It was just a matter of time; http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/12/dems_blame_bush.php
Lord Almighty, don't these fools ever grow up and shoulder responsibility for their own actions?
FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Fargo police said an apartment tenant who set empty beer cans in front of his door to alert him to intruders ended up fighting with an alleged burglar. Sgt. Bill Ahlfeldt said police were called early Tuesday after a report of two elderly men attacking each other.
Ahlfeldt says a 61-year-old man who lives in the same building was arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Ahlfeldt said the man appeared to be intoxicated, and it's possible he believed he was entering his own apartment.
No apparent reason given for the "beer can alarm". Wonder how long it took to collect enough empties for the thing? "Back in the day" I'd probably have taken about two weeks, tops. That assumes we're talking about enough cans to completely cover a door.
Good thing I didn't have a drinking problem.
*PBR=Pabst Blue Ribbon. Hey, it always beat "Billy Beer"!
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Sacramento police said an elderly man scared off would-be robbers inside his home when he pulled a gun and started shooting. Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the two robbers were able to get inside the home of an 81-year-old man after asking to use his phone Saturday evening.
Though one of the men was armed, the victim was able to pull out his own gun when he was left inside a room where he kept the gun.
The two men fled when the elderly man started shooting through a door.
Police said the man, who was believed to be by himself during the robbery, was not hurt.
If I make it to 81 and still have all my marbles you can count on me exercising my 2nd Amendment rights.
Has anyone thought of consulting the Israelis as to how they handle the problem?
When was the last time you heard of an El Al plane being hijacked or blown out of the sky?
Whatever they're doing gets results.
...so why is the government so Hellbent to fund research there instead of into something that actually works?
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In the 28 years that scientists have been toying with embryonic stem cells in animals and humans, not one human patient has even been treated. Despite President Barack Obama forcing taxpayers to fund the research, that destroys human life, scientists don't expect that to change anytime soon.
In a new interview with NPR, Len Zon, a stem cell researcher at Children's Hospital in Boston, admits that any hope of treating patients with embryonic stem cells is not forthcoming.
"I think that's still a ways off," Zon said.
"Although there are some studies that the FDA is considering, I think we still have to figure out how to make these cells in a more efficient and effective way, and I think that's going to take awhile," he said.
Part of the effectiveness problem revolves around the fact that embryonic stem cells, when inserted as treatments in animals, still form tumors and prompt rejection issues from the immune system.
Zon told NPR that he holds out more hope for the new development called direct reprogramming. That's the process discovered by Japanese researcher Shinya that reverts adult stem cells to an embryonic-like state and avoids having to kill unborn children to obtain the cells. Patients are already receiving treatments with the induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) the process creates.
Jose Cibelli of Michigan State University told NPR that direct reprogramming is revolutionary because it uses the benefits of embryonic stem cells without the moral quandary of killing human beings.
"Anybody can do this procedure," Cibelli said. "It's a very simple recipe. It's a combination of three or four genes, and in a couple of weeks you go from a skin cell to an embryonic stem cell. It's remarkable."
LifeNews.com talked with Dr. David Prentice, a former biology professor at Indiana State University who is now associated with the Family Research Council.
He said scientists are still underplaying the value of adult stem cells.
"Obviously, what's missing from this perspective is the whole subject of adult stem cells," he said.
He also says Zon underplays the difficulty associated with embryonic stem cells.
"Zon points to a lot of exciting basic research being done with embryonic stem cells, but that any real applications are 'still a ways off,'" Dr. Prentice noted. "That seems an understatement of epic proportions."
"There has been precious little progress with embryonic stem cells in the last 28 years, since mouse ESC were first grown, and that lack of progress has little to do with legislation or funding and much to do with the intractable nature of the cells," he continued.
Prentice told LifeNews.com that "iPS cells are exciting because they can be created easily and cheaply from any tissue and any individual, and the process offers insight into the basic nature of gene expression and cell development."
Still, Prentice says adult stem cells outpace even IPSCs in terms of their usefulness for patients.
"They are a boon to basic research. But even iPS cells offer only distant promises for clinical use," he said. "The real progress has all come from adult stem cells, not only in basic science understanding, but more importantly in the realization of practical applications already helping thousands of patients."
It earns me a tinfoil hat that I proudly wear, but the denial of our elected "leaders" to see the obvious and deny ESCR funding because of it's failure only proves a demonic link. Just my two cents but there it is.
How else can stupidity of this nature be explained? ESCR has NO, repeat the word, NO benefits. All advances so far have come from ADULT stem cells. Hey, maybe thats why the majority of PRIVATE research is concerned with ADULT cells. Since private research is looking towards the bottom line it goes for what works. Only with government funding can you spend 28 years barking up the wrong tree, trying to justify the further slaughter of innocent human lives.
So I'll say it again, there is a link to the demonic in continued calls for ESCR. How else can such wasteful stupidity (from the view point of Big Business) be justified?
26, of Lake Oswego, Ore.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Dec. 5 in Nuristan, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
(The following was taken from www.koinlocal6.com) WEST LINN, Ore. - Another Oregon soldier has died in Afghanistan.
The body of Army Sgt. Elijah Rao arrived back in the United States, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Monday evening.
Rao had survived two tours in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan. According to his family, he had been planning to come home on leave in January, then come home for good in May.
Apparently, Rao's convoy was stopped at the site of an explosion. He stepped out of an army humvee and a second IED exploded, killing him.
Elijah Rao had lived in Lake Oswego and West Linn. His parents reside in Vancouver, Wash. He was promoted to sergeant posthumously. Also posthumously, he was awarded the Purple Heart and has been recommended for a Bronze Star.
WALLINGFORD, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia teenager was suspended for a day for wearing a Santa Claus suit to school. (Wonder what would have happened if he'd worn a shirt endorsing "Hooters" restaurant? Probably zip.)
Michael Hance says he told his principal that he planned to wear the suit to Strath Haven High School in Wallingford and hand out candy canes. (First mistake in judgment, kid. Remember that it's always easier to apologize than to get permission.) The 18-year-old senior says the principal told him that wasn't a good idea because it would be a distraction. (Just why did the principal THINK he wanted to wear it?) But he wore the suit anyway, with regular clothes underneath.
Hance got nabbed a few minutes after he walked into his first class on Tuesday. The school district says in a statement that Hance was suspended for the day for "defiance of authority." (Oh brother, as if that isn't the aim of high schoolers everywhere! Don't these fools have kids of their own?)
