Egypt; Does it Affect our Afghanistan policy? It Should!

Nobody seems to be asking this question. The talking heads can't make the connection because for the talking heads, there is no commonality. Hasn't that been the argument all of this time? We have been trying to get someone - anyone in government or anywhere in the media to consider, even for a minute, the possibility that there might be other factors to consider and yet they remain immutable.

There was almost no publicly displayed concern when Tunisia crumbled and very little talk about the 'growing pains' in Lebanon. Egypt has been different though. Egypt has been seen as an ally in a region of the world where the difference between your friends and your enemies can be defined by the bruise on your forehead - assuming you still have a head to bruise.

Mubarak's government media made it clear the Muslim Brotherhood was behind this latest round of protests and within days, the Muslim Brotherhood made it clear that they were. During this same period, Iranian officials made it clear that they supported the protestors and their quest for 'democracy'. The Egyptian government outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954 just 26 years after they formed in that country largely due to their political opposition. Their efforts in Egypt since then can be defined as an underground movement and when these latest protests began in earnest last week, their effectiveness became readily apparent.

The fact that Iran has come forward and made clear their support of the protestors who are being 'lead' or 'encouraged' by the Muslim Brotherhood should suggest they are in league with each other - at least ideologically. If our government has shown a complete lack of credible understanding of Islam they have never-the-less been more or less all in agreement that Iran is rogue in a part of the world they (the US government), see as otherwise peaceful. If Iran is rogue and their Clerics have in fact hi-jacked an otherwise peaceful religion, shouldn't we be concerned that they are apparently in league with the Muslim Brotherhood's efforts in Egypt? Is there any serious indication that elections in Iran have been conducted without coercion? If not; then what exactly is the definition of a democracy in Iran?

Let's also recall that the Muslim Brotherhood is the principle advisory 'committee' for this sitting government and the Pentagon. Getting nervous yet? This sitting government's military decisions in that region of the world are based largely on advice from Muslim Brotherhood officials.

If, then, the Muslim Brotherhood is behind a protest that is lauded by the Iranians who all agree are violent and 'extremist' in their ideological views, what confidence can anyone have for the future of Egypt? The protestors in Egypt may well achieve democracy but it will be short lived. In their first democratically cast ballot, they will likely vote themselves into another form of slavery taught by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian Clerics. The sad truth is all of the countries with predominantly Muslim populations in that area with autocratic regimes are likely to follow suit.

Our Representatives in DC are likely to get several lessons in Islamic Theocratic processes in short order. The question is what they will learn from these lessons and whether it will cause them to reconsider their rosy view of Islamic doctrine and Islamic society in Afghanistan specifically. Let's not forget that the COIN strategy governing our military prowess in that country has a lot more to do with US human terrain assessments than it has to do with sound battle strategy.

As Iran is about the business of developing a nuclear program capable of delivering a warhead, they are also busy seeding the region with their version of Shia Islam and replicating themselves. If the toehold they now have in Iraq is a devastating indictment of our complete misunderstanding of the draw of fundamental Islam on Muslims, misunderstanding the Iranian and Muslim Brotherhood's intent for the crumbling governments of it's neighbors will be confirmation of that ignorance.

In the end; governments come and governments go. In a Democracy or a Constitutional Republic such as ours, casting blame on the incompetency of government is tricky. In this land of government, 'by the people, for the people', the people have only themselves to blame for the shortsightedness of their elected representatives.

If, then, the people are in fact dissatisfied with the way our Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Coastguardsmen are being led on the plains of Afghanistan, they are going to have to rise from their soft cushioned thrones in front of the television set, pick up the phone and do something about it.

Our Warriors are.

They are doing the very thing they swore to do; obeying the lawful orders of the Officers placed above them - who are carrying out the mission statement of the White House and blessed by those same representatives…By - Their - Silence!

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Afghanistan Strategy Change Needed; Making the Case

Much of the discussion about war strategies, ROE, nation building and the like has been steeped in one side or the other denouncing existing strategies or defending them. All of it is based on intelligence reports and analyses by third parties trying to untangle the seeming conflicting daily stories and events coming from both Afghanistan and Iraq.

