Amnesty for Terrorists / Gunbattle in Saudi Arabia

It's about time that the Saudi government started doing something about the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing their country. With a sword of Damocles over their head for a number of reasons, finally the Wahhabi-based Sunni government is calling these terrorists what they really are.

They are not freedom fighters. They are not jihadists. They are no protecting the faith. They are not following the tenets of Islam.

They are false-jihadists who use a distorted and unsanctioned interpretation of the Quran for their own purpose, which is the total destruction of the United States, Israel and the insertion of a fundamentalist Islamic middle eastern state in their own guise of hate and anti-westernism.

The leading clerics of Saudi Arabia, and the Wahhabi have said it right. The acts of terrorists are hateful to God. They are hateful to Islam and they are sinful. They will not find 72 virgins in Heaven after killing innocent Muslims or peaceful foreigners who work for the betterment of their country. They will only find the fires of hell after they die. They are not martyrs!

It's time the western media take their lead. By falsely calling these terrorists "jihadists" or "Muslim freedom fighters" they give these terrorists undue legitimacy. Legitimacy is the underlying center of gravity when it comes to terrorism. We need to take it away.

Call them what they are. Treat them as they are.

If anyone sees a difference between Ansar al-Islam and Hezbollah, between al-Qaida and Hamas, between al-Qasqa Brigades and Abu Sayef, you need to get your head out of the sand. They are all the same. They all wish the destruction of Israel. They all wish the destruction of the United States. Saddam paid suicide bombers' families from the West Bank. His intelligence officers met with al-Qaida. Bin Ladin provided training and assistance to Habr Gadr in Somalia.

If you don't see the connection, then you are blind. They are all the same. They are tied together by hateful false Islam which would see the destruction of all that they hate. This is a fight for our lives. This is a fight for ideals.

And I don't give a shit about being politically correct. This is not a war between Christianity and Islam. It is a fight between Righteousness and False Islam. Call it for what it is...

It wasn't Christians that hijacked Achille Lauro.

It wasn't Christians who blew up Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

It wasn't Christians who killed a dozen Jewish athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

It wasn't Jews who killed 241 Marines and sailors in Beirut in 1983.

It wasn't Christians who beheaded innocents for the furtherance of their religion.

It wasn't Christians who send suicide bombers against civilians.


Anyone guess who does this????

Call them for what they are and take away their legitemacy. Then kill 'em all...Let Allah sort 'em out.

Presbyterians Urged to End Ban on Gays

Presbyterians Urged to End Ban on Gays

Tue Jun 29, 6:05 AM ET


By JUSTIN BERGMAN, Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. - Martha Juillerat served as pastor of her small Presbyterian church in rural Minnesota for 15 years until she came out as a lesbian and was forced to step down.



She urged fellow Presbyterians who gathered Monday at the church's national legislative assembly to lift the ban on ordaining gays and lesbians as ministers, elders and deacons in the church.


"Sometimes it is more than I can bear that this church has decided to discriminate against an entire class of people," Juillerat urged a committee considering a proposal to eliminate the ban. "I know that this church can do better."


The committee was scheduled to make a recommendation on the matter Tuesday. The full assembly was expected to vote on that later this week.


Liberals in the 2.4 million-member church have pushed for years to allow ordination of gays and lesbians. The issue promises to be the most divisive of the weeklong Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) legislative assembly.


About 8,000 Presbyterians are taking part in the assembly at Richmond's Convention Center.


During the open hearing Monday, gays and lesbians said the Presbyterians' stance on homosexuality is driving young people away at a time when the church is struggling to retain its numbers.


Heather Reichgott, a student at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, said she cannot be ordained after she graduates because she is planning to marry her high school sweetheart, who is a woman. The ban on gay clergy leaves her uncertain about her place in the church.


"I want nothing more than to serve (the Lord) for the rest of my life, but the policy of this denomination says that I cannot because of the gender of my partner," she said.


