Gathering of Eagles update...

I said some time back that a great number of us who are veterans of our nations armed forces are fed up and disgusted with the cut and run, defeat and retreat mindset that has infected our media and is bleeding over into our nation.

We've had enough.

I know I don't speak for all veterans, as one frequent commentor on our site likes to point out, but I dare say that I do speak for the majority, and, with a tip of the hat to Victory Caucus, here is the proof; the Eagles are Gathering...:

Statement From the New Chairman of GOE, Captain Larry Bailey, USN (Ret.)
March 29th, 2007 | Category: Briefings
Thank you, Harry Riley, for the magnificent job you have done in getting “Gathering of Eagles” off to such an astounding start. Without you, the job wouldn’t have been done so well. You were just perfect for the job at hand, and America is in your debt. Thanks again.

Eagles, this has been one amazing trip, and it ain’t over. Just thinking about how swiftly thousands of patriotic Americans came together and assembled at The Wall in Washington blows my mind.

Harry Riley and I spoke by telephone in late January or early February and agreed that Jane Fonda’s and Cindy Sheehan’s March on the Pentagon was not going to be given a free pass as Fonda’s was in 1967. Less than two months later, thousands of us demonstrated that the leftists were not going to dominate US policy like they did in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

This time, America was going to register its disapproval, and, by goodness, WE DID! The tens of thousands of us who gathered near The Wall to protect that sacred memorial sent a resounding message to Fonda, Sheehan, and Code Pink that we will NOT stand idly by while the honor of our defenders of freedom is besmirched.

We honestly planned to be a “One-Note Charlie” and go home after registering our disagreement with the America-hating crowd that sullied the ground of our nation’s capital. However, the impact of the victory we experienced made us thirsty for more of the same.

It is therefore with great pleasure that I confirm to all of you that we are here to stay. We don’t know exactly what we will do or when and how we will do it, but you can be sure that America-loving patriots are going to be proud to be a part of our effort!

We intend to go on the offensive or defensive whenever our “kitchen cabinet” of Eagles from across the nation decides collectively that a time for specific action has come. We are currently looking at a major “Support the Troops” gathering back in DC over the Memorial Day weekend in conjunction with “Ride to the Wall,” “Free Republic,” “Rolling Thunder” and other like-minded organizations.

Having tasted victory on St. Patrick’s Day 2007, we intend to make a diet of it. Stick with us, and we will work miracles.

Can I get a WHOOOWAHHH?

I also want to include a posting from Gunny Krueger stating his IN COUNTRY observations on the situation in Iraq:

A Message From GySgt Krueger
March 30th, 2007 | Category: Guest Authors
A word from [Gunnery]Sergeant Krueger, USMC, to Speaker Pelosi:

How can you even think of pushing forward legislation to set a withdrawal date for US forces from Iraq? Do you know how much you embolden the insurgency here in Iraq? YOU ARE JEOPARDIZING THE LIVES OF US SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WITH YOUR ACTIONS. You and your fellow Democrats are causing the Al Qaeda supported insurgency to use more catastrophic attacks against us and Iraqi forces. You will see more SVBIED’s with chlorine gas, more VBIED’s against civilians and security forces every time you and other Democrats open your mouths. You will have to live with yourself and try to sleep at night knowing all the defeatist propaganda you have spewed forth is nothing more than ammunition for Islamic extremist groups around the world and more US deaths. The ! unsuspecting people who support you know nothing of what goes on over here; you fill their heads with nonsense and talk of pullout to appease them. The only thing that will happen is the establishment of an extremist Islamic state where sharia law is the law of the land and no one is safe.

Read the rest of Gunny Krueger's posting here, it's very moving and very on target.

Our veterans during the Vietnam era were confused and didn't know how to react, respond, or what to think when they saw the protests going on in our country, the degrading and vile treatment of their younger brothers returning home to be greeted with hatred. We live in a different time, a different generation. We will NOT sit idly by and be called "baby-killers" by the SAME people who are all FOR abortion. We will NOT sit idly by and allow our troops to become political tools.

