Veterans Day 2009

Let's all take the time today to thank a Veteran in our life for their service, their sacrifice, their bravery. May we never forget the cost of freedom.

From Mudville Gazette: "Guns on the Q.T. - Thank God for That"

Pajamas Media: Freedom Still Isn't Free

After bailing Thomas watched and was happy to see that all 11 crewmembers made it out of the plane. Remembering the low altitude from which he jumped, he then looked down and noticed the ground was rushing toward him. But before he could choose where he might land, he came down “on the side of a canyon, sliding down about 20 feet through thick underbrush, [and sitting] in the bottom of a dry creek bed.” Thomas was captured by Japanese villagers and taken to a military governor who ordered a Japanese Army lieutenant to place Thomas on a train for transport to the POW prison outside of Japanese Western Army Headquarters. Prior to World War II, the prison had been a horse barn. Its stalls had since been “converted” into cells, all six of which had a floor space of approximately eight feet by 12 feet. The Japanese crammed 19 American servicemen into these cells, making things so tight that at night the prisoners had to sleep on their sides in order for everyone to fit. And if they wished to turn over, they had to stand up, turn in place, and then lie back down. En route to the prison, Thomas had to change trains in the Japanese town of Chiba. While walking from one train to the next, Thomas and the other POWs with him were blindfolded, made to kneel, and then “beat with what [Thomas believes were] the butt[s] of … rifles or bamboo poles.” Thomas’ hands, which had been bound from the moment he was captured, hung down in front of his waist. Soon, one of the blows he received across his face burst his sinuses, and he felt his own mucus run down the inside of his arms and onto his hands.

Blackfive has one late GI's idea of how Veterans Day should be celebrated:

I just phoned six friends and asked them what they will be doing on Monday. They all said the same thing: working. Me, too. There is something else we share. We are all military veterans. And there is a third thing we have in common. We are not employees of the federal government, state government, county government, municipal government, the Postal Service, the courts, banks, or S & Ls, and we don’t teach school. If we did, we would be among the many millions of people who will spend Monday goofing off. Which is why it is about time Congress revised the ridiculous terms of Veterans Day as a national holiday. The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all veterans. So how does this country honor them?...

Applebee's is also taking today to honor all Veterans and active-duty service members, all of whom can eat free at Applebee's across the nation. Outback Steakhouses are also honoring Veterans today. Yes, a free meal is a small token of appreciation but any steps our nation can take to say thank you must be taken, no matter how small or how large.

We are free because, and only because, of the brave men and women of this country who elected to stand in harm's way for the rest of us. Thank you to all the Veterans of this great nation who have served proudly for so many years, through so many battles. We are forever grateful for your service.

Previously at Limes: Veterans Day 2008

Tags: Veterans Day

Inside the Horror at Ft. Hood

Authorities say the entire incident lasted only 10 minutes, leaving 13 dead and dozens wounded.

FORT HOOD, Texas — Pfc. Marquest Smith, on his way to Afghanistan in January, was completing routine paperwork about a bee-sting allergy when the sounds erupted. A loud, popping noise. Moans. The sudden, urgent shout of "Gun!" Smith poked his head over the cubicle's partition and saw an extraordinary sight: An Army officer with two guns, firing into the crowded room... ...Around this time, Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley got the call of "shots fired." The SRP isn't on Munley's beat; she was in the area because her vehicle was in the shop. Munley, 34, was on the scene within three minutes. Just over 5 feet tall, Munley is an advanced firearms instructor and civilian member of Fort Hood's special reaction team. She had trained on "active shooter" scenarios after the April 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech University. She didn't wait for backup. As Munley approached the squat, rectangular building, a soldier emerged from a door with a gunman in pursuit. The officer fired, and the uniformed shooter wheeled and charged. Another officer, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, also responded to the sound of gunfire. He arrived to find Hasan "just standing there, hiding behind a telephone pole." "He just looked like he was calm and he was just pointing, it was almost like he was pointing his finger at me," Todd told CNN in an interview late Friday. "But then I seen the weapon. ... I just know I seen the weapon and muzzle flashes and then that's when we returned the fire." Munley was hit at least three times in the exchange — twice through the left leg and once in her right wrist. Hasan was hit four times. It's not clear whose bullets hit the suspect, but from the first shots to the last, authorities say the whole incident lasted less than 10 minutes.