Conservatives say the Scriptures denounce homosexuality, and many are seeking new church leadership to clamp down on the ordination ban, which is sometimes loosely enforced.


"God, the creator, planned marriage for a man and a woman," said the Rev. Kristine Hileman, moderator of the Donegal, Pa., presbytery. "We as God's people need to follow Jesus' teaching."

So we should give up God's teachings in order to get more people into the flock? If we water down our faith and Christianity, then we are nothing more than the Charlatan Jews who interpreted the Bible and Old Testament for their own benifit.

Christ teaches us that homosexuality is sinful. If we allow sinful behiavour in our flock and not say anything then we are just as sinful. Remember the prayer: "Forgive me for the things I have done, and the things I have not done. Forgive me for the things I have said and the things I have not said."

Who are we to interpret the bible???

I believe in the whole Bible...not just the parts I like...

This really upsets me...

Open Letter to Terrorist Murderers

The following is a letter from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines currently operating in Iraq as part of the 1st Marine Division.

To the terrorists currently operating in Iraq,
I see that you have captured a U. S. Marine, and that you plan to cut off his head if your demands are not met. Big mistake. Before you carry out your threat I suggest you read up on Marine Corps history. The Japanese tried the same thing on Makin Island and in a few other places during World War Two, and came to regret it. Go ahead and read about what then happened to the mighty Imperial Army on Tarawa, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. They paid full price for what they did, and you will too.

You look at America and you see a soft target, and to a large extent you are right. Our country is filled with a lot of spoiled people who drive BMWs, sip decaf lattes and watch ridiculous reality TV shows. They are for the most part decent, hard working citizens, but they are soft. When you cut off Nick Berg's head those people gasped, and you got the media coverage you sought, and then those people went back to their lives. This time it is different. We also have a warrior culture in this country, and they are called Marines. It is a brotherhood forged in the fire of many wars, and the bond between us is stronger than blood. While it is true that this country has produced nitwits like Michael Moore, Howard Dean and Jane Fonda who can be easily manipulated by your gruesome tactics, we have also produced men like Jason Dunham, Brian Chontosh and Joseph Perez. If you don't recognize those names you should. They are all Marines who distinguished themselves fighting to liberate Iraq, and there will be many more just like them coming for you.

Before the current politically correct climate enveloped our culture one of the recruiting slogans of our band of brothers was "The Marine Corps Builds Men." You will soon find out just how true that is. You, on the other hand, are nothing but a bunch of women. If you were men you would show your faces, and take us on in a fair fight. Instead, you are cowards who hide behind masks and decapitate helpless victims. If you truly represented the interest of the Iraqi people you would not be ambushing those who come to your country to repair your power plants, or sabotage the oil pipelines which fuel the Iraqi economy. Your agenda is hate, plain and simple.

When you raise that sword over your head I want you to remember one thing. Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun is not alone as he kneels before you. Every Marine who has ever worn the uniform is there with him, and when you strike him you are striking all of us. If you think the Marines were tough on you when they were cleaning out Fallujah a few weeks ago you haven't seen anything yet. If you want to know what it feels like to have the Wrath of God called down upon you then go ahead and do it. We are not Turkish truck drivers, or Pakistani laborers, or independent contractors hoping to find work in your country. We are the United States Marines, and we will be coming for you.


Thanks,
David C.

Why do people think that political dissension at home will equally correlate into dissension and disunity when it comes to our war fighters?

Dissension, disagreement, open debate are all a part of the political process. It's called democracy, people.

But that disunity does not mean that our soldiers and Marines are the same way. They are united. They are strong...

God, I wish people would get a clue...

Good Luck.

God Hunting.

