Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said this weekend that had he known Israel’s response was going to be what it was, he would not have ordered the capture of 2 Israeli soldiers.

Lots of needless deaths and all he can say is the equivalent of “My bad”? There are times when major political figures the world over need to be taken out back and have some sense knocked into them. I mean, seriously. How often, in the past, has Israel’s response to ANYTHING been anything but disproportionate? Rocket attacks against stone-throwers and protesters. Remember that, Hassan?

I don’t know who pisses me off more here, Ehud Olmert or Hassan Nasrallah. Both men, because of their egos, have allowed for the deaths of civilians. Asshats. The whole damn lot of them.

News reports have come out this weekend indicating that Israel is quietly negotiating with Hezbollah for a prisoner exchange. This news has me pissed off even more at Israel. It makes me beg the question “WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU DO THIS FROM THE START?”

Every single civilian death, both Israeli and Lebanese, could have been avoided if Israel had done this from the start. What, you get your asses handed to you a few times by Hezbollah and NOW you want to negotiate? Play nice again? Why not just bargain with Hezbollah in the first place?

Thirty-four days of hell, death and destruction rained down on Beirut and south Lebanon just for the hell of it. For 34 days, Hezbollah sent Katyusha rockets into northern Israel to indiscriminately kill civilians and IDF soldiers alike. The whole campaign was a waste.

 I guess Olmert ordered the attack on Lebanon ‘cuz he just likes killing and stuff.

November.

Subpoenas.

Trial.

Rope.

 

Thanks to Gordon over at Alternate Brain for the above.

I’m quite a bit late to the game on this, but I figured I’d tackle the issue anyway.

Last Thursday, Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled the NSA’s secret wiretapping program unconstituitional. Now, provided that this ruluing eventually becomes settled law, the question remains: Can we impeach Bush? It stands to reason that if this program is ultimately deemed unconstitutional, then by authorizing the program, President Bush has violated his oath of office which is a certainly impeachable offense.

I’ve read through the entire ruling and while some of the points seem foreign to me, I understand the gist of ruling as a whole. The Bush Administration’s assertion that proceeding with the case would provide disclosure of “state secrets” appears to hold no water according to Judge Taylor. One of the most salient points in the ruling is this:

It is undisputed that Defendants have publicly admitted to the following: (1) the TSP exists; (2) it operates without warrants; (3) it targets communications where one party to the communication is outside the United States, and the government has a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al Qaeda, affiliated with al Qaeda, or a member of an organization affiliated with al Qaeda, or working in support of al Qaeda. As the Government has on many occasions confirmed the veracity of these allegations, the state secrets privilege does not apply to this information.

I think it was the admission of the program (after its announcement by the MSM of course) and its pertinent details by the Bush Administration that invalidated the state secrets defense. Many on the right, from the beginning of the public’s awareness of the program, have denounced the media for even reporting the scantest details of this program. Regardless, the program has been deemed unconstitutional and if the verdict stands throughout the appeals process, Bush will get to be one step closer to Clinton.

The complete ruling by Judge Taylor can be found here, courtesy CNN.

That’s what the President says. Although a statement like that just begs the question:

If Hezbollah was defeated, why did they need a cease-fire?

 Next the President will probably tell us things like:

• The moon really is made of green cheese.
• We really are safer since 9/11.
• Our soldiers in Iraq are fighting for our freedom.
• Saddam Hussein had ties to Al-Qaeda.
• Freedom is Slavery.
• Ignorance is Strength.
• We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.

