IDF AIR CORPS PREPS FOR IRAN

From IDF Operator DOUBLETAPPER

The IDF Air Corps (IAF) is upgrading its F-15 and F-15I (the latter being an F-15 designed specifically for Israel) fighter jets for use in long-distance operations.

Anyone thinking Iran?

According to IDF journal BaMachaneh, the F-15I model is currently being fitted with two new systems – one called “Barad Pelada” (“Steel Hail”), and another named Lightning.

The Barad Pelada advanced weapons system has been operational in the IAF’s F-16s for almost four years, but had to be modified in order to fit the F-15.

Barad Pelada is an advanced Israeli armament that operates like a smart bomb. “The system is unique in that it is able to plan the bombing in an accurate way by identifying the target from above,” a knowledgeable source in the IAF explained. “After the identification, the system carries out guidance to the target and only then is impact made.”

The Lightning advanced attack system has also been in use in the IAF’s other jets. Until now, the F-15I jets had to rely on the older Inbar system, which used to be fitted in all of the IAF’s jets but was gradually phased out.

The Inbar system is capable of providing an operational solution in some ranges, but other attack scenarios require advanced systems like the Lightning, IAF sources said. “The need for the new system led to an accelerated procedure of development of advanced means,” a source in the IAF’s Weapons Department explained. “Once the testing at the Flight Experiment Center is finished, we will complete the system’s integration in the aircraft.”

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

When did the Ark of the Covenant disappear? This article proposes that, based on scripture, the Ark is not present in the Final Temple after Messiah comes.

Possible locations of the Ark.

The Ark of the Covenant last seen in scripture:

The last mention of the Ark in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Kings, written around 600 - 575 BC, although there were doubtless earlier source documents that are no longer known. It specifies that there was nothing in the Ark except the tablets. The Ark itself vanished during the Babylonian Conquest, around 587 BC. So the writers of the Book of Kings overlapped with the time when the Ark was in the (First) Temple. There is no mention of an Ark in the Second Temple, and it is generally agreed that there wasn't one.

- posted by Valeria, Special Correspondent to STORMBRINGER on Bible Prophecy and Temple issues.

AMERICAN DESERTER IN GERMANY

Meet Andre Shepherd, American Deserter:


He has chosen to live the good life in Europe, via a legal loophole, while better men and women than him stand by their obligations.

This worthless piece of human debris apparently brainwashed himself, seduced members of the German punk rock / anti-war movement.

These are your friends, Andre Shepherd. You have thrown in your lot with them.

I lived in Germany and observed this crowd - they are the same long-haired, maggot-infested bunch one finds in any country of the Free World; Che T-shirts, Arab keffiya's, etcetera. Nothing original about them, never had an original thought in their lives; they glorify totalitarian dictators like Fidel Castro and terrorist scum like Yasser Arafat. In 2003 they marched in support of Saddam Hussein - the guy who operated a national level torture machine that included rape rooms, people fed into wood chippers and acid showers.

The deserter Andre Shepherd is currently supported by Ulli Thiel, a 65-year-old peace activist in Karlsruhe. Mr. Thiel and his wife set up a bank account in the soldier's name, and they deposit about $262 a month so he has spending money. Mr. Shepherd says he hopes to finish his university degree in Karlsruhe if he wins asylum and that he could happily spend the rest of his life in Germany. "It's just amazing here," he said one morning recently in Mr. Thiel's living room as his German host poured him a cup of coffee.

The United States has had traitors and deserters in every war we have been in - Andre Shepherd is the latest to don the Yellow Badge of Cowardice.

FOOTPRINT OF THE AMERICAN CHICKEN

Situation Update: German immigration authorities heard Mr Shepherd's case, and are currently examining his eligibility for asylum. A decision should be reached within the next few months. If asylum is knocked back, Mr Shepherd will appeal to the courts, a process which could take up to five years.

In the meantime, Mr Shepherd can legally stay in Germany, but cannot return to the United States. The decision to desert was not an easy one, Mr Shepherd says. "Your home country will always think you are a traitor, whether you were justified or not," he explained.

YOU THINK?

There is no honor in what you do, Andre Shepherd. You enlisted in the middle of two wars and THEN you decided what you are doing is wrong? Let me tell you what you did: you turned your back on your country and your comrades in time of war. For the rest of your life, every morning as you look in the mirror, a little voice will be going in the back of your throat as you try to convince yourself that what you did was OK . . .