Letters From Home

"My Dear Son, it is almost June,
I hope this letter catches up to you,
and finds you well.
Its been dry but they’re calling for rain,
And everything's the same
ol’ same in Johnsonville.
Your stubborn 'ol Daddy ain’t said too much,
But I’m sure you know he sends his love,
And she goes on,
In a letter from home.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared
and our boots ain’t muddy,
and they all laugh,
Like there’s something funny
bout’ the way I talk,
When I say: "Mama sends her best y’all."
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home.

My Dearest Love, its almost dawn.
I’ve been lying here all night long
wondering where you might be.
I saw your Mama and I showed her the ring.
Man on the television said something
so I couldn’t sleep.
But I’ll be all right, I’m just missing you.
An' this is me kissing you:
XX’s and OO’s,
In a letter from home.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared
and our boots ain’t muddy,
and they all laugh,
'Cause she calls me "Honey",
but they take it hard,
'Cause I don’t read the good parts.
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home.

Dear Son, I know I ain’t written,
But sittin' here tonight,
alone in the kitchen, it occurs to me,
I might not have said,
so I’ll say it now:
Son, you make me proud.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared and our boots ain’t muddy,
but no one laughs,
'Cause there ain’t nothing funny
when a soldier cries.
An' I just wipe me eyes.
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home."
Letters From Home
By: John Michael Montgomery

I must have heard this song nearly a million times. I've seen the video a few times too. Everytime I hear it, a part of my heart breaks in two. I can close my eyes and can remember what it was like to be in a combat zone, a million miles away from everything I know, with a tough, hard, dirty job to do.

I had no one at home to write me letters and let me know that what I was doing was the right thing to do...

I had no family at home praying for my safe return...

I had no wife or sweet heart waiting home for me...

And I can't help but remember how very alone I felt. It was like I could look out into the desert for a million miles...and I was lost. Like a sailor searching for a lighthouse. I felt that lost...

Maybe if I had someone waiting at home for me, I would not have been so sure that death would find me. Maybe if I had a reason to survive I would not have taken all the chances that I had. All I know is that for the first half of my deployment, I couldn't stop thinking of death. Death would find me or I would find it...I had no plans, intentions or desire to come home alive...what did I have to come home to?

And finally the last last of my deployment I did everything I could to stay alive. I didn't want to die...I wanted to live...

Now I'm back here and I realize that I'm just as alone as I was a year ago...Friends are great, they fill a void...but...but...

What I would give for one woman who would love me the way that I would love her. God, what I'd give for that feeling. A woman who's old fashioned like me, who's faithful and monogomous and believes in old fashioned love, just like me...

Everything is so modern no...everything is for sale, everything has a price and everything is open to compromise...But in this current circumstances something is lost in the prices and compromise. Something essenstial is lost...and can never be found until we find ourselves...

In the end...I can only say this: The only thing in this world that matters is love. The love that we give away. The love that we receive as a gift. When it is all said and done, nothing else matters...

What I would give for a woman's love...

What I would have given to get one love letter from home when I was in Hell...

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -- I Corinthians 13:13

Sleep

I woke up today after sleeping for 12 hours...I didn't expect to sleep that long but I did...it felt good to sleep uninterrupted (not even by a meal)...

One odd thing about when I sleep...I don't dream anymore. Or, at least I don't remember them...I remember when I used to dream...some were good some were bad...sometimes I wish I would still dream. I'd take the bad along with the good...

But...it's all emptiness...blackness

Coalition Provisional Authority Hands Over Soveriegnty 2 days Early

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the historic step toward self-rule.

Legal documents transferring sovereignty were handed over by U.S. governor L. Paul Bremer to chief justice Midhat al-Mahmood in a small ceremony in the heavily guarded Green Zone. Bremer took charge in Iraq (news - web sites) about a year ago.

"This is a historical day ... a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to," said Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer. "This is a day we are going to take our country back into the international forum."

Militants had conducted a campaign of car bombings, kidnappings and other violence that killed hundreds of Iraqis in recent weeks and was designed to disrupt the transfer, announced by the Bush administration late last year. Intially, the Americans were thought to have planned for about one more year of occupation.