There should be little doubt that any critical look at the analysis of the current strategy in Afghanistan should include a look at the progress or lack thereof in Iraq. After all, the argument for a successful COIN operation seems to stem in part from our experiences there. The recent uptick in bombings, the reemergence of Al Sadr on the political scene, the continuing violence by Afghan troops and police against our troops and continued instability in the Iraqi government all paint a picture of a country on the verge of a change unfriendly to us. If COIN is then to be seen as the strategy that provided what now exists, the bad should not be overlooked or understated if the intent is to use it as a template for future campaigns in this part of the world.

For a quick recap:

The first written guidance for Counter Insurgency Doctrine (COIN, as we know it today), first emerged in 1940 in the 'Small Wars Manual' of the United States Marine Corps. Much of the doctrine, strategy and wisdom imparted by the Small Wars Manual was generated from 40 years of Marine Corps experience garnered during the Banana Wars fought in Central and South America. It is worthy to note that Major General Smedley D. Butler, a hero from those campaigns and twice awarded the Medal of Honor, denounced the small war effort as a waste of Blood and Treasure in his book 'War is a Racket'. Although the book is a damning expose on political and industrial motivations, it is also a wake-up call to anyone unlucky enough to have to plan such a campaign.

The next major emergence of the doctrine came in 1948 in Malaya. 'Chairman Mao' was busy redefining government and society in his sphere of influence and sent a contingent across the Thai border into Malaya with the specific intent of destabilizing the government, turning the local population against their British overseers and offering the Malayan people an alternative a` la Communist China. It took 12 years for the British to destroy a relatively small force and return Malaya to some semblance of normal. This campaign the British dubbed 'The Malayan Emergency', has been touted as confirmation of COIN theory and because of it's successful employment there, has been tried several times since with a generally mixed if not disastrous effect.

It should be noted that the British had been in Malaya for 100 years prior to Mao's incursion and the relationship between the Malayan people and the British was amicable. The British owned the plantations, hired the Malayans as workers, provided security for Malaya and shadow governance. Religious differences weren't an issue probably because the typical lifestyle of this tropical state precluded serious religious study. They just weren't that invested. Whatever the reasons, neither British nor Malayan took issue along the lines of religion.

When David Petraeus and the Pentagon began formulating strategies for Afghanistan, they set out at a disadvantage. Whether intentionally sidelined or blinded by agnostic indifference, the reality is the completed assessment of the enemy either ignored the likely effect of religious ideology or seriously downplayed it's role as a motivator for both the tenacity of the enemy and willing cooperation of the civilian population. This analysis put Afghanistan more or less en par with Malaya in the sense of human terrain. The assessment suggested there could be a meeting of the minds and that we, as a Western culture, a predominantly Christian culture, could be viewed by the average Afghan as a liberator of the Afghan from his Taliban oppressors. I have no doubt, the analysis included tribal structure and although likely naive` in the beginning, at least accounted for it. Not so the ideology. Even today, getting any elected official, in this country to discuss even the possibility of the predominant religion of the region playing a role is impossible. Whether for political gain, ignorance, personal prejudice or special interests influence, the vast majority of this government has hamstrung itself and the entire military establishment by it's stubborn refusal to accept what any High School student of world history should know.

Understanding the bare basics of Islamic doctrine, for the novice, as it affects a believer's relation to the world around him is as easy as a quick Google search. For the analyst, there are libraries devoted to Islamic history and scores of academics who have dedicated significant portions of their lives to studying and understanding the core doctrines of the religion. So why is it that the Pentagon and the intelligence community as a whole seem to have shifted the entire weight of authority on the subject to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization established outside this country in 1928 and whose stated primary goals are in fact antithetical to our national security interests? This is one of many questions that could be and should have already been asked of the Pentagon and upper echelon military establishment by our elected Representatives and Senators; yet they remain silent.

The most basic understanding of the doctrine of Jihad and the Islamist's relationship to the infidel community, places us in a tenuous situation under normal circumstances. Placing the sovereign forces of this nation of infidels in the midst of an Islamic nation is an insult and intolerable to the Islamist - whether 'enemy' or 'friendly'. The number of incidences where Afghan and Iraqi Policemen and Soldiers have fired upon American and NATO forces, which continues to this day, should be providing a wake-up call to our Representatives and yet they remain silent.