Every day, for the rest of your miserable life, you will have to justify your actions to yourself, to your friends and family, and to your children and grandchildren when they ask, "Daddy, what did you do in the big Iraq War?"

"WAR IS AN UGLY THING, BUT IT IS NOT THE UGLIEST OF THINGS. THE DECAYED AND DEGRADED STATE OF MORAL AND PATRIOTIC FEELING WHICH THINKS THAT NOTHING IS WORTH WAR IS MUCH WORSE. THE PERSON WHO HAS NOTHING FOR WHICH HE IS WILLING TO FIGHT, NOTHING WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS OWN PERSONAL SAFETY, IS A MISERABLE CREATURE AND HAS NOT CHANCE OF BEING FREE UNLESS MADE AND KEPT SO BY THE EXERTIONS OF BETTER MEN THAN HIMSELF." - John Stewart Mill

STORMBRINGER SENDS

Inspired by my June 25 post re The Battle of The Greasy Grass, I just completed an analysis of the Little Bighorn Campaign (May - June 1876), more popularly known as (or perhaps a sub-campaign of) the Centennial Campaign (March - September 1876).

The most heavily-analyzed engagement in US military history proved too much for the confines of a single blogpost. After nine pages of exhaustive analysis - done in military brief OPORD format - I have barely scratched the surface of my subject. My intent at this time is to save this material for NEXT year's anniversary of The Greasy Grass, and present it in less than 500 words, with hyperlinks to provide referenced material.

There is a TON of information on the web regarding this portion of American history - perhaps you've heard of Custer taking of a Cheyenne woman as a second wife? Monaseetah was the daughter of Black Kettle, whom Custer killed eight years earlier at the Battle of Washita River.

Multiple sources maintain Monaseetah bore Custer a son, and that both were present at the Greasy Grass the day he was slain, alongside 196 of his men. It is even quite possible she went up after the battle, and encountered his corpse on the battlefield. These are some of the incredible nuances of this fascinating story.

I will return to regular posting tomorrow, or as soon as I can come up with something suitable. STORMBRINGER is a team effort, of course, and at this time I'd like to encourage readers to communicate suggestions & critique directly via email: linnane_sean@yahoo.com

ROGERs RANGERS

Part of an ongoing series of posts about the history of US Army Special Forces to include more than 200 years of unconventional warfare history; "Swamp Fox" Francis Marion, the Confederate partisan cavalry raiders of Colonel Mosby and Colonel John Morgan, the WWII OSS Jedburgh Teams, OSS Detachment 101 in Burma, the Alamo Scouts, and the 8240th Partisan Infantry in the Korean War. Since 1952, Special Forces have served in Vietnam, El Salvador, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and in the current conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

Special Forces traces its lineage back to before the Revolutionary War. Rogers' Rangers was an independent militia company of Rangers attached to the British Army during the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War. The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting operations against distant targets.

Rogers' Rangers operated primarily in the Lake George and Lake Champlain regions of New York. The unit was formed during the severe winter of 1755 by provincial forces entrenched at Fort William Henry. The Rangers frequently undertook winter raids against French towns and military emplacements, traveling on crude snowshoes and across frozen rivers.

Their military tactics were so bold and effective that the unit became the chief scouting unit of British Crown forces in the late 1750s. Rogers' Rangers were one of the few non-Indian forces able to operate in the inhospitable region due to the harsh winter conditions and mountainous terrain.

Never fully respected by the British regulars, the Rangers were nonetheless highly valued for gathering intelligence about the enemy. Ironically, several members of Rogers' Rangers became influential leaders in the American Revolutionary War and a large number of ex-Rangers were present as patriot militiamen at the Battle of Concord Bridge.

After the events at Lexington and Concord,, Robert Rogers offered his help to the commander of the Colonial Army, George Washington. Washington refused, fearing that Rogers was a spy because Rogers had just returned from a long stay in England. Rogers was infuriated by this and did indeed join the British—forming the Queen's Rangers (1776) and later the King's Rangers.

Also claiming descent from Rogers' Rangers is the U.S. Army Rangers.

UPDATE AFGHANISTAN: GEN STANLEY McCHRYSTAL

STORMBRINGER already alerted on how General McChrystal’s politically correct instincts resulted in the Pat Tillman Silver star fiasco.

So what’s the deal with McChrystal’s initial command guidance to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan?

