Death Penalty for Suspect in the USS Cole Attack?

"American military prosecutors Monday asked a senior official to approve charges against a Guantanamo detainee for his alleged role in the attack on the USS Colein Yemen in 2000. That and a variety of other terrorism charges against the man could carry the death penalty."

"The prosecutors have requested the charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni descent, who is among 14 men the U.S. government considers "high value detainees." The men were held by the Central Intelligence Agency in secret prisons before being transferred to the military-run detention center on the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba two years ago."

Ah.... Guantanamo... you know!! The place where we house all kinds of innocent people just because we are mean nasty Americans!

Read the rest of the article at Voice of America News.

Make no mistake... the war on terror is not over... it ain't done.... We are still chasing and catching the bad guys... and by God despite the liberal lefties among us...

USS Cole Homepage

Remember our sailors lost on the USS Cole. --- NEVER FORGET

Never Forget

I saw this video over at Chicago Ray's. And like Ray, I thought I had seen all the footage from the World Trade Center terrorist attack. I was wrong. This is homemade footage and is just shy of 30 minutes- there isn't a soundtrack... only the gasps and comments from those in the room and the videographer.

If you need a reminder or if you have forgotten... you must watch this.

Please stop the other video that is running prior to playing this (or any other video.)

Our Flag Was Still There

Sunny - Hi 115 Lo 87 for Baghdad, Iraq
Thunderstorms - Hi 90 Lo 75 for Qandahar, Afghanistan
Partly Cloudy - Hi 84 Lo 58 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Ragged Old Flag, Johnny Cash

Ramble: You may want to go get a cup of coffee as this may turn into a long ramble....

As we approach Independence Day, I can't help but reflect on how much my love for this country has grown. Like some folks, the events of September 11, 2001 were a catalyst for me to take a stand and be counted among those willing to fight for our nation- to keep her free and to make sure she stands with her torch as a beacon for all to see.

We the people are so fortunate to have been born here, still others have come here seeking freedom and liberty and a better way of life. Lady Liberty has opened her arms to them.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
- Emma Lazarus

This country is clearly a melting pot- it always has been. It should always be so.
Our ancestors came to this country for various reasons - but the one common denominator has always been to seek out a better life. We the people spoke this past week and said that the Amnesty Bill was not what we wanted-- It was blogged about everywhere...It was talked about everywhere. I'm proud to say that I include myself in the numbers that flooded the phone lines and email of our Congress. They got the message - albeit they believe us to be foolish and uninformed.

Those that believe in this great nation, look to our immigrants as a blessing. Those that believe in this great nation believe it should be sought out honestly and legally. Nothing worthwhile is easy. I believe that is why some of our greatest Americans speak with a thick accent- My mother comes to mind, one of the greatest Americans I know.

We owe it to our forefathers and those that have fought and served and even died for this great nation for 231 years to stand strong. We must continue to live free or be willing to die for it. However, how do we make sure that our children, our children's children know what this great nation is about? What she stands for?

Bill Bennett wrote a compelling piece for National Review online. As the Secretary of Education under one of our greatest President's he writes with knowledge and integrity.

Tens of millions of Americans are about to celebrate our nation’s Founding. The worrisome question is, will future generations take to this celebration the way we have for the past 231 years if they do not know the first, second, or third thing about their country?

Two years ago, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough told the U.S. Senate that American History was our nation’s worst subject in school. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (a.k.a., “our Nation’s Report Card”), released last month, bears that out again. Our children do worse in American history than they do in reading or math. McCullough testified we were facing the prospect of national amnesia, saying, “Amnesia of society is just as detrimental as amnesia for the individual. We are running a terrible risk. Our very freedom depends on education, and we are failing our children in not providing that education.”

Double Tragedy
McCullough is right, and it is a double tragedy: a) our children no longer know their country’s history and b) the story they do not know is the greatest political story ever told.

It is not our children’s fault. Our country’s adults are expected to instill a love of country in its children, but the greatness and purpose of that country are mocked by the chattering classes: Newspaper columns and television reports drip with a constant cynicism about America while doubts about her motives on the world stage are the coin of the realm. Too many commentators are too ready to believe the worst about our leaders and our country, and our children’s history books — and even some of the teachers — close off any remaining possibility of helping children learn about their country.

Read the rest here.

We live in a country where we can ignore everything that does not concern us. If we so choose we can fill our heads with air and watch the Paris Hiltons and the Britney Spears of celebrislutty fame. We have become greedy and self serving. We covet what our neighbors have and are willing to file bankruptcy to have the big SUV and the 3000 square foot house and all the fixin's that go along with it. We are willing to rationalize away our greed and trying to get something for free or for a cheaper price because "everyone does it." In doing this we bankrupt our children of the things that matter. Our children are our responsibility and the promise that this country will continue as the beacon of light for the rest of the world.

Dennis Prager, another man I admire a great deal will often ask his callers to his radio program, "If you could only teach your child one lesson which is more important to teach your child- To not smoke or To not cheat on a test?" Time after time it is more important to teach the child to not smoke... Health and safety are more important than raising a child to be an adult of honor, respect, and integrity.

Of late, I've been spending a lot of time with my grandparents, part of the Greatest Generation, and they often say, "It was easier when we had nothing." It's funny, these same people worked hard so that their children would not have to endure what they endured. That cycle continues. We all really want something better for the next generation, but I believe there is something to be said about having to work for it. It is appreciated times ten. There is greater satisfaction in feeling the sense that you have earned it.

On a greater scale, we are willing to work with a nation that has no time for the human condition. We import from China and we KNOW that they handle their people with an iron fist. We know that if you speak against the Chinese government or try to worship in a manner that does not serve the government, you simply disappear.

We can see this same example in third world countries. There are countless charities wanting to feed the starving children of the world. And yes it is awful and horrific. However, they are starving by design. Get rid of the oppressive communist and socialist governments that are keeping their people in ignorance and poverty and you will see an end to starvation.

We the people are a dichotomy. We are in a struggle with ourselves. We are facing an enemy within our own borders that must be neutralized otherwise we can look to the European countries as to what our fate will be. Dependency on the government and socialized anything will eventually destroy this nation and we must rectify this.

At the same time we must fight an enemy that hates us simply because we exist. There is no question in my mind this war must be won despite ourselves. The liberals have said this is a lost cause and now Republicans are getting wobbly. The events in the United Kingdom this past weekend are yet another wake up call to us. WAKE UP!! I want our government to pay attention to the 2nd Amendment. I will maintain my right as an American citizen to keep and bear arms, but I also expect my government to maintain our militia. Give our soldiers what they need to win this war against terror!!

I anticipate as do many others there will be an attempt to stifle our voices. The Fairness Doctrine will be our penance for shutting down the Amnesty Bill. Our soldiers need us to support them, not just by proclaiming, "We support you" but we need to rise up again and make sure that our government does as we ask. Secure our borders and fund our troops so we can win this war. Let them fight this war.

Mine is but a small voice but I will use it to my fullest ability.

So, on Wednesday, take a moment and look at our American flag...

She is indeed a grand old flag... She symbolizes everything that is good in this nation of ours and please....

Remember...

Tell your child about her... about how our flag IS still there...



Happy Independence Day.

The Star-Spangled Banner

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
- Francis Scott Key

Have a great week everyone!

Cuba and Terrorism

My friend Carlo, an Italian blogger at I Diavoli Neri, has painstakingly translated the following post from Italian to English and has asked that I cross post it here. Carlo focuses on terrorism and his European perspective would be beneficial to Americans. Patriotic Italians are watching their beloved country disappear... it should be a cautionary tale for all of us here in the United States.... Visit Carlo often.

My apologies to Carlo for not getting this posted sooner. He and his colleagues put a lot of research into this piece. If you are interested I can forward several links and books that were used to write this post.

“The people and the governments of Iran and Cuba can put the United States of America on their knees.”

International terrorism is an evil that attacks without making distinctions. It is a tie that joins those that use death and destruction as instruments to seed terror among the people whom they want to subdue. The targets are usually innocent victims used in order to leave tangible proof of their ability to bring damage. Contemporary terrorism is an effort aimed to tear apart and destroy the established democratic order. Its power is based on the degree of coldness with which it brings to term the crime. We are not speaking about isolated groups of disconnected actions, but of a solidly structured international net in which various keys of reading the phenomenon can be found. Masked by ideologies or religions, they share deep nexuses with the most ominous of the feelings: hatred.