Hance says the school could have just given him a detention. (That's your second mistake in judgment sonny, if you're gonna do the crime be prepared to do the time. And don't expect a vote on what your "time" will be. Take it and shut up, you've made your point and shown what a bunch of morons run your school.)
If I were this guys father I'd ground him for a week for stupidity. After that I'd let him throw a party for all his Santa-wannabe buddies.
Yep, I'm probably not a great father for things like this. Noted. Sometime I'll have to write about the "birds and bees" lecture I gave my 25 yr. old when he was 11. I doubt that the Family Services Agency of Connecticut's court system would bar any further visitation with me now, so it's safe to relay that story.
Found at Breitbart.com;
WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says investigators did not have enough information to keep a terror suspect from boarding a flight bound for Detroit and that the system worked as it should have. (Do I take this to mean that the system will allow threats of this sort to pass undetected but we should all feel secure? Funny, I don't!)
The father of the man accused of attempting to blow up the jetliner told U.S. officials in Nigeria he was concerned about his son's extreme religious views. However, Napolitano says there was no specific information to place Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on a no-fly list. (Never mind the stinking no-fly list. What about bomb sniffing dogs, body searches, etc. Are we to believe the best defense is having a list of names used by terrorist suspects. Yo Napolitano, do you know the definition of "ALIAS"? As an example, do you think my name is really, "Subvet"?)
Napolitano says that within 60 to 90 minutes of the incident all 120 flights that were in the air at time were contacted to make sure the attempted bombing did not extend beyond the flight to Detroit. (What did they do, check the passenger names on the manifest against their "no-fly list"?)
Napolitano appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
What. A. Dumb. Bitch.
If that last statement offends any ladies reading this blog, I apologize. But if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck...
That same logic applies to Janet Napolitano.
Taken from Drudge;
ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke - sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.
The rest of the story is here; http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091226/D9CR18JO0.html
This incident, the capture of Richard Reid (the "shoe bomber") and the crash of Flight 93 on 9/11/01. Every one of them involved the actions of John & Joan Q. Public in stopping Islamic attacks.
IMHO it's past time to take that activist mindset and make it a part of our culture. Air marshalls, bomb sniffing dogs, etc. are all nice but when the followers of the Pedophile Prophet successfully circumvent protective measures it'll be up to the man/woman on the street to bring this crap to a screaming halt.
Fort Hood was recently shot up because of treasonous political correctness. I mention this to illustrate that the general public can't rely on our "leaders" to keep us safe. They won't for fear of seeming "insensitive" and "Islamophobic". As proven here; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091226/ap_on_go_ot/us_airliner_attack_terror_list
At the end of the day, after a plane falls from the sky or some public facility is shot up, they'll sit at home in their gated communities reading the newspapers and clucking their tongues over the state of the world.
Then the survivors can tell them, "Thanks for nothing!"
So only the man in the street can take care of business. Fortunately that sort of thing isn't totally alien to the American mind. It's fallen into disrepute over the years (witness how fighting back against a schoolyard bully is no longer encouraged) but it's still present.
Time to take the chains off Chang and get to work. Not just in this area alone, the more active the citizenry the less likely we'll see a successful socialist takeover of our nation. That last might explain why so many of the intelligentsia are irate about those who blog, twitter, etc.
I recently began posting additional information regarding the military men & women who have died and been listed in the weekly R.I.P. post. This was done because these folks are more than names on a list. They were someone's spouse, son, daughter, friend. They laughed, loved, competed in high school sports, were civically active in trying to make the world a better place.
They were Americans and their loss is ours. There can't be much done by listing personal information about them, how they were remembered back home, etc. But it was something I could do.
The past two weeks finding any information other than "the bare bones" has been difficult. Maybe it's the season, maybe a glitch in the online news services, maybe I don't know how to do an extensive Google search. But it hasn't been there. So I haven't been generating the posts.
Whatever it is, it's got to be temporary. I'll keep trying to find the information and when I do it'll be put up.
It isn't much but the memory of those killed in the line of duty deserve at least that.
KILLED IN ACTION: NOV.29 - DEC. 5, 2009
Please pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who served our nation with honor, and remember also those who mourn their loss.
Pfc. Derrick D. Gwaltney, 21, FL
Acting Sgt. John Paxton Amer, 30, England
Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, VA
Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, 31, FL
Sgt. Elijah J. Rao, 26, OR
Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr., 28, IL
Lance Cpl. Jonathan A. Taylor, 22, FL
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Just when you figure you've seen it all, along comes something to sadly prove you're wrong. (H/T Is Anybody There?)
The following link is from the site run by the city of Milwaukee, WI. where they're handing out free condoms to 12 year old kids; http://www.milwaukee.gov/NoCondomNoWay23793.htm
This is beyond bizarre. I don't know what hits the hardest; is it the fact that the local government is doing this so openly without any kind of parental input, is it the fact that there is no apparent thought regarding moral outrage, is it because the public servants in that major city feel they're fulfilling their duties by pandering to teen promiscuity with no attempt at endorsing abstinence?
You tell me.
What hits me square between the eyes is the attitude that teens will inevitably indulge in sexual acts. This is taken for granted in such a blase manner that I truly wonder if anyone involved was actually a student in public high school 40-50 years ago. Take it from a veteran of the California school system in the 60's, getting laid was only a dream for the vast majority of hormonally supercharged males. We all survived with no trauma caused by enduring virginity into our twenties.
As a matter of fact, a fairly high percentage of those who "got lucky" back then found themselves handling fatherhood at a tender age. Nope, not a good deal.
So the notion that teens are humping each other like rabbits and those who don't are "misfits" is relatively new and being pushed by the mainstream culture. That's the same culture insisting the planet is burning up, aborted fetuses aren't "really" babies, there is a homeless "crisis" in America, obesity is caused by poverty. I could go on and on but you got the idea five minutes ago.
Just one question regarding this free handout of condoms. Are the people of Milwaukee capable of outrage over this?
Name: Army Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes
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Age: 19
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From: Moreno Valley, Calif.
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Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
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Incident: Army Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes died Nov. 22 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Sgt. James M. Nolen.
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Died: November 22, 2009
(Taken from www.latimes.com of Dec. 6) The first time Marcus A. Tynes suited up for a youth basketball game, his mother saw the change.