NEW US BATTLE RULE: NO FIGHTING NEAR AFGHAN HOMES

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan will soon formally order U.S. and NATO forces to break away from fights with militants hiding in Afghan houses so the battles do not kill civilians, a U.S. official said Monday . . .
. . . McChrystal will issue orders within days saying troops may attack insurgents hiding in Afghan houses if the U.S. or NATO forces are in imminent danger and must return fire, said U.S. military spokesman Rear Adm. Greg Smith.
"But if there is a compound they're taking fire from and they can remove themselves from the area safely, without any undue danger to the forces, then that's the option they should take," Smith said. "Because in these compounds we know there are often civilians kept captive by the Taliban."

General Stanley McChrystal has just broken a combination of Rules No 2 and No 3 of Sean Linnane’s 3 Rules of Leadership:

#1 Never Lie to the Troops

#2 Never tell a man to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.

#3 Never Give an Order you know won’t be obeyed.

McChrystal's command guidance forces combat commanders and NCOs to modify their behavior, to seek loopholes – in military planning terms, this General Officer guidance is known as an artificial constraint.

General McChrystal's order basically outlines tactical guidance for the enemy: if you were the Taliban, where would you initiate all contact from now on?

This order will cause our forces to hesitate under fire, and in combat hesitation is fatal.

Essentially, we've just instituted the same self-imposed "no-fire" zones that assisted our Communist enemies in Vietnam.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who took command of international forces in Afghanistan this month, has said his measure of effectiveness will be the "number of Afghans shielded from violence," and not the number of militants killed.

I agree with one aspect of this sentence: in war, body count math is not a measure of victory.

WHAT CHANGED?

Twenty years ago this month Chinese citizens were mowed down, run over by tanks, for the crime of peacefully assembling in public and speaking out for freedom in their country.


This same incredible year – 1989 - saw the collapse of a number of Communist governments around the world.

I was working with the British Army in Hong Kong at the time: I and my counterparts all agreed it was nothing short of miraculous. We were soldiers of the Cold War era; none of us ever expected to see the Berlin Wall come down without a shot being fired.

But come down it did – and the weapons that brought it down were not bombs or bullets but rather words and ideas –– spoken by brave men and women across a generation.

John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, given June 26, 1963 in the Rudolph Wilde Platz near the Berlin Wall:


“There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.”

And of course, Ronald Reagan’s famous words, given in Berlin, June12, 1987:


“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Fast forward to the present. Untold thousands of Iranians seeking freedom for their country are being brutally repressed by a totalitarian regime as evil and insidious as any of the Iron Curtain countries. They are being struck down in the streets with truncheons and tear gas, water cannons and even live ammunition.


Where are the brave words and ideas to embolden this latest generation of freedom fighters?

You are the President of the United States, Mr. Obama. The people of Iran look to you for inspiration, to validate their cause. Now is the golden opportunity to add some real chutzpah to that “Hope and Change” slogan. Say something.

ROGERs RANGERS STANDING ORDERS

Rogers Rangers was an unconventional fighting force stood up in the (then) British Colonies of North America, to fight the French and their Indian allies in the Seven Years War, a.k.a. the French and Indian War. Modern US Special Forces and Ranger units trace their lineage directly to this organization.


Standing Rules of ROGERS' RANGERS

1. DON'T FORGET NOTHIN'.

2. Keep your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet sharp and scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.

3. When you’re on the march, act the way you would if you were sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first.

4. Tell the truth about what you see and do. There is an army depending on you for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but never lie to another Ranger or to an officer.

5. Don't ever take a chance you don't have to.

6. When we're on the march, we move in single file, staying far enough apart that one shot can't go through two men. This also helps conceal the number of men in our party.

7. If we strike swamps or soft ground, we spread out abreast so it's harder to track us.

8. When we’re on the march, we keep moving until dark to give the enemy the least possible chance at catching up to us.

9. When we make camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.

10. If we take prisoners, we keep them separated until we have time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between them.

11. We never return home the same way we went out. We use a different route, so we won't be ambushed. Be extra careful when we get close to home: the enemy may be
lying in wait nearby.

12. Whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party keeps a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank and 20 yards in the rear, so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.

13. Every night, you'll be told where to meet if we have to disperse to avoid being surrounded by a superior force.

14. Never sit down to eat, or stop to replenish water supplies, without posting sentries.

15. All hands shall be awake, alert and ready for action before dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians like to attack.

