Thank-You To Our Military and Their Families!

The following poem  was written by Archibeld MacLeish. We always thought that it has been one of the most appropriate poems to express why we have been fighting two governments for over 10 years now, our own government, and the government of Yemen to bring the killers of our son and his mates to justice.
We have lost any hope that either country will bring the killers to justice anytime soon, if ever. Especially since President Saleh of Yemen and his corrupt regime are now in the process of self destructing. Which only means that our sons killers who are still in Yemen stand a good chance of  getting away in the chaos after Saleh's rotten regime is overthrown. Now our government will have another excuse as to why they have not brought any of the killers to justice. But then again our leaders have always had good excuses, at least they think so.  But in the end its always politics as the number one reason that presidents, and politicians abandon our fighting men and women. Its called political expediency. Our son and his mates were not the first military members to be forgotten by their government, and will not be the last.  Just look at the Vietnam War. How many dead soldiers, marines, airman, and sailors? Fifty thousand? How many more with lost limbs, and with emotional disorders that lasted them a lifetime.  How many parents, wives, brothers, sisters, and friends that still ask themselves, "What was that all about? What did he die for?" 
  And now Iraq, and Afghanistan. Will the these new family members of fallen soldiers from a different generation be asking themselves the same questions five or 10 years from now? Or even sooner?  Unfortunately there is a good chance that they will.  But these family members can add a new question to the list of already painful questions that we who have been there still ask ourselves late at night, "They told us this war would be different! That we would fight to win! That we would not leave until we were sure that our goals had been obtained. That thousands of Americans would not suffer needlessly again!" But as we can all see the outcome of this war is already sounding like that other war our politicians began and lost.
  Oh sure! We will all be told that we met all of our objectives! That we can have Peace with Honor!(Sound familiar yet?) And if the Iraqis, and Afgans are taken over by radical Islam, it want be because we did not try! Which is a Big White Lie. We are still in Germany and Japan. WWII has been over for how long now? And how about the Forgotten Korean War? A war that ended where it started for all practical purposes three years later. How many American lives did that war cost us?  But don't we still have troops there as well? Of course we do.
   So why do our presidents and politicians send young Americas to their deaths in a war as easily as they spend our taxes. Because they can get away it, and always have. Our politicians will not change until we the people change. Pure and simple.  Our leaders keep one eye on the body bags, and one eye on the polls. The democrats and liberals used the war and its surrounding issues, like Gitmo, and torture to keep the republicans out of the White house this last election.
 And now we have our leaders telling us that the war has been won, and its time to bring the boys and girls back home! Really? The video images coming out of Iraq, and Afghanistan tell me a much different story. And if you stay current of Middle Eastern affairs it does not take a military genius to figure out that the Middle East is going to need American might for a long time to come. If we don't want to lose all of our hard gotten gains that is. And have more parents, wives, husbands, and families asking the same questions as the families that lost loved ones in the Vietnam War. We need a real peace not a false peace of empty words on a piece of paper.
  As you read the following poem think hard about the statements that are made. Try to put aside your party affiliation aside when you answer them to yourself.  Many people can't take that big of a step. They stay blinded by their politics, just like our presidents, and politicians. And then they pull out the old patriotic sayings like they told us that they could not do anything about Saleh and Al-Qaeda after our son was killed. "A few must die so the many may prosper". But more than a few died less than 10 months later after the Cole attack. And more than a few are being killed right now in our war on terror.  So how many is a few to a politician?  Seventeen, three thousand, and or fifty thousand? I guess it depends on which politician you ask, and where they are at in the polls when you ask them that question. Sad is it not.
   Its going to take a president and politicians that are more worried about our country's future, and the American men and women they will send to defend it then their poll numbers when it comes to the war, and the future of this nation. Leaders who will tell the American people the hard and cold facts. That this war will not be over anytime soon. That we need what the Middle East has. And the same holds true for the capture and conviction of terrorists who have murdered innocent Americans. We need leaders who will  stop playing with the emotions of the family members of the victims, and using the killers as a political tool to their advantage and or their opponents disadvantage.
But unfortunately I don't see any leaders like that at the present time in either party. Military members put their lives on the line everyday, and some lose their lives. And all too often its our presidents and our politicians who take that service and sacrifice for granted. Life is way too fragile and precious for backsliding politicians and presidents to waste.
  So we will continue to remember that our son was young, and that he died for his country, and we will remember him. And we will continue to fight for justice for him and his mates as long as one of us is alive. And those actions on our part will have to suffice for now to give his brief life and sudden death any meaning, if any meaning is to be found at all in his death.
  Remember the USS Cole! Seventeen KIA, and 39 others wounded. And to all the other men and women and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and my family. Thank-you! And to all those who have served with honor, and are now serving in our military we Thank-you and your families for your service and sacrifice. And for our Freedoms that my wife and I enjoy everday. We will remember you, and your families.