She already knew her big, vigorous boy would like sports. But she didn't realize how thrilled he would be just to don that team jersey. It made him proud, gave him a sense of belonging. "He just liked that uniform," she said. "It made him feel part of something."
As he grew, one uniform followed another. One for football at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, and another for track. A favorite was one he wore as a Riverside County sheriff's Explorer.
He put on the Explorer's green slacks and tan shirt, complete with badge and "rocker" insignia, and a new version of himself emerged, said sheriff's Sgt. Melvin Rasmussen, Tynes' Explorer advisor. The clownish kid sobered up. He volunteered for extra tasks and chided his fellow Explorers to keep their grades up. "He just jumped in with both feet," Rasmussen said.
Those uniforms kept Tynes on track. They guided his transformation from a good-natured but unruly adolescent to dedicated young man.
He had his heart set on someday wearing the navy blues of a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officer. Rasmussen encouraged him to do a stint in the military first -- standard career advice for a would-be police officer.
At 19, Tynes died an Army private first class, killed Nov. 22 when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy vehicle in southwest Afghanistan's Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. Also killed was the paratrooper riding with him, Army Sgt. James Nolen, 25, of Alvin, Texas, who was on his second tour in Afghanistan. Both were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Tynes was born in Bellflower and spent his first years in Compton and Long Beach before moving to Moreno Valley, said his mother, Dana Atlas, a nurse. He attended several schools, including Mountain View Middle School.
At Valley View High, his teachers liked him but sometimes struggled to contain him. He was happy, gregarious -- and disinclined to sit still.
He was bright, but some kids may just not be meant for academics, said Jack Fogarty, head football coach. "He had to be outside doing things," he said. "Sitting behind a desk was a task."
Fogarty recalled getting exasperated more than once. But Tynes was cheerful and a good athlete. And as time wore on, it was clear that he also was devoted.
When he first joined the team, the Valley View Eagles were in a bad way. They lost all but one game the first season, Rasmussen said. Tynes and his teammates fought "to the bitter end," Fogarty said. Each year, the team improved.
Eventually, Tynes, with his stocky build and natural strength and quickness, made the all-league team as an offensive lineman. Fogarty credits him with helping to rebuild Valley View's struggling football program. The Eagles made the playoffs this year, Fogarty said.
Along the way, Tynes' parents, coaches and teachers talked to him frequently about goals. Like his Explorer advisor, his football coach thought the military idea was perfect. Tynes didn't take much convincing. Military service ran in his family. And of course, there was that uniform.
He knew his military and law enforcement dreams could be jeopardized by his classroom performance. So he stepped up his efforts. He graduated in June 2008 and enlisted in July. Tynes trained at Ft. Benning, Ga., and reported to Ft. Bragg in January. He left for his first Afghanistan tour in September.
At first, his mother had not been enthusiastic about the plan. But she wanted him to find his way. And when she saw her son in his new uniform, she had to admit it: She was proud.
Not long ago, during a break before leaving for Afghanistan, Tynes went back to visit his old mentors at Valley View, cutting a striking figure in his camouflage gear.
His former English teacher, Ben Harrer, noted how different he seemed. In class, he had been rambunctious. Now, in soldier's garb, he appeared mature, clearly pleased with his new role: Private first class. Rifleman.
Tynes' mother was at work when her husband brought the news of his death. Rasmussen, the sheriff's sergeant, heard a few days later. "It took my breath away," he said.
Harrer, the teacher, "had a bad feeling," when he heard that someone from Moreno Valley had died. When he learned it was Tynes, he searched his computer and found a photo of Tynes doing a class presentation.
In the photo, a husky, youthful Tynes reads a scene from Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." He appears to be trying to suppress a smile. He is wearing his football uniform.
Tynes' body was flown to California on Thursday. His family waited in the bright sunshine to take him to a burial site next to his grandfather's grave at Pierce Bros. Crestlawn Memorial Park & Cemetery in Riverside.
In addition to his parents, Bruce and Dana Atlas of Moreno Valley, Tynes is survived by the Atlas siblings, Fallon, 26, Brittney, 20, Johannes, 15, Summer, 4, and Savannah, 2; and his biological father, Marcus Tynes Sr. The family does not use the terms "step" or "half"; they consider themselves one family, his mother said.
... proving that anyone who figures Texas is the "buckle of the Bible Belt" has another think coming;
MESQUITE, Texas - Joe Mitchell says all he wanted to do was make crosses as gifts for friends when he signed up for a ceramics class at Eastfield Community College in Mesquite.
Instead, he says, the ceramics instructor compared the crucifix to a swastika in trying to explain why crosses were not permitted.
“I felt humiliated and that my spirituality was being demeaned,” said Mitchell, a retired Dallas resident and student at the public college. “The whole point of art is to express who you are.”
Mitchell says he was told on several occasions by instructors and administrative staff that he could not make ceramic crosses, concluding with an ultimatum ban on crosses this fall.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has the Christmas spirit or even a basic understanding of religious freedom,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute. “The government cannot ban crosses and religious symbols.”
Shakelford says college officials are not only banning crosses, but menorahs and other religious items from the class.
In response, the institute sent a demand letter on Tuesday on behalf of Mitchell, alleging the school has committed an unconstitutional attack on religious expression in the classroom.
Eastfield Community College officials issued a statement saying it's legal council will review the schools policy and language, quote:
"Eastfield College's current ceramics policy tells students that they should not use symbols, icons or other "cookie cutter" images. The purpose of those references is to compel students to create original works that express their artistic perspectives through projects assigned by instructors. The college has never intended to circumvent expressions of religious or artistic freedom or violate any laws with regard to religious freedom. "
"...compared the crucifix to a swastika..." Now there is quite the comparison. Not the sort of thing you expect to hear, especially when so many of the inhabitants are first generation Latino types. Since I live about thirty miles from this town I can claim to know whereof I speak.
Don't go thinking Texas is a bastion of liberty in the sea of liberalism. To tell the truth, I've seen and heard of things here that would have never happened in the state of Connecticut when I lived there.
Maybe I'll move to Idaho next.
Name: Army Sgt. James M. Nolen
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Age: 25
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From: Alvin, Texas
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Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
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Incident: Army Sgt. James M. Nolen died Nov. 22 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes.
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Died: November 22, 2009
(The following was taken from www.alvinsun.net )
Sgt. James Michael Nolen, age 25, of Alvin passed away Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Zabul province, Afghanistan. Sgt. Nolen was born on March 31, 1984 in Webster, Texas and was a lifetime resident of Alvin. He was a graduate of Friendswood Christian School. He served with the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sgt. Nolen was preceded in death by his grandfather, Harmon Roberts.