16. If we find that somebody's trailing us we make a circle, come back on our own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush us.

17. When we’re on the march, we stay at least a hundred yards away from lakes or rivers, to avoid being trapped against a shoreline.

18. Never cross a river by a known, regular ford. These are prime places for ambush.

19. Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, or hide behind a tree or rock.

20. Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch. Then let him have it, jump out and finish him with your hatchet.

To this day, these rules are found in the US Army Ranger Handbook, and are posted on barracks walls of every Infantry unit in the US Army.

IF I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

. . . North Korea wants to fire one of their stoopid bottle rockets at us over the 4th of July weekend? Y-A-W-N . . . no big deal . . . float the US Navy out there and zap it with THIS:



Everybody likes fireworks on Independence Day, after all . . . =D

USAF PARARESCUE JUMPERS

. . . also known as the PJ's. My post-retirement activities involve these guys.

Sean Linnane

THIS IS SCARY

Al Qaeda to attack US from Mexico with Bio weapons
تنسيق-الكليات-لعام سكس نيك كس



U.S. counterterrorism officials have authenticated this video of Kuwaiti dissident and al Qaeda recruiter Abdullah al-Nafisi threatening to smuggle anthrax into the United States via tunnels under the Mexico border.

The video makes clear that al Qaeda is looking to exploit weaknesses in U.S. border security and also is willing to ally itself with white militia groups or other anti-government entities interested in carrying out an attack inside the United States, according to counterterrorism officials interviewed by The Washington Times.

Source this report DoubleTapper.

IF GUNS ARE OUTLAWED . . . CAN WE HAVE SWORDS?

I have not heard until now of these attempts by the government to outlaw singlehand-opening knives.



Domestic politics aren't really our thing here at STORMBRINGER except when it comes to protecting out Constitutional rights . . . particularly our 2nd Amendment rights - that's the Amendment that guarantees all the other Amendments. In any case seeing as this blog is named after a sword in the first place, this seems like an appropriate issue . . .

The government said they don't want debate on this for more than 30 days. Kniferights.org wrote several letters saying we should at least go to 120 days. Whatever happened to the 2nd Amendment, anyway? Aren't knives arms as well? So this is how it starts . . . . . . posted by VA Shepard.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY

A most excellent find! THE TWELVE CAESERs by Suetonius! This classic of Ancient Rome is on the required reading list of all professional soldiers and philosophers. This is a modern translation in English, of course, and now, thanks to the wonderful technology of the Internet, we can challenge ourselves with French or Italian translations, or brush up on the old high school Latin with the original text!



Like Mrs. Mussolini used to say: "Study hard, there will be a test!"

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO

Today is the 194th anniversary of the great Battle of Waterloo. 25,000 Frenchmen killed or wounded, 7,000 captured, 15,000 missing; 22,000 Englishmen, Dutchmen and Germans killed or wounded; all in the space of an afternoon.

Lord Arthur Wellesley the Duke of Wellington

Several myths and legends surround the Iron Duke; he was English coolness-under-fire, personified. One anecdote has him napping under a tree with a newspaper over his face when his subordinates alerted him to the nearby presence of the Emperor of France, Napoleon himself. "Shall we shoot at him, sir?" The cool-as-a-cucumber-reply, "Certainly not! Generals have far more important things to do than take potshots at each other."

Other notables include Prince William of Orange, future King of the Netherlands. This is back when royalty earned their titles, apparently; Prince William was wounded during the battle.
Prince William of Orange

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher arrived late in the day. His Prussian Legions tipped the balance of power on the battlefield and decided the issue.
Field Marshall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher

At the height of the battle, the French cavalry charge the British lines:
The British Infantry squares held, of course. Here's how it looked to the oncoming French:

My neighbor in Stuttgart, an elderly gentleman who remembered the French coming to town at the end of World War II, said of Napoleon: "Only Hitler was worse!"

When my youngest daughter was one, we used to joke and call her "Napoleon" because she had a curl like this in the middle of her forehead. She used to sulk just like this, as well.


Waterloo is a tiny village in Belgium, just south of Brussels. I have been there, of course.

Viewing the great panoramic painting of the battle, inside the ancient museum. The panorama was painted by Demoulin at the turn of the century.

Team member VA Shepard once remarked, "Napoleon had his Waterloo, we had Gettysburg. The difference was, after Gettysburg our war still ran on for two more years."
I cannot imagine combat on this scale.