We have a voice, and it's a rather large, firm voice. We expect to be listened to. Not to put too fine of an edge on it, but if it wasn't for us, Mrs. Pelosi, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Reid, and all you others out there trying to use those of us who still wear the uniform as chess pieces, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on, politically, or the platform and structure that put you people INTO your offices...

Shape up.

Or we'll make sure you're fired next time around.

We are your veterans. We are the ones who offered to put ourselves on the line, in harms way, to protect the freedoms of this great nation. We expect to be listened to, and to be respected. We've never asked for it before, but that time is over. We will be heard.

Once and always, an American Fighting Man

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"With friends like these..."

Some things stick out in your mind as being significant. A first kiss. A first date. An event that takes the lives of thousands...

I was thinking the other day, looking up at the sky for a moment while working, how that I remembered looking up after 9/11 and seeing something missing; aircraft. I'll also never forget the PR campaign put on by the Saudi's, all the little commercials saying how they as a nation were expressing their sympathy, and to remember that Saudi Arabia was a friend to the United States.

I often thought, in those days following the horrors of 9/11, how hollow it seemed to me for them to do that. I personally lost friends that day, as many others did. September 11th, for me, is a day that will forever be set aside to remember members of Fire Department New York that I knew from meeting different ones at different times in different places through the years. Perhaps not close friends, but brothers and sisters, nonetheless, because of the common bond of the fire service community.

That being said.

The Saudi's have finally shown their true colors, in my mind, and have laid aside the veil of hypocracy that I, personally, have always felt that they hid behind. I've never felt we had any friends in the Middle East OTHER than Israel, and in my opinion, King Abdullah has shown today exactly what kind of friends the Saudi's are to the U.S.A.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 28 — King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told Arab leaders on Wednesday that the American occupation of Iraq was illegal and warned that unless Arab governments settled their differences, foreign powers like the United States would continue to dictate the region’s politics.

The king’s speech, at the opening of the Arab League meeting here, underscored growing differences between Saudi Arabia and the Bush administration as the Saudis take on a greater leadership role in the Middle East, partly at American urging.

The Saudis seem to be emphasizing that they will not be beholden to the policies of their longtime ally.

They brokered a deal between the two main Palestinian factions last month, but one that Israel and the United States found deeply problematic because it added to the power of the radical group Hamas rather than the more moderate Fatah. On Wednesday King Abdullah called for an end to the international boycott of the new Palestinian government. The United States and Israel want the boycott continued.

In addition, Abdullah invited President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to Riyadh earlier this month, while the Americans want him shunned. And in trying to settle the tensions in Lebanon, the Saudis have been willing to negotiate with Iran and Hezbollah.

Last week the Saudi king canceled his appearance next month at a White House dinner in his honor, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The official reason given was a scheduling conflict, the paper said.

Mustapha Hamarneh, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, said the Saudis were sending Washington a message. “They are telling the U.S. they need to listen to their allies rather than imposing decisions on them and always taking Israel’s side,” Mr. Hamarneh said.

In his speech, the king said, “In the beloved Iraq, the bloodshed is continuing under an illegal foreign occupation and detestable sectarianism.”

He added: “The blame should fall on us, the leaders of the Arab nation, with our ongoing differences, our refusal to walk the path of unity. All that has made the nation lose its confidence in us.”

King Abdullah has not publicly spoken so harshly about the American-led military intervention in Iraq before, and his remarks suggest that his alliance with Washington may be less harmonious than administration officials have been hoping.

Since last summer the administration has asserted that a realignment is occurring in the Middle East, one that groups Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon along with Israel against Iran, Syria and the militant groups that they back: Hezbollah and Hamas.

Washington has urged Saudi Arabia to take a leading role in such a realignment but is finding itself disappointed by the results.