There are six points of change to the argument that we have been making collectively and I will provide them here. For those who have wanted to call their Representatives and Senators to voice their concerns and have not known what to complain about specifically, this list will help. I also recommend Robert Spencer's 'Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades'. For those who are ready for 'meat', I highly recommend Andrew Bostom's book 'The Legacy of Jihad'. For those of you with a 'fast food' appetite, there is always Wikipedia and the several sites a simple search will provide. For an understanding of the Malayan Emergency; read; 'War of the Running Dogs'. This last one will give you a perspective of the complexities of a COIN operation. The point is, in the year 2011, there is little excuse not to self educate on the defining international issue of our day.

The Six Points of Change to confront your elected Representatives with:

1. Revisit our assessment of the enemy and human terrain in that part of the world and make it align with history, Islamic doctrine and how they see themselves.

2. Rewrite the strategy so that it aligns with our 'new understanding' of the enemy and the 'friendly population' there.

3. Write an ROE that is commensurate with the new strategy based on our new and corrected understanding of the enemy and civilian population.

4. Identify the specific threat to our national security and allow our Marines and Soldiers to locate, close with and destroy them without fear of retribution from the hordes of self absorbed and self-righteous prosecutors gleaning after action reports.

5. Write a definable Mission Statement and Operation Order, complete that mission and bring our forces home.

6. Cease and desist from all activities distracting our Armed Forces from completing the Mission - including Nation building schemes. This is the work of Diplomats, Bureaucrats, the Peace Corps and Missionaries - not Warriors!

The road to change is never an easy one and with all of the distractions afforded the average American on any given day, it is amazing that anyone is paying attention to anything of importance. That box in the family room, video games, snowmobiles, sports, the almighty dollar, legitimate family concerns, hurdles to jump in contacting anyone in DC and the all important Evening News all do their part to keep the American citizen from actively holding their Representatives accountable for their actions.

The primary concern here should not be the Health care bill or Union domination of the work force, the survival of the car industry or any other self-serving issue; it should in fact be a heartfelt concern for those who willingly sacrifice their time, and their very lives for us; The Warrior!

Call your Representative today!

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Truth in Reporting; the Selective approach

We have another brilliant example of how people can be so fundamentally blinded to an obvious contradiction. Ever since Representative Giffords was gunned down in a public parking lot in Arizona two days ago, those bastions of truth have worked at a feverish pitch in the hope of grafting the gunman to any political conservative they can. Even after it was determined that this guy was almost certainly mentally disturbed and was shot down by everything from Army recruiting to the always liberal colleges and even his acquaintances, the media remains staunch in it's efforts to make this someone else's fault.

Match that up to the media's handling of Major Nidal Hasan; the 39 year old Islamist plant in the United States Army who killed 13 'fellow' soldiers and wounded another 32, all in the name of Allah. I don't seem to recall any particular outrage focused on any other group - political or religious following the incident and certainly not by the usual media outlets. No; that particular minority group is off limits to such scrutiny and certainly to any charges of misbehavior, even though witnesses heard him cry out 'Allah Akbar' before firing his weapon. No such outbursts were uttered by the shooter, Loughner who in fact seemed stoic if not disaffected by his actions; even disconnected.

Postings on his My Space page and in other areas have been determined to be disturbing at the least and one person who was associated with him on the college campus (from which he was expelled) was relieved when he was banished, fearing he might show up and start shooting one day.

The Army made it clear he had failed to get past the initial urinalysis during the screening process and he was convicted of drug use violations on at least one occasion. He is also said to have listed a wide range of books, personal favorites which included 'Mein Kampf' and 'The Communist Manifesto' which by themselves mean nothing but when considered within the collage of behaviors that is Jared Loughner, paints a picture that is certainly left of center.

So how does a media outlet - any media outlet come away with the opinion that he was a 'right-wing nutcase'? Easy; he shot some folks who were left of center.

The point is; left or right, you can't lose sight of the fact that this guy is a sociopath and quite comfortable with the idea of shooting people, on the street, at random really. Why do I say random? Among the list of people he shot was a 9 year old girl. I may not have figured out everything in life but I believe it is safe to say she wasn't a threat to anyone. She was a young girl who accompanied her parents to what should have been an exciting event.