BARBARA BOXER ASKS THE GENERAL A FAVOR . . .

Will SOMEBODY tell me what is going on here . . . I'm trying to comprehend . . . I mean doesn't she think that General Officer worked hard enough to earn HIS rank? . . . Ma'am is a correct manner of address to the Queen of England . . . sir or ma'am is the correct way for a member of the military to address a person of higher rank . . . right on up to the President of the United States . . . Barbara Boxer has a LONG history of disrespect to the United States military going right back to my time in 1st Bn / 1st SFG(A) when she led the charge to investigate us in the SGM Gleason scandals of 1988, tried so very hard to find us guilty of SOMETHING, ANYTHING . . . causing us no end of hate and discontent from the rest of the regular military establishment and bad juu-juu in general from the news media and their political masters . . .and of course eventually NOTHING ever came of it . . . Peace, Out . . . LINNANE SENDS

FOR THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM

Here's something we found over at milblog Ace of Spades HQ
:
The Iranian government is searching for dissident twitterers.

If you have an account, change your location and timezone to Tehran.

Ace of Spades admits: "I'm not sure that will help, but it can't hurt to try to flood the secret police with a buttload of suspected accounts."

Posted by VA Shepard

Here at STORMBRINGER we ask: "Is there a more worthy cause?"

For thoughtful insight on the post-election situation in Iranian, why it matters to us and the world, and how it affects the Obama Administration, please read David Frum's posts on the subject over at NewMajority.

WHERE THE CAJUNS CAME FROM

Deportation of Acadians order, read by Winslow in Grand-Pré church, painting by C.W. Jefferys.

June 16 is the anniversary of the Great Expulsion of the Acadians from their home in the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

The Great Expulsion of 1755-1763 took place during the French & Indian War (known as the Seven Years’ War in Britain and Europe, and in Quebec as the War of the Conquest (la Guerre de la Conquête) British colonial officers and New England legislators and militia deported more than 14,000 Acadians from the maritime region. Many later settled in Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns.

Les Acadiens are the descendants of the seventeenth-century French colonists who settled in what is now the Canadian Maritime provinces — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and in the US state of Maine

More than 14,000 Acadians (three-quarters of the French population in Nova Scotia) were expelled, their homes burned and their lands confiscated. Families were split up, and the Acadians were dispersed throughout the British lands in North America; thousands were transported to France. Some managed to make their way to Louisiana, creating the Cajun population and culture after mixing with others there.

Since 1994, Le Congrès Mondial Acadien has united Acadians of the Maritimes, New England, and Louisiana.

Acadians speak a dialect of French called Acadian French. The Louisiana Cajun descendants mostly speak English but some still speak Cajun French, a French dialect they diversified in Louisiana.

CAJUN RECIPES

LISTED BELOW IS SOME OF THE LEGENDARY INFLUENCE THE MIGHTY CAJUN CULTURE HAS ETCHED INTO THE UNIQUE AMERICAN CULTURE. WE LOVE THE CAJUN WAY! LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULEZ!

• CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
• CRAWFISH PIE
• CRAB MEAT AU GRATIN
• SHRIMP CREOLE
• CATFISH COURTBOUILLON
• RED BEANS and RICE
• CREOLE CABBAGE ROLLS
• CREOLE GREEN BEANS
• COCONUT CANDIES YAMS
• STUFFED MERLITON
• SEAFOOD GUMBO
• STEAK ROUILLE
• CRAB CAKE
• MAGNOLIA BLUEPOINT CRAB TARTS
• OYSTER CHOWDER SOUP
• PEPPERY STUFFED CRAB
• CRAB MEAT REMICK
• BARBECUE SHRIMP
• DUCK SAUSAGE
• GRILLED REDFISH
• CRAB STUFFED EGGPLANT ROYAL
• CRAWFISH WITH SPICY LOBSTER SAUCE
• Shrimp and Tortellini Salad
• Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• Blackened Fish
• Cajun Hot Buffalo Wings
• Down South Jambalaya (Chicken and Sausage)
• Uncle Steven's Bar-B-Q Ribs
• Mardi Gras Scampi
• Shrimp Creole
• Deep Fried Carrot Fritters

Sources:

http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com

http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com

AMERICA’S DIVORCE AGREEMENT

NOTE: THIS PIECE OF PURE BRILLIANCE HAS BEEN GOING AROUND ON THE INTERNET SINCE AT LEAST MARCH 09 - I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO VALIDATE THE SOURCE BUT IF IT IS BY A YOUNG LAW STUDENT LIKE IT SAYS THEN HE NEEDS TO RUN FOR OFFICE - S.L.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but, sadly, this relationship has run its course.

Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right, so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass, each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don’t like re-distributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell.

We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.

We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N., but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors.

We’ll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute. “Imagine”, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”, “Kum Ba Ya” or “We Are the World.”

We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like-minded liberal and conservative patriots; if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J. Wall, Law Student and an American
P S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you.

ORIGINS OF THE MORTGAGE MELTDOWN

NEW YORK TIMES 30 SEPT 1999
(click on image for larger readable version)


I suppose Bush told Clinton to do it ? ? ? . . . . NOT!!!

CAPTURED

Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and an old Army Special Forces Team Sergeant were captured by terrorists in Iraq. The leader of the terrorists told them he'd grant each of them one last request before they were beheaded and dragged through the streets.

Katie Couric said, "Well, I'm a Southerner, so I'd like one last plate of fried chicken." The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chicken. Couric ate it all and said, "Now I can die content."

Charlie Gibson said, "I live in New York, so I'd like to hear the song 'The Moon and Me' one last time." The terrorists' leader nodded to another terrorist who had studied the Western world and knew the music. He returned with some rag-tag musicians and played the song. Gibson was satisfied.

Brian Williams said, "I'm a reporter to the end. I want a tape recorder so I can describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe, someday, someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end." The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Williams dictated his comments. He then said, "Now I can die happy."

The leader turned and said, "And now, Mr. American War Criminal, what is your final wish?"

"Kick me in the ass," said the Green Beret.

"What?" asked the leader, "Will you mock us in your last hour?"

"No, I'm NOT kidding. I want YOU to kick ME in the ASS!!!" insisted the Green Beret.

So the leader shoved him into the yard and kicked him in the behind. The Green Beret went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled his 9 mm pistol from inside his waistband and shot the leader dead. In the resulting confusion, he emptied his sidearm into six terrorists, with his knife he slashed the throat of one with an AK-47, which he took, and sprayed the rest of the terrorists killing another eleven!

In a flash, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives. As the Green Beret was untying Couric, Gibson and Williams, they asked him, "Why didn't you just shoot them all in the first place? Why did you ask him to kick you in the behind?"

"What!?!" replied the Green Beret, "and have you three report that I was the aggressor....?"

US ARMY 234th BIRTHDAY

Mudville Gazette has a comprehensive post on what today is all about.

Me? I did twenty-five years in that outfit. Best damn Army in the world, in the entire HISTORY of the world - bar none.

The military life is the good life, and your worst day in Special Forces is better than your best day in the Regular Army. If someone waved a magic wand and I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

De Opresso Liber,
S.L.

HOW SH*T HAPPENS . . .

© S.Harris ScienceCartoonsPlus.com


In the beginning was the PLAN

And then came THE ASSUMPTIONS

And the assumptions were without form

And the plan was completely without substance;

And darkness was upon the faces of the Team

They spoke amongst themselves, and Team Sergeant spoke;

"IT IS A CROCK OF SH*T AND IT STINKS!"

And the Officers went unto the B Team saying, "It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the B Team went unto the Company Commander saying, "It is a container of
excrement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the Company Commander went unto the Staff saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the Staff went unto the Operations Officer saying, "It contains that which aids plant growth and is very strong."

And the Operations Officer went unto the Executive Officer saying, "It promotes
growth and is very powerful."

And the Executive Officer went unto the Battalion Commander saying, "This new plan will actively promote growth and efficiency of this organization and these areas
in particular."

And the Battalion Commander looked upon the plan and saw that it was good and the plan was published into an Op Order.

AND NOW YOU KNOW . . . how sh*t happens!

WHAT IF . . . ?

The following is Part 2 of an ongoing series of posts by Valeria, warrior-woman and TEAM STORMBRINGER spiritual advisor.

The rise of fundamentalist Islam and Jihad-inspired terrorist activities have stirred fear in the hearts of many. To be sure, it is real and prevalent, but grass root stories, little snippets here and there in the news, are proposing something that many find astonishing.