Some here said the king’s speech was a response to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s call on Monday for Arab governments to “begin reaching out to Israel.”

Many read Ms. Rice’s comments as suggesting that Washington was backing away from its support for an Arab initiative aimed at solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel wants the Arabs to make changes in the terms, most notably the call for a right of return for Palestinian refugees to what is today Israel. The Arab League is endorsing the initiative, first introduced by Saudi Arabia in 2002, without changes.

The plan calls on Israel to withdraw from all land it won in the 1967 war in exchange for full diplomatic relations with the Arab world. It also calls for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Regarding the Palestinians, the king said Wednesday, “It has become necessary to end the unjust blockade imposed on the Palestinian people as soon as possible so that the peace process can move in an atmosphere far from oppression and force.”

With regard to Iraq, the Saudis seem to be paying some attention to internal American politics. The Senate on Tuesday signaled support for legislation calling for a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq in exchange for further funding for the war.

Last November, officials here realized that a Democratic upset could spell major changes for the Middle East: a possible pullout from Iraq, fueling further instability and, more important, allowing Iran to extend its influence in the region.

“I don’t think that the Saudi government has decided to distance itself from Bush just yet,” said Adel alToraifi, a columnist here with close ties to the Saudi government. “But I also think that the Saudis have seen that the ball is moving into the court of the Democrats, and they want to extend their hand to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.”

Turki al-Rasheed, who runs an organization promoting democracy in Saudi Arabia, said the king was “saying we may be moving on the same track, but our ends are different.”

“Bush wants to make it look like he is solving the problem,” Mr. Rasheed said. “The king wants to actually solve the problems.”

King Abdullah said the loss of confidence in Arab leaders had allowed American and other forces to hold significant sway in the region. “If confidence is restored it will be accompanied by credibility,” he said, “and if credibility is restored then the winds of hope will blow, and then we will never allow outside forces to define our future nor allow banners to be raised in Arab lands other than those of Arabism, brothers.”

The Saudis sought to enforce discipline on the two-day meeting, reminding Arab leaders and dignitaries to stay on message and leave here with some solution in hand.

“The weight of the Saudis has ensured that this will be a problem-free summit,” said Ayman Safadi, editor in chief of the Jordanian daily Al Ghad. “Nobody is going to veer from the message and go against the Saudis. But that doesn’t mean the problems themselves will be solved.”

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations gave a stark assessment in an address to the meeting, saying the region was “more complex, more fragile and more dangerous than it has been for a very long time.”

There is a shocking daily loss of life in Iraq, he said, and Somalia is in the grip of “banditry, violence and clan rivalries.”

Iran, which on Saturday had new sanctions imposed against it by the Security Council, is “forging ahead with its nuclear program heedless of regional and international concerns,” Mr. Ban added.

Having spent Monday and Tuesday in Jerusalem and the West Bank, Mr. Ban urged the new Palestinian government to demonstrate a “true commitment to peace.”

In return, he said, Israel must cease its settlement activity and stop building a separation barrier.

He concluded, “Instability in the Arab League states is of profound significance to international peace and security.”

Well now, isn't that special?

I know I'm probably not going to be on the state department's list of favorite people when I say this, but I'm sure many American citizens will be behind me as I say "Fuck you, King Abdullah..."

Once and always, an American Fighting Man

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Spoken like a True Tennessean...

Those of us around the state who know anything about Charlie Daniels know this about the man: you can always count on him to shoot straight with you and tell it like it is. Someone sent me this in email, I went to snopes.com to verify it (it sure as hell SOUNDED like Charlie, and sure enough, it WAS Charlie), and now I'm passing it along here with a GREAT big rebel yell...

Mexican Standoff 04/03/06

I don’t know how everybody else feels about it, but to me I think Hispanic people in this country, legally or illegally, made a huge public relations mistake with their recent demonstrations.