“Above all we must maintain our hatred alive and feed it until the paroxysm”, these are the words of the guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara shortly before his death. His message of goodbye indicated the use of hatred as an instrument to fight with. “Intransigents hatred towards the enemy takes the human being beyond his limits and makes him a cold and selective machine in order to kill”.

This macabre message became the official creed of every Cuban sent to fight in international wars and the philosophy of every contemporary group of guerrillas.

During the last 40 years, international terrorism has had an ominous godfather in the figure of Fidel Castro.

The president of the United States, George W.Bush, as answer to the terrorist attacks of 11th Septembers 2001 has perceived that the guilty will not escape and not even those who host or protect them. Just look in the direction 90 miles south of Florida and you’ll find a paradise for terrorists and fugitives that live under the protection of the Cuban regimen.
At the evidence of the recent facts, as the arrest of Ana Belèn Montes, civil employee of the Department of the defence (the Pentagon) of the United States, accused of being a spy of Cuba and arrested ten days after the 11 attacks of September, rises series questions.

Which role plays Fidel Castro in the sale of information to the terrorist countries? The arrests and the sentences of five spies (in reality they are 11 but there hasn’t been any mention of them *) of the call Avispa Net and the admissions of guilt from part of the remaining seven members have cleared that more than to spy on exiled Cuban the priorities for Cuba was possession of information on the American military bases and the introduction of weapons through the islands of Florida.

The island of Cuba for its privileged vicinity to the United States continues to be a springboard for the contraband.

A day before the attacks against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon has been published the news of the arrest of four Chinese citizens responsible of traffic of human beings, who, for the cost of 60.000 dollars per person introduced clandestine in American territory making them pass through Cuba and other islands of the Caribbean’s. An other fact worthy of attention: three Afghanistan citizens were arrested on the Cayman Islands have been accused of being entered illegally in American territory, coming from Cuba. Even more worrisome is the testimony of an Afghan deserter who was trained in one of the camps of Osama Bin Laden in mountains of Kunar. He has testified of the presence of Sudanese, Libyan and Cuban chemical weapons.
How not to believe that Fidel Castro is still a key person in the logistic aid to the international terrorism?
It’s very probable that the disinformation supplied by the spy Belen Montes has changed the general perception making to believe that Castro does not represent a threat for the United States. Instead his arrest right after the 11th of September evidence that the perception has changed.
The annual report of the American Department of State that designs the profiles of the protagonists of the world-wide terrorism includes Cuba in the list of the states connected with the terrorism. The American secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld, has spoken to the television net CBS last year in order to evidence the connection: “we know which states figure in the list of the terrorist countries, the Irak is one of these, like Syria, North Korea, Cuba and also the Libya. We know that these states have supplied protection and attendance to terrorist organizations in order to carry to term terrorist action in other countries”.
Secretary Rumsfeld has emphasized that these countries are very active in programs of chemical and bacteriological war.
Osama Bin Laden is considered the main one in charge of the crime that has cost the life of more than 6000 civil citizens on the 11th September. But facts as these are the result of the actions of extremists who have found formation, training, and economic and professional support in a wide international terrorist net.

For more than 40 years Cuba has been one key factor in such net of the terror.
The recent arrest of the “ambassador” of the Irish army Niall Connolly, sent to collaborate with the Columbian guerrilla, has rendered public the fact that the Irish terrorist Sien Fein lives and operates in Cuba for the last five years and has contacted the Columbian guerrilla with the aid of the Cuban intelligence agencies. The foreign minister of Spain, without worrying of the interests of the Spanish investors on the island, has accused the Havana of giving asylum and logistic support to the Basque terrorists of the ETA. Ieng Sary, one of the heads of the Khmer Rossi, in charge of the murder of more than two million Cambodians, has bought a small farm at Cuba to escape from the justice and “to live in peace”. FBI has denounced that Cuba accommodates at least 77 persons wanted by the American justice. The visit of Fidel Castro on May of 2001 in the Arabic countries and his provocative declarations against the government of America, gives the prove of the role that still today Cuba plays as epicentre of the international terrorism.

According to the newspaper Ettelaat, Fidel Castro has been received by hundred of students of the Tarbiate-Modarres University of Tehran, who shouted: “guerrilla! Guerrilla!” The answer of the godfather of the narcoterrorism has been, according to the Kayhan newspaper: “There’s only one remaining Sha in the world, and that Sha is the American imperialism ........ close to my native land. It’s a profiteer Sha, and therefore as the one of the Iran has been taken down, also this Sha will fall”.

The Cuban connection with the international terrorism was born in the beginning of sixties. Under the cover of doctors and teachers thousands of Cubans were sent in Algeria.

Only two years later there was the Marxist military coup in that region.

The new leader of Zanzibar took control of the African island in 1964 after he had passed three years training himself and his men at Cuba.
John Okello triggered a slaughter comparable to the one of Fidel Castro when he took the power in 1959. Using terror Cuba created a solid operating base in the continent Africa where they trained guerrillas of low price to be exported, as courtesy of Fidel Castro.
In Guinea the Cuban councilmen were “genizaros” who accompanied Francisco Macias Nguema until the term of his reign of the terror, in charge of the death of 50 thousand of the 350 thousand citizens of the former Spanish colony.
In the summer of the 1968 the range of action was increased.
The Soviet Union, which thanks to the generous economic subsidies removed Cuba its self-determination, asked Fidel Castro to deliver the command of his politics to the Kremlin and to put his intelligence agencies at disposal of the K.g.b. Just during that summer, the Arabic Communists gathered at Moscow, received the order to infiltrate spies in the Palestinian armed movement. The Soviet master gave the orders and Cuba executed them, rendering its territory land of training of terrorists of several tendencies and nationalities.
The bases for these subversive operations were created in January of 1966.
At the Tricontinental Conference in Havana, to which assisted 513 delegated representatives of 83 groups of the third world: the base was the conviction to undertake the Armed Struggle against imperialism; Fidel Castro opened the doors of Cuba to the terrorism with its unconditioned support to all the revolutionary movements of the world.
From that moment the new front was an organization, with it’s headquarters in Cuba, of solidarity with the African, Asiatic and Latin American countries, known to us with the name OSPAAL. Its first general secretary was the famous murderer Osmany Cienfuegos. His cruelty in locking up more than 100 prisoners in a watertightly closed truck and the consequence of the deathf for asphyxia of many of these, conferred him all the titles for this new assignment.
The radical left of Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America, has remained united to bless Fidel Castro in his disheartening language of the violence.
Disorders were created in France, Germany, in the Universities of the United States and in Turkey. The noise of the weapons jolt also Japan with the lead of the extremist Zengakuren. The violence burst in the Basque territories and in North Ireland.

In every single hotbed has been found the Cuban presence.

The doctrine of the red book of Mao Tse Tung and the logorrhoea rhetorical of Fidel Castro contaminated the minds of the young people and in the meantime at Beirut, George Habash inaugurated a new style of terrorism sending a command to divert an airplane of El Al at Rome, where another protect of Fidel Castro, the outlandish billionaire Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, made public appeal to the guerrilla war.
At Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Maringhella published the mini manual of the guerrilla, and the Havana took charge of its distribution. Fidel Castro received thousand of Soviet technicians who imposed the voluntary of Kremlin.
One of the most important was Victor Simenov which was put at the head of the General Direction office of Cuban counter intelligence (DGI).
All international terrorist movements of the time had a debit with the Havana. All received training at Cuba and economic and logistic aids in the Cuban embassies all over the world.
A colonel of the K.g.b., certain Vadim Kotchergine was the person in charge to make sure that Fidel Castro wouldn’t carry out his apocalyptic plans of destruction.
The demand of Castro to Nikita Khrushchev to launch missiles towards the United States during the Crisis of October was a warning for the Soviets not to leave the liberty of decisions to the “crazy Caribbean”.
In the beginning of the seventies, a deserter of the DGI, Orlando Castro Hidalgo, testified in front of the American Senate. Castro Hidalgo illustrated the complex net of support that Cuba offered through its embassies to the terrorist movements.
Money, airplane tickets, lodging, passports and visas were only some of the facilities that Cuba dispensed generously, while its population was victim of poverty, made official by the rationing ticket.
Later his superior commander and head of the Cuban mission in France, Armando Lopez Orta, a general of the DGI who operated with the coded name of “Archimedes”, was expelled from France in order to have given logistic support to Carlos Ilich Ramirez, the famous Venezuelan terrorist (remember the nationality and make the pair with Chavez) called “the jackal”. The Cuban embassies all over the world fed one complex net of terrorists and began also to put into effect recruitment on wide scale.