Regardless of our political leanings, religious understanding or feelings about the actions of this sitting government, the vast majority of Americans understand this to be the act of a lone madman. I had not given as much as one minute of thought to Gabrielle Giffords or any other person affected by the actions of Jared Loughner nor Loughner himself; until 2 days ago. Our concern now should be for the family of those shot and for those who while shot, have survived.

Attributing blame to the political adversaries of the desires of the left leaning media makes those individuals nothing more than opportunists. If they think hitching one nut case to the wagon of those who disagree with them somehow to be insightful, they are as deranged as the shooter himself. They remain as incoherent as they have been in their unwillingness to connect the dots between Nidal Hasan's actions and his ideology.

After all; he himself made his motivations clear as he snuffed out the lives of 13 and wounded 32 supposed brothers in arms.

Is there anything the media has determined to be sacred?

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Prophetic 'Fairy Tales' or Inconvenient Corroboration?

Many in this country are heading for a cross road; a place where a decision will have to be made. On the one hand, there has been a stubborn if not self-destructive resistance to Biblical teaching and an almost zealous effort to expunge all written commentary, history and remnant of Biblical teaching from the national psyche. After all; academia has succeeded in convincing the majority of the population that the very phrase 'separation of church and state' exists in the writings of the US Constitution…It doesn't.

On the other hand, those of us who are looking, see an ever mounting pile of evidence to suggest that much of what was spoken of in the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Mathew and Revelation may be closer to coming to fruition than at any point in human history.

My intention is not to proselytize but to simply draw attention to something that far too many people in this country have made a conscious decision to deny, ignore or shake off as fantasy. As we will read however, our enemy is not of that camp and even though he does not believe in the prophetic writings of the Bible, he does believe in the prophetic writings of his 'holy' book. And as we shall see, those writings are very close to the prophetic writings in the Bible albeit with a perverted twist. And he is preparing to act on his version of those prophecies.

I would like to begin to build a case for all of this by providing you with 4 links to stories that emerged in just the last few days. Individually, these may not suggest much to the average listener but to those who are becoming ever more keenly aware of the precipice we are speeding toward, they are daunting. Collectively they weave a pattern for a cataclysm we have not yet seen on the earth and a signal that time is indeed short.

Exhibit 'A' - Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has returned to his native home; Iraq. For those of you who may not remember, he is the cleric who caused much trouble for our forces in Iraq not that many years ago. He is also a known 'extremist' whom we had in custody on several occasions and who, on at least one occasion we had an opportunity to kill along with many of his loyal followers who were all held up in a Mosque, firing at our troops. Even the local Iraqi's were telling us to blow up the Mosque but we made yet one more bone-headed decision; and let him go. Consider these points as well:

1. He is also someone who said he could not be part of any government that had Maliki as an active member.

2. He has been sitting under the tutelage of the Clerics in Iran for these past years…learning….one would have to say; submitting…preparing…but for what?

3. He was as 'radical' as any Islamist we had seen - before he spent time in Iran.

4. He has now made it clear he wants to work with Maliki… and Maliki has made it clear he now wants to work with him!?

While Iraq may not be a big player on the scene, it has in fact been touted as positive fruit of the strategy of COIN and is being seen as a 'win', of sorts. From our American perspective, that would have to mean something that is stable and at least no longer a threat to American security - even friendly to the United States and Americans. If this Iranian trained Cleric, who has been hostile to America and our efforts to neutralize 'extremists' is now set to become part of the Iraqi government, does anyone dare to guess how long it will be before we see another Theocracy in the mold of Iran? And if this happens; how does that translate into either an American COIN success or American security?

Exhibit 'B' - The Saudi Arabians have now 'acquired' two nuclear warheads from Pakistan. What has not been made crystal clear from the Saudi perspective, the Pakistani perspective or the media is the purpose of this piece of 'generosity'. Has the Pakistani government now come to terms with the possibility that their nuclear stockpile is in grave jeopardy? It has been no secret that the Pakistani Army and the ISI are both riddled with people with, shall we say, divided loyalties and this in addition to the many attempts by militant factions to breach the security of Islamabad.

