American in Afghanistan...

Make Up the Story...

I say that's Dad....and when the little boy says what he wants for Christmas is his Daddy home...

Okay, I'm already sniveling.

I'm such a fucking girl.

The Gunslinger

From the Mailbag...

Okay, this isn't "Great Literature"...but it's heartfelt and I like it.

The Gunslinger
______________________________

He was getting old and paunchy

And his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion,

Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in,

And the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies;

They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors

His tales became a joke,

All his buddies listened quietly

For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,

For  ol' Joe has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer

For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,

Just his children and his wife.

For he lived an ordinary,

Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,

Going quietly on  his way;

And the world won't note his passing, 

'Tho a Soldier died today.'

When politicians leave this earth,

Their bodies lie in state,

While thousands note their passing,

And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories

From the time that they were young

But the passing of a Soldier

Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution

To the welfare of our land,

Some jerk who breaks his  promise 

And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow 

Who in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his  country 

And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend 

And the style in which he lives,

Are often disproportionate, 

To the service that he gives. 

While the ordinary Soldier,

Who offered up his all, 

Is paid off with a medal 

And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians 

With their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom 

That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,

With your enemies at hand,

Would you really want some cop-out,

With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier

His home, his country, his kin,

Just a common Soldier,

Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,

And his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us

We may need his likes again.

For when countries are in conflict,

We find the Soldier's part, 

Is to clean up all  the troubles

That the politicians start.

If  we cannot do him honor

While he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least  let's give him homage

At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline 

In the paper  that might say:

"OUR  COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,

A  SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

BadAss

Iranian Air Defense Site: 'Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.' 

Air Defense Site: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!' 

Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait!' 

Air Defense Site: (... total silence)

No Fear

Fetch Me My Flying Monkeys brought this to my attention. Thought I'd share:

Click on it to make it bigger.

The Gunslinger

During My Insanity...

Since I quit smoking, (almost 7 months), things have been pretty crazy. Blood/brain chemistry is nicotine free for the first time in 46 years. And it's just plain weird.

So, part of what I've been doing is enjoying fiction. Crazy, romantic fiction. The kind where heroes save the world in exotic ways and, of course, everyone is beautiful.

Lord of the Rings....Supernatural.....that kind of thing.

And here I am being depressed because our fight...our war...our "saving the world" is so mundane. So boringly, tiresomely banal. Arguing with idiots whose war banners are their hatred of George Bush or Sarah Palin, or Christians.

Sigh...

I get so tired of the sheer mediocrity of our opponents. Unfortunately, even the mediocre can win if there're enough of them, as we know too well.

But...and you'll think this is silly...but I had a strange thought that actually made me feel better.

It occurred to me that inside the story, the heroes didn't see their quests as romantic or exotic. They saw them as hard, serious, gritty, annoying, exhausting...entirely too real-world and commonplace. If you live in a world where monsters exist...fighting them isn't special or exotic, is it?

It just seems so to us.

If you live in a world where magic exists, hanging with wizards isn't much of a stretch.

It's only in the retelling that real-world campaigns become the quests of heroes.

Why does this make me feel better? Because from the point of view of Aragorn or Dean, the heroes of the Sagas, their lives look rather a lot like mine...filled with duty and responsibility that they don't necessarily want...but that somebody has to do because it's important, and it's somehow devolved to them, while so many of those around them live in blissful ignorance.

When we read about the heroes we admire, don't we always imagine they feel the greatness of their actions, the romantic grandness of the meaning of their lives?

And don't we wish we felt like that as we grind away trying to make America safe from Liberals and Progressives?

But I finally realized that for the heroes themselves, their exploits are just plain hard work.

And I see that my life is, in that, a whole lot like theirs.

And while it doesn't make my exploits any more romantic...it's still kinda cool and a little comforting to know that maybe, just maybe...we too are doing the work of heroes!

The Gunslinger

Remember - With Gratitude

Not new, but always appropriate...

It is the  

VETERAN,  

 not the preacher,  

 who has given us freedom of religion.  

It is  

the  VETERAN,  

 not the reporter,  

  who has given us freedom of the press. 

It is  

the  VETERAN,  

 not the poet,  

who has given us freedom of speech. 

    

It is  

the  VETERAN,  

not the campus organizer,  

who has given us freedom to assemble.  

     

It is  

the VETERAN,  

 not the lawyer,  

who has given us the right to a fair trial.  

  

It is  

the  VETERAN,  

 not the politician,  

Who has given us the right to vote.  

SEALS vs WORMS

Something has GOT to be done...

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges

 People, ENOUGH IS A FUCKING 'NOUGH!

What the hell is the MATTER with these people?

Sometimes I feel like weeping for my country. But then I shoot a few rounds until the feeling passes.

The Gunslinger, EOTIS
Para Bellum

Military Vids

Cool video

Scene from "Generation Kill" (according to the Website)

The Gunslinger, EOTIS
Para Bellum

Truth Signal

"Truth is a Virus."

"You can't stop the Signal."

These two quotes have been rattling around my head for some time.

They're from different movies. The first is from some forgettable (I forget) "youth angst" confection starring Christian Slater. The second is from "Serenity".)

They seem to be trying to make connection.

A friend suggests an epiphany is working its way to my consciousness.

Now, there's the obvious connection between the two phrases, but it's a surface, generalized one.  I think there's a long-term, specific strategy—trying to burrow its way up.