An other official of the DGI, Adalberto Quintana, became important for the development of a complex net that expanded quickly all over the world. The “Brigadas Venceremos” were created with the scope to destabilize the “enemy of the north”. Thousand of American students were trained to the art of creating chaos in large-scale, encourage riots and violent action. There are documents of the lessons given in the training fields of Cuba: the ingenuous Americans were deceived of facts as in lack of weapons a piece of wood with a nail can be as effective as a gun.

Later the Sandinistas and the Palestinian were those who enjoyed the greater attention regarding the training. The soldiers who carried the terror in Nicaragua in the Sandinista age were all trained in Cuba.
Then arrived Yasser Arafat together with George Habash in Havana in order to create the bases for the beginning of a long one and continues Cuban cooperation with the Palestinian movements and the terrorist regimes in medium orient that are still today in power. The complex net of support offered from the Cuban embassies to Syria and the Libya serves as cover for the terrorist groups of the Middle East.
In the United States at time the Cuban ambassador to the UN, Ricardo Alarcon, supported the Palestinian openly. The Cuban embassy at Cyprus supplied weapons to the OLP.
In 1978 as documented by the Lebanese press, the first “Cuban councilmen” arrived in the OLP training fields. In the same year Reuter’s agency confirmed that thousands of adept’s of the OLP received training in Cuba.
This was the result of the agreement signed by Castro and Arafat for the military cooperation and the supply of weapons to the Palestinian territories.
Fidel Castro didn’t miss to manifest for the umpteenth time his anti-imperialism denouncing the agreements of Camp David as “betrayal” (and the push of the world-wide left made them shipwreck when it seemed that the peace was on hand, writers note).
An year later the English newspaper The Economist revealed unquestionable proof of the cooperation between Cuba and OLP in order to offer training to the guerrillas.
This time the scene would have been the Central America. Once again the plague of the armed conflicts that threatened the western hemisphere had its origins in Havana.
In the south Yemen an other front of cooperation with Cuba had been created. The guerrilla training from Cuban instructors was received from Germans of de Baader Meinhof to the Japanese, Turks, Iranians, Armenians, curdi, Italians and French.
In Algeria similar conditions for the training of the Polisario front was created with the aid of Cuban staff masked as doctors and teachers.
In 1980 when Muammar Gheddafi took under his protection the Basque terrorists 150 Cuban instructors were in charge of training the Basques who still today seed terror in Spain.
The cooperation of Cuba with Syria and Lebanon proved important in the destitution of the Sha of Persia in Iran.
The activities reached the point that, according to the Swiss newspaper Journal de Geneva, Sam missiles were transported together with a contingent by Soviet ships that disembarked in the Arabic country with fake passports, working permissions and optimal acquaintance of the dialects and the habits of the various countries of the zone.
Courtesy of Cuba, many of them had been perfectly trained on the art of the city guerrilla, the fight in the desert, demolition operations and sabotage to oil installations etc.
These tactics, later, would have been taught to the Columbian guerrillas of the FARC (Fuerzas armadas revolucionarias colombianas) and to the ELN Army of national liberation that still today have active bases in Cuba.
In that period in all Cuba rises camps that have been used for the training of various Latin American groups like the Montoneros Argentine, the Tupamaros Uruguayan and Luminous Sendero in Perù. In less than 3 months an inexpert young person acquired the authority in the use of explosives, sabotage and city guerrilla.
Once again Cuba was in charge of the spilling of blood in the American continent. And in eighties the export of the terror took a militarist fold when the Cuban troops reached Africa and the Arabic countries.
NATO sources in Brussels informed that among the corpses recovered in the North Yemen there were Cubans.
Later the conflict in Angola left a wake of death and devastation with the aid of Cuban troops. Fidel Castro, as Osama Bin Laden is a harmful element that feeds himself of hatred in order to prevail his terrible doctrines.
Both expect to dominate the free societies through the terror. Both have passed the frontiers of theirs feuds in order to diffuse the terror in the humanity.
In the last Latin American apex at Panama, the president of the Salvador, Francisco Flores had the courage to face the Cuban dictator and remember him his responsibility in having scattered much blood in the Salvador while many other coward presidents remained mute.
The president George W. Bush has said that this war against terrorism will persecute and punish the guilty and their accomplices.

There is a phrase that upsets particularly the Cuban dictator: “either they are with us or they are with the terrorists” (the Italian government has made its choice).
The enormous file of Fidel Castro indicates that to the commander remains few friends.

Ninoska Perez Castellon
Miami, Florida
Settembre 2001

Three Years Ago

U.S. Army Sgt. Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin was captured in Iraq three years ago today. Please keep him in your prayers.

Please pray for his parents, Keith and Carolyn Maupin, who are beacons of hope and pillars of strength in our community.
The 2nd Annual Dinner and Dance Fundraiser --- Let Us Never Forget Scholarship Fundraiser will be held this evening.

WCPO

Community Press

Yellow Ribbon Support Center - go here for details on the dinner/dance and to also see what the Maupin's and our community are doing to keep hope alive.

And just in case anyone has forgotten, Matt was captured by terrorists.

Matt Maupin has been promoted in absentia three times, most recently to Staff Sergeant.

photo courtesy of 724th Transportation Company

"LOVE NEVER LOSES IT'S WAY HOME"

Terrorism Realities

No Wednesday movie trailer... Instead watch this-- a video made by a friend of a friend.... It's a little over 4 minutes, but well worth the time... It's good to remember... why we need to support the troops... why we need to support the mission...

Part Two A - The Muslim Brotherhood

Sunny - Hi 109 Lo 79 for Baghdad, Iraq
Rain - Hi 65 Lo 51 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: Don't Panic, Coldplay

Ramble:

All right... I'm in a grumpy mood because I somehow deleted the guts of my post from last week.... crap!!

Be that as it may, I wanted to pick up where I left off a couple of weeks ago. I started here with a Timeline of Islamic Terrorist Attacks.

However, I need to first back up a bit. My interest in understanding the historical basis for this deep seeded hatred for the United States came from Jedi Master Rob's post...Same As It Ever Was. Rob explored the early history of Islam and where the two tribes Sunni and Shia (Sharia) originated. If you don't understand or were unaware (like me) of these buidling blocks of history, please go read it now- read it here.

"The result of these medieval Islamic wars are still very much alive in the opposing "Sunna" and "Shia" (Sharia) factions. The Sunni who are descended in religious and political thought from Yazid and refer to themselves as the "Followers of Tradition" and the "Shia" (Sharia) who still hold true to the claims that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the true successor to Muhamad."

OK... My intentions are to explore one terrorist organization at a time as I complete research. This is a lot of work and I was never good at researching things... especially now with the internet and since I am self diagnosed ADD... I tend to stray from my subject... for instance... in looking for information on the Muslim Brotherhood I ended up looking at some information on archeologists studying current day Egypt and the Great Pyramid of Giza and the similarities with the Mayan pyramids... go figure...

I am starting with the Muslim Brotherhood because it is still active today, but more importantly it has spawned many many deadly organizations of which I will explore one by one eventually...

Muslim Brotherhood
aka:
Muslim Brothers
al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin
Jama'at al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun
Hizb Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon
al-Ikhwan ("The Brothers")

Their credo: "God is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way, and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations."

The Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, a son of an imam (faith teacher or prayer leader). At the age of 12 years old, al Banna became a member of the Sufi order. Traditional orders assert that almost all the famous Sufi masters of the Islamic Caliphate times were also experts in Shia and were renowned as people with great faith and excellent practice. Many were also Shia law judges. They held that Sufism was never distinct from Islam and to fully comprehend and live correct with Sufism one must be a practicing Muslim obeying the Shia (Sharia).

"Al-Banna based his ideas that Islam was not only a religious observance, but a comprehensive way of life, on the tenets of Wahhabism, better known today as "Islamism", and he supplemented the traditional Islamic education for the Society's male students with jihadia training.

The Brotherhood grew as a popular movement over the next 20 years, encompassing not only religion and education, but also politics, through the Party of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon. It blamed the Egyptian government for being passive against "Zionists" and joined the Palestinian side in the war against Israel; and started performing terrorist acts inside of Egypt, which led to a ban on the movement by the Egyptian government. A Muslim Brother assassinated the Prime Minister of Egypt, Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi, on December 28, 1948. Al-Banna himself was killed by government agents in Cairo in February, 1949.

The Egyptian government legalized the Brotherhood again in 1948, but only as a religious organization; it was banned again in 1954 because it insisted that Egypt be governed under shari'a (Islamic law).

Abdul Munim Abdul Rauf, a Brotherhood activist, attempted to assassinate Egyptian President Nasser in 1954 and was executed, along with five other Brothers. Four thousand Brothers were also arrested, and thousands more fled to Syria, Saudia Arabia, Jordan, and Lebanon.

In 1964, Nasser granted amnesty to the imprisoned Brothers, hoping that their release would weaken interest in the recently formed Arab Socialist Union party; the result was three more assassination attempts by the Brothers on Nasser’s life. The top leaders of the Brotherhood were executed in 1966, and many others were imprisoned.

Nasser's successor, Anwar-as-Sadat, promised the Brothers that shari'a would be implemented as the Egyptian law and released all of the Brotherhood prisoners; however, the Brothers lost their trust in Sadat when he signed the peace agreement with Israel in 1979; four Brothers assassinated Sadat in September, 1981.

Although officially banned by the Egyptian government since 1954, the Muslim Brothers captured 17 seats in the Egyptian Parliament running as independents; they also hold important offices in professional organizations in Egypt.

Today, a very complex financial network connects the operations of over seventy branches of the Muslim Brothers worldwide. During the Muslim Brothers' seventy-plus years of existence, there have been cycles of growth, followed by divisions into factions, including clandestine financial networks, and violent jihad groups, such as al-Jihad and al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya in Egypt, HAMAS in Palestine and mujahideen groups in Afghanistan."

Today, Hassan al Banna's grandson, Tariq Ramadan advocates that:

"[...]Muslims living in the West should not view themselves as foreigners or temporary residents of their countries, but rather as full citizens with full rights and responsibilities. In some respects, he argues for integration and not alienation from the surrounding society. Indeed, the main theme of his book, To Be a European Muslim attempts to bridge the gap between being a Muslim and being European.

He also advocates that immigrant parents not confuse culture with religion. So, Muslims born in Western countries should adopt the tastes and cultural norms of their country, and not those of their parents' homeland. "

Neither Europe nor the West can survive, if we continue to attempt to define ourselves by excluding, and by distancing ourselves from, the Other-from Islam, from the Muslims-whom we fear. Perhaps what Europe needs most today is not a dialogue with other civilizations, but a true dialogue with itself, with those facets of itself that it has for too long refused to recognize, that even today prevent it from fully benefiting from the richness of its constituent religious and philosophical traditions. Europe must learn to reconcile itself with the diversity of its past in order to master the imperative pluralism of its future."

In 2004, Tariq was to relocate to South Bend, Indiana to teach at Notre Dame. The Department of Homeland Security revoked his Visa without providing a reason. (This was one of those moments where we needed to trust our government to do the right thing and not question why this decision was made-- if a source proves to be viable, lets not expose it for the bad guys to see).

The darling of the New York Times, Tariq Ramadan offers commentary and opinion on his thoughts on the Pope's remarks about Islam here. Read it carefully and completely...

Tariq from what I have found on the internet speaks softly and calmly of peace and assimilation with Americans and Europeans. However, he speaks of violence and death to other Muslims. Doublespeak...

So, make no mistake, while blatant acts of terrorism are occurring, a battle is being waged on an intellectual front as well. We must be vigilant to all of it...

Related Articles:

Front Page - France's Wake Up Call 12/23/03
ACLU - New York Times, Time Magazine and the ACLU love Tariq....
The Counterterrorism Blog

Sources:

CDI
Wikipedia
Terroris Exclusion List
ICT - Institute for Counter Terrorism
Council on Foreign Relations
Passia
Jewish Virtual Library
Council on Foreign Relations
FAS - Federation of American Scientists

Housekeeping:

I am still reading through Project 2996 and it is slow going, but I promised myself I would read every single tribute. In the meantime I have placed two tabs at the top of my blog- one for 2996 and one to my tribute for Marion.

Have a great week everyone!

Part One - Timeline of Islamic Terrorist Attacks

For whom the bell tolls...

Tomorrow marks the five year anniversary of a vicious and hateful attack to our country and countrymen. Instead of doing a timeline of the events that occurred on that day or offering my personal reflections of that day's events (because I have discussed it several time in this forum), I decided to collect data on as many terrorist attacks as I could find that spanned my lifetime (+/-5 years)to obtain a larger more historical picture of those awful events. The information becomes almost repetitive and even mind numbing, but it is critical to have a timeline to understand that the hatred Islamofascists have for us is significant and not fleeting. I have commented on some below.

Attack on the Munich Airport, February 10, 1970: Three terrorists attacked El Al passengers in a bus at the Munich Airport with guns and grenades. One passenger was killed and 11 were injured. All three terrorists were captured by airport police. The Action Organization for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack.

Munich Olympic Massacre, September 5, 1972: Eight Palestinian "Black September" terrorists seized eleven Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich, West Germany. In a bungled rescue attempt by West German authorities, nine of the hostages and five terrorists were killed.

Ambassador to Sudan Assassinated, March 2, 1973: U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Cleo A. Noel and other diplomats were assassinated at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum by members of the Black September organization.

Attack and Hijacking at the Rome Airport, December 17, 1973: Five terrorists pulled weapons from their luggage in the terminal lounge at the Rome airport, killing two persons. They then attacked a Pan American 707 bound for Beirut and Tehran, destroying it with incendiary grenades and killing 29 persons, including 4 senior Moroccan officials and 14 American employees of ARAMCO. They then herded 5 Italian hostages into a Lufthansa airliner and killed an Italian customs agent as he tried to escape, after which they forced the pilot to fly to Beirut. After Lebanese authorities refused to let the plane land, it landed in Athens, where the terrorists demanded the release of 2 Arab terrorists. In order to make Greek authorities comply with their demands, the terrorists killed a hostage and threw his body onto the tarmac. The plane then flew to Damascus, where it stopped for two hours to obtain fuel and food. It then flew to Kuwait, where the terrorists released their hostages in return for passage to an unknown destination. The Palestine Liberation Organization disavowed the attack, and no group claimed responsibility for it.

Ambassador to Afghanistan Assassinated, February 14, 1979: Four Afghans kidnapped U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs in Kabul and demanded the release of various "religious figures." Dubs was killed, along with four alleged terrorists, when Afghan police stormed the hotel room where he was being held.

Iran Hostage Crisis, November 4, 1979: After President Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the US, Iranian radicals seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until their release on January 20, 1981.
- this act of terrorism gave us Ted Koppel and Nightline.

Grand Mosque Seizure, November 20, 1979: 200 Islamic terrorists seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, taking hundreds of pilgrims hostage. Saudi and French security forces retook the shrine after an intense battle in which some 250 people were killed and 600 wounded.

Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut, April 18, 1983: Sixty-three people, including the CIA's Middle East director, were killed and 120 were injured in a 400-pound suicide truck-bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. - I was about to graduate from high school when this happened. I had just turned 18. I can't recall any of my classmates enlisting in the military - everyone was going on to college or a tech school or straight into a job. Earlier that year I had discussed with my family, including my uncle that I thought joining the Marines might be an option for me. Uncle Steve and everyone else all said... no way. Uncle Steve at the time was a recruiter for the Marines. He retired as a master gunnery sergeant. (a true ramble)

Bombing of Marine Barracks, Beirut, October 23, 1983:Simultaneous suicide truck-bomb attacks were made on American and French compounds in Beirut, Lebanon. A 12,000-pound bomb destroyed the U.S. compound, killing 242 Americans, while 58 French troops were killed when a 400-pound device destroyed a French base. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. - I didn't get it. I didn't understand the significance, the symbolism. There was a civil war going on, but who cared? Right?


Kidnapping of Embassy Official, March 16, 1984: The Islamic Jihad kidnapped and later murdered Political Officer William Buckley in Beirut, Lebanon. Other U.S. citizens not connected to the U.S. government were seized over a succeeding two-year period.

TWA Hijacking, June 14, 1985: A Trans-World Airlines flight was hijacked en route to Rome from Athens by two Lebanese Hizballah terrorists and forced to fly to Beirut. The eight crew members and 145 passengers were held for seventeen days, during which one American hostage, a U.S. Navy sailor, was murdered. After being flown twice to Algiers, the aircraft was returned to Beirut after Israel released 435 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners.
- The images of the pilot with a gun to his head calmly answering questions on the evening news will be burned in my mind for the rest of my life. - Robert Stethem was tortured and murdered and thrown from this plane. His body was so badly broken and ruined that he could not be identified. It took fingerprints to confirm that this young man- this young United States Sailor was indeed Robert Stethem. One of his murderers was Mohammed Ali Hammadi. You may recall that Hammadi was released from prison in Germany...what... for good behavior?!

Air India Bombing, June 23, 1985: A bomb destroyed an Air India Boeing 747 over the Atlantic, killing all 329 people aboard. Both Sikh and Kashmiri terrorists were blamed for the attack. Two cargo handlers were killed at Tokyo airport, Japan, when another Sikh bomb exploded in an Air Canada aircraft en route to India.

Soviet Diplomats Kidnapped, September 30, 1985: In Beirut, Lebanon, Sunni terrorists kidnapped four Soviet diplomats. One was killed but three were later released.

Achille Lauro Hijacking, October 7, 1985: Four Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists seized the Italian cruise liner in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, taking more than 700 hostages. One U.S. passenger was murdered before the Egyptian government offered the terrorists safe haven in return for the hostages’ freedom.
- This attack inflames me. Leon Klinghoffer an American Jew on holiday with his wife celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary was singled out. The man was confined to a wheel chair. He was shot in the forehead at point blank range. He was shot in the chest just to make sure and then Leon and his wheelchair were dumped over the side of the ship. His murderer Abu Abbas was was captured in Iraq in 2003 by American forces while he was trying to flee to safety. Italy wanted him bad, but he died of natural causes while in American custody.

Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, November 23, 1985: An EgyptAir airplane bound from Athens to Malta and carrying several U.S. citizens was hijacked by the Abu Nidal Group.

Airport Attacks in Rome and Vienna, December 27, 1985: Four gunmen belonging to the Abu Nidal Organization attacked the El Al and Trans World Airlines ticket counters at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport with grenades and automatic rifles. Thirteen persons were killed and 75 were wounded before Italian police and Israeli security guards killed three of the gunmen and captured the fourth. Three more Abu Nidal gunmen attacked the El Al ticket counter at Vienna's Schwechat Airport, killing three persons and wounding 30. Austrian police killed one of the gunmen and captured the others.

Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986: A Palestinian splinter group detonated a bomb as TWA Flight 840 approached Athens airport, killing four U.S. citizens.

Berlin Discoteque Bombing, April 5, 1986: Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 79 American servicemen were injured in a Libyan bomb attack on a nightclub in West Berlin, West Germany. In retaliation U.S. military jets bombed targets in and around Tripoli and Benghazi.

Kidnapping of William Higgins, February 17, 1988: U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel W. Higgins was kidnapped and murdered by the Iranian-backed Hizballah group while serving with the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization (UNTSO) in southern Lebanon.

Naples USO Attack, April 14, 1988: The Organization of Jihad Brigades exploded a car-bomb outside a USO Club in Naples, Italy, killing one U.S. sailor.

Pan Am 103 Bombing, December 21, 1988: Pan American Airlines Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, by a bomb believed to have been placed on the aircraft by Libyan terrorists in Frankfurt, West Germany. All 259 people on board were killed.

Bombing of UTA Flight 772, September 19, 1989: A bomb explosion destroyed UTA Flight 772 over the Sahara Desert in southern Niger during a flight from Brazzaville to Paris. All 170 persons aboard were killed. Six Libyans were later found guilty in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17, 1992: Hizballah claimed responsibility for a blast that leveled the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, causing the deaths of 29 and wounding 242.

World Trade Center Bombing, February 26, 1993: The World Trade Center in New York City was badly damaged when a car bomb planted by Islamic terrorists exploded in an underground garage. The bomb left 6 people dead and 1,000 injured. The men carrying out the attack were followers of Umar Abd al-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric who preached in the New York City area.

Attempted Assassination of President Bush by Iraqi Agents, April 14, 1993: The Iraqi intelligence service attempted to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait. In retaliation, the U.S. launched a cruise missile attack 2 months later on the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Kashmiri Hostage-taking, July 4, 1995: In India six foreigners, including two U.S. citizens, were taken hostage by Al-Faran, a Kashmiri separatist group. One non-U.S. hostage was later found beheaded.

Jerusalem Bus Attack, August 21, 1995: HAMAS claimed responsibility for the detonation of a bomb that killed 6 and injured over 100 persons, including several U.S. citizens.

Saudi Military Installation Attack, November 13, 1995: The Islamic Movement of Change planted a bomb in a Riyadh military compound that killed one U.S. citizen, several foreign national employees of the U.S. government, and over 40 others.

Egyptian Embassy Attack, November 19, 1995: A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the Egyptian Embassy compound in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least 16 and injuring 60 persons. Three militant Islamic groups claimed responsibility

HAMAS Bus Attack, February 26, 1996: In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber blew up a bus, killing 26 persons, including three U.S. citizens, and injuring some 80 persons, including three other US citizens.

Dizengoff Center Bombing, March 4, 1996: HAMAS and the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) both claimed responsibility for a bombing outside of Tel Aviv's largest shopping mall that killed 20 persons and injured 75 others, including 2 U.S. citizens.

West Bank Attack, May 13, 1996: Arab gunmen opened fire on a bus and a group of Yeshiva students near the Bet El settlement, killing a dual U.S./Israeli citizen and wounding three Israelis. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but HAMAS was suspected

Empire State Building Sniper Attack, February 23, 1997: A Palestinian gunman opened fire on tourists at an observation deck atop the Empire State Building in New York City, killing a Danish national and wounding visitors from the United States, Argentina, Switzerland, and France before turning the gun on himself. A handwritten note carried by the gunman claimed this was a punishment attack against the "enemies of Palestine."
- I do not remember this. Shame on me.

Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, September 4, 1997: Three suicide bombers of HAMAS detonated bombs in the Ben Yehuda shopping mall in Jerusalem, killing eight persons, including the bombers, and wounding nearly 200 others. A dual U.S./Israeli citizen was among the dead, and 7 U.S. citizens were wounded.

Murder of U.S. Businessmen in Pakistan, November 12, 1997: Two unidentified gunmen shot to death four U.S. auditors from Union Texas Petroleum Corporation and their Pakistani driver after they drove away from the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi. The Islami Inqilabi Council, or Islamic Revolutionary Council, claimed responsibility in a call to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. In a letter to Pakistani newspapers, the Aimal Khufia Action Committee also claimed responsibility.

Tourist Killings in Egypt, November 17, 1997: Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (IG) gunmen shot and killed 58 tourists and four Egyptians and wounded 26 others at the Hatshepsut Temple in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. Thirty-four Swiss, eight Japanese, five Germans, four Britons, one French, one Colombian, a dual Bulgarian/British citizen, and four unidentified persons were among the dead. Twelve Swiss, two Japanese, two Germans, one French, and nine Egyptians were among the wounded

Attack on U.S.S. Cole, October 12, 2000: In Aden, Yemen, a small dingy carrying explosives rammed the destroyer U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39 others. Supporters of Usama Bin Laden were suspected.
- Because of my job - I think about this every single solitary day...