So does this also mean that the Saudi's have decided to be an honest broker in Central Asia/Middle East by trying to help secure what could be the single most destructive force in the area; nukes in the hands of militants? If you believe that to be so, you will have to reconcile this statement by one of Saudi Arabia's 'officials'; from the story:

"Saudi officials close to their intelligence establishment have been going around security forums in the West and dropping word that the kingdom no longer needs to build its own nuclear arsenal because it has acquired a source of readymade arms to be available on demand."

Let's not forget that Saudi Arabia is an Islamist nation and by virtue of that has far more in common with Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey et al, than they do with us. Their shared religious ideology, the doctrines and prophetic writings of Islam and their understanding of submission are far stronger and give them far more in common with these other nations than they will ever have with America - much less Israel.

So how does yet one more Islamist nuclear state not give us cause for further concern?

Exhibit 'C' - Reza Kahlili, a former member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and author of the book 'A Time to Betray', made some very revealing comments to Erick Stackelbeck December 21st 2010. This link will take you to the interview and it is in this interview that this former Revolutionary Guard member and former adherent and believer in Islam, reveals truths about Islam and what the Clerics in Iran truly believe about their place in history. It is worthy to note that these 'revelations' are not new. Those of us who have been following this have known these things and shared them with an unbelieving public. But there is nothing better than hearing something from 'the horse's mouth'.

In this interview he reveals how the Clerics believe they have been divinely placed in history to bring about the cataclysmic events foretold in Islamic doctrine. Curiously, similar events are spoken of in the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation. Of course, the doctrine of abrogation forces all Islamists to discount any and all writings in the Bible. Their understanding and actions are based solely on Islamic text.

The differences in the revealing of end time events in the two diametrically opposed documents is subtle. In the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, these events are said to be future (from the perspective of the audiences contemporary to the writings) and believers/readers are warned in Mathew 24 and again in Mark 13; "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." On the other hand Luke 21 tells believers that when you see the signs spoken of in the passage, to be prepared for the time is at hand. Interesting; we can't tell when this great cataclysm will take place, but we are warned to be watchful.

The Iranian Clerics, however, believe it is their personal destiny to bring the events of the final days to pass; to force the issue and here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

There are those who even after this writing and reading the imbedded pieces provided, will still refuse to accept that those ancient writings in the Bible are in fact trustworthy. This point, for them, however is irrelevant because the enemy believes a perverted version of it and believes it is his destiny to bring them to pass. So one way or the other they are likely within view. We as a nation have become like the three monkeys. If we block our eyes, ears and mouths, it will all go away. Of course, the enemy is counting on that.

So while it may not be comfortable for some to have to revisit some of those Sunday school classes of old, ignoring current events and the spoken intentions of this enemy is not wise.

It is also imperative to understand that this enemy - your enemy, the sworn enemy of America, the West, all who have refused to take a knee to Islam; he who is the bitter enemy of Israel, is not so confused about the doctrines of his youth. He believes and is prepared to act in an even more brutal way than he has over these last 14 centuries. He believes, he is preparing and he is acting.

The Nuclear aspirations of Iran are not about bringing Iranian power en par with the Western powers, it is about providing a very specific weapon and bringing it to bear against a very specific enemy to bring about what they believe to be the final acts that drive the world to submission to Allah.

Heed these eerily parallel verses from the Book of Ezekiel 38: 4-9;

(4) I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords.

(5) Persia (present day Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons.

(6) Gomer (likely present day SE Asia of Islamic root) and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.

(7) "Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them.

(8) A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.

(9) You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

Exhibit 'D' - We made a decision way back in 1979 to declare Islam a religion of peace and every President since, has continued to perpetuate that view. Our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan under the nonsensical policy of COIN rose out of this faulty understanding of this religious ideology. After 9 years of fighting and especially given the troubling inclusion of Al Sadr in the government of Iraq and all that it portends, this latest appraisal of the COIN effort in Afghanistan should give all pause. Remembering that our primary purpose for being there was to locate, close with and destroy those who committed mass murder in New York - not 'build nations', it has always been an act of insanity to approach this ideologically monolithic nation as though there were friends there - anywhere with a heart to 'help' us; the infidel.