I don’t blame anybody in the world for wanting to come to the United States of America, as it is a truly wonderful place. But when the first thing you do when you set foot on American soil is illegal it is flat out wrong and I don’t care how many lala land left heads come out of the woodwork and start trying to give me sensitivity lessons.

I don’t need sensitivity lessons, in fact I don’t have anything against Mexicans, I just have something against criminals and anybody who comes into this country illegally is a criminal and if you don’t believe it try coming into America from a foreign country without a passport and see how far you get.

What disturbs me about the demonstrations is that it’s tantamount to saying, “I am going to come into your country even if it means breaking your laws and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

It’s an “in your face” action and speaking just for me I don’t like it one little bit and if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas it wouldn’t be happening.

Where are you, you bunch of lilly livered, pantywaist, forked tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of The Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again?

And even if you pass a bill on immigration it will probably be so pork laden and watered down that it won’t mean anything anyway. Besides, what good is another law going to do when you won’t enforce the ones on the books now?

And what ever happened to the polls guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain’t paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want something done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.

This is no longer a problem, it is a dilemma and headed for being a tragedy. Do you honestly think that what happened in France with the Muslims can’t happen here when the businesses who hire these people finally run out of jobs and a few million disillusioned Hispanics take to the streets?

If you, Mr. President, Congressmen and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grandchildren will inherit.

But I guess that doesn’t matter as long as you get re-elected.

Shame on you.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels
April 3, 2006

HELL yeah, CD, you tell'em!

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Dog Lovers, You Need to Know This

Ever had a puppy?

Ever experienced a playful little friend who has learned how to jump flying UP onto the bed, across to your sleeping partner, and nailing you in the um, er, well, between the legs innocently every morning to let you know that she's ready to go outside, take care of nature's business, and then come untie your shoes as you're getting ready for work because she wants you to be home? Have you ever watched and laughed as a pair of litter mates that you've adopted into your family wrestle and play in the middle of the living room floor? Have you ever had a dog with a head as large as your three year old daughters body lay his head in her lap while she played with his ears and cooed at him?

A good dog is a good member of the family. They don't judge, they don't argue, they don't try to undermine you. All they want is to love and be loved, and to protect the family, even if it's a family of one owner, one dog.

There are, of course, a few "bad apples" out there, that's just natural.

Have you noticed I haven't mentioned any specific breeds?

Personally, I'm a Lab and English Shepherd lover. My best dogs through the years have been these two breeds, along with one that was a Lab/German Shepherd mix. She was a wonderful companion to all of us, and a fanTAStic extra set of eyes watching after a very, very active and rambunctious three year old toddler.

I've never been a huge fan of Pit Bulls. Frankly, they just don't appeal to me. That being said, I would hate to know that I sat idly by and said nothing about California's SB 861, which calls for the extermination of the breed within the state of California (yes, I know it says "dangerous dogs," but in looking over this knuckleheaded tripe, Pit's are specifically targetted). If this law is allowed to stand there, you can look for it to be proposed and passed in other states. Will it stop with Pit's? I doubt it; this sort of mindlessness seems to snowball. Chows. Rotties. Dobermans. Bassett Hounds. Bassett Hounds?

See my point?

Hold owners accountable for their animals.

The actions of people have given this breed a bad reputation.

ANY dog can be turned into an aggressive animal. Just as any dog who is given the proper love and attention can be a wonderful, loving member of the family.

I have to say, I never thought I'd be taking a stand to save the lives of Pit Bulls.

If someone proposes legislation to start exterminating cats, I'll know that the Someone is trying to teach me a HARD lesson because yes, I'll stand up for even a cat's right to live as a breed and species...

Once and Always, an American (and cat-allergic) Fighting Man...

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"A long time ago, in a galaxy not quite so far away..."