Ahh, the wonderful world we live in, eh? It must be nice to be able to actually believe things like that. It makes your course through life go pretty smoothly I’d imagine. But the truth is–yes, I said truth–that real life isn’t as easy as the President makes it seem. [sarcasm]The economy is chugging along and those tax cuts are good for America. Why DO Democrats hate America?[/sarcasm]

The fact is, We aren’t any safer than we were before 9/11. It’s just that it’s all the more visible now. If we have to “fight them over there, so we don’t have to fight them here”, why did the most recent arrests occur in the UK? The fact is, there are going to be people who wish this country harm. Nothing you can do about that. You aren’t going to “win their hearts and minds” no matter how much propaganda you spew. The sooner you admit that fact, the sooner you can try and find out WHY they hate us. Could it be our imbalanced policies toward countries in the Middle East with regards to Israel? Probably. Once you find out the reasons why they hate us, you can begin to try and change that. Bombs, missles, and tanks are probably not the best way to do that. Now granted, I understand that there will be those whose minds will never be changed. But there’s also quite a few who would start taking a different view of America if her policies toward Israel changed.

For instance, anybody know how many UN Resolutions the US has passed that admonished Israel?

The answer is none. Even when the resolutions are fairly worded admonishing both parties equally, we still shoot it down. This is another reason the UN needs to be radically changed. Take away the permanent member status of France, the UK, the US, the Russian Federation, and China. Or at least take away their veto power. Make any resolutions submitted to the Security council be more democratic, meaning it only takes a majority (3 of 5) to pass. Anyway, I’m getting way off track here.

I guess my main point of all of this is how can the President be so dense as to make a statement like this? Because he said they’re the losers in their war(?) with Israel, does he honestly think they’ll go “Yup, Bush said we’re the losers. Why don’t we go home now and get rid of all of our weapons.”?

I can’t wait for the November elections. Maybe then we’ll be able to put this power-mad President in check like the system is supposed to do.

Awaking from the deepest sleep I’ve had in what seems like years, I check my watch. Ten-thirty hours. Shit! Have I really been asleep for 13½ hours? I gotta finish this inventory and get to work checking the comm gear.

A long 2 hours later with the inventory done, I find something to stand on and check the shadowbox I located yesterday. I find the button that drops the box and press it lightly. The shadowbox drops down as smooth as silk. Judging by the layer of dust in this place it has to have been quite some time since Scotty last made it down here.

I deftly remove the stack of papers from the shadowbox and replace it in the ceiling. Going through them, I find another note left by Scotty:

Jake,

I know you found the inventory list and the rest of the paperwork I left lying on the table. As you know me like a brother, I’m sure you also knew immediately that the comm freqs and challenge codes were bogus. Since you found this note, you’ll have also found the REAL comm freqs and challenge codes. I’ve kept in sporadic contact with most of the guys on the list up until last year. I can’t tell you which ones you’ll be able to get in contact with or if they’re even still alive. Remember Capt. Wilson? He sure remembers you. He was the one I kept in contact with the most. Last I knew he was in the Portland area. He’s going to be the one you want to contact first. The frequencies listed on the sheet have both a secure and unsecure frequency. Everyone on the list has been told to keep the batteries charged, their comm units in good condition, and always on the secure channel, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting ahold of them. Good luck, my friend. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you as you take the fight to them.

Love,

Scotty

Choking back my tears once again, I read back over the last line he wrote: Love, Scotty. I knew we were close, but I guess I never looked at it quite that way before. Yeah, Scotty was like a brother to me and reflecting back I loved him like one as well. Serving so many years together in the Techno Marines does that to you , I guess. I’m gonna miss him. I shudder to think what those bastards did to he and Carla. Knowing the tactics they started employing during the war, I have no doubt they tortured the hell out of them both. Probably starting with Carla.  Carla was just as mean and ornery as Scotty was, so I doubt those goons got much out of either one of them. Either way, it will serve me well to remain as vigilant and inconspicuous as possible going forward.

While I was completing the inventory, I made sure to start charging the batteries for the comm gear. Now, it’s time to fire it up and see if I can reach Capt. Wilson. Referring to the sheet Scotty left, I see this:

Roderick Wilson

secure 199660xm (extended modulation)

unsecure 137559xm

challenge “Sure could go for some crawfish pie.”

answer “Back in New Orleans, we used to have it every night.”