Knowing that all of these nations are of the same basic ideology and carry the same basic hopes, hatreds and loyalties it is impossible to understand how an entire government as complex as the US government could so completely fail to understand this and the implications of this simple truth for us. While academia can be blamed for planting the initial seeds, it is the individual who ultimately bears responsibility because we have the ability for self education, critical thought, and the free will to choose right from wrong, truth from fantasy.

Keep this in mind; in the same way that trying to impress on the Islamist who you wish for him to be is foolishness, choosing to ignore current events because they might align themselves with an ancient Biblical prophecy that you may have chosen to disregard is equally foolish.

In light of this evidence; the Iranian view of future events, the Islamist state of Saudi Arabia's newest acquisition, the testimony of a former Revolutionary Guard, the current actions of Islamists worldwide, the precarious physical position of the state of Israel, the uniform hatred of Israel by all Islamist states and especially those in such close proximity to Israel and the apparent blinding of our sitting Representatives, Senators and the White House, can we, as a supposedly well educated society continue to ignore what is patently obvious? If we do, is it not at our peril?

In a recent round table discussion we had on the radio show 'East Coast, West Coast', the host, made the single most damning comment of the evening; It may be that in our zeal to remove the Bible from our national psyche, we have inadvertently removed what will prove to have been the greatest weapon we had to defend ourselves.

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

Still Arguing for Civil Trials for the Uncivilized!

Every once in a while, I am questioned about my stand on one element of this ongoing debate or another and the question is almost always couched in such a way as to bring discredit to this particular viewpoint. I find that interesting in general because I am not thin skinned and because this argument is not difficult to follow. Because it is not difficult to follow, it forces people to consider their true nature and their true allegiances.

I have always maintained that my sole concern is for our Warriors. This is not some misguided plea to protect Warriors from the dangers of warfare, it is in fact an attempt to protect them from the negligence and agenda of those in our own government. So when I receive the occasional hand wringing diatribe that so often allies the hand wringer with the enemies of this nation and our Warriors, I feel compelled to 'chew butt'.

What follows is an answer I gave to one such person who is morally conflicted about the handling of prisoners at Gitmo. Of course she has no particular moral conflict with the way our Warriors are treated by their own government, foreign prosecutors, the national media, the lies perpetrated by dirt bags hiding behind the doctrine of Taqiyya and left wing nut cases that are looking for any opportunity to help dismantle this country.

As Follows:

First of all; there has never been any actual evidence of 'abuses' of the dirt bags being held at Gitmo. The only thing there has ever been is unfounded accusations generally levied by someone on the left trying to push their agenda or someone with an ax to grind.

Second, and most importantly; we are talking about 'people' content to cut the heads from their 'enemies' and in general anyone who doesn't agree with them or take a knee to their demon god, Allah. These people are not covered by our Constitution because they are not Americans. They are not covered by the Geneva Conventions because they do not represent any nation or it's people and they do not wear a uniform. The 'non-uniformed' clause in the Geneva Conventions is generally accepted to mean protection for civilians. By definition, civilians do not involve themselves in armed conflict and certainly not by siding with unrepentant murderers.

The only people still arguing for the 'entitlement of respect' for these dirt bags, are those arguing from the safety and sanctity of their well protected American homes - protected by the very Warriors they so easily cast to the wolves while denegrading this country and it's foundational underpinning.

These 'people' cross borders and do harm to any and all as they and their religious ideology see fit. As such and with the support of my prior two points; they should expect no quarter from any sovereign nation or it's government or their armed forces.

The whole bloody argument over Military Tribunals versus Civilian Court is a straw argument based on a faulty definition of who these dirt bags are and how they 'should' be covered by our Constitution. This argument is generally levied by those in our society lacking intestinal fortitude and who believe in one big happy world - without borders.

So for those who may be reading this who think that way, listen up; this is a world of sovereign nations, with flags, unique systems of jurisprudence, a well defined citizenry and borders. Any person(s) who desires to do harm to the citizens of this nation - of their own accord or in accordance with the doctrines of their demon god should beware...governments do not 'bear the sword in vain' (Romans 13). If you/they want to test the sanctity of this nation and this government, you/they deserve to be treated as no better than a piece of rotting meat! The elected 'leaders' of this country should get their confused thoughts in alignment with this as well.