Tags: Jihad, Police

Former Gitmo Detainee Killed in Shootout at Saudi Border

Yousef Mohammed al Shihri, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, was killed in a shootout with Saudi security forces along the Saudi-Yemeni after security personnel attempted to stop and search the car Shihri was riding in. As this story from the Long War Journal notes, Shihri wasn't exactly rehabilitated.

On Oct. 13, a former Guantanamo detainee named Yousef Mohammed al Shihri was killed in a shootout at a checkpoint along the Saudi-Yemeni border. Al Shihri and his accomplices were stopped by Saudi security forces after their suspicious behavior drew attention. Two of the travelers, including al Shihri, were reportedly dressed as women. Saudi security personnel decided to search the al Qaeda car and its passengers, but al Shihri and the others opened fire. Al Shihri and one other al Qaeda member were killed in the shootout, while a third was arrested. One Saudi security officer was also killed. Al Shihri’s death comes just weeks after one of his al Qaeda colleagues, Fahd Saleh Suleiman al Jutayli , was similarly killed in a shootout between the Yemeni Army and Houthi rebels in northern Yemen. Shortly thereafter, Al Shihri called his family in Saudi Arabia to tell them of al Jutayli’s death and to ask them to inform al Jutayli’s family. The Saudi security personnel who searched al Shihri’s car reportedly found a small cache of arms, including suicide explosive belts.

Tags: Terror, Gitmo, Saudi Arabia

70 Year-Old Woman Shoots, Kills Robber

An elderly woman visiting her son in Columbus, Ohio shot and killed a would-be invader and robber after the 25 year-old man barged into the motel room demanding money where she and several others were staying in.

Via the Columbus Dispatch:

The 70-year-old woman who shot a would-be robber at a North Side motel last night is attending the All-American Quarter Horse Congress today and feels sick about the shooting, according to her son. Columbus police say the shooting occurred about 9:15 p.m. at the Continent Inn, 6225 Zumstein Dr., located at The Continent shopping center, off Rt. 161 near I-71. Sgt. Eric Pilya of the homicide squad said the woman was in a motel room with four or five others and they'd cracked open the door to get fresh air. Pilya said a man barged into the room, demanding money from those inside. Police said the woman, from southern Ohio, grabbed a gun that she had in the room and shot Wayne Winston, 25, of Columbus, who staggered into the parking lot of the motel and died.

Tags: Gun Rights

Massive Drug Raid Nets Hundreds of Arrests

In an investigation spanning nearly 4 years, agents and officers across the country arrested more than 300 members of the La Familia Mexican drug cartel. Weapons, some twelve tons of drugs, and more than $32 million in U.S. currency were also seized during the raids that took part over a 3 day span earlier this week.

Federal agents arrested more than 300 people in a two-day sweep of the methamphetamine-trafficking operations of Mexico's La Familia drug cartel, a fast-growing group the government said has reached deep into the U.S. Prosecutors in New York, Dallas and dozens of other cities unveiled indictments against some of the senior leadership of La Familia, which means "the family" in Spanish and is one of Mexico's newer cartels. The sweep and indictments culminated a 44-month operation during which the Justice Department arrested about 1,200 people and seized nearly 12 tons of drugs as well as $32.8 million in U.S. currency, Attorney General Eric Holder said. Officials said they disrupted La Familia cells across the U.S., including distribution hubs in Texas, Kansas, Georgia and New York. "While this cartel may operate from Mexico, the toxic reach of its operations extends to nearly every state in the country," Mr. Holder said, adding that La Familia was notable for its "sheer level and depravity of violence." In July, after the arrest of several La Familia leaders, authorities in Mexico discovered the bodies of 11 slain Mexican law-enforcement officers. While both violence in Mexico and the flow of drugs into the U.S. continue, Mr. Holder said, "I think we're having an impact."

Tags: Police, War on Drugs

In Defense of Self-Defense

Howard Nemerov takes on the Orlando Sentinel and the newspaper's fantasy-ridden ideas of how to handle a group of armed burglars in your home.