Sgt. Nolen is survived by his wife, Rachel Nolen of Alvin, Texas; mother, Kim Roberts of Alvin, Texas; father, Scott Nolen of Utah; grandmother, Carol Roberts of Friendswood, Texas; grandparents, William and Doris Nolen of El Campo; son, William Flathmann of North Carolina; brothers, Jeremy Nolen and wife, Rebecca of Georgetown, Texas, and Jonathan Nolen of Alvin, Texas; niece, Sydney; nephew, Jack; and numerous other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, December 3, 2009 at Scott Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m., Friday, December 4, 2009 at Friendswood United Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood, Texas. Interment followed at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.
Arrangements under the direction of the Scott Family.
Name: Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand
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Age: 20
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From: Kansas City, Mo.
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Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
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Incident: Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand died Nov. 22 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations.
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Died: November 22, 2009
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(Taken from www.kmbc.com of Nov. 23) KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 20-year-old Marine from Kansas City has been killed in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand was killed during combat operations on Sunday.
Hand, who was the third oldest of 10 brothers and sisters, graduated from Oak Park High School in December 2007. His mother, Dawn Hand, said he graduated early so he could join the Marine Corps.
He was only 17, but his parents agreed to sign him up if he could "prove to us he really wanted to go," Hand told KMBC's Martin Augustine. "When he was ready, in February, we signed for him. And he went to California."
His boot camp was in San Diego. Soon after, he was off to Iraq, serving one tour of duty there, before his deployment to Afghanistan.
Hand told his mother he was fighting for freedom.
His mother said Nicholas had a lot of friends in high school.
"Nicholas was a socialite," Hand said.
She said he always made time for everyone in the family.
"Instead of mourning, we're going to celebrate him because he was dedicated to both his family and his friends. And not just us, but for his cause. And he definitely deserves some respect for that," Hand said.
The family plans to have Hand buried at Leavenworth National Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Name: Army Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino
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Age: 34
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From: Cockeysville, Md.
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Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group of the Maryland Army National Guard, Glen Arm, Md.
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Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino died Nov. 23 in Pashay Kala, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
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Died: November 23, 2009
(Taken from www.wickedlocal.com of Dec. 1) PLYMOUTH — .A memorial service will be held Wednesday at the New Testament Church in Cedarville for Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, a former Plymouth resident killed last week in Afghanistan.
The public service will begin at 6 p.m. at the church at 1120 Long Pond Road. A reception will follow at VFW Post 1822 in West Plymouth.
The Rev. Paul Jehle, who will lead the service, said several of Pucino’s Special Forces comrades are expected to attend. The Patriot Guard, a veterans’ group, is expected to send an honor guard as well.
Pucino died Nov. 23 after his vehicle struck an “improvised explosive device” while on routine combat patrol in the Afghan city of Pashay Kala. Pucino, 34, was a Special Forces intelligence sergeant assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Glen Arm, Md.
Pucino was born in Boston in 1975 and grew up in Plymouth. He lived here with his family until the mid-1980s. He attended Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth from 1989 to 1993 and lived briefly in Wareham and Bourne as an adult.
His parents now live in Florida. His sister, Melissa, still lives in Plymouth. Another sister, Lisa, lives in Sagamore Beach. She is a member of the New Testament Church in Cedarville.
Jehle said the family is in seclusion and has asked the media to respect their privacy as they cope with their loss. The family invites the public to the service, but asks that no photos be taken outside the church or at the service.
Jehle said funeral arrangements remain incomplete but preliminary plans call for Pucino to be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Wednesday’s memorial service marks the second tribute to a fallen local serviceman in two weeks. A week before Pucino died, residents mourned the death of Sgt. Benjamin Sherman, who died in Afghanistan Nov. 4.
Jehle said he anticipates a large crowd for the service.
“The main thing we’re communicating is that he was a patriot, one who stood for his country and one who is looked upon by many as a hero in this war in Afghanistan,” Jehle said. “Matt gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom and defense of his nation and he should be honored for that.”
Name: Army Spc. Jason A. McLeod
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Age: 22
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From: Crystal Lake, Ill.
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Assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
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Incident: Army Spc. Jason A. McLeod died Nov. 23, west of Pashmul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with mortar fire.
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Died: November 23, 2009
(Taken from www.nwherald.com of Dec. 4) CRYSTAL LAKE – Justin McLeod was in the basement when he saw his mother crying and two soldiers at the door.
They didn't need to say a word for him to know that his little brother, Jason, had been killed.
Sgt. Jason McLeod, 22, of Crystal Lake, was remembered by hundreds on Friday as a hero with full military honors after being killed Nov. 23 in Afghanistan. It was his second deployment; he had been in Iraq in 2007.
The procession from Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake to Windridge Memorial Park Cemetery in Cary stretched more than a mile. Many people lined the route, holding American flags and saluting the hearse as it drove by.
Traffic along the way came to a standstill, and hundreds of students stood outside Cary-Grove High School.
Signs in front of businesses listing special deals and prices had been changed out with messages such as "In honor of Sgt. Jason McLeod" and "God Bless Sgt. McLeod."
At the cemetery, McLeod was honored with a 21-gun salute and his wife, Aimee, was presented with the flag that draped his casket.
Gov. Pat Quinn was one of two speakers addressing the packed funeral home, where it became standing room only.
"There are no words in English, Spanish or any other language to relieve the pain of losing someone so special,” Quinn said. “I think today in Illinois, in this land of Lincoln of 13 million people, we have to pause and thank God for the life of Jason McLeod.”
The word "hero" often is tossed around, he said, but McLeod was a true American hero.
"Service to others is the rent we pay for our place on God's green earth," he said. "The best way to remember Jason is through service to others."
A friend of more than 15 years, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Cannon, also spoke, remembering "rat tails to fireworks and many things in between."
When he was younger, McLeod had a rat-tail hairstyle down to his belt buckle, friends said with a smile.
"Jason was like a vibrant, shining star wherever he went," Cannon said.
Four soldiers who served with McLeod during his first deployment attended the ceremony. Two of them also were serving in Afghanistan when McLeod was killed and will have to return there.
Spc. Paul Case, who was deployed to Iraq with McLeod, said he felt agony and disbelief when he heard the news. He remembered McLeod as a devoted husband.