This should always have been done in a Military Tribunal and EVERY piece of evidence garnered - by whatever means it was gathered, should be admissible. These 'people' deserve nothing, should expect nothing and their 'supporters' need to consider who and what they are; citizens of this nation or allies with unrepentant, ideologically motivated murderers.

SF

jb

From DADT to, In Your Face

Since first enacted, under Bill Clinton in 1993, the policy known as 'Don't Act, Don't Tell' has governed the way the Services have handled the inevitable inclusion of homosexuals and lesbians. Essentially, the policy recognized what all of us have known, that some in uniform have not been as forthright about their sexual proclivities as others. On the surface, the policy was there to promote order and discipline in an environment where these are not just hallmarks but crucial to mission success. It also gave silent consent to those practicing homosexuality to continue to serve as long as that practice was kept in private.

Gleaning any number of politically engineered surveys with specifically crafted questions aimed at people in uniform has provided a seemingly mixed accounting of perceptions of these sexual practices and both sides of the argument have used the data to sway the argument one way or the other.

While I am sure this engineering of craft gives some sense of power to the ideologues using the results, literally everyone in the argument seems to not have understood the ultimate price that will be paid for this gaming.

Societies throughout time have struggled with this issue. It is not new and we are not more advanced because President Obama will be signing a piece of paper this morning that will put us on par with the likes of Sodom, Gomorrah, Sparta, Pompei, the Roman Empire, ancient Greece, et al. But once again we are witnessing our government's failure to consult the annals of History to see the fruit of their decisions. Each of these aforementioned societies fell into ruin after having followed the same course of action our Congress and the White House just took. It is also worthy to note, that almost every vote, and every signature given to repeal this policy has been given by men - and women who have never donned a uniform in defense of this nation; Men and Women who on the low end of the scale receive $174,000.00 a year to safeguard not only our physical security but our moral underpinning as well.

The surveys given to the Warrior community that seemed to suggest the vast majority will welcome this policy change have been ever so cleverly crafted in a way that caused the respondent to consider whether or not he hates the person rather than the practice. Adm Mullen refused to answer Senator McCain's question on this issue because the Admiral knew of the deviously designed disingenuous structure of the questions. These questions were specifically designed to produce a result that upper echelon leadership could live with and to persuade proponents of DADT to 'move over'.

In their rabid zeal to darn the fabric of American society, they have thrust onto our military yet one more untenable item to deal with and this, during a time of war. If anyone thinks this will not have a detrimental effect on the state of morale and effectiveness across the board, you are naïve and foolish. This is especially true in a Service as intense and masculine as the Marine Corps. I have long believed that the axiom 'the Marine Corps builds men' to be inaccurate. The fact is men come to the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps trains them to be the finest Warriors the world has ever seen. Members of all of the other Services will tell you something similar. But I am convinced that men who come to the Marine Corps, a service that promises pain - in large quantity, are answering a clarion call. They don't join because the Marine Corps is a 'tolerant, all accepting' organization; it is because the Marine Corps squares off with danger - and destroys it with men genetically pre-disposed for the rigors of intense combat.

If Congress wants to 're-structure' something, they should look into their own souls and do a little re-tooling there. This latest unconscionable act by this morally stunted government will prove to have been one of the decisive nails in the coffin awaiting the sarcophagus - and the grave of this nation.

It should give pause to us all to consider the eventual plight of each and every nation in history that has openly traveled this route.

Members of Congress should glean the pages of history; secular and Biblical to see what happened to those men and women who have set their nations on the course this sitting government just has.

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

A Note of Encouragement and Warning For Allen West

The last two weeks have provided a flurry of 'activity', at least by Washington DC standards. The murder of 6 American Soldiers in Sangin by an Afghan man posing as a recruit wanting to become a border patrol/policeman caused Maine's Olympia Snowe to demand she be 'kept in the loop' about policy changes within the Pentagon designed to reduce or eliminate traitors in our midst. Unfortunately; Senator Snowe has been deceived or is self deluded in her assessment of the problem.