Bus Stop Bombing, April 22, 2001: A member of HAMAS detonated a bomb he was carrying near a bus stop in Kfar Siva, Israel, killing one person and injuring 60.

Philippines Hostage Incident, May 27, 2001: Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrillas seized 13 tourists and 3 staff members at a resort on Palawan Island and took their captives to Basilan Island. The captives included three U.S. citizens: Guellermo Sobero and missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham. Philippine troops fought a series of battles with the guerrillas between June 1 and June 3 during which 9 hostages escaped and two were found dead. The guerrillas took additional hostages when they seized the hospital in the town of Lamitan. On June 12, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya claimed that Sobero had been killed and beheaded; his body was found in October. The Burnhams remained in captivity until June 2002.

Tel-Aviv Nightclub Bombing, June 1, 2001: HAMAS claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a popular Israeli nightclub that caused over 140 casualties.

HAMAS Restaurant Bombing, August 9, 2001: A HAMAS-planted bomb detonated in a Jerusalem pizza restaurant, killing 15 people and wounding more than 90. The Israeli response included occupation of Orient House, the Palestine Liberation Organization's political headquarters in East Jerusalem.

Suicide Bombing in Israel, September 9, 2001: The first suicide bombing carried out by an Israeli Arab killed 3 persons in Nahariya. HAMAS claimed responsibility.

Death of "the Lion of the Panjshir", September 9, 2001: Two suicide bombers fatally wounded Ahmed Shah Massoud, a leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, which had opposed both the Soviet occupation and the post-Soviet Taliban government. The bombers posed as journalists and were apparently linked to al-Qaida. The Northern Alliance did not confirm Massoud's death until September 15.

Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Homeland, September 11, 2001: Two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Soon thereafter, the Pentagon was struck by a third hijacked plane. A fourth hijacked plane, suspected to be bound for a high-profile target in Washington, crashed into a field in southern Pennsylvania. The attacks killed 3,025 U.S. citizens and other nationals. President Bush and Cabinet officials indicated that Usama Bin Laden was the prime suspect and that they considered the United States in a state of war with international terrorism. In the aftermath of the attacks, the United States formed the Global Coalition Against Terrorism.

... and we know terrorism has not stopped.... it continues and we must be vigilant. We must not forget. We must not put our heads in the sand. We must demand that our elected officials stop playing politics. This isn't a game. The common thread in all the attacks is that there is a deep seeded hatred for us.

According to them, we must submit or die. That is their goal- it is just that simple.
...America - What is our goal? I hope it is live free or die...

All preceding information is an incomplete sampling of terrorist activity pulled directly from: U.S. Department of State - Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1961-2003: A Brief Chronology

Additional sources:
Religion of Peace
Steve Spak
Palestine Facts
Wikipedia
Terrorism
List of Current Terrorist Organizations ** please note: many of the "old" organizations have morphed or simply changed their name.
FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists!

Sunny - Hi 112 Lo 82 for Baghdad, Iraq
Partly Cloudy - Hi 79 Lo 61 for Northern KY, USA

Song of the week: For Whom The Bell Tolls, Metallica


...it tolls for thee.

Update: 30 September, 2006

I have received a positive response as well as many hits from Google and Yahoo searches on this blog entry. So, as I continue to research this topic, I will add links to the bottom of this post to keep everything organized and easy to find. I have also added a tab, Terrorism, at the top of my blog for easy access. Please let me know if you are interested in a specific terrorist organization and I will do my best to research and document my findings.

Part Two A: The Muslim Brotherhood - 9/24/06 a brief history on this old terrorist organization as well as some insight into the current voice of this group.

Letter from a soldier

Sunny Hi 120 Lo 90 for Baghdad, Iraq
Scattered Thunderstorms Hi 86 Lo 71 for NKY, USA

Song of the Week: Learn to Fly -- Foo Fighters

Good Morning!

Anyone that knows Michael and I knows how much we love an air show. Our usual goal is to hit both days of the Dayton Air Show and up to Cleveland at the end of the summer for a weekend of aviation entertainment. Yesterday we went to the Dayton Air Show. A number of issues were plaguing Saturdays events. A week ago today, one of the well known civilian acts, The Masters of Disaster took a huge blow- Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin were killed when they collided at an air show in Moose Jaw, Canada. Over the years, Michael and I have seen how close the air show community is and this was devastating. Jimmy Franklin, for those of you that may not be familiar was this guy... that flew a WACO bi-plane... one small modification, he had a jet engine mounted underneath... Talk about on the edge aerobatics... wow... My sympathy goes to the family and friends of these 2 pilots. They will be missed...

Jimmy Franklin
Bobby Younkin

In addition to the melancholy feel of the show, the weather was not cooperating. It rained off and on... The clouds were real low too, so the performers couldn't do a thing... An F-117 went up, but came right back down because he had an engine that went out... not good. We did get to see 2 F/A-18's, the Canadian version too, an F-15. Glacier Girl, a P-38 was to do the Heritage Flight with the F-15, but again, due to the low ceiling and crappy weather... no such luck...

Our biggest disappointment was not being able to see the F-22 Raptor. This is the brand new jet, it was only scheduled to appear at 4 air shows this season... Dayton, being one of them... oh well...

However, as a gentle reminder to myself, Rob Reider once said (prior to 9/11), "Air shows are probably one of the last places where a person can be patriotic without feeling silly about themselves."

So, amidst all our disappointment, we were then witness to something extraordinary. We watched a group of young men and women being inducted into the Air Force. I can't express how proud I am of them. I pray that God will keep you all safe and comfort your parents while you are away.

Now, the following letter is from Sgt. Michael O'Rourke. It was forwarded to me by Tom Fecher and Kyle Smithson. Please read the letter in its entirety as it is powerfully written and gives a vivid picture of what our troops must endure. It also gives us an opportunity to see into the heart of a soldier.

Sgt. O'Rourke: Thank you for allowing me to post your letter. Thank you for your service. Please know that I and countless others support you and your mission. Please be careful and come home safely.

It's been a time since I last wrote any account of my pleasant adventures here in Iraq. Naturally I'd like to write more oft, but slow computers and little time obviates that endeavor. Just so, I still manage to punch out a few words every now and then, as the following lines will testify:

From the foregoing events of late spring, I'd like to press on to July, more than two months subsequent to my last long e-mail. Life in Iraq isn't fun. Since my last, we have moved twice, been shot at a few times, responded to 3 or 4 bombings, and almost got bombed again. We (my platoon) were stationed a goodly ways north of Baghdad, but we moved in the beginning of June and re-joined our company in Rustamiyah. We stayed there for nearly two weeks then moved to this, our present location. A few noteworthy incidents which occurred while still up north were an accident and a bombing. I was involved in the former, but we merely responded to the latter.
The accident I speak of occurred around mid-May. We were doing a patrol along the highway when we saw a couple of Iraqis pulled over on the shoulder of the road. Following routine procedures, we attempted to circle them in our humvees but as my vehicle was getting in position, a big truck rammed into it with frightening suddenness. I guess the driver of the truck didn't realize we were doing a circular maneuver. Too, I think he was paying more attention to his fellow Iraqis on the side of the road than the road ahead of him. In any case, my gunner saw him hauling right at us and gave a shout of warning. My driver slammed on the breaks. The driver in the truck hit his breaks too, but it was too late; he smashed us. The collision could have been worse; nevertheless, my gunner up in the turret was injured. We had to call a medevac for him. He has been gone ever since. I believe he's in physical therapy right now back at Ft. Polk.

