Republican audience booing 43-year military veteran becayse he is GAY

Can't we all play nice? I mean come on guys and girls! Here is is 2007, almost 2008 in the Christmas Season and all our Republicans can do is sit and plant people to boo a man that has spent 43 years of his life serving you, me and all of our country????? That's not nice, looks like you will be gettin' coal in your stocking!!! (Hope Santa doesn't have a gay helper when he gets to your place)!

Here's the full story which I found on Daily KOS:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Gen. Kerr, who was in the audience for the event, whether he was satisfied with the responses. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t.

“With all due respect, I did not get an answer from the candidates,” Kerr said, adding, “We’re talking about doctors, nurses, pilots, and the surgeon who sews somebody up when they’re taken from the battlefield.”
At which point, the Republican audience began booing the 43-year military veteran. It was an interesting contrast — at Democratic debates, veterans get standing ovations. At Republican debates, veterans get booed if they’re gay.

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Wall Street Journal Reports "Hollywood Bombs"

Wall Street Journal is reporting today that "Hollywood Bombs" with new war movie. Maybe they did and maybe the didn't since this blogger has yet to see the film however, having to pay WSJ just to read the full report as they see it, I think not!
So bloggers, this is all the "free" story you get from WSJ:

What if they held a war movie, and no one came? That's the tale of woe at this year's fall box office, where Tinseltown's bleak vision of Iraq has many movie-goers taking a pass. Films from Brian De Palma's low-budget screed "Redacted" to Robert Redford's star-studded "Lions for Lambs" are playing to empty seats.

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For the second straight day, U.S. troops fatally fire on vehicles in Iraq.

By LEILA FADEL
McClatchy Newspapers
BAGHDAD For the second day in a row, American troops Tuesday killed Iraqi civilians when they fired on a vehicle that they thought was a threat, the U.S. military said.
Two people died and four were injured when a U.S. soldier fired at a minibus transporting workers to a bank operated by the Iraqi Finance Ministry, the military said. Iraqi police and employees at the bank said four people were killed, including three women, and two were injured.
The U.S. military also reported that two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Salah ad Din province. Two soldiers were wounded.
The military gave no further details.
The minibus was driving near a U.S. military outpost in the al-Shaab neighborhood of northern Baghdad when it ended up on a road where only car traffic is permitted, the military said. American soldiers signaled the minibus to stop, and when it did not, one of them fired a warning shot.
On Monday, a child and two men were killed when their vehicle rushed through a U.S. military roadblock while the military was conducting an operation in Bayji, north of Baghdad. U.S. soldiers opened fire on the vehicle.

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Ten-hut! Here's how to ship mail to soldiers

It sounds like a nice idea, but before you add "Any Wounded Soldier" to your Christmas card list, keep in mind that your well wishes will likely wind up in the trash.In-boxes are flooded this time of year with mass e-mails urging us to remember our military men and women when we mail our holiday greetings. One note says to direct cards and packages to "A Recovering American Soldier" at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. But Walter Reed says not so fast.Citing Defense Department policy, the hospital says it can't accept mail that isn't addressed to a specific patient. Officials said the decision is intended to protect patients and staff.

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Suicide attack kills 3 US soldiers, 3 Iraqi children

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as American soldiers were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least three children and three of the troops, US and Iraqi authorities said.
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Seven children were wounded in the attack near Baqubah, where US soldiers wrested control from Al Qaeda in Iraq last summer. The attack, along with a series of other blasts in the capital and to the north, underlined the uncertainty of security in Iraq even as the US military said violence is down sharply across Iraq.
Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a US military spokesman, said yesterday that terrorist attacks in Iraq are at their lowest levels since January 2006. He said overall violence has dropped 55 percent since a US troop buildup began this year.
Police said the bomb attack occurred as US soldiers were handing out toys, sports equipment, and treats in a playground near Baqubah, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Few details were available, but the US military said it was a "suicide vest attack" and that three American soldiers were killed ... Get Full Story

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SHOULD YOU BE AFRAID OF BEING DRAFTED TO FIGHT IN IRAQ WAR?

I stumbled across this article written by Wilkes Barre, Times Leader and I was pretty amazed at what he had to say. Some of the point she made in the article, I simply didn't know and to be honest were a bit scary.

Enjoy......