The response in Baghdad was mixed.

"Iraqis are happy inside, but their happiness is marred by fear and melancholy," said artist Qassim al-Sabti. "Of course I feel I'm still occupied. You can't find anywhere in the world people who would accept occupation. America these days, is like death. Nobody can escape from it."

Two hours after the ceremony Bremer left Iraq on a U.S. Air Force C-130, said Robert Tappan, an official of the former coalition occupation authority. Bremer was accompanied by coalition spokesman Dan Senor and close members of his staff. Bremer's destination was not given, but an aide said he was "going home."

I applaud the CPA for doing this...For far too long we have been reacting to the false-Jihadists, basing our moves on the actions of these haters of God and Islam. Now, in a one-two punch, we have uspurped their ability to set the tone and the pace of the coming fight.

And do not be mistaken that there is a fight left to come. With the legitemacy of the Iraqi Interim government, the outcry of resistence against False Jihadists who target innocent Iraqi civilians, and the acceptance of his position by Muqtada al-Sadr, will have a roll to play in the coming fight. Army Forces are still engages with False Jihadists and anti-Iraqi forces all through their AOR. Marines from 1st Marine Divisiopn are also fully engaged. This is not the end of the bloodshed, nor is it the end of the insurgency.

Time will tell what will happen. With the handover of power, the insurgents and False Jihadists will have a hard time to justify their actions. They have already shown their willingness to kill civillian aid workers and contractors (this goes against the tenets of Islam which state that a man who comes into your tent peacefully is to be protected and respected), to target Islamic Iraqis (to bring war against other Muslims is hateful to God, says the Quran), and the false interpretation of the Quran (only learned teachers and religious leaders should interpret the Quran according to many within Islam).

With Muslim Iraqis calling the shots and directing their security forces in an effort to put down the insurgency, then where will the False Jihadists find their legitemacy. I find a correlary between the present situation and the situation that many Marxist and communist terrorist organizations found themselves at the od of the Cold War when the paragon of communist-socialism fell. They lost their legitemacy. They lost their moral standing. They lost their financial backing.

Only time will tell how this one will go.

In my humble opinion, we must:

1) Respect the Iraqi government and the choices that they made democratically (whether it be a theocratic government based in the Quranic Law or a functioning Republic). Any semblance that they are a puppet government will only increase support and legitemacy for the False Jihadists, while also the presiding Interim Government will not be able to help losing face and respect, both internally and internationally. We should advise, help and aid...not rule.

2) Carry on and increase aid programs. Hearts and minds works better than guns in this situation. Rebuild hospitals. Re-open schools. Get their plumbing working. Turn their electricty on. These simple things will increase the standard of living and also respect and stature of the interim government among their people.

3) Give the Iraqis credit, no matter who does the deed. We are there to help them not show the world what great guys we are. Do the job, but give them the credit for it. In the long run, this will help everyone. If you don't know how to do this, ask any Army Special Forces officer or noncom (the "Quiet Professionals").

4) Persistently, aggressively and ruthlessly root out, discredit, kill or capture all insurgents. Again give credit to the Iraqis. Let them be tried under Islamic Law. Let them be seen as the False Jihadists and haters of God that they are. This will increase legitemacy and stature of the Interim Government.

I'm sure I have more ideas but that is it for now.

I look the East and think of my brothers and sisters in arms who are still serving there. They valiantly stand the wall, as I did for so long. My heart lingers there. My eyes water when I think of their sacrifice...I am still with them.

God bless you all...you Brave Patriot Soldiers.

Food for Thought

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them."~~Luke 12:35-37

This verse is used often to try and convey us the need to always be ready for the day that the Lord returns. That our lamps need to have oil, we need to be dressed and our home is ready for our Master's return...many people look at this verse and take it quite literally, quite fundamentally. Yet, the forget that Jesus often spoke in parables; taking his words at face value will often leave us more confused than before.

