Will This Be Your Epitaph?

"I was not a warrior. I never learned to fight for my freedom. I was only good at enjoying it."

It will be theirs.

Just When I Think I'm Back

I'm gone again.

"This affair must hang in suspense no longer. Sweep the field with the bayonet."
-- T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Are You Still Mad?

Yes? Good.

It's been almost 5 years since the cowardly attack upon our people and our nation -- to me, it seems only days ago.

This fight has really just started. It's not going to be over anytime soon. Maybe when the knuckleheads realize that when they fuck with the United States of America things end very badly for them, we will be able to see the beginning of the end of this particular struggle.

It is an epic battle between good and evil -- and in this world, good does not always win. But if we stay strong... if we maintain our warrior spirit, we will win this one for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We can't expect to look much beyond that.

The warrior spirit. I trust that it is still alive and well in this nation.

They need to be worried about what we might do...not the other way around.

And I can't help but add this thought: Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, et al. What have they contributed lately to humanity save misery and suffering. Would we really miss them if they were wiped off the map tomorrow?

I might miss the pyramids.

Trouble in the Wind for Security Firms

... and potential trouble for securing this nation.

The trial lawyers are salivating:

Blackwater loses bid to move suit to federal court

Blackwater loses appeal in deaths of four in Iraqi city

Blackwater suit stays in N.C. court:

A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by families of Americans killed and strung up on a bridge in Iraq stays in a North Carolina state court, the federal appeals court in Richmond ruled yesterday.

Three judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided they had no jurisdiction to hear the appeal filed by Blackwater Security Consulting, the Moyock, N.C.-based company that employed the four dead men.

The families initially filed the lawsuit in state court. Blackwater wanted the case tried in U.S. District Court and tried to move it there.

But the federal judge found that his court lacked jurisdiction in the matter and sent it back to state court. Blackwater appealed.

The lawsuit makes wrongful-death and fraud claims.

This has been below the radar screen, but we need to start paying attention. This nation made a decision to maintain a small military -- we do that, in part, by contracting out more and more military-related work.

We cannot have our cake and eat it, too.

Either we radically increase the size of our military or change the laws pertaining to defense security consulting.

If we do nothing, the trial lawyers will tie our hands in defending this country.

Still Missing FREED: Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig

Centanni and Wiig released from captivity


Steve Centanni


Olaf Wiig with his significant other (I suppose)

I'd never heard of Olaf Wiig previous to his kidnapping, but almost all of us military types have heard of Steve Centanni. He's not just a good reporter -- he's a good man... and a tough one... very tough.

We want both men back. Please pray for them.

More info:

Missing Fox News crew: Blogburst

Why Iran Does Not Worry Me

Iran is a nation and nation-states can be made to not exist.

I'll further develop this thought at a later time.

For now, I really just want to say ...

I'm back.

Alive and Well

Very.

My son is home.

Blogging will be nonexistent for the next 30 days or so.

Pursue, Prosecute, Punish Leakers

The New York Times once again publishes classified national security information. Michelle Malkin has the latest here and here.

We can stomp our feet and holler at The New York Times -- and yeah I think they're culpable -- but classified information doesn't just fall from the sky into their laps.

Until the Bush administration gets serious about going after the people who are making unauthorized disclosures, our classified national security information will continue to be compromised and our enemies will continue to benefit.

Related:

Selling Out the Security of Our Nation
Unauthorized Disclosure
Able Danger: Tony Shaffer Talks...and talks and talks and talks
Slaughter Of The Innocents

One Damn Good Reason

...to take your camera to the beach.

They just crawl right out of the Gulf and into your viewfinder.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

Actually, I managed to get this exclusive shot just before she said, "That's like a totally small camera for someone who freelances for Travel Channel."

Nah. I'm lying. I wouldn't tell anybody that.

Really.

Army Raises Recruitment Age to 42

Some may choose to look at this as desperation on the part of the United States Army. They may be right.

I choose to look at it as an opportunity to point out some facts that should might make a lot of you uncomfortable.

About 93% of Americans, age 18-42, have never served a day in the military.

There are about 115 million Americans age 18-42.

@ 5.1 million of them are veterans
-- @ 365,000 (20-24)
-- @ 670,000 (25-29)
-- @ 1,008,000 (30-34)
-- @ 1,332,000 (35-39)
-- @ 1,732,000 (40-44)
@ 1.4 million of them are on Active Duty in the Army (@ 490,000), Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard
@ 1.2 million are in the Guard and Reserves

@ 107 million Americans, age 18-42, have never served.

In other words, even accounting for the mentally and physically disabled, there are a whole bunch of people that are eligible to wear...


...combat boots.

Opportunity knocks:


GoArmy.com

Meet Diana Irey

Diana Irey is running against Jack "Cut and Run" Murtha for Pennsylvania's 12th U.S. Congressional District House seat.

Lane Core, Jr., a freelance writer, interviewed Diana Irey last week. You can read about it here.


(Click on photo to enlarge... you'll be glad you did)

She is one of the most intriguing candidates to come along in quite awhile and she couldn't have come on the scene at a better time. This has become a critical national race in my humble opinion.

Lane's profile of Diana Irey.

Her website.

Diana Irey on FOX News Live (6-19-06)

Her Washington, D.C. press conference.

Veterans Support Diana Irey for Congress.

The Way Things Work in The Third World and Louisiana

Pardon the redundancy.

The U.S. Congress gives Louisiana $12 Billion dollars (OUR tax dollars - from all 50 states) for Hurricane Katrina recovery.

The Louisiana legislature creates a Disaster Recovery Unit to spend that $12 Billion dollars through community development block grants (a recipe for graft).

Bryant Hammett, Jr. (Democrat-Ferriday [Little Port-au-Prince], Louisiana), Chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, applies for a job in the new Disaster Recovery Unit which he helped create.


Grinnin' like a possum eatin' grapes

Bryant Hammett, Jr., who is tight with that national disgrace and thoroughly incompetent governor, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, alternately insists that:

a) he saw an advertisement for the job on a website.
b) a friend told him about the job.

Bryant Hammett, Jr., also the sole owner of Bryant Hammett & Associates LLC, a civil engineering and land surveying business that benefited from state contracts while he was Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, doesn't see a problem with applying for the job.

Neither does the Louisiana Board of Ethics (talk about oxymorons). The Louisiana Board of Ethics says it's OK for Hammett to take the job.

[Kinda reminds me of that old song: You ain't done nothin' wrong, but you ain't done nothin' right.]

Bryant Hammett, Jr. resigns his position (he was term limited to 2008) in the legislature which he has held for 15 years.

Bryant Hammett, Jr. gets the $140,000/year job as Infrastructure Manager/Senior Engineer for the Disaster Recovery Unit which will dole out the $12 Billion dollars.

Bryant Hammett & Associates LLC will be precluded from doing any work for the Disaster Recovery Unit, BUT the firm could be a subcontractor on jobs involving regular Community Development Block Grant funding and continue to do work for other state agencies AND local governments EVEN IF they (the local governments) receive Disaster Recovery Unit funding.

$12 Billion dollars taken involuntary from the pocketbooks of taxpayers across the nation and sent to Louisiana to be spent as Bryant Hammett, Jr. sees fit.

It's enough to make a rabbit spit in a pitbull's face.

Sources:
Legislator takes job to help rebuild state
Rep. Hammett to resign, will direct rebuilding
Ferriday legislator considers recovery job
Hammett Considers New Job
Hammett considers new job

If you want to learn more about how Louisiana works -- and we all should since we've given the state $12 Billion dollars -- then don't miss this excellent blog: Louisiana Political News Service