A few weeks following that accident, we received a mission to respond to an IED attack several leagues south of our base. When we arrived on the scene, we cordoned off the area, gathered intelligence, then took a look at the carnage wrought by the bomb. It wasn't an IED attack, but a VBIED attack. VBIED's are vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. They are usually placed in cars, driven by suicidal bombers, and are deadly. This particular one was driven by a suicidal insurgent from Syria, and we found pieces of him all over the street - a hand, his upper jaw, part of his face. The Syrian targeted a convoy, drove right for a humvee, then blew it - and himself - to kingdom come. The driver of the humvee was killed instantly, and the team leader had one of his arms blown off. These two soldiers were already taken away by the time we got there, but we saw the interior of the humvee... it was a ghastly sight. Most of us glared almost paralyzed, our brains refusing to acknowledge what our eyes were seeing. The suicidal bomber also killed a civilian in this attack, an innocent Iraqi just driving by at the wrong place and at the wrong time. His body was still there when we arrived, lifeless, in his driver's seat, with a horrid wound the size of a golf ball in his neck. Such grisly images are enough to shake a man to his soul's foundation.

-Next Day-
Anyway, that was back in May. For the most part, other than the two 'aforementioned incidents, the rest of our time up north proved uneventful. One night we had our tents ripped down by a terrific windstorm. Another time, we encountered an Iraqi family while out on patrol. Well, we were ostensibly doing a patrol... in truth, we were out in the desert doing some target shooting. The Iraqis - a man, his wife, and their four children - were out collecting brass casings for a pittance. One of the daughters, a dirty big-eyed child, started to roam from humvee to humvee trying dispiritedly to vend her plastic bracelets. I bought a few and slipped the girl a $50 bill. Fifty bucks is the equivalent of a small fortune by way of Iraqi currency. The little one flashed me a five-hundred watt smile, and I reckon her family will be eating well for the next four months. Alas, all generosity must be selfish. It makes you feel good all over. Most of the families we meet extol us and give us high acclaim - especially the children. Their favorite English phrase? "Saddam no good, Bush good."
All told, our time up north wasn't bad. We had a lot of time off, got plenty of rest, and even had some fun. That all changed when we joined our company in the beginning of June. Now, in the area of Baghdad, we run missions every day with little rest or respite.

To be sure, it (Baghdad) is a bloody dangerous place. Pictures are flat surfaces; descriptions are dead things - they don't prepare you for the staggering phenomenon of actual war. The insurgents are devils. In Iraq, all is a masquerade where men and women hide their real intentions with a smooth mask. But who is friend, and who is foe? The media back home would paint a pleasant picture of the typical Iraqi, but they have more faith in the Iraqi soul than I have; they aren't the ones getting car bombs and rpg's thrown down their collars.
About three weeks ago, my squad was traveling back to our FOB after doing a mission. It was getting late and darkness came swiftly in the city, seeming to flow in almost tangible waves down the black streets, and ooze out of the blacker entrances of the alleys and buildings. We were steering along when we suddenly heard the much feared, KABOOM. At first, I thought the bomb hit the vehicle behind me - like last time - but then I saw a white plume of smoke about 400 meters ahead of us. I also noticed that there was another convoy to our front, some other unit, and they were the ones that got hit. Well, my squad (three vehicles) immediately stopped and got into our defensive positions. As soon as we stopped, gunfire erupted. From which direction it came, I could but dimly guess. I knew the shots were close. When you hear gunfire, it sounds like, 'pop-pop-pop-pop,' kind of like a popcorn machine. When the fire is close and coming at you, however, it makes a loud 'CRACK.' We hit the ground, and that more than swiftly.
I make bold to remark that, whilst under such circumstances, I possess a certain equanimity that astonishes even myself. Oddly enough, I become most alive whilst under fire. Every sense is honed by the knowledge of the imminence of death. Primitive instincts, slumbering in the average man, are whetted to a razor's-edge by days of constant hazard. Every nerve, muscle, and artery in my body becomes steel and fire, bound together with the co-ordination, the fighting instinct, that makes a man a warrior.... Bah! Would that it were so! After we took cover on the ground, I remember fiddling with my night vision goggles. It was utterly damnable. I couldn't get the accursed things on. I tried to mount the device on my helmet, but I dropped the dadgasted bracket that attaches them. Night-time in Baghdad, bullets flying, bombs exploding, and O'Rourke crawling around the ground on all-fours looking for a piece of equipment he dropped - intense drama giving way to high comedy. I quickly concluded that, if I were to ever get the blamed goggles on, I'd have to take off my helmet in order to do it. A simple thing, but only a fool would take his helm off when bullets are a-flying. After a few minutes passed, we scampered back into our HUMVEE - it being nigh bulletproof - and I got on the radio with the rest of my squad. One of the other teams said the rounds were being fired at my position. The sergeant of the team said he saw tracers flying across the street from a housing area toward the general location of my truck. I told him we were safe and, for the time being, weren't about to move anywhere. I then took the opportunity to don my night vision goggles without mishap.
Once I was able to see, I re-positioned our vehicle so it blocked a road that entered the road wherein the bomb went off. Not a few cars came down that road, and we had to fire a few rounds in front of those vehicles so their drivers could see the error in their route. After about 30 minutes or so, a quick reaction force arrived. Through the spectral grayness of my night vision device, I vaguely saw a squad of these soldiers doing a foot patrol in the housing area across the street - the area where the shots were fired from. They stalked furtively from house to house like the embodied spirits of Vengeance and Retribution, seeking the doom of all insurgent kind. With the reaction force came a few translaters. A few members of my squad, along with an interpreter, scouted out a nearby home on our side of the road. Within one of the brick and mud buildings, they found an old Iraqi man who kept babbling something about the bomb that went off. The interpreters questioned him for about an hour, trying to gather some intel from the old fellow.

Meanwhile, a few more shots went screaming in the night. Somebody said it was warning shots fired by the unit ahead of us. Others said it was enemy fire. Nobody knew for sure. Then, from across the street, an eerie wailing began and the sound of it lent an eldritch feel to an already chaotic night. Evidently, across the street from where we were, there stood a mosque. I reckon it was prayer time in the Islam world, and every mosque in the country has loudspeakers on the outside of it. When time for prayer arrives, the speakers blare forth their weird and loud chants. The Muslim prayers were soon drowned out by three or four Apache helicopters which suddenly appeared overhead. The combination of it all provided a bizarre atmosphere, a surreal experience you'd expect to see in movies.. And it turned out to be a long, long night, weird, weary, dreary, and long. When it was finally all over with, we drove the remaining twelve or so miles back to the FOB, feeling glazed and unreal.

All is not bombs, missions, and gunfire. While we do stay busy, there are some hours of down-time and rest. Even on certain missions, there are times where we don't do much at all. At such times, I often fall into deep contemplation... Sometimes I sit and ponder these ancient lands once peopled by half-mythical races. How old is this realm? What do we really know about the Middle East of pre-history? Who lived here during the early ages? What vast empires lurked behind the dawn represented by Iraq and by Babylon? Maybe there were gigantic black cities from whose ruins the first Babylon rose, a last mirrored remnant of an age lost in the huge deep gulf of night...

.... By the way, if I seem drowsy and lacking in connection, please blame it on the heat and languor of war in Iraq during the summer-time..... But to continue with my philosophical digressions -

It has struck me suddenly and strangely to know the real truth about anything in life might require infinite experience and understanding. How could one feel immense gratitude and relief, or the delight in satisfying acute hunger, or the sweet comfort of rest, or the gratifying appeal of peace, unless there had been circumstances of extreme contrast? Such thoughts are doubtless contributed to my experiences here. When you are fighting, tooth and nail, against tyranny and exploitation, you see things differently. And yet, I am of the opinion that we are not really fighting people; we are fighting ideas, beliefs which are evil and which cannot exist in the same world in which the beliefs that made America are to be found.

-Another Day-
Our present duty involves patrolling the trash-littered streets of a little town called, Al ---. It seems every day we venture off to this little hamlet, there is a vast amount of buying, trading, and selling going on. The village is like one big bazaar. The streets and alleys are full of Arabs swapping donkeys, sheep, goats, carts, trucks, and the devil knows what else. The traders are generally a seedy and disreputable lot, who move about in trucks and wagons, living from hand to mouth and camping wherever night finds them. Most camp at the edge of the trading district, sometimes a dozen families together, where they would plunge into the business at hand. The Iraqi farmers usually come to Al --- with worthless produce and the noise of their arguments, assertions and refutations rivals the clamor you'd hear at a rock concert. There are men, women, and children selling blankets, rugs, brassware, shoeshines, chewing gum, straw baskets, pottery, clay vessels, fake mesoptamian relics, silver jewerly, cigarettes, dresses, arabian shirts, sandals, soft drinks, melons, and some kind of bread stuffed with God only knows what kind of meat. There is also evident poverty, beggars with missing limbs, dirty children with no shoes, stray mongrels, and there is a sense of hard life and hardship, of recent oppression.