Alternatively,  maybe it's not about me at all. Perhaps I'm just supposed to post it...and the appointed "hearer" will read it and know exactly what to do!

Anyway....send it around. Maybe something will happen.

The Gunslinger, EOTIS
Para Bellum

Fuck the Generals

Two handguns. One Muslim. 12 dead. 31 injured.

Everybody else's guns locked up in the armory.

Gun-free zone.

Military base.

Lots of dead young soldiers.

Because the Army is afraid of guns.

Hell. Handbasket.

The Gunslinger, EOTIS
Para Bellum

Damn our Warriors - Full Speed Ahead!

Did I hear this right?

ZerØ told stateside troops that he won't "risk their lives unless absolutely necessary", and that if he has to, he'll "back them to the hilt"???

Dude, there are already troops in Afghanistan....during the most deadly month since we invaded! What about "risking their lives unnecessarily"...and "backing them to the hilt"?

Bet the parents and spouses of deployed troops really appreciated that speech.

What is the matter with this goober?

Can we please make sure this "man's" last three years in office has Lame Duck status? Not one more step. Not one more program. Not one more lurch into Marxism. Not one more CHANGE. Not one more speech (please, God!)

Together, let's crush the slightest HOPE for any more of his anti-American policies.

The Gunslinger
EOTIS

Øbie's "Good" War...

One of the best and most succinct descriptions of the Iraq War strategy...and why it worked...and why Øbama's won't.

Ann Coulter at her best.

Liberals sneered at Bush's description of Iraq as the "central front of the war on terror" and a step toward the "democratization of the Middle East" -- as Mark Danner did in the Sept. 11, 2005, New York Times -- because sneering was all they could do. By design, Iraq was the central front in the war on terrorism.

Any fanatic who hated the Great Satan, owned an overnight bag and was not already working for The New York Times was lured across the border into Iraq ... to be met by the awesome force of the U.S. military. Bush chose the battlefield that made the best flytrap for Islamic crazies and also that was most amenable to regime change.

The Gunslinger
Enemy of the Imperial State

The Last Legion

I'm watching The Last Legion, a movie about the last forgotten Roman Legion in Britain. On the eve of a desperate and hopeless battle against the marauding barbarians, a wise man says:

"Now is the test of our faith, and we are the keepers of the faith. We keep the flame alive. What comes after is not ours to know."

Are we the Last Legion of the great American Empire?

Surely we are the keepers of the American faith. And no matter how desperate the battle, we must keep the Flame of Liberty alive.

The Gunslinger

Øbama is Reckless and Criminal

Øbama wants to give the IMF $100 billion of our money.

It's attached to the war funding bill.

There is a lot of resistance, so Øbama decided to make a deal.

From the Financial Times:

Congress is this week expected to approve Barack Obama’s request for an extra $108bn for the International Monetary Fund, but it will come at a political price after weeks of grandstanding, messy compromise and horse-trading.

The request, tacked on to a $100bn (€71bn, £60bn) war funding bill, provoked a backlash in Congress as Republicans and some Democrats balked at what they called another bail-out, this time for foreign countries and banks. The administration had thought putting it in the war funding bill would speed its passage: which Republican would vote against money for US troops? But the move backfired and the administration spent last week scrambling for votes.

To win over a crucial group of liberal Democrats, it killed off an amendment that would ban the release of photos showing US military personnel abusing detainees. This brought the votes it needed but upset moderates and conservatives, who agree with Mr Obama that their release could spark retaliation against US troops.

It seems that to Hussein Al-Øbama, the lives of our soldiers are trading chits...

How long before this man is impeached? He's a liar and a traitor.

How, exactly, does giving $100 billion to the IMF help America in our worst and most crippling economic crisis since the Great Depression?

This man, in a word, must be stopped. There has not been one single day—in all the short months since he has been in office—that he has not done something evil, rash, stupid, corrupt, destructive or treasonous.

I believe, without a doubt, he is seeking to destroy America...for some sick, psychotic reason of his own, groomed and grown as he was by the most radical Leftwing America-haters. He has sponged in their entire villainous psychology and dark-star philosophy.

And oh...there's more:

Wednesday night, in direct violation of his own Senate Bill...he fired an Inspector General of AmeriCorps...because the inspector, Gerald Walpin, was investigating a friend of the Øbamas.

Chicago thug politics, & gangland tactics are flowering nicely in the West Wing. This so-called "president" is a complete disgrace.

Here's Byron York's (Washington Times) report on the story.

Here's Jack Tapper (ABC) on it.

Do you doubt that this administration will break whatever laws, and whatever people necessary to get their own way?

This White House is looking more like a Crack House. And it's time we clear out the whores and thugs squatting in it.

The Gunslinger

Prayers for the Noble Dead

Among all the photos emailed to me about current events, politics and war, these two are particular favorites. Meditating on them never fails to bring a tear. Sincere gratitude. And a blessing.

I think of the first one as "The Cost of Freedom"





The second "Loyalty"



You don't need me to tell you what these mean and what to think...

The Gunslinger

Texas Welcome Wagon

Top of the List of Things Not to Do

Okay, it might seem an unhealthy preoccupation with death..having two videos in one day showing actual death of young men...but I think you'll enjoy this one.

It's title is: Never Point an RPG at a U.S. Marine.

Let's Not Forget