Dubya SOTU: Home Run? ...Maybe A Triple

It stared out great. Probably one of the better State Of The Union Speeches I ever saw (and I've been watching them since the Reagan years).

President Bush recognized the US Military fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. He talked about the War on Terror. He reaffirmed our committment to security with NSA wiretaps (did you see the look on Hillary's face? I think she mouthed the word "A-Hole"!) He talked about Katrina and Rita and our efforts at recovery. He even called out our enemies: Syria, Hamas, North Korea, and the Iranians.

It was going great.

And then he said the words that brought it to a screeching halt: "Guest Worker Program".

Aaaaarrrggghhh!

No matter how you dress it up, no matter how conditional you make it (talking about no amnesty, stronger border enforcement, etc..), it won't work. The American people DO NOT WANT A GUEST WORKER PROGRAM.

I thought he knocked it out of the park, and then he stumbled rounding third base.

Three out of five stars.

Elections 2006...predictions?

The more I think about it (and admittedly, crunching the numbers gives me a headache), I don't think there will be a power shift in either House of Congress this fall.

If anything, I have a feeling that the Republicans will pick up 3 seats in the Senate, and maybe 8-9 in the House.

What does everyone else think?

My Reasoning:

President Bush has really thought "outside of the box" about this NSA wiretapping thing. Instead of trying a cover-up a la Clinton, he wears it like a badge of honor: "Hell yeah, I did it" and "I'd do it again for the safety and security of the American People" (not direct quotes). I think Joe Sixpack agrees with the President, and respects the President (and by Association, the Republicans) for doing every single thing they can to protect us.

Another thing: the incumbent Republicans (and aspiring contenders taking on Democrat incumbents) can point to a proven trail of legislation and positions defending the American people's security.

The Democrats don't have much to point to. Actually, they have "killing the Patriot Act" to point to. They have "civil rights for terrorists" to point to. So...they don't have much.

All the pundits claiming a Democratic payday in November, I think, are a bit out of touch with the rest of the US. The key words are Iraq and Terrorism, and "What Are You Going To Do About It".

If you're a Democrat running for Congress or the Senate....not much.

US Army Values

Living The Army Values It Means You Live Up To A Higher Standard Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. But how often do you see someone actually live up to them? Soldiers learn these values in detail during Basic Combat Training (BCT), from then on they live them every day in everything they do—whether they’re on the job or off. In short, the Seven Core Army Values listed below are what being a Soldier is all about. Loyalty Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers. Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. A loyal Soldier is one who supports the leadership and stands up for fellow Soldiers. By wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army you are expressing your loyalty. And by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit. Duty Fulfill your obligations. Doing your duty means more than carrying out your assigned tasks. Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team. The work of the U.S. Army is a complex combination of missions, tasks and responsibilities—all in constant motion. Our work entails building one assignment onto another. You fulfill your obligations as a part of your unit every time you resist the temptation to take “shortcuts” that might undermine the integrity of the final product. Respect Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.” Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to contribute. Selfless Service Put the welfare of the Nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the Honor Live up to Army values. The Nation’s highest military award is The Medal of Honor. This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of daily living—Soldiers who develop the habit of being honorable, and solidify that habit with every value choice they make. Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do. Integrity Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself. Personal Courage Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). Personal courage has long been associated with our Army. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and at times risking personal safety. Facing moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.

Ask yourself: Do you embody the Army Values?

Should you?

...Really Gets My Goat!

I'm a little bent out of shape that no one, and I mean no one, from the MSM covered the first anniversary of the Iraqi Elections!

C'mon, people! Is your hate of my Commander-In-Chief so great that you would deny coverage on the anniversary of our greatest political victory in Iraq? Consider this: the Iraqi people showed up in droves to vote in the first free election in thirty years! Some people that voted had never had a free election in their entire lifetimes!

My little brother, Cav Tanker, was South of Baghdad, helping to monitor the elections. He relayed this story to me:

We were in the southern town of (deleted), and there was a polling station with hundreds of people waiting to vote.  Out of nowhere, there were two suspicious guys walking through the crowd, making their way to the area where there was the highest concentration of civilians. Someone (an Iraqi voter) knew something was amiss, and alerted everyone. The Iraqis snatched those two guys up and beat them to death, shouting "We will not be afraid!!!" the whole time. The two suspicious guys had suicide bomber vests with ball-bearings and nails strapped to their chests. They would have probably killed at least 200 people waiting to vote. They never even got the chance to take out the detonators.

Guess what? A year ago, the MSM didn't even cover it. Not a single word in print anywhere.

Why?

I'll tell you: everybody in the MSM is so bloodthirsty for US casualties (in order to make the President look like the War is a failure), that successes, especially successes where the Iraqis take responsibility for their own security, are never reported. Hundreds of bodies buried in mass graves in Iraq have been uncovered since we ousted Saddam Hussein. Try to find somewhere in the MSM where there is a total number of bodies recovered.

You can't.

That's just one example, but it begs the question: "Why?"

Well, here's my take on it: they hate the President, and they hate us (the military).

I know it sounds pretty far-fetched, but it really isn't, if you think about it. Some of the qualities they hate most about President Bush, the US Military embodies. Things like taking "The Hard Right over the Easy Wrong." Things like having a genuine desire to make the world a better, more secure place. Things like having a strict code of ethics and a strong sense of morality. Did you know that the President is briefed on every single death of a Soldier lost in Iraq or Afghanistan? Did you know that he prays for the families of those Soldiers after every briefing? Being the Commander In Chief is an awesome responsibility. President Bush approaches it with reverence and honor, and appreciates the magnitude of the decisions he must make to secure the interests and security of the American people.

We had eight years of a complete absence of morality in the White House: the whole infidelity thing, renting out the Lincoln bedroom, illegal contributions, using the IRS to target political enemies, and the list goes on and on (and on). Finally, when we get a President that sticks to his moral code, he's ridiculed and slandered. I'm sick of that.

But they hate us: the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. They hate us because we represent the America they can never be part of: an America of selfless service to a cause that is much bigger than they are. An America where the security, safety, and freedoms of our fellow citizens are more important than newspaper circulations or political vendettas. We represent the best things about the United States of America. And they hate us for that.

Ronald Reagan: One Of My Favorite Quotes

I've posted this before... but I read it again today, and it really hit home:

"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." -Ronald Reagan

Coward Columnist In The LA Times

I wanna shove a Tanker Boot in this schmuck's mouth:

JOEL STEIN Warriors and wusses Joel Stein January 24, 2006 I DON'T SUPPORT our troops. This is a particularly difficult opinion to have, especially if you are the kind of person who likes to put bumper stickers on his car. Supporting the troops is a position that even Calvin is unwilling to urinate on. I'm sure I'd like the troops. They seem gutsy, young and up for anything. If you're wandering into a recruiter's office and signing up for eight years of unknown danger, I want to hang with you in Vegas. And I've got no problem with other people — the ones who were for the Iraq war — supporting the troops. If you think invading Iraq was a good idea, then by all means, support away. Load up on those patriotic magnets and bracelets and other trinkets the Chinese are making money off of. But I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition. It's as if the one lesson they took away from Vietnam wasn't to avoid foreign conflicts with no pressing national interest but to remember to throw a parade afterward. Blindly lending support to our soldiers, I fear, will keep them overseas longer by giving soft acquiescence to the hawks who sent them there — and who might one day want to send them somewhere else. Trust me, a guy who thought 50.7% was a mandate isn't going to pick up on the subtleties of a parade for just service in an unjust war. He's going to be looking for funnel cake. Besides, those little yellow ribbons aren't really for the troops. They need body armor, shorter stays and a USO show by the cast of "Laguna Beach." The real purpose of those ribbons is to ease some of the guilt we feel for voting to send them to war and then making absolutely no sacrifices other than enduring two Wolf Blitzer shows a day. Though there should be a ribbon for that. I understand the guilt. We know we're sending recruits to do our dirty work, and we want to seem grateful. After we've decided that we made a mistake, we don't want to blame the soldiers who were ordered to fight. Or even our representatives, who were deceived by false intelligence. And certainly not ourselves, who failed to object to a war we barely understood. But blaming the president is a little too easy. The truth is that people who pull triggers are ultimately responsible, whether they're following orders or not. An army of people making individual moral choices may be inefficient, but an army of people ignoring their morality is horrifying. An army of people ignoring their morality, by the way, is also Jack Abramoff's pet name for the House of Representatives. I do sympathize with people who joined up to protect our country, especially after 9/11, and were tricked into fighting in Iraq. I get mad when I'm tricked into clicking on a pop-up ad, so I can only imagine how they feel. But when you volunteer for the U.S. military, you pretty much know you're not going to be fending off invasions from Mexico and Canada. So you're willingly signing up to be a fighting tool of American imperialism, for better or worse. Sometimes you get lucky and get to fight ethnic genocide in Kosovo, but other times it's Vietnam. And sometimes, for reasons I don't understand, you get to just hang out in Germany. I know this is all easy to say for a guy who grew up with money, did well in school and hasn't so much as served on jury duty for his country. But it's really not that easy to say because anyone remotely affiliated with the military could easily beat me up, and I'm listed in the phone book. I'm not advocating that we spit on returning veterans like they did after the Vietnam War, but we shouldn't be celebrating people for doing something we don't think was a good idea. All I'm asking is that we give our returning soldiers what they need: hospitals, pensions, mental health and a safe, immediate return. But, please, no parades. Seriously, the traffic is insufferable.

Blast From The Past: Iraqi Elections A Success!

A year ago today, the Iraqi People went to the polls in unprecedented numbers. Being at "Ground Zero" of the explosion of Democracy in a land that had never known it before, Baghdad, I shared my thoughts on this momentous occasion:

Election Day! Today is the 30th of Janurary...Iraqi Election Day. Just the fact that we have made it this far, and are actually conducting the elections, speaks volumes about the tenacity of the Coalition. Terrorists have been trying for months to derail the elections, to no avail. Everyone that has registered will be given the opportunity to vote. This is the first democratic election in Iraq in over forty years. What will the terrorists do now? They have failed, and failed miserably. Now, they have nowhere to go, no new crime they can come up with to shock the world. They have done everything from attacking supply convoys, to beheading people, to attacking civilians... including innocent women and children. The terrorists have shown to the world that they are cold blooded and brutal, and desperate. This desperation, however, is what makes him dangerous. As a result, US and Coalition forces will be ever vigilant, trying to stay one step ahead of these cold-blooded bastards.

Later on in the day, as the returns were coming in, I realized that I was knee deep in history. All around me, you could hear the firing of automatic weapons. 7.62mm, to be exact. This time, though, the bullets weren't flying at Coalition troops, they were firing into the air in celebration of the beginning of a free, Democratic New Iraq. I was so happy for the Iraqi people, I had to post an update:

The Good Guys Win Again... It's official. The Iraqi Elections are over. Some polling centers will stay open for a few extra hours (there were very long lines), but for all intents and purposes, the elections are over. There was an unprecedented SEVENTY TWO PERCENT voter turn out. We can't even manage that in the United States, for a Presidential Election. I think the Iraqi people have spoken, and their voices are thunderous. They have said "NO!" to the terrorist thugs that roam the streets, murdering innocent civilians. They have, for the first time in decades, taken their future in their own hands. There were eight suicide attacks on polling centers (as reported by Fox News), and yet, the people could not be silenced. They voted, and they voted in droves. There were casualties, but the will of the people could not be stifled. I think the success of the democratic process in Iraq is a testament to the men and women of the Coalition Forces in Iraq, and the incredible vision of both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair. And with the State Of The Union address being just a few short days away... Teddy "Chirrosis Of The Liver" Kennedy, Barbara "I Hate Everything Red" Boxer, and John "I voted for the $87B, before I voted against it" Kerry...does anyone have any Pepto Bismol for these poor souls? Chirac (France), Schroeder (Germany), Zapatero (Spain) and Anan (UN) must be seeting at the success of the elections. Their "Doom and Gloom" predictions and failure to support the admirable aims of the Coalition have proven them to be Chicken-Hearted Cowards. I salute all my fellow Coalition Troops and my Commander-In-Chief, and I offer my sincerest congratulations to the free people of Iraq. HOOAH! Freedom and Democracy win again!

Today, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the rebirth of a nation. And we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the day that the US Military, the Iraqi People, and the Coalition of the Willing proved all the nay-sayers dead wrong. As Secretary-Of-State Condi Rice read a note from the President after she informed him of the success of the Elections: "Let Freedom Ring!"

Blast From The Past: One Year Ago Today!

One year ago today, we were still in Iraq, gearing up to come back home:

My Brave little brother, an M1A2 SEP Tanker with the 1st CAV Division. Chicks, he's available... Original Post Here.

Why We Fight

Y'know, Cav Tanker was over yesterday afternoon, and as we were all sitting there channel surfing, I came across a news story about Anti-War protestors. I made the comment:

"I sure hope that twenty years from now, I'm not one of those guys that still has bad feelings towards the America that we fought for."

I guess, in a strange way, I was referring to the Vietnam Vets that came back from the war and hit a wave of anti-Americanism that changed their lives forever. Even my Dad still has some bad feelings, as I know hundreds, thousands, of Vietnam Vets still do. Even after thirty-plus years of films and Pro-Vet books and films, nothing can overcome the initial impression of getting off that plane and having people spit at you or call you a "baby killer". Nothing can change the first time you turned on the news and saw the media plastering stories on the American war dead all over the evening news. I don't think any measure of apology could ever change that initial feeling of betrayal.


I don't want to be one of those guys. Slowly but surely, though, the Anti-War crazies are trying to make it that way. Sure, we have Fox News, conservative writers, and milbloggers who won't hesitate to tell you the truth about how well we're doing. My dad didn't have that.

But that was a different time, a different War. We don't have a draft in today's day and age. People have a choice to go and fight. People back then didn't. In WWII, the American public was so behind the War, people made a committment to the war effort, even if they weren't fighting. They recycled, they rationed. They did everything they could, as one people, to win the war. We didn't have that same commitment during Vietnam, and we sure as heck don't have it now.

To be honest, I don't think that the Code Pinkos and the Cindy Sheehans of the world consciously have anything against US Soldiers. I hope that's not the case (or, it had BETTER NOT BE). I think it's a hatred of President Bush that leads them to do the things they do.

But why?

Does the thought of a Commander-In-Chief that cares about actually getting things done, a God-Fearing President who has a demonstrated regard for what is right and wrong, do these things really bother them to the point where they would do anything to bring him down?

Think about this: the US Military stands for the same things. Is that why their contempt for us is so evident?

They hate us, we know that. I don't think they hate us for anything we do, I think they hate us for everything they won't do. They won't take up arms to defend the rights and freedoms of their loved ones. They won't take a stand against terrorists and criminals, and say "Enough is enough! You won't attack us without us hunting you down and making sure you can never do it again!" They want to reach out to terrorists. They want to feel and understand brutal dictators. They want peace, but they want it through appeasement, not through justice.

"I sure hope that twenty years from now, I'm not one of those guys that still has bad feelings towards the America that we fought for."

I know I won't. I won't fight for the America of the Cindy Sheehans, the John Kerrys, the Ted Kennedys, and the Code Pinkos. I will have fought for the America that's represented by my brothers and sisters-in-arms. An America that hasn't forgotten what it was founded on: Freedom, respect and reverence to our Creator, Truth, Justice, brotherhood and fellowship, and a genuine desire to secure a better future for ourselves and our families and friends. An America where men and women don't look at the ground in shame of who they are and the status they hold in the world.

I fight for an America whose citizens hold their heads high, stick their chests out, and proclaim to the World: "I'm an American!"

Point By Point: Tanker Brothers Take On Cindy Sheehan! (Part Two)

Welcome back. We've been taking on Cindy Sheehan's mind-boggling article. Without further ado:

Cindy Says:

A new world is necessary, and it can only be possible if we rein in the depraved corporations that thrive off of the flesh and blood of our neighbors all over the world and here in America. War profiteers like Halliburton, Bechtel and General Electric, who are racking up obscene profits and increasing the bottom line of their shareholders while they are running roughshod over this planet. Malevolent companies such as Dow who dump chemicals and other pollutants into the water and atmosphere that kill people, our environment and our future! Companies like Wal Mart that exploit workers in the US and abroad to enrich a family that already has more than enough money to fund healthcare and a living wage for all of its employees and have a little extra left over to pay their country club fees.

Tanker Brothers Say:

Halliburton and other "War Profiteers" are bound by federal law on their profits (in terms of participation in the Iraq War).

In the interest of space, lets just take one of your "evil" corporations: Halliburton. Richard Miniter writing in Disinformation (Regnery,2005): "Halliburton earned $85 milion from $3.6 billion in Iraqi contracts, a profit margin of roughly 2.4 percent, in 2003. In the second quarter of 2004, Halliburton reported that it earned 1.4 percent profits on $1.7 billion worth of work in Iraq. These are pitifully small rates of return."

If I had a business, and was recieving just 1.4% return on my investment...I would go out of business. Think about it. Halliburton would make more money putting all that capital in a savings account.

Miniter writes: "Would you stick with a mutual fund that invested for less than a 2% return?"