LIKE BEING WAR CRITIC? THANK A SOLDIER

Nobody owes a greater debt of gratitude to the United States soldiers currently serving in Iraq than the people who oppose the war itself.
Nobody.
Since the founding of this country, major wars have meant major drafts. The state militias conscripted soldiers in the Revolutionary War, although draftees could escape service by paying a fee or paying a substitute to go for them.
In the Civil War, both sides relied heavily on the draft, and in New York bloody riots broke out because of it.
We maintain a vision of men rushing off gladly to fight the Kaiser during World War I, but 72 percent of those who did were drafted.
Likewise the ``Greatest Generation'' of World War II. Of the 16 million American men who served, about 10 million didn't call Uncle Sam, they waited for Uncle Sam to call them. Ditto Korea and Vietnam, until the last Americans were drafted on Jan. 27, 1973.
The only two major wars fought in the history of the United States, and possibly the history of the world, without conscription, are Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom right now.
That means that everyone who opposes the military on general principles is at home. That means that everybody who deplores the use of violence, in all cases, to solve problems, is at home. And, for the most part, it means that people who oppose the war in Iraq, and their children and their husbands, are at home.
Everyone here volunteered, in general, to follow the orders of the president and his generals, and to be used as the government saw fit. Pretty much no one is going to have to run to Canada to avoid service.
There have been and will be a few people seeking conscientious objector status, but whether they get it or not, they are in a pickle of their own devising. Those who find these kinds of situations abhorrent are, for the first time in history, able to be feel that way safely in the comfort of their own den, without the threat of jail, loss of citizenship or even loss of prestige.

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Bellevue soldier dies on Thanksgiving

Friday November 23 2007, 6:34am
BELLEVUE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jon Martin of Bellevue lost his battle to live on Thanksgiving Day.
Martin, 33, was injured when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb Nov. 9 while serving his third tour in Iraq. He suffered critical injuries from the blast that left him in a medically-induced coma in a German hospital while surgeons attempted to repair the damage.
Martin, a platoon leader for the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky., worked in air assault. He returned for his third tour in Iraq, despite getting wounded while serving his second tour. He received a Purple Heart after a roadside bomb injured the tendons in one arm.

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CBS shows terrorism suspect allegedly building bomb materials

Footage casts Khadr in sinister light
Twelve-minute video broadcast on CBS shows terrorism suspect allegedly building bomb materials
COLIN FREEZE
November 19, 2007
CBS News has broadcast shocking new footage of a Canadian terrorism suspect allegedly building bomb timers and planting land mines while he was a 15-year-old militant hoping to take on American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The footage, some of it shot on a night-vision camera by alleged al-Qaeda fighters before it was seized by U.S. forces after a deadly raid, leaves a more sinister impression of Omar Khadr than the widely circulated photo of him as a boy benignly smiling at the camera.
That teenaged terrorism suspect's image has been reproduced the world over since he was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 and sent to the Guantanamo Bay prison experiment on allegations of killing an American soldier.
The military has long been planning to show the seized videotape during trial, but proceedings have repeatedly stalled before the evidence could be aired.
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Who's the bad guy here?

VENTURING FORTH A man and boy warily go outside to assess the damage to their neighborhood in Samara. The boy’s white flag does not deflect the barrel of a soldier’s gun.

This photo, courtesy of New York Times, really caught my eye, so much so that I had to share it with my bloggers. The very first feeling I got from this was absolute horror to see a gun pointed at these innocent people. Then immediately after thinking that I had second thoughts telling me that this kid and old man probably have a bomb strapped to their side. Is that wrong to feel that way? Seriously, how are we supposed to feel this? How do our men and women in the armed forces handle this without absolutely loosing their mind?
Anyway, I thought the New York Times had a very interesting set of photos in their slide show, so if you would like to check it out, here is the link: New York Times Slide Shows!

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ASB Favorite Blog of the Day - AP Network News

US General: Iran Sticking by Pledge
By ROBERT H. REID

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran seems to be honoring a commitment to stem the flow of deadly weapons into Iraq, contributing to a more than 50 percent drop in the number of roadside bombs that kill and maim American troops, a U.S. general said Thursday.
The comments by Maj. Gen. James Simmons marked rare U.S. praise for Iranian cooperation in efforts to stabilize Iraq. Washington has repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of aiding Shiite militias and trying to foil U.S. goals in Iraq and the region.
But it remains unclear why Iran may have decided to choke off the suspected weapons pipeline. One possibility is that Iran — the most populous Shiite nation — is seeking to shore up the struggling government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, in the belief it will help Tehran's long-term interests.
Simmons, a deputy commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq, told reporters that the number of roadside bombs either found or exploded nationwide had fallen from 3,239 in March to 1,560 last month.
The October figure was the lowest since September 2005, he said.