Using lethal force against armed burglars is a difficult choice for decent folk, but Old Media abdicates their responsibility when they twist the story into an opinionated diatribe against self-defense. On October 13, 2009, two small business owners arrived home after a 12-hour workday to find burglars rifling through their house and wearing their jewelry. At least one of the suspects was armed with a gun. The victims armed themselves with handguns and entered their home, confronting two or 3 suspected burglars. One burglar was killed and another wounded, with a possible third still at large. According to the Orlando Sentinel, it seems that youths were just committing a harmless misdemeanor prank when they were attacked by two pistol-wielding vigilantes intent on killing them, rather than calling the police to handle it. Further, the homeowners hid behind Castle Doctrine law to justify using deadly force, stymieing police arrest authority and leaving prosecutors to “decide whether charges should be filed.”

Tags: Gun Rights

AP: Get Used to the Era of Hopenchange

The Associated Press declares:

WASHINGTON – Even with an economic revival, many U.S. jobs lost during the recession may be gone forever and a weak employment market could linger for years. That could add up to a "new normal" of higher joblessness and lower standards of living for many Americans, some economists are suggesting. The words "it's different this time" are always suspect. But economists and policy makers say the job-creating dynamics of previous recoveries can't be counted on now. Here's why: • The auto and construction industries helped lead the nation out of past recessions. But the carnage among Detroit's automakers and the surplus of new and foreclosed homes and empty commercial properties make it unlikely these two industries will be engines of growth anytime soon.

So the government takeover of the domestic auto industry did exactly what for U.S. consumers, taxpayers, and workers?

Remember what President Obama said about the U.S. auto industry back in January of this year:

“Our goal is not to further burden the struggling American auto industry,” he said, ["]but rather to make a major step toward addressing global warming by cleaning up the American transportation fleet.["]

He cleaned it up all right.

Previously at Limes: American Consumers Are Too Stupid

Tags: Obama, Auto Industry

Obama Declares He'll End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Start the clock, how long until this promise goes the way of his Gitmo declaration? Speaking to the annual gathering of the Human Rights Campaign, Obama delivered another one of his famous "my commitment to you is unwavering" lines.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama -- confronting gay critics who expected his administration to have done more by now on gay rights issues -- said Saturday night he understands their impatience with him and vowed to deliver on his pledges, including ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "My commitment to you is unwavering," Obama told the Human Rights Campaign's annual national dinner, probably buying himself more time with a 24-minute campaign-style stemwinder punctuated with several standing ovations.

President Obama offered no details on a timeline or any specifics for ending the policy put in place under President Bill Clinton and drafted by the Left's darling and Obama supporter, Colin Powell. Hope and change may be a long time coming for those in favor of overturning "don't ask, don't tell", the Obama administration has been telling them to wait for nearly a year now with no actual steps towards repeal.

Just take an aspirin and remember this.

Previously at Limes:
A Rude Awakening for Obama Supporters, Pres-Elect Continues His Backpedal on Messianic Campaign Promises; Updated

No Hopenchange for Gitmo Detainees?; Updated: Obama Forgets the Constitutional Law He Taught

Tags: Obama

Farmer's Daughter Disarms and Kills Terrorists

Awesome.

Rukhsana Kausar, 21, was with her parents and brother in Jammu and Kashmir when three gunmen, believed to be Pakistani militants, forced their way in and demanded food and beds for the night. Their house in Shahdra Sharief, Rajouri district, is about 20 miles from the ceasefire line between Indian and Pakistani forces. It is close to dense forests known as hiding places for fighters from the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which carried out the Mumbai terrorist attack last November. Militants often demand food and lodging in nearby villages. When they forced their way into Miss Kausar’s home, her father Noor Mohammad refused their demands and was attacked. His daughter was hiding under a bed when she heard him crying as the gunmen thrashed him with sticks. According to police, she ran towards her father’s attacker and struck him with an axe. As he collapsed, she snatched his AK47 and shot him dead. She also shot and wounded another militant as he made his escape. Police have hailed the woman’s bravery. They said she would be nominated for the president’s gallantry award. She may also receive a £4,000 reward if, as police believe, the dead terrorist is confirmed as Uzafa Shah, a wanted Pakistani LeT commander who had been active in the area for the past four years.