I punch in the frequency for secure communications and press the call button. I wait. And wait. And wait.

Twenty-five minutes later with my finger numb from repeatedly pressing the call button, I hear a familiar voice:

Rod: Al-low! Who dat dere?

Me: Just a guy who’s a bit hungry. That’s all. How bout you?

Rod: I sure could go for some crawfish pie.

Me: Man, when we were back in New Orleans, we used to have it every night.

Rod: Gawddamn it Johansson, is dat choo? This line secure?

Me: You know full well it is, sir.

Rod: Enough of the sir bullshit. I ain’t servin’ anymore and neither is you. You was the last person I thought’d be calling me.

Me: Yeah, well I never expected you to be part of the resistance. Not with how dedicated to the Corps you were. Enough of the chit-chat though. Is it safe where you are?

Rod: Bout as safe as it can be considering. You coming to meet me?

Me: I’m gonna have to. The only problem is how to transport all this gear and equipment undetected. Do you have any way to get here? I’m at Scotty’s right now, but it’s not at all safe here.

Rod: I got a way to get there. Gonna take about 3 days though. Think you can wait?

Me: I can wait. Scotty stowed enough rations and supplies to keep me going here for a couple years at least. When you get closer, raise me on the comm and remember to keep your ass safe. Sir.

Rod: Will do, Jake. Will do. Rod, out.

Talk about bringing back some memories! Rod was always a stand-up guy who took care of his Marines. He kept me out of serious trouble on more than one occasion. He also kicked my ass all over the squad bay for my transgressions but that was to be expected with Rod. Every single one of the guys who served under him would have followed him into Hell and back had he given the order. I’m still not sure why he joined the resistance, but I know I’ll find out once he gets here. If Scotty stashed any liquor down here, I’ll have to buy him a drink.

 Looking back over the list Scotty left, I recognize some of the other names printed there:

Jimbo “Wade” Dean

Steven “Go-Go” Riggs

Gage Paulson

Frankie J. Fordham

Hector “Chico” Gonzalez

Now Gage, Scotty, and I go way back. We all served together in the same unit during the war. With Scotty gone now, it’ll be good to see him again. If he’s still alive.

I finish looking around this place and come to realize that Scotty did indeed procure enough weapons, armor, and supplies to keep us fighting at least until the next century. I start organizing the equipment into groups of four. After all is said and done, that’ll probably be all that’s left to fight.

On to Chapter 8

Read From the beginning?

Yeah, I went and done it. I’ve kinda gone commercial on you guys. I’ve added a donation button on my right sidebar. I figure at least this way it’s not as glaringly obvious that I’d like to make a little coinage from this site as going with BlogAds or Google Ads is.

I know, it looks like I’m hassling you guys to send me money. Well, I’m not. You will never be pressed or made to feel as if you’re being forced to donate to me here. NEVER! I value each and every one of my readers—lurkers and commenters alike. So if you feel like separating yourself from some of your hard-earned cash by sending it to me, by all means go ahead. If not, you won’t be penalized for it either. How much or how little you wish to donate, if at all, is entirely up to you.

So with that, I thank all of you faithful readers for still coming around this joint. You are the reason I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years. In that time, I’ve seen my readership grow from less than 5 unique hits per day to the 40 or so I have now. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but there are sites in the blogosphere that have been around longer than I have that get less, so I must be doing something right. Thanks again.

As noted by commenter freelove over at First Draft, we are only 6 military deaths away from the number of folks who lost their lives on 9/11.

With as much as President Bush likes to try and equate 9/11 with the War in Iraq, can our troops come home once we hit that number? The reason I ask this is because we will have lost just as many people as died on that day. To me, once we pass this mark of troops dead, this seems to be no longer worth it.

Just askin’.

The fighting in Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continues today, seemingly unabated. Meanwhile, the US and French governments continue to try to hash out a deal that could ultimatley lead to a cease-fire in the region. With the continued bombing of southern Lebanon, there is a growing need for humanitarian intervention.

The problem is that Israeli forces continue to refuse to grant authorization to UN forces to deliver food and aid to those who desperately need it. This seems to confirm theories circulating on the Internet that Israel is not just interested in getting their two soldiers released by Hezbollah, but rather their desire to “punish” the Lebanese people for the actions of a few terrorists. Much has been said already concerning the disproportionate response by Israeli forces and the almost total destruction of several Lebanese towns. Beirut continues to targeted by the IDF in the form of bombs and artillery shelling. If the fighting continues without a cease-fire resolution, there is the potential for several thousand more deaths of Lebanese civilians. Those not already killed by the shelling of Beirut and other towns are now dying of starvation, lack of medical care, and lack of water.

The growing humanitarian crisis in south Lebanon needs decisive leadership from the US to stop the fighting at all costs. I wholly reject Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s assertion that we need to let the fighting continue until a “comprehensive, long-term” cease-fire agreement is reached. People are dying in this region of the Middle East. Israeli civilians are dying as well, however at much lower numbers than Lebanese civilians. Our country’s first priority needs to be to stop the fighting at all costs. A comprehensive solution to the current situation can be negotiated at a later date. If nothing else, President Bush and Secretary Rice need to use their influence to at least allow UN aid convoys into the area to feed and provide medical care to those who need it most. This conflict has grown in size from being about 2 kidnapped soldiers into a possible illegal occupation of Lebanon by Israeli forces.

I remember back in 1991, just a few months before I enlisted in the Marine Corps, a certain Middle Eastern country’s leader took it upon himself to invade a sovereign nation. Back then, the US response was swift and decisive. For the most part, we accomplished our goal of forcing that country’s army to pull back from the country it invaded. Of course, the conflict back then involved oil, but it could have just as easily been lied about spun to be about kidnapped soliders. This analogy is slightly flawed though, and I acknowledge that. But my point is that Israel has violated Lebanon’s sovereignty by invading their airspace and advancing into the country. The response to this by other countries in the world has been less than apropriate if you ask me.

Something needs to be done to help the innocent in this conflict. Will the US be the ones to do it, or will we shirk our responsibility for helping to advance human rights and continue blindly supporting Israel?

At least not as a Democrat! It looks like the Joementum just didn’t last.

 Last night, in a hotly contested Senate race in Connecticut, Joe Lieberman lost to newcomer Ned Lamont. As this post will be just one more in a million posts about this, I’ll try to keep it short. Connecticut voters proved to Lieberman that they don’t buy into his politics anymore. What is needed is a change in the way our politicians do business in Washington and Lamont has vowed to do just that. Just like Republicans call John McCain a RINO (Republican In Name Only), Joe Lieberman has been labelled a DINO (Democrat In Name Only). His staunch defense of the president when it comes to the Debacle in the Desertâ„¢ has been a key factor in his defeat. CNN.com reports that 60% of Americans oppose the Iraq War. That’s a hell of a lot of folks against the “Stay and Pay” policy of President Bush and his Administration. That Joe Lieberman would get nice and comfy with that policy is one of the things that led to Ned Lamont winning the Democratic Primary in CT last night.

Races like this one are not an aberration anymore. Ned Lamont proved how grass-roots(net-roots?) support works for political candidates. Joe Lieberman has disgraced himself by proudly proclaiming that he will run as an Independent in November. But that’s not all he’s done. He’s disgraced the party he claims to have been a loyal member of for all of his political life—until now. Personally, I don’t think Lieberman can win in November against Lamont. By running as an Independent he’s shown himself to be less concerned about maintaining his Democratic principles and abiding by the results of the primary and more concerned about losing his power and his livelihood.

 All in all, Lieberman’s loss doesn’t bode well for Republicans or Democrats who’ve forgotten where they came from and who they work for.