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The pride of an American Soldier

Despite the equivocation of Attorney General Mukasey about torture, the pseudo-macho fantasies of the fearful voting for him, and the absence of leadership in candidates that avoided it, Mr. Gates and the communication department of the Pentagon figured this one out. They re-issued and reinforced guidance about waterboarding and torture, to insure that there isn’t confusion in the ranks.
Pam Hess (welcome to the AP), an excellent, experienced reporter with lots of experience in Iraq reports for the AP:
As Mukasey equivocated on Capitol Hill, saying he would have to know the specific details surrounding the interrogation to judge whether it was torture, Defense Secretary Robert Gates reiterated the military ban at a press conference on Nov. 1.
“The fact is it’s not a permitted technique under the Army Field Manual, and therefore, no member of the U.S. military is allowed to do it, period,” he said.
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Wounded but still standing!

Army News Service Dennis Ryan November 12, 2007FORT MYER, Va. -- Exactly two months ago 2nd Lt. Mark Little was patrolling in Iraq, when he was wounded by an improvised explosive device. He lost both of his legs.
Wednesday morning at the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial, Lt. Little stood proudly outside on his new prosthesis for the first time to receive the silver bars of a first lieutenant.
Brig. Gen. John D. Johnson, special assistant to the commanding general of the Installation Management Command, called Lt. Little a "proven leader" and someone who "has already made sacrifices for his nation" before pinning the bars on the Soldier.
"This is a guy who gives so much to his country," Brig. Gen. Johnson said after the ceremony. "The attitude he has is inspiring to see. That's the epitome of a Soldier. We've had Soldiers such as Gen. [Frederick M.] Franks [Jr.] who've lost limbs and gone on to great careers. It's what's in your heart and what's in your head that matters."
In May 1970, Gen. Franks was wounded in action in Cambodia. His leg was amputated below the knee and, after rehabilitation, he remained on active duty. Franks went on to lead 146,000 U.S. and British forces during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. His units rolled more than 250 kilometers in 89 hours to liberate Kuwait in February 1991.
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Atlanta Georgia is new home to wounded IRAQI Soldier

By JENNIFER BRETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/12/07
The soldier left Iraq with 11 bullet holes and a round left in him.
His military buddies call him Rambo.
A U.S. senator calls him a hero.
The president shook his hand.
An X-ray shows the damage to Capt. Furat's spine, including a still-lodged AK-47 bullet.
Capt. Furat, living anonymously in the United States after being injured in his country of Iraq while aiding the Americans, works out at Shepherd Center.
He's a regular at Atlanta's Shepherd Center, where he was hospitalized for months and now comes to exercise. He goes by only one name out of concern for his family's safety — back in Iraq.
Capt. Furat fought for seven years as a member of Saddam Hussein's special forces. He said he was conscripted as a teenager and feared for his family's life if he refused.
In 2003, after Saddam had been deposed, Furat sensed freedom for the first time. He spotted U.S. military posters in his village, encouraging Iraqi soldiers to join with coalition forces to combat insurgents. He signed up to fight with the Americans, instead of against them.
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American Soldier shows his photos of hell

By Matthew D. LaPlante
The Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: 11/12/2007 01:32:16 AM MST

Soldier and amateur photographer Tyler Norager is a featured... (Al Hartmann/Salt Lake Tribune )
The first photos were raw and voyeuristic, as if the shooter were a vacationer taking a scenic tour through hell. A dead body, left for Baghdad's feral dogs on the side of the road. A soldier, his rifle aimed down a derelict street as a group of Iraqi men stood behind him and laughed. A group of Iraqi women walking with a small child, blurred in an image Tyler Norager shot as his armored Humvee rumbled by. The 21-year-old soldier from Clinton had sent the images home inside a camera that had been destroyed when his truck was hit by a roadside bomb. The blast sent shrapnel into Norager's face, neck and back and killed two men in his Humvee.
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