The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak

Nevertheless they are heard in the still houses. Who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night, and when the clock counts.

They say, We were young. We have died.  Remember us.

They say. We have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done.

They say, we have given our lives  but until it is finished it is not done.

They say, our deaths are not ours. They are yours. They will mean what you make them.

They say, Wether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or nothing we cannot say: it is you who must say this.

They say, We leave you our deaths: give them their meaning: give them an end to the war and a true peace, give them a victory that ends the war and a peace afterwards, give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We Have died. Remember us.

God Bless American, and all of our troops.

Saleh of Yemen Breaks Promise To Resign and Battle Erupts In Capital and France Threatens Saleh!

Saleh has done gone and broken another promise to resign in 30 days. The deal was pushed by his old friend Obama, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. In return for resigning and bugging out, Saleh would have been granted immunity for all the crimes he has committed against the the Yemeni people. He would also have been able to keep his fortune that his family and him have acquired over 32 years of power. The fortune that he stole from the Yemeni people. Saleh's thugs have murdered over 150 people since the non-violent demonstrations begun this past spring demanding that he step down, and be tried for his crimes. He was to have signed this past Sunday, but refused to do so. No-one really believed he would accept the deal but Obama and the GCC. This is the third time that Saleh as backed out of signing the deal.

And now the stink has hit the fan! Salehs troops which have been trained, and equipped by the American Government are now fighting the rebels for democracy in the Yemeni Capital of Sanna.
This is the fiercest fighting reported as of yet. Involving tanks, mortars, and automatic weapons.

Is this fighting just an isolated event, or the beginnings of a long and drawn out civil war for Yemen? With Saleh it can be hard to tell. At first Obama backed Saleh during the early stages of the revolt, but as Saleh had more and more people killed Obama had to switch sides or risk looking like he supported an evil dictator. Which he does, and has since he has been in office. The only difference being now is that Yemen is making the news frequently. And more people are asking how can we be supporting a man who is killing his own people? So Saleh may have decided to go for broke. To try and crush the revolution. But I think its way too late for that now. Or maybe Saleh thinks that Obama can work a miracle for him so he can stay in power.

Regardless of what Saleh is thinking, more innocent Yemenis are being killed just so him and his family can continue to keep getting rich off of American and Yemeni money, and resources. Obama needs to tell Saleh that the honeymoon is over between them. That Saleh no longer has his support, and will not help to save his sorry ass anymore!  Maybe then Saleh would stop delaying his ultimate departure, and step down.

Either way Saleh is soon to be history. Its still my hope that the Yemeni people will be able to get their government, and country back, and to have Saleh stand trial. But with all the different opposition parties in Yemen its doubtful, but not impossible.

I just read where France has warned Saleh that if he does not recant, and resign that the European Union and its partners will get involved. The French foriegn minister called Saleh "irresponsible."  Wow!  Too bad Obama does not have enough backbone to get that tough with the old dictator Saleh. Will Yemen be another Libya with Nato protecting the Yemeni citizens?  This is getting interesting! I never had much faith in NATO but if they can help then let them try. Its for damn sure that Obama and Company does not give a damn about the Yemeni people.

To Waterboard of Not To Waterboard. Obama Can't Make Up His Mind

Well its been some days now since the killing of Bin laden, which was ordered by Obama. And now we are finding out that "waterboarding" was used to get the intelligence which in turn was used to get Bin Laden. 