It was a different world one hundred years ago than the world we live in today. Lindburgh had not made his famous trans-Atlantic flight. The Wright Brothers had only recently proven that man could, yes, could, fly. Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii were not yet states of the Union. And the United States maintained, mostly, an isolationist policy in regards to the affairs of the rest of the world.

In 1914, war ravaged Europe. Three years later, in 1917, the United States entered into the war. And today, 90 years later, Military Times reports the last of our combat veterans from that war was laid to rest in Portland, Oregon a week ago on the 2MAR07.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The echo of a 21-gun salute and bugler playing Taps seemingly marked the end of an era as a state and national treasure was laid to rest in Portland, Ore., March 2.

Retired Army Cpl. Howard V. Ramsey, Oregon's last living World War I veteran and the last known U.S. combat veteran of WWI, died in his sleep Feb. 22 at an assisted living center in southeast Portland. He was honored in a memorial service attended by nearly 200 people at Lincoln Memorial Park exactly one month before reaching his 109th birthday.

"This is a very historic occasion; we lay to rest today our nation's oldest combat veteran," said Pastor Stu Weber, who officiated over Ramsey's memorial service.

In an Associated Press report, Jim Benson of the Veterans Administration said there are now only seven WWI veterans on record with the VA, although it is possible there are unknown veterans who may still exist.

Of the seven known WWI veterans still living, none were shipped overseas, making Ramsey the last known combat veteran of "The Great War." Ramsey inherited the title two weeks before his passing, when Massachusetts veteran Antonio Pierro passed away on Feb. 8.

Ramsey's lifetime spanned three centuries and 19 presidents. He was born in Rico, Colo., on April 2, 1898, when the U.S. flag had just 45 stars and President McKinley was preparing to declare war with Spain.

Too young to be drafted, Ramsey tried to voluntarily enlist but was told he was too skinny by Army standards. After gorging on bananas and water to successfully meet weight standards, he was placed in the Army's transportation corps.

Ramsey sailed to France in September 1918 to join General John "BlackJack" Pershing's American Expeditionary Force. Ramsey drove cars, trucks and motorcycles for the Army and trained other Soldiers how to drive. He was often selected to drive officers to special engagements, one officer "gigging" him for having a dirty truck despite the constant rain and mud in France. He also drove ambulances, transported troops to the frontlines and delivered water to troops on the battlefields.

Ramsey once recalled his service in WWI saying, "We were under fire a lot at the front, and we really caught hell one time. I lost friends over there."

After the armistice, Ramsey spent several months recovering the remains of American Soldiers who had been hastily buried in the trenches and transported them to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the largest American cemetery in Europe.

"You'd better believe it was pretty awful work," Ramsey told Oregonian reporter Rick Bella in 2005. "It was tough, but you became hardened to it."

Nearly 90 years later, Ramsey was still haunted by regret for not breaking the rules and keeping a diary that fell from the pocket of one deceased American Soldier. Ramsey told family and friends, "I wanted to keep that diary so badly to send it to his mother, but it was against the rules to keep anything from off the bodies."

Veterans of many generations and wars, and military representatives attended Ramsey's memorial service to pay their respects, including Brig. Gen. Raymond C. Byrne Jr., commander of the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Jim Willis, state director of Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs.

"If we are going to end an era, I can think of no better way than to do it with a person who is a model representation of the kinds of Soldiers who served this country in WWI, and someone who would be an example to any combat Soldier serving up to, and including those who serve in Afghanistan and Iraq today. All (veterans) would be justifiably proud to have known Corporal Howard Ramsey," said Willis.

Retired Army Col. Don Holden, whose father was Ramsey's classmate at Washington High School, shared fond memories of Ramsey's sense of humor. He said farewell to his old friend by reading the epic WWI poem "Flander's Field," which Ramsey could recite from memory well into his late 90s.

(Spc. April L. Dustin writes for the Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office.)

In honor of Corporal Ramsey, I'm not going to make any political statements in this posting. I merely wished to pay my respects to a brother, a fellow American Fighting Man...

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