"He would always talk about his wife," Case said. "He was a good guy, a shoulder to cry on."
Cpl. Kevin Hansen also served with McLeod in Iraq.
"I still can't believe it," he said. "It could have been any of us."
McLeod was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, Colo.
Donations to an education fund for McLeod’s 15-month-old daughter can be made to Jocelyn McLeod, c/o Citibank, Attn: Marie Davis, 225 W. Virginia St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
Found this via Lucianne.com at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/;
Meat may be the reason humans outlive apes
Genetic changes that apparently allow humans to live longer than any other primate may be rooted in a more carnivorous diet.
These changes may also promote brain development and make us less vulnerable to diseases of aging, such as cancer, heart disease and dementia.
Chimpanzees and great apes are genetically similar to humans, yet they rarely live for more than 50 years. Although the average human lifespan has doubled in the last 200 years — due largely to decreased infant mortality related to advances in diet, environment and medicine — even without these improvements, people living in high mortality hunter-forager lifestyles still have twice the life expectancy at birth as wild chimpanzees do.
These key differences in lifespan may be due to genes that humans evolved to adjust better to meat-rich diets, biologist Caleb Finch at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles suggested.
The oldest known stone tools manufactured by the ancestors of modern humans, which date back some 2.6 million years, apparently helped butcher animal bones. As our forerunners evolved, they became better at capturing and digesting meat, a valuable, high-energy food, by increasing brain and body size and reducing gut size.
Over time, eating red meat, particularly raw flesh infected with parasites in the era before cooking, stimulates chronic inflammation, Finch explained. In response, humans apparently evolved unique variants in a cholesterol-transporting gene, apolipoprotein E, which regulates chronic inflammation as well as many aspects of aging in the brain and arteries.
One variant found in all modern human populations, known as ApoE3, emerged roughly 250,000 years ago, "just before the final stage of evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa," Finch explained.
ApoE3 lowers the risk of most aging diseases, specifically heart disease and Alzheimer's, and is linked with an increased lifespan.
"I suggest that it arose to lower the risk of degenerative disease from the high-fat meat diet they consumed," Finch told LiveScience. "Another benefit is that it promoted brain development."
Curiously, another more ancient variant of apolipoprotein E found in a lesser degree in all human populations is ApoE4, which is linked with high cholesterol, shortened lifespan and degeneration of the arteries and brain.
"The puzzle is, if ApoE4 is so bad, why is it still present?" Finch asked. "It might have some protective effects under some circumstances. A little bit of data suggests that with hepatitis C, you have less liver damage if you have ApoE4."
Finch detailed these findings in the December issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
Theres a place for all of God's creatures, it's right between the 'taters and mixed veggies.
Found this via Fr. Z who had it forwarded to him. It's originally a story from the Taunton Daily Gazette in Massachusetts;
Taunton-A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.
He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.
The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.
“I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent,” said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center.
Saunders is working with the boy’s parents after a mutual acquaintance referred them to her.
“When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something,” Saunders said.
“They weren’t looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs,” she added. “They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation.”
The school, in fact, required the evaluation before the boy could return, the father said.
Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet referred all questions on the matter to the superintendent’s office.
Superintendent Julie Hackett said district policy prevents her from discussing a “confidential matter regarding a student.”
“Generally speaking, we have safety protocols in place,” Hackett said. “If a situation warrants it, we ask for outside safety evaluations if we have particular concerns about a child’s safety. We followed all the protocols in our system.”
Hackett refused to specifically discuss the student’s drawing or the school’s reaction to it.
The father was flabbergasted when he learned his son had to undergo an evaluation.
“When she told me he needed to be psychologically evaluated, I thought she was playing,” he said.
The man said his son, who gets specialized reading and speech instruction at school, has never shown any tendency toward violence.
“He’s never been suspended,” he said. “He’s 8 years old. They overreacted.”
The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.
The boy, however, was traumatized by the incident, which made going back to school very difficult, the father said. School administrators have approved the father’s request to have the boy transferred to another elementary school in the district.
This is not the first time in recent years that a Taunton student has been sent home over a drawing. In June 2008, a fifth-grade student was suspended from Mulcahey Middle School for a day after creating a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate.
The Mulcahey teacher also contacted the police to take out charges in the 2008 incident.
For a great fisking of this article I recommend going to Fr. Z's site. He's a master at these things.
IMO the stupidity of the teacher and school administration belongs in the Guiness Book of World Records. The stupidity of this is jaw dropping unbelievable.
But we can all be of good cheer, some religions are more equal than others. This'll insure their recognition in public schools. At least some in Indiana (the following article found via Jihad Watch at http://www.foxnewsradio.com/);
A battle over religion is brewing in central Indiana after a public school wanted second graders to sing a song declaring, “Allah is God.” The phrase was removed just before the performance after a national conservative group launched a protest.
The principal of Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, IN, said they were trying to teach inclusiveness through their holiday production. It included references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. However, no other deity, other than Allah, was referenced in the show.
“It went off…without a hitch,” Danielle Thompson told the Indianapolis Star. “Several families thought it was a nice program.”
But others did not – especially David Hogan. His daughter came home with a copy of the lyrics just days before the production. Hogan, a Christian, told the American Family Association, a conservative advocacy group, that he was deeply concerned to learn that his daughter had been singing, “Allah is God.”
Here’s what the children were assigned to sing:
“Allah is God, we recall at dawn,
Praying ‘til night during Ramadan
At this joyful time we pray happiness for you,
Allah be with you all your life through.”
But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children were assigned to say:
“I didn’t know there was a little boy at the manger. What child is this?
I’m not sure if there was a little boy or not.
Then why did you paint one on your nativity window?
I just thought if there was a little boy, I’d like to know exactly what he (sic) say.
Micah Clark, executive director of the Indiana AFA, launched an Internet protest once he heard about the allegations. “What surprised me here is that we’ve had a secular scrubbing of Christmas for so long and the school apparently didn’t see the problem with kids singing to Allah,” he told FOX News Radio. “You won’t even mention Jesus and you’re going to force my child to sing about Allah?
In email correspondence the school initially defended the reference as a way to be inclusive of all religions. However, once complaints starting rolling in, school leaders decided to eliminate the Allah reference.