When I see this verse I do not foresee the end of the world, or the Tribulation coming tomorrow, the next day, next week, next month or next year...No...this tells me how I am supposed to live my life until the Lord calls me to my righteous reward in Heaven. This is not a warning of the End Times. This is a lesson in how to live my life, while I am here.

As anyone who knows will know, I am a veteran. I have served my country in a uniformed capacity (active or reserve) for the past eleven since, since I was seventeen years-old. My last deployment was in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and I served in the Middle East for nearly a year. This was the heaviest fighting that I've ever seen, including my tour in Afghanistan. For nearly forty-five days, we were involved in high-intensity combat operations against uniformed Iraqi Army and Republic Guard forces, irregular Saddam Fedayeen forces, as well as Anti-American insurgent forces.

For forty-five days death was the thin and sharpened edge of a knife. If you moved on inch the wrong way you would fall off. And this is the edge that I lived on from November 2002 until I returned in July of 2003. There is no room for second best. There is zero tolerance for mistakes. To constantly be around death has certainly changed my outlook on life as I know it. This was even more so than my experience other life experiences, including deployments to Afghanistan and other prior deployments.

Now that I'm home...I see things in a different light. Normal everyday stressors no longer worry me. I mean, after hearing the bullets snap past my head and feeling the push of combat with zero sleep in 48 hours, what could possible stress me out, right? I notice the little things more...the sunsets, the sunrises...the flowers in bloom...the sultry breeze on a southern evening...I don't take these things for granted. After being so close to the abyss for so long, how could I not notice these things?

And I also remember one night outside of a city in Iraq named an-Nasiriyah and being in the fight of our lives. Sixteen men were running low on ammunition and separated from a larger force by perhaps Three kilometers (not even two miles). That three kilometers might as well have been a thousand light years in distance. I was wounded (slightly) as was every other man in my unit and we were slugging it out with the bad guys expecting this to be our last stand. I had already decided that I would save a bullet for myself rather than be taken prisoner.

Something hit me at that might right before we were relieved by a company of tanks, light armored vehicles and Hummers. For a single moment, there was clarity. The shooting had stopped. The screaming had stopped. The Navy fighters and Marine Corps helicopters stopped flying. There was silence and peace for one split second.

I remembered...all the things I've never done. I remembered every chance that I never took. Every girl that I never kissed. Every hand that I never held. Every field of cotton that I never noticed. Every sunset that was just part of the scenery. I remembered, every person I loved and never had the guts to say "I love you" to. In essence, I replayed a tape of failures...

And from thoughts of death came thoughts, a strict determination, of life. I no longer prayed for God to make my death quick and painless. No, I prayed for God to give me one more day to live. So I could kiss the girl. So I could hold her hand. So I could walk in the fields of green and smell the fresh air. So I could watch the sun setting in the distance and remark about the majesty and beauty that He created. I would be "ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him". In essence I would live as if it was my last day to live...

God doesn't want us to be unhappy. God doesn't want us to be lonely. He wants us fulfilled, He wants us happy, He wants us content...He wants us to live full lives, not just survive. In order for me to do this, I must live as if it's my last day to live. I must take every chance that the Lord puts before me. I must fulfill His will for me. That is what we all must do.

This verse does not just speak of our service to the Lord. It speaks of our lives. How He wishes us to live. How He wishes us to love...

Love was not meant to be kept locked inside a heart. There are no guarantees in life.

What is the one thing you don't want another day to go by without doing? What is the one thing today that you wish to say without another day going by?

Say it.

Do it.

You never know when your time will run out...

It is only through taking the chances that God has set for us, through serving Him, that we can truly say that our cup overfloweth. Everything we have, is through Him...and what if we did not take that chance to trust in Him?

Food for Thought

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." -- Matthew 16:25

I got this in an email from a daily devotional site that I belong to...this made me think about things a little bit...."whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for God will find it..."...that says so much in that one sentence. To me that sums up what service to God and what our duty to God is and should be...