What is so insane about all of this is the fact that Obama said he would not use "enhanced interogations'" or torture which its called in English. That he was above such practices. He also said he would close Gitmo, and have the terrorists tried in Federal Court. His liberal supporters were overjoyed at these unrealistic announcements.  And then to make matters even worse Obama's main man Holder the Attorney General launched a criminal investigation into the CIA officers who had taken some of the Al-Qaeda leaders for a swim.

So now Holder is considering on making these CIA agents stand trail for obtaining the information which led to the death of a mass murdered, who killed thousands of people from numerous different countries. And its more than safe to say that Bin Laden was the catalyst for all of our military deaths since we went to war in the Middle East.

And then Obama tells Ms. Debra Burlingame who lost a brother in 9/11 that he would not even give his opinion on the matter to Holder, his attorney general. We saw Ms. Burlingame in a Fox interview this afternoon on TV. She related how she had told Obama today at the meeting for 50 of the 9/11 families how she felt about Holders criminal investigation of the CIA agents in question, and could he at least give his opinion to Holder. She said, he said "No." and walked away.

My wife said that Obama could have at least just told her, "I will look into it."  Thats a politican favorite! In short it means no. And left it at that. Presidents and politicians lie all the time, and or make promises they do not keep most of the time.  At least in this world they do. But regardless of that fact, he could have let her down softly.

I once had a reporter ask me why I had refused to meet with two presidents. I told her"Why bother? They will not change their minds. And or they will just say something to make me feel good. And never do it." So why waste good money and precious time?

But never the less, I do admire her for asking the President such a logical question. But unfortunately the outcome was already predicted.  But now we have the Military Tribunals of the terrorists which are to began shortly. If you believe Obama and Company. Which we don't. Al-Nashiri one of the Cole bombers was waterboarded, as were some of the others. So if Obama thought it was cool to use information obtained by torture to get Bin laden, then it goes without saying that it was ok to dip al-Nashiri a few times in the old bathtub too.  And that waterboarding will not be an issue at the Tribunals. Right?

Which means that he will re-instate waterboarding any day now. Right? And drop the ridiculous and politically motivated criminal charges against the CIA agents too. Right?  Don't hold your breath unless you have had some waterboarding experience.

Thank-You President Obama For Having Bin Laden Killed

Bin Laden is dead! Or to be more precise, Bin Laden had half his freaking head blown off! So Thank-You to President Obama, and President Bush!  Bush put the operations that eventually led to the killing of Bin laden, in place and Obama continued that operation to its conclusion.

But Obama took an incredible risk for a politician, let alone for a President. Most professional politicians would never have taken such a risk. Think Clinton. Some are already saying that Obama took the risk because he has taken such a beating these past two years, and he needed a comeback. Maybe so. But the assassination of Bin laden was still a huge risk which could have sunk any chance of Obama ever being rel-elected. Think Jimmy Carter and the failed rescue of the American Hostages in Iran. Old Jimmy Carter's name was mud after that failed rescue attempt.

So many things could have went wrong, innocent people killed, the American units sent to take Bin laden out could have been killed, and or taken prisoners, etc... But to Obama's credit he chose to go ahead with the risky, yet right path. As a result our murdered son, and thousands of other victims have received some long over due justice. Thanks to our courageous troops as well! It would not have been possible without our military.

We are so glad that Obama did not listen to his lunatic left supporters, and dismantle the operation that got Bin Laden. We had begun to think that he had, and had written Bin laden off. I am glad that we were wrong. We just figured that Bin Laden would die in some cave from his sickness. And we would never know.

Our worse nightmare was that Bin laden would be taken prisoner, and would just live his days out in a cell at Gitmo, and or another American prison. While the lunatic left would do everything in their power to have him released. Just like they are currently doing with our son's other killers at Gitmo, and have been since they were captured. So we both prayed and hoped that Bin Laden would be taken out by force.

So Thanks Again President Obama and our Military for giving my wife the Best Mothers Day Gift that she has ever have gotten!!!

Now if only someone will take out President Saleh of Yemen! And I could get my Fathers Day Gift! And the Yemeni People would get their freedom!