That drew the ire of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. “It’s unfortunate if that was removed from the program just because of Islamophobic feelings,” Shariq Siddiqui told the Indianapolis Star. “Schools are a place where we should learn more about each other rather than exclude each other based on stereotypes and misconceptions.”
But Clark said having children bow and pray is problematic for non-Muslim families. “(This show) affirmed Islam and negated Christianity. I wouldn’t have had a problem if it had been equal to all faiths.”
At least one Christian family approved of the Allah reference. “I’m a Christian and I was in no way offended by the program at Lantern Road,” said Judy Grasso to The Star.
So in the realm of public schools the recognition of Christ and His sacrifice gets your head candled while singing praises to Allah is an act of commendable "inclusion". Noted.
The damndest thing is, while the War Department and I realize the benefits of home schooling it won't afford our autistic kids the actual day-to-day interaction they need to eventually "fit" into society on an independent basis.
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(Taken from www.wavy.com of Nov. 20) WASHINGTON - The military Wednesday identified a solider missing in Afghanistan since early November as Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond.
Islip, along with Spc. Benjamin Sherman of Plymouth, Mass, went missing Nov. 4 in the Bala Barghab area of Badghis during a routine resupply mission. Local police said the two were swept away by the river as they tried to recover airdropped supplies that had accidentally fallen into the water.
Badghis is located on Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan.
Both men were members of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, out of Fort Bragg, N.C.
Sherman's body was found by military divers on Nov. 11.
Islip is listed by the military as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN).
Officials say search and recovery efforts are still ongoing, and the incident is under investigation.
Name: Army Sgt. Briand T. Williams
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Age: 25
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From: Sparks, Ga.
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Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
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Incident: Army Sgt. Briand T. Williams died Nov. 22 in Numaniyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire.
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Died: November 22, 2009
(Taken from www.valdostadailytimes.com of Dec. 6)— ADEL — A large number of people turned out for the funeral service of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Briand T. Williams Saturday. Family members and friends, well-wishers from the community, members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and Adel Police Department, members of the military and others gathered in the Cook County Middle School gymnasium to bid farewell to one of their own.
Williams died on Nov. 22 in Numaniyah, Iraq from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Heavy Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
During the service, family members and friends shared reminiscences of Williams, whose flag-draped coffin flanked by many wreaths and bouquets of flowers stood directly in front of the speaker’s platform. Fellow South Griffin Lodge No. 697 member, Brother Oree, said Williams “was short, but everything else about him was big — big strength, big smile, big heart.”
Eric “Chip” Richards, who grew up with Williams said, “He was passionate about life. He loved God and he loved his family. He was passionate about everything he did. He was good in soul and good in heart.”
A Harrington Funeral Home staff member told those in attendance that Williams “served his country with dignity and honor. Your loved one loved serving his country, so he went down as a soldier.”
Citizens of Cook County, some in uniform, many holding flags, lined the streets along the procession route to Woodlawn Cemetery in Adel. Williams coffin was laid in its final resting place with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute by a United States Army Honor Guard.
Williams graduated from Cook High School in 2002. He was captain of the football team and a standout wrestler. Shortly after graduating, he joined the U.S. military as an infantryman. During his seven-year enlistment, he was deployed to Afghanistan once and Iraq twice. At the time of his death, he was 25 years old.
Williams leaves behind his wife, Atiyah Williams, a daughter, Brianna, his mother, Tonya Flippen of Valdosta, his father, Fred Williams Jr. of Hahira, and a host of other family members and friends, according to the funeral service program.
As far as employment practices of private businesses go, I'm fairly libertarian in view. They want to exclude workers on the basis of race, creed, sexual orientation, etc. then let 'em have at it. It's their business and in the marketplace they'll be the first to suffer. That thinking is one reason I never got my panties in a knot when applying for a job only to find out one of the requirements was to be a fundamentalist Christian (no Catholics need apply).
But IMO this is over the top (found via Pewsitter at www.courthousenews.com);
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CN) - A married couple who worked as houseparents for a dorm at the Milton Hershey School say they were fired for violating the schools "two-child policy." They claim the only way they could have kept their jobs would have been an abortion, which they find "morally reprehensible."
Chocolate tycoon Milton Hershey founded the residential school in 1909, in the town that bears his name, to help poor children, according to the school's Web site.
Wendy and Andy Loraw had two children when the Hershey School hired them in 2002, they say in their federal complaint. They had a third child in January 2005. The Loraws claim the school enacted its "two-child policy" in January 2005, over the objections of their union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, Local 464.
The Loraws' third child was grandfathered in, under a contract clause that stated: "Houseparents having three or more children in the student home or who are pregnant prior to January 15, 2005 will be exempted from this policy at their current number of children."
The Loraws told the school in January 2006 that Wendy was pregnant again, and they were fired in June. They claim their firing violated an arbitrator's ruling that the school had to try to accommodate people in their position, or at least provide severance and benefits.
The Loraws seek punitive damages for housing, gender, pregnancy and employment discrimination. They are represented by Patrick McDonnell of King of Prussia, Pa.
KILLED IN ACTION: NOVEMBER 22-28, 2009
Please pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who served our nation with honor, and remember also those who mourn their loss.
Pfc. Michael A. Rogers, 23, MT
Sgt. Briand T. Williams, 25, GA
Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, VA
Petty Officer 3rd Class David M. Mudge, 22, OR
Pvt. Kenneth Patrick Nielsen, 23, Denmark
Sgt. Jason A. McLeod, 22, IL
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino, 34, MD
Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand, 20, MO
Sgt. James M. Nolen, 25, TX
Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes, 19, CA
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Name: Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis
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Age: 26
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From: Terrell, Texas,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assigned to the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.,
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Incident: Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis died Nov. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
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Died: November 17, 2009
(Taken from www.star-telegram.com of Nov. 26) Joe Lewis wanted to be a soldier from about the fourth grade. Back then, "Joey" and his friends often filled their Super Soaker water guns and fought one another in the Bedford streets.
His restless energy often got in the way of more serious matters, such as studying at L.D. Bell High School, relatives said.
"I told a principal, I know he’s not going to be the next pope, but if he becomes a stand-up comedian or a senator, I’ll be happy," his mother, Pam Lewis of Terrell, said Wednesday.
In 2005, Mr. Lewis joined the Army, proudly serving as a cavalry scout and spending much of the past four years overseas. He was sent to Afghanistan in July.
Many of his friends called him "GI Joe."
Spc. Lewis was killed Nov. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device. He was 26.