No matter what we do here on Earth, it will have an impact on our Eternal Life. Yes, that is right. God is omnipotent and He is omniscient. He can do all and He can see all. He sees everything that I do today. He knows every thought in my brain today...and tomorrow...and the next day...He knows it all.

Knowing this...how can we wish to do wrong? Seriously. If I knew every second of every day that God could see and He knew all, and I was faced with a tough decision, how could I possible want to do anything against God? Well...I'm human, as we all are. And for me at least, even if I know that he can see it all, I don't know that he can see it all. There's a difference.

For all of my adult life, I have worked as a medical professional. I am a critical-care paramedic, I am an independent duty navy corpsman. My life has revolved around helping others. As a law enforcement officer, I had dedicated my days to helping others. No, I have not handed out tracts and saved alot of souls...but my ministry has been more quiet, more humble. Jesus didn't just talk about humility and love and compassion. He showed us these things, through his actions...My ministry has been through helping others...I believe that was my calling. I believe that was the right way for me.

I do not believe that only those who give their lives for the Lord, literally, will find their eternal life. I think this passage speaks as a parable, as most do...We must be ready to give our lives for the Lord. We must give our lives over to the Lord. It is not my life. It is God's life....Let His will be done...Let His words be spoken.

The greatest love that we have is the love that we give away...not the love that we speak about...

I like to think thay I've given more love away than I've spoken of.

My life is the Lord's...I must do His will. I must be patient for what He has in store for me. That is hard sometimes. I know what I want, yet I must wait to see if that is what God wants for me...I'm still getting used to that...

Patience

Humility

Love

The War is not Over

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Suspected Taliban gunmen killed at least 10 men in southern Afghanistan (news - web sites) after finding that they had registered for national elections, local officials said Sunday.

The attack, which occurred Friday on a road in southern Uruzgan province, was the deadliest yet in a wave of violence aimed at sabotaging the nation's first free vote, scheduled for September.


On Saturday, a bomb ripped through a bus carrying female election workers in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing two of them and wounding 13 others. A spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility.


The assaults raised doubts over whether Afghanistan is ready to hold the vote and increased pressure on NATO (news - web sites) leaders meeting in Turkey on Monday to deploy more peacekeepers here.

Can anyone doubt that we are at war? Shit like this just pisses me off when I read it. I spent nearly a year in the mountains of Afghanistan chasing these sonsofbitches down, eating alot of goat and drinking a lot of goat milk (I fricking HATE goat milk).

Now the bad guys don't realize that they've gotten their asses kicked. Now...to some people this is not a big deal. But you better get your heads out of the sand. This is a war for our very survival. These fundamentalists fighting a false jihad will not stop until they are dead, or they annihilate anything that is not from Islam. Period. End of discussion.

This is the fight for our survival. We cannot surrender. We cannot stop. We cannot compromise with these people.

Now, personally, I don't give a shit if they elect a Muslim theocratic government. If that is the will of the people, then let them elect it. That is what freedom is about. I don't want to see an American-style democracy there. I want to see the will of the Afghani people carried out. Whatever that may be. That is what true freedom is.

People. We need to wake up. We need to get out heads out of the sand. We're AT WAR! Doesn't anyone else realize that????

Miffed

Okay. I'm starting to get a wee bit upset here. I'm not that bad with electronics and computers but damn, this is getting ridiculous. I can't seem to figure out how to upload a picture to my damn profile.

This is a test from God...

Patience...

Patience...

Okay, I'm going to go play with my guns now.

OK OK OK OK

OK I suck at keeping my blog up to date when I am not deployed. It seems like it falls away...I'll try to keep it updated...fat chance of that...LOL.

Maybe I will use it as a resource for my poetry and writings and ramblings...

Any publishers out there...look me up (LOL)