She apparently still sees this as the aberrant act of an individual rather than what it truly is; another manifestation of the true heart of a true believer in the actual, literal doctrines of Islam. In that; the Taliban, Al Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood and for that matter Muslims everywhere have succeeded by once again successfully side-tracking an otherwise intelligent person, a westerner, an American and by some accounts a Christian from a core truth about the religion of Islam. Given that Ms Snowe's primary concern is narrowly defined to showing compassion for the family of a murdered constituent, she unwittingly gives aid to an enemy content to keep their enemy off balance.

The latest release of secret documents squirreled to wiki leaks director Julian Assange by a misguided and morally challenged Private First Class Bradley Manning has put everyone in government on the edge of their seats. This particular brand of treachery is not in league with that of Snowe's concern but will almost certainly produce repercussions throughout the military and diplomatic communities.

The content of private conversations, the disposition of troops in Afghanistan, language not 'friendly' to the Muslim hordes or their prophet, and a myriad of other things our blinded leadership has not considered will undoubtedly be used as propaganda and to fuel the blood lust of the hate filled adherents of this demonically conceived ideology. Are Manning and Assange enemies of the state? It depends upon the century in which you are asking the question. 100 years ago or even during WW II, they would both find themselves at the end of the hangman's noose. Today…..

The latest and greatest is, of course, the assessment of our strategy (s) in Afghanistan. By all accounts, there 'appears' to be progress. On the one hand, the Taliban seem to have been denied maneuver room. Much of the credit has been given to the covert ops side of the equation but it is quite clear that troop saturation in former Taliban strongholds is just as likely a reason.

If this proves to be so and given the incredibly poor showing of our Afghan 'counterparts', exactly how long should a reasonable man expect this to last? On the other hand; the winning hearts and minds campaign seems to be lagging. Apparently you can't win over an Afghan and true believer in Islam with 'treats'. Look; the fact of the matter is that Muslims in general and in particular Afghan's are pragmatic and opportunistic when it comes to their handling of infidels. Any gain is a win even if it means taking money and goods from the foolhardy and unknowing only to use it against them at some future date.

We have been unprepared for this kind of asymmetrical combat since day one and not because we aren't smart enough or our Warriors willing enough but because academia and their damaged prodigies now in politics and upper echelon military circles have opened the gates and accepted the wooden horse. There is absolutely nothing that can be done to change the minds of this current crop of leaders because they were in fact very properly indoctrinated by the academic authority figures of their day. They never stood a chance of becoming the kind of critical thinkers that would dare question the authenticity of the teachings they received in the great institutions of indoctrination.

Having had those lessons recently bolstered by the claims of our newest and, apparently, favorite advisory committee, The Muslim Brotherhood, why would they feel compelled to question it especially given the incredible opportunity to use something like COIN during the course of their individual careers? Unfortunately, for many General grade Officers, dusting off an old strategy like COIN is akin to a perverted game of Risk; what's not to like?

Enter Colonel Allen West. Colonel West, soon to be Congressman West has been selected to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. Given the content of his campaign speeches and especially those dealing with this particular issue, it is apparent, for the moment, that he could be the greatest ally our Warriors have inside the beltway; someone knowledgeable of the military, the battlefield, Islam and with the tenacity of a dog with a bone. My encouragement to Colonel West is to never forget 'your first love' and never forget that an appointment inside the beltway by reason of a won election is first, foremost and always, service. You must never forget that service comes with a cost to the one serving - and always be prepared to pay the price.

You will be dragged out and scourged as a hate-monger.

You will be reviled by those of lesser character and lesser understanding of the issues.

You may find yourself only serving one term because the electorate is fickle and largely without intestinal fortitude.

Compromise is the forte of the unprincipled and in this case will get Warriors killed - for political gain as it has been doing for far too long!

You will, however, be held in the highest esteem by the only group that really counts right now, especially during a time of war and that is, the Warrior community. Those who have chosen to put their collective backsides where their beliefs and hearts lie are in the end, the only ones that matter because their lives are the only ones truly at risk for the benefit of us all.

You can, in fact, be the one person in that miserable place we have dubbed 'the Dark City' that can turn this around and in the process, save lives - American Warrior's lives and maybe, just maybe, in the process hand to the American people the one thing they have forgotten counts in time of war; a victory.

God Speed!

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard