.

You can’t have it both ways. If you support the troops do something. Your party won a majority in both houses, so you have control so take the responsibility.

Of course, I think you should remember that when the terrorists follow us home from Iraq and start their attacks on American soil it’s too late, so you’d better have a plan to deal with it. Do you have a plan?

And if Iran goes into Iraq and makes it a staging ground for Al Qaida to plan and carry out attacks all over the western world you’ll need to deal with that. Do you have a plan?

And if Iran decides to go into Kuwait and cut off the oil flow from the Persian Gulf, you’ll need a way to make up for the shortfall. Do you have a plan?

The world would look at us as a country that has not finished a commitment to war since 1945. Do you have a plan for dealing with that?

The purpose of this letter is to call your bluff. I don’t believe you have the guts to do anything but talk and talk is cheap. Oh you have no shortage of words but I seriously doubt the amount of backbone you have.

Do you really think that signing a non binding resolution is really fooling anybody into thinking you’re anything less than career politicians trying to tip the scales of the O08 Presidential Election.

What you’re doing is silly and dangerous. If you really don’t like what’s going on, change it, do something about it. You’ve got the power but have you got the guts?

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
February 16, 2007

I would like to ‘virtually’ sign in support of this letter. He is EXACTLY right.

I’ve been so sick about the actions verbosity of our elected officials that I haven’t been able to sit down and blog about it. They scare me for every young man and woman we have in harms way. They endanger them all for their own political profit.

The verbal warfare the democrats have waged against this country for the past few years is one thing. Now that they are in power they need to be a bit more responsible in what they say and do. It’s not a game and it’s not about any one persons position and grandstanding.

They are railing against ‘the man’ not realizing that they ARE ‘the man’. They aren’t adolescents marching and protesting and getting high anymore. It’s not about ‘Love, sex and Rock n Roll’. American Soldier’s lives are at stake. America is at stake. It’s time for the democrats to grow up.

Have I mentioned lately that I love Charlie Daniels?

tiara tip Something … and Half of Something

Also at The Median Sib; A Mom and Her Blog; Not Exactly Rocket Science

A new villainous guest blogger has joined Villainous Company.

WOAH!! I’m impressed!

John Edwards is my homegirl

I was just rambling around the internets and ran across this site that offers all sorts of gear to help get the word our about the candidate of your choice. You know these candidates need all the face time they can get.

You can help by picking the candidate of your choice to be you homegirl or homeboy.

HEH!

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

More great posts trackbacked below …

President’s Day is set aside to honor the presidents of the United States. Originally the day was set aside to commemorate President George Washington’s birthday. Later, the holiday included President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th). Eventually, the holiday was changed from Washington’s birthday to President’s Day.

Since I can’t think of anything particularly interesting that has happened this week, I thought I’d make note of seven random quotes from presidents in honor of President’s Day.

1. “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”, George Washington, Jan. 8, 1790
2. “The man who can look upon a crisis without being willing to offer himself upon the altar of his country is not for public trust.” Millard Filmore, (1850–1853).
3. “If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth.” Chester Arthur, (1881–1885)
4. “Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little.” Warren Harding, (1921–1923)
5. “The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing.” Theodore Roosevelt, (1901–1909)
6. “I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.” Dwight Eisenhower, (1953–1961)
7. “The United States is the best and fairest and most decent nation on the face of the earth.” George H.W. Bush, (1989–1993)

Dog the Bounty Hunter is cleared to be extradited to Mexico to face charges of ‘illegal detention’.

AP

Norma Jara, a spokeswoman for the second district court in Guadalajara, said Thursday the court rejected Chapman’s injunction request, ruling there was no reason not to try him on charges he illegally arrested Max Factor makeup heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster in 2003.

Mexican authorities have already asked for Chapman’s extradition from Hawaii.

Chapman’s lawyers argue he would not be guaranteed a fair trial in Mexico.

The charges against the 53-year-old star of the A&E reality series “Dog the Bounty Hunter” stem from his June 2003 capture of Luster in Puerto Vallarta. Luster had fled to Mexico to avoid trial, and his detention by Chapman led to his return to the U.S. and a 124-year prison term.

Luster’s capture shot the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the TV series.

Chapman, who is now free on $300,000 bail, faces up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted. But his Mexican lawyer, Jorge Huerta, doubts he would get the maximum. Huerta said illegal detention is a relatively minor crime in Mexico, and that if Chapman is convicted, he would likely only have to pay a fine of several hundred dollars.

So Dog goes to Mexico and picks up one of America’s 10 most wanted and brings him back to the United States. Mexico demands Dog is extradited back to Mexico for ‘illegal detention’ which is considered a relatively minor crime in Mexico.

Dog has already paid $300,000 for bail out of a Mexican jail (not to mention what his brother and son had to pay). He has fought and lost extradition charges and now faces trial and jail time in Mexico. That doesn’t conjure up a pretty picture.

What cha wanna bet the Mexican government decides to go easy on him with just a fine - a 6-figure fine. Even though it will give him more fodder for his show - something we can look forward to watching - it’s still extradition for extortion.

I, for one, appreciate the fact that Dog and his guys took Lester off the streets, whether it’s here or in Mexico.

You go, Dog!!!

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More at: Sands in the Hourglass

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The father and aunt of Salt Lake City mall killer, Sulejman Talovic, spoke with News Channel 5 KSL.com in Salt Lake.

Suljo believes something or someone was controlling his son’s mind and he wants police to look into that possibility.

Suljo: “I think this Suljemen did. I think somebody (is) behind him, I think, but I am not sure. What kind of person do you think that may have been? No good. I don’t know he’s not good. But you think somebody had influence over him? He not tell me nothing. Maybe this guy is in Trolley Square looking at how he died. I think so.”

KSL Newsradio learned today that when Suljemen was a student at Horizonte school he was discovered looking at prohibited websites that contained information about AK-47s. That’s when his parents pulled him out of school.

h/t Gateway Pundit

Much more information at Sweetness and Light. Shooter was Muslim Bosnian refugee.

MAJ Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony February 26, 2007 for his heroic actions in the Battle of Ia Drang.

A Company, 1, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

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

More great posts trackbacked below …

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service, Feb. 14, 2007) - An influx of Iranian weapons and munitions into Iraq amounts to a “major force-protection issue,” a senior coalition official in Iraq said today.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman, told a group of online journalists that Iranian interference in Iraq, particularly the export of deadly “explosively formed penetrator” (EFP) components and technology, must be made public after diplomatic and military efforts to deter the practice had been unsuccessful.

“We’re going to go public, talk about this and acknowledge it,” Caldwell said. “We need these actions to stop.” [source]

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