The word is that in spite of harsh persecution, little evangelism or access to Bibles and information, Muslims are converting to Christianity. Amazingly, it is often that these conversions are due to dreams, visions and healings. Because of Scripture and Koranic accounts of God reaching out to people in dreams and visions, many Muslims view dreams and visions as credible links between the seen and unseen world.

It’s hard to find statistical evidence. Because most of this is taking place in countries where the penalty for conversion is death, people are converting and worshiping in secret. Besides personal testimonies published on the internet (on websites and YouTube) or books written once converts have left their country, reports are coming from Muslim clerics and Imams, people who are a part of the infrastructure of Islam.

In 1993 Saudi Sheikh Salman Al-Odeh said Muslims were converting to Christianity in Africa in great numbers. In December of 2001 Saudi cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al Qataani stated in a live interview on Aljazeera satellite television that Muslims were converting to Christianity at the rate of 667 per hour or 16,000 per day. In April 2004, Iranian Shi’ite cleric Hasan Mohmaadi said there are 50 young boys and girls converting to Christianity every hour.

Among the countries where this is happening are Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan.

Interesting times indeed.

“It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” - Joel 2:28-29 (NKJV)

FIELDCRAFT 101: TIE TWELVE KNOTS

These are some of the basic and essential knots all pioneers, woodsmen and adventurers should know.

1. SQUARE KNOT.
The square knot is used to tie the ends of two ropes of equal diameter. It is a joining knot.


How to tie the Square Knot:
A) Holding one working end in each hand, place the working end in the right hand over the one in the left hand.
B) Pull it under and back over the top of the rope in the left hand.
C) Place the working end in the left hand over the one in the right hand and repeat STEP 2.
D) Dress the knot down and secure it with an overhand knot on each side of the square knot.

2. OVERHAND KNOT

This general-purpose knot can be used as a “stopping knot”, or as a step in tying more complex knots.

3. CLOVE HITCH
The Clove Hitch is an anchor knot that can be used in the middle of the rope as well as at the end. It can be used as either an anchor or middle of the rope knot, depending on how it is tied.


How to tie a Clove Hitch at the End of the Rope:
(Note: Assume that the anchor is horizontal.)
A) Place the working end of the rope over the top of the anchor. Hold the standing part in the left hand. With the right hand, reach under the horizontal anchor, grasp the working end, and bring it inward.
B) Place the working end of the rope over the standing part (to form a loop). Hold the loop in the left hand. Place the working end over the anchor to the left of the loop.
C) With the right hand, reach down to the left hand side of the loop under the anchor. Grasp the working end of the rope. Bring the working end up and outward.
D) Dress down the knot.


How to tie a Clove Hitch in the Middle of the Rope:
A) Hold rope in both hands, palms down with hands together.
B) Form a loop away from and back toward the right.
C) With the right hand, form a loop inward and back to the left hand.
D) Place the left loop on top of the right loop. Place both loops over the anchor and pull both ends of the rope in opposite directions. The knot is tied.

4. TIMBER HITCH
The Timber Hitch is even better than the Clove hitch. It is easily made by passing the end of a rope around the spar or log, round the standing part of the rope and then twist it three or more times around, under and over itself.


How to tie a Timber Hitch:
A) Place the working end of a rope around a spar (c).
B) Then route the working end (a) several times around standing part (b), against the lay of the rope.

5. SHEET BEND
The Sheet Bend Knot is used for tying two ropes of different diameters. It is structurally related to the Bowline.


How to tie the Sheet Bend:
A) Pass the end of one rope through the bight of another.
B) Go around both parts of the other and under its own standing parts.
A double sheet bend may be employed when a Sheet Bend may not have enough friction to hold well.


The Double Sheet Bend, like the Sheet Bend, is used to fasten a small line to a larger one. In the illustration the light colored line would be the smaller and the
darker one would be the larger.

6. ROUND-TURN-AND-TWO-HALF HITCHES
This knot is used to tie the end of a rope to an anchor, and it must have constant tension. It is an anchor knot.


How to tie the Round-Turn-and-Two-Half-Hitches:
A) Route the rope around the anchor from right to left and wrap down (must have two wraps in the rear of the anchor, and one in the front). Run the loop around the object to provide 360-degree contact, distributing the load over the anchor.
B) Bring the working end of the rope left to right and over the standing part, forming a half hitch (first half hitch).
C) Repeat STEP 2 (last half hitch has a 4 inch pigtail).
D) Dress the knot down.