Joseph Michael Lewis was born Sept. 25, 1983, in Dallas. He grew up in Northeast Tarrant County and attended L.D. Bell High in Hurst.
His parents are originally from Terrell, east of Dallas, and when he was 18, the family moved back there.
He drove a red 1994 Pontiac Trans Am as a young man. At some point, Mr. Lewis traded it in for a 2004 Trans Am. Then in 2008, he got married. When he learned that his wife, Teresa, was expecting a baby, he replaced the sports car with something more practical — a Chevrolet Tahoe, relatives said.
He completed basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and was stationed at Camp Casey in South Korea for a year and a half before his Afghanistan assignment.
An Army specialist, Lewis was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash. He was serving in the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, on the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Spc. Lewis believed in the Army’s Afghanistan mission, his mother said.
"He experienced a lot of really grateful people," she said. "He told me he had recently met with some village elders. He had had tea with them, and the village elders gave them fruit and figs. It was an honor for him to be with these village higher-ups. He said it was really awesome."
Spc. Lewis’ body was flown to Greenville on Wednesday and was escorted by the North Texas Patriot Guard Riders to Anderson-Clayton Bros. Funeral Home in Terrell. The motorcycle riders often escort soldiers’ families during funeral processions.
He is the fifth person from Terrell — a city of about 15,750 — killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2004. He is also the second Terrell soldier killed in Afghanistan in two months.
Other survivors include his infant daughter, Abiageal Lewis; his father, Mike Lewis; a sister, Amanda Lewis Rodriguez of Fort Worth; and grandparents, Carl and Betty Baker, and Barbara Hall, all of Terrell.
It's summer in Australia.
It's snowing there.
When does the little light go on upstairs for worshippers of Gaia and they realize their emperor is unclothed and in public view?
At least Al Gore isn't going to Copenhagen. Seems more often than not, when he shows up to give a speech about global warming a blizzard hits that same area.
The Danes probably don't need the snow.
I've come across a few items regarding some nutcase in Canada endorsing a "one child" policy, supposedly the Chinese are in Copenhagen proudly speaking of their own. This is being pushed in the interests of saving the planet. You know, because humans are just toxic waste generating engines with no redeemable values.
Noted.
The damndest thing is, I'll bet this becomes a major talking point for the worshippers of Gaia. If enviornmentalism doesn't qualify as a religion I'll eat this keyboard. The true believers are out in force and they'll soon be happily chirping the party line for this crap.
Anyone with a large family is almost automatically deemed "weird" these days (unless they live in Utah maybe). You should hear some of the comments the War Department receives when new acquaintances find out the spread in age just amongst our three (it's less than four years from oldest to youngest. What can I say, Texas has had a few cold snaps since I moved down here.)
This notion of being "weird" comes when childbirth is safer than ever before and the social safety nets in place insure children will be adequately taken care of. As proof of this, just check out your local school lunch programs. I ate lunch with my oldest the other day (we both brownbagged). Not a bad menu they have at the cafeteria, I didn't even see "mystery meat". That was pretty much a staple back when I went to school.
So you'd think in this day and age having a load of kids wouldn't raise eyebrows. It does though, guess we can thank the feminazi movement for that one. According to them no woman can be truly "liberated" and have several kids. Noted again.
So we've already got a culture that looks askance at large families. With the growing worship of Gaia I'll bet the next thing will be a push for a max of one child per family. Don't think the cultural elitists will be backwards about voicing the virtues of going fully childless either. Those of us with more than two kids will be deemed enviornmental pariahs, to be shunned at all costs.
Yep, that whole "culture of death" mindset is alive and well.
I've mentioned in the past how our troops are hamstrung by idiotic "rules of engagement". Below is an excerpt from an interview done with a correspondent who witnessed them firsthand. Found this at www.npr.org via Drudge;
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Next, we have a story that underlines the difficulty of fighting a war amid a civilian population. It's the story of U.S. Marines who had Afghans in their gun sights, Afghans who looked like they might be planting a bomb. The Marines had to decide whether to pull the trigger. Their decision says a lot about the rules of war against insurgents in Afghanistan.
NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman watched the story unfold during a recent visit to the country, and he joins us now to talk about it. Hello.
TOM BOWMAN: Hi, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Now the rules of engagement have changed lately for troops in Afghanistan.
BOWMAN: That's right. General Stanley McChrystal, the overall commander there, tightened up these rules on when soldiers can fire. And he did this because there was - there were too many civilian casualties in Afghanistan. But this all illustrates the basic dilemma for U.S. troops. They want to kill insurgents who are trying to kill them, but their job is to make sure they only fire when they're very sure of their targets.
MONTAGNE: So, Tom, tell us what it was that you saw?
BOWMAN: Well, Renee, we were in this combat outpost down in southern Afghanistan, in the Helmand River Valley, and we were inside this center, a command center, watching a video screen. They were watching live while these guys were digging a hole for a roadside bomb. And there were other indicators, too, besides digging the hole. There was a guy swimming across a canal with this wire, and the wires are used to detonate the bomb.
Unidentified Man #1: I have two guys on the west side of the cow buoys(ph) running wires across the canal to the west side, where a (unintelligible) an IED the other day. So, they're watching them right now.
BOWMAN: There were a couple of guys keeping watch and stopping traffic. And the Marines were intercepting a radio call from these suspected insurgents while they were doing these other activities.
MONTAGNE: And on the radio, they were saying we're planting a bomb?
BOWMAN: And on the radio they were talking about planting a bomb.
MONTAGNE: So from the Marines perspective, the Afghans really did appear to be insurgents. So what did they do?
BOWMAN: Well, they felt comfortable. They had all the indicators that these guys were insurgents planting a bomb. So they thought about using a machine gun to shoot these guys. There was another combat outpost not too far away. The problem was there was a compound of houses between where the Marines were with their machine gun and the guys planting the bomb.
So then they decided to bring in the helicopters and use the machines guns and the helicopters to shoot these guys. As the helicopters came in, these guys look up in the air and start walking away. One of the guys was carrying a yellow jug - and that's become the icon of the roadside bomb. They mix fertilizer and diesel fuel in this, and that becomes a part of the bomb. And then we saw one of these guys throw this jug into a haystack.
Unidentified Man #2: And hiding the jug into the hay pile right now, and then are walking near the open field, so just wait until�
BOWMAN: And they were gone. It was all over. They could no longer shoot at them.
MONTAGNE: So why didn't they shoot at them?
BOWMAN: Well, they thought that they were still too close to this compound of houses to allow these helicopters to use their machine guns to shoot, so they decided against it.
MONTAGNE: So, in being very, very careful about shooting at what they absolutely believed to be insurgents, they ended up, in effect, losing these guys. How did that make them feel?
BOWMAN: Well, they weren't happy at all. And some of them stormed out of this command center. And we talked with one of them afterwards. This is Lieutenant James Wendy(ph).
Lieutenant JAMES WENDY (U.S. Marines): There's no way that anyone other than the enemy would've been injured.
BOWMAN: So, why weren't you allowed to shoot?
Lt. WENDY: Honestly, I don't know. I'd like to say I wish we could play by the big boy rules, you know, but, you know, it's just the way it is. And if I had known how frustrating it'd be and was able to better prepare myself for that mentally, I think that maybe I would've been better off.
MONTAGNE: What about the military leaders? Is it reaching the top? Are they hearing these complaints about these rules of engagement that are so restrictive?
BOWMAN: You know, they are hearing these complaints. And I had a few minutes this week with their overall commander, General McChrystal, and I told him the same story, Renee, I told you. And I asked him about the rules of engagement. Here's what he had to say:
General STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL (U.S. Commander, Afghanistan): I've been at this a long time now, since 9/11, and there were a tremendous number of times when I've seen activities done, which, on the surface of what was seen, looks exactly one way, looks completely convincing. And then in the aftermath, what you saw was incomplete. In fact, what we find is civilian casualties who are unarmed civilians.
I think when we err on the side of maturity and caution, there is a cost. And I know that we're asking an extraordinary amount from them to operate with such restraint and self-discipline, but I think it's how we win the war.
BOWMAN: So, that being said, there's still a widespread frustration among the troops, of feeling that their hands are tied in going after insurgents.
MONTAGNE: NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Thanks very much.
BOWMAN: You're welcome, Renee.
(Soundbite of music)
MONTAGNE: You're listening to MORNING EDITION from NPR News.
You can bet those "insurgents" will return to fight/kill Americans another day. Then blogs like mine will be listing the casualties under a "R.I.P." heading. This is no way to win a war. I normally don't participate in armchair quarterbacking but when something is blatantly fubar it's a different story.
The comments made by the Marine lieutenant are significant. I admire his restraint.
Name: Army Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier
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Age: 25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: St. Joseph, Mo.,
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Assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.,
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Incident: Army Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier died Nov. 19 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when a suicide car-bomber attacked his unit. Also killed was John J. Cleaver.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Died: November 19, 2009
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(Taken from www.wndu.com)Family and friends gathered Monday with heavy hearts to remember a man the Army is calling a "great American hero."
25-year-old Sgt. Daniel Frazier was killed in action Nov. 19th during a suicide attack near his base in Afghanistan.
More than 200 people came to Sgt. Frazier’s funeral Monday in Niles to remember his life; including his wife, his parents, his six brothers and sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
An Army two-star general was also at the ceremony to help stress how remarkable Frazier's sacrifice was and to thank his family for their sacrifice.
The flag-draped casket is a military family's worst fears realized.
“I can't know the depths of your sorrow, I can’t even pretend to know,” said Maj. Gen. Scott West as he spoke at Frazier’s funeral.
Despite their significance, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart presented to Frazier’s family during the ceremony are little consolation for what was lost.
“I pray that you hold on to your love and your memories, because they truly last forever,” said Army Chaplain Larry McCarty
The 2003 St. Joseph Michigan high school grad was an ‘everyman.’ Frazier liked to play video games, enjoyed "mud bogging" on the weekends, and just 8 months ago he became a husband.
Now, he's something else.
“This is a great American hero,” Maj. Gen. West said.
“Dying itself does not make someone a hero. It's what someone dies for that makes them a hero,” said Pastor Jerry Solis, who officiated the funeral.
Reports say Frazier and another soldier may have saved more than 40 lives as they tried to prevent a suicide attack near their base.
“Because of Daniel's actions, parents will be able to welcome their kids home, wives will hold their husbands, children will play with their daddies and future generations will be born,” Solis said.
Maj. Gen. West said that during a ceremony in Afghanistan, Frazier's fellow soldiers remembered him as ‘a quiet professional,’ and a ‘perfect friend’ who followed the military's values.
“He didn't just talk them. On that final day he lived them, placing himself in harm’s way. He lived them, a true warrior and American hero. Never forget that he lived his values to the very end,” McCarty said, addressing Frazier’s parents and wife.
“His Army family shares in your sorrow and in your loss, we share your pain. Just like you, his Army family will never forget him,” Maj. Gen. West said.
Frazier enlisted in the army in 2006, and this was his second tour of duty.
His family says he was considered a "big brother" to many of his fellow soldiers over the years, and the Army says even his superiors remember him as a great leader.
Frazier’s body is being cremated and transferred to Virginia, where he'll be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on December 22nd among thousands of others who have died serving their country.
This concerns a story about 15 "Catholic" Senators who voted against the Nelson Amendment for the Senate health care bill. I place the quotation marks around the word Catholic because it seems to be incomplete, a descriptive word such as "dissident", "lapsed", "fallen away", etc. needs to be added.
The main story is here.
The list of fallen away Church members includes; Patrick Leahy of Vermont, John Kerry and Paul Kirk of Massachusetts, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray of Washington state, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Mark Begich of Alaska.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the only "Catholic" Republican to vote to table the Nelson Amendment.
IMHO our bishops need to get off their collective asses and start making public statements about politicians of this sort. We've had too much of the "judge not lest ye be judged" mentality over the years and it shows. Just check out the number of self-professed Catholics who claimed to have voted for the most pro-abort President in history. They'll all claim to be devout in their practices. Noted.
The Church is like the military, it isn't a democracy. Not every order you get will make sense, quite a few you flat won't like at all. The leaders shouldn't be winning any popularity contests. They should be preaching the plain unvarnished Truth. Period. End of story. Deal with it. If you can't handle it then go become a Unitarian.
Instead we've got a collection of glad handing politicians in robes who couldn't lead a Cub Scout pack across a city street. They're emboldened in their silence by a lack of outrage on the part of the laity.
It's time to REALLY start rattling some clerical cages, quoting the Catechism as needed and questioning ANYTHING that doesn't seem to fall in line with Church teaching.
Just my two cents.