Whenever we patrol up and down a lot of these crowded little streets, we are met by Iraqis with varying degrees of suspicion, indifference, secret amusement, and generosity. Our first mission here took place a couple of weeks ago. It was a late mission (we didn't leave the FOB until nearly 7:00 p.m.), and didn't arrive in the town until nearly 8:00 p.m. account of Iraqi traffic being thick, ugly, and dangerous. Our first OP was near some wandering donkey traders who were more or less a nuisance. For reasons that defy the imagination, a few of them thought they could swap a lean and mangy old ass for one of our humvees. When we told them, "Laa, laa, de-tif-te-him, laa," (No, no, do you understand, no!) the idiot Iraqis howled until it was a scandal to hear. They were actually serious about the trade.
Suddenly we heard a most outrageous outbreak of noise and clamor - more howls, blows, bellowings and the drum of flying hooves. Looking behind us, we saw a turbaned Arab careering down the street in a high state. He was trying to stand up in the bed of a wagon while another Arab, maybe his son, started screaming at the top of his voice, standing upright and pouring leather into the donkeys. The old man was beating the boy, the boy was beating the donkeys, and the asses were at a dead run straight toward us. Well, what do you do? We started yelling, "Awgaf, awgaf" (stop), and even pointed our weapons at the spectacle hurling its way toward us. VBIED's are a constant threat to us - even if they come in donkey-drawn carts - and we didn't know what to make of it, but we were prepared for the worst. Just when we were about to fire a warning shot in front of them, an old woman dressed in black started yelling something at the two individuals in the cart. The boy managed to control the donkeys, and the woman ran out and started waving her hands at the pair the while spewing forth some kind of heated invective that, though in Arabic, was enough to curdle even our toes. It was weird, strangely weird. It demanded some kind of explanation, but we never got one. About 10:30, a howling sandstorm came up to add to the general lunacy of the evening.

-Next Day- The 4th of July
I really have no grudge against an insurgent who wants to kill me. But there's a difference between the one's that bomb you, and the ones that try to shoot you. The difference is treachery, a difference sometimes intangible and nebulous, but nevertheless a real factor that cannot be ignored. The motive behind an act is not the only thing to be considered; the manner in which the act is carried out must also be considered. Look, you have two Iraqis - one aims to bomb me with an IED, the other wants to go after me with a gun. Both these men wish to maim, cripple, or kill me. But my feelings toward them are quite different. One is open in his attack, and I have a chance to defend myself. The other, the bomber, is subtle and underhand; he tries to get me without risk to himself, and without giving me a chance. It's the old business of treachery again... I'd rather a man simply swindle me out of $600 than knock me in the head and take it away from me. On the other hand, I'd have more respect for the latter, than for the man who writhes his way into my trust, or takes advantage of my situation. By respect, I mean it in a relative way; I have no respect whatever for a swindler; even less for an insurgent.

-Another day-
Battling these insurgents is like fighting a shadow who wields a club. You sense the presence of your enemy... You rush in savagely and futilely, mad to come to grips and smash his ribs in, but hitting only naked air; at the end of the fight you are groggy and dizzy, sick with a feeling of helpless futility. That's the damndest thing - getting punished fiercely by something you can't come to grips with. Punishment isn't so bad if you're handing it out at the same time. The other fellow may be strangling the life out of you, or ripping your ear off with his teeth, but if you're driving your knee to his groin, sinking your fists in his belly or have your thumb in his eye, you can stand the abuse. The hell of it comes when you're up against an enemy you can't hit, or are licked and down in the dirt with the other fellow stomping your guts out or grinding your face in with his boot soles. That's what war in Iraq is like - fighting shadows, taking lickings that you can't return.

For all of that, I believe we are making excellent progress in this war. Whenever we actually do have the opportunity to confront our enemies in open battle, they fall like ripe wheat before the farmer's scythe. Our forces have done good execution on many of them and, deep down, they know this - that is why they have to resort to treachery as a means to achieve any kind of victory. They fear us greatly. They fear being swept off their feet by the hammering tide of American fury. Were it not for the insurgent's treacherous mode of warfare, this conflict would have been over two years ago. It's a hard and harrowing duty over here, but when the difficulties arise, the coward says, "Run Away." The hero says, "Stay and master it." As for all them naysayers, anti-war gurus, craven journalists, and protesters... they are banana peels on the steps of progress, and need to realize that the true object of war is PEACE.

On a more personal level, I'm happy to report that I am doing well. I am in splendid trim and in full possesion of myself. Life swells through my veins in full and magnificent flood. I was made for contest, and the powers have willed that my battlefield should be this perilous, dirty, inglorious city called Baghdad. But what of that? Life would be a strange thing if we did not have some fiery trials to test us.
I'd like to thank everyone once again for sending me packages, cards, pictures, and letters. I have received all of them, and I wish I could thank everyone individually, but I am under harsh time restraints (this e-mail is taking days to write). At a time and place wherein there is little to look forward to, deliveries from home speak volumes. Many have inquired as to what I might need here, so I made up a short list of things that are always low in supply, but high in demand:
Batteries: AA's, mainly. Everything runs on batteries: cd players, flashlights, two-way radios, gps systems, night optical devices, etc, etc, etc...Food/Candy: We all like it, so do the Iraqi children.Toothpaste/toothbrushes: Always necessary, and always running outHand cleaner/baby wipes/deodorant, rubbing alcohol: All personal hygiene stuff.
Pens & mechanical pencils.... always need them and they seem to get lost frequently. And, finally, pipe cleaners, cotton swabs, and other useful items to clean my weapons with.
Anyway, the above items are things I'll probably be always in need of. Anything else will be by a special request, or by the thoughtfulness of you, the sender. I will be in the States this month for a two-week break (catharsis, more like); whereupon, I shall visit both Arizona and Ohio. I hope to be in Arizona sometime between the 18th and the 20th. I fly to Ohio from Phoenix on the 21st. I'll be in Cincinnati up until the 31st, I think, then back to Arizona for a day or two. Concerning these dates, blame all the ambiguity on the Army.
I can't thank everyone enough for all the support and prayers, and I hope to see most of you in a very short while.

I am, & remain to be, Your humble soldier & friend,
Michael 'The Dark Celt' O'Ruairc


Final words:

To my grandparents-- MOM & PAPAW I hope you had a wonderful anniversary!! 62 Years and 1 day!! I heard that White Castles were on the menu... eww...!!! I thought I raised you better than that!! Holy Cow!!

Blog of the week....Friday, when I came home from work, I found that my honey, my husband had created a blog.... How much fun is that? His blog will be interesting... I recommend you bookmark it...

I am still updating this list... please forward the name of your loved one.

Don't forget about the benefit dinner for Susan Curran on Saturday, July 30.

Michelle Malkin brought this man to my attention. You can find Mr. Bjerre's website here If you are able to show your support by sponsoring this guy with a pledge when he participates in the blogothon please do so.

Have a great week. Please keep the family of Tim Hines in your prayers.

UPDATE: My Mother just called me this morning. One of her sister's passed away yesterday. My Aunt Masako had been very sick for a very long time. She came to the United States last year for the first time.My Mom is very sad today. She didn't want me to come over, she doesn't want to go out. "Today I cry". Pray for my Mom's heart to heal.


The last time my Mom got to see her sister Masako (on the left, my Aunt Haruko is on the right)


Bleriot


C-47


B-25


Les Shockley's Shockwave... Look for a special on The Learning Channel...


A veteran


priceless


Ominous skies


OK... this little girl was cute... but I had no idea I also took a picture of the moon too!!!


The crowd being introduced to the Air Force inductees


Taking the oath.
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."


Waving to the Thunderbirds


Sleeping through the Thunderbirds performance


Still sleeping...


Uh... yeah... still sleeping...


My favorite plane... C-130