7. TAUT-LINE HITCH
Since it will only slide one way, the Taut-line hitch is often used to adjust tension on tent lines. The taut-line hitch will hold firmly under tension.


How to tie a Taut-Line Hitch:
Place rope end through or around whatever it is you are fastening (in the illustration it is an eye on a corner of a tent or tarp) make a round turn twice around the standing part below it, then bring rope up across the standing part and a make a half-hitch around it.

8. BOWLINE


The bowline is one of the most important and versatile of knots. It is be used to tie a single fixed loop in the end or the middle of a rope. It is an anchor knot, when used to tie the end of a rope around an anchor. There are several variants of the bowline.


How to tie the Bowline:
A) Facing the anchor, bring the working end of the rope around the anchor, from right to left.
B) Form an overhand loop on the right hand side of the standing part of the rope, toward the anchor.
C) Reach through the loop and pull up a bight.
D) Draw the working end of the rope from the left hand side through the bight, and bring it back onto itself. Now dress the knot down.
E) Form an overhand knot with the tail from the bight.

9. BOWLINE-ON-A-BIGHT (TWO-LOOP BOWLINE)


The Bowline-on-a-Bight is one of the many variants of the Bowline. It is used to form two fixed loops in the middle of a rope. It is a middle rope knot.


How to tie the Bowline-on-a-Bight:
A) Form a bight in the rope about twice as long as the finished loops will be.
B) Tie an overhand knot on a bight.
C) Hold the overhand knot in the left hand so that the bight is running down and outward.
D) Grasp the bight with the right hand; fold it back over the overhand knot so that the overhand knot goes through the bight.
E) From the end (apex) of the bight, follow the bight back to where it forms the cross in the overhand knot. Grasp the two ropes that run down and outward and pull up, forming two loops.
F) Pull the two ropes out of the overhand knot and dress the knot down.
G) A final dress is required: grasp the ends of the two fixed loops and pull, spreading them apart to ensure the loops do not slip.

10. GIRTH HITCH
The girth hitch is used to attach a runner to an anchor or piece of equipment. It is a special-purpose knot, often used in mountaineering for placing a snaplink (D-ring or carabiner) in mid line, or tying one rope 90 degrees off a heavier line.


How to tie the Girth Hitch:
A) Form a bight.
B) Bring the runner back through the bight.
C) Cinch the knot tightly.

11. CAT’S PAW

The principle of fastening by twisted rope is utilized in the “Cat’s Paw”. It can be used as an alternative to the Girth Hitch, or for hoisting with a hook.


How to tie the Cat's Paw:
A) Pass the bight of your rope over the end and standing part.
B) With a bight in each hand, take three twists from you.
C) Then bring the two bights side by side and fasten the snaplink or hook.

12. PRUSIK
The Prusik is used to put a moveable rope on a fixed rope such as a Prusik ascent or a tightening system. This knot can be tied as a middle or end of the rope Prusik. It is a specialty knot of climbers.


How to tie the Middle-of-the-Rope Prusik:
The middle-of-the-rope Prusik can be tied with a short rope to a long rope as follows:
A) Double the short rope, forming a bight, with the working ends even. Lay it over the long rope so that the closed end of the bight is 12 inches below the long rope and the remaining part of the rope (working ends) is the closest to the climber; spread the working end apart.
B) Reach down through the 12-inch bight. Pull up both of the working ends and lay them over the long rope. Repeat this process making sure that the working ends pass in the middle of the first two wraps. Now there are four wraps and a locking bar working across them on the long rope.
C) Dress the wraps and locking bar down to ensure they are tight and not twisted. Tying an overhand knot with both ropes will prevent the knot from slipping during periods of variable tension.
How to tie the End-of-the-Rope Prusik:
A) Using an arm’s length of rope, and place it over the long rope.
B) Form a complete round turn in the rope.
C) Cross over the standing part of the short rope with the working end of the short rope.
D) Lay the working end under the long rope.
E) Form a complete round turn in the rope, working back toward the middle of the knot.
F) There are four wraps and a locking bar running across them on the long rope. Dress the wraps and locking bar down. Ensure they are tight, parallel, and not twisted.
G) Finish the knot with a bowline to ensure that the Prusik knot will not slip out during periods of varying tension.

My references for this post are US Army Field Manual 3-97-61 MILITARY MOUNTAINEERING and The Boy Scout Handbook. -S.L.