Cindy Says:

A new world is necessary, and it can only be possible if we decrease our dependency on oil and use some of the money that we are pouring into the desert sands and sewers of Iraq to expand research on renewable energy sources and expound and promote the renewable sources we already have, such as bio-diesel. I have talked to many citizens of Venezuela who are understandably nervous about a US invasion, and they know that it is not about the idea that President Chavez is a "dictator," which he is not, he is a democratically elected leader who is very popular in his country. The people of Venezuela are very savvy and they know that if the US invades their country that it won't be because we are spreading "freedom and democracy" to them. They know they already have it.

Tanker Brothers Say:

Money is already being dumped into alternative sources of energy. The IRS even offers Tax Credits to citizens who own and operate environmentally-friendly vehicles. But if you want to reduce the dependence on foreign oil, then you have to go all the way: Let the US drill in ANWR. Let the US build new nuclear reactors (probably the cleanest and most efficient power sources). Ask yourself: when was the last Nuclear Reactor built in the US?

The citizens of Venenzuela have very little to worry about in terms of a US invasion. With a economically-challenged third world country, we can accomplish the same thing with sanctions. I happen to have dear friends in Germany that hail from Venenzuela, and immigrated to Europe (their father was Venenzuelan). Guess why they jumped ship?

They left because there is no work in Venenzuela, and because the government is so socialized, there is absolutely no way to "move up". The natural state of Humanity is to always strive for "something better". If Venenzuela is such a perfect place, with such a benevolent leader, then why not renounce your US citizenship, Cindy? I'm sure that Hugo Chavez could appoint you minister of peace or something like that.

Cindy Says:

A new world is necessary but not possible, until we Americans get over the arrogant idea that we can solve the Iraq issue and the human rights violations problems alone. We have to reach out to fellow members of the human race all over the world to forge the bonds that are crucial to protecting innocent members of humankind who are impoverished or killed by our government and corporatism that has gone wild and is largely unchecked.

Tanker Brothers Say:

Hey...are you on some other planet or something? We can solve the Iraq issue. We're solving it every day. When is the last time Iraq invaded its neigbors? When was the last the the Iraqi government executed hundreds of its civilians? And Cindy: we're not doing  it alone. As a former Coalition Soldier: let me remind you: we've got the Brits, the Australians, the Poles, the Japanese, the Koreans, and a host of other countries. Why do you and your Liberal Looney allies always say we "went at it alone"? To claim that is a slap in the face to our allies, and it dishonors the Soldiers from those countries who have sacrificed their lives to help the Iraqis stand up and take control of their future.

Your claim that "We have to reach out to fellow members of the human race all over the world to forge the bonds that are crucial to protecting innocent members of humankind who are impoverished or killed by our government and corporatism that has gone wild and is largely unchecked" is exactly what we are doing by forging partnerships with countries to help us do exactly those things! Do you realize how much GDP in Iraq has gone up? Do you realize that Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath government is no longer raping and executing civilians? How can you claim these things are "unchecked"?

Cindy Says:

Peace and justice are intimately connected, and the world can't have one without the other. True and lasting peace can only occur when we the people force our leadership that is dependent on the war machine for their jobs and for their lives and demand justice for the crimes against humanity that are perpetrated on the world on a daily basis by such "leaders." A new world is possible, and it is attainable. For this new world to become a reality, it is necessary for us to take into our beings what Martin Luther King Jr. said of his own eulogy, but more importantly, the way he lived his life:

Tanker Brothers Say:

We couldn't agree more with your first statement. We can't have peace without justice. And we won't have peace until we bring terrorists like Saddam Hussein and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi to justice. And we can't do that, without being in Iraq and helping the Iraqis.

A new world is possible. And we're on the verge of it. By changing the face of the Middle East by overthrowing oppressive regimes that violate civil rights on a daily basis (Syria, Iran, the former regime of Saddam Hussein) and introducing democracy, we invest in peace. The payoff? No tolerance for religious extremism, no more suicide bombers, no threats of mullahs with nuclear weapons, no government rape rooms, no mass executions, and no international terrorism.

Peace.

Point By Point: Tanker Brothers Take On Cindy Sheehan!

I don't think there's any secret to the fact that we detest Cindy Sheehan. It would be too nice to compare her to Hanoi Jane Fonda, considering Hanoi Jane actually had the onions to go to North Vietnam and pose with the NVA. Maybe Cindy Sheehan should go pose with Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, y'know, to spread some peace. I'm sure they can rummage up an orange jumpsuit that would fit her.

So anyway, Ol' Cindy Sheehan has posted a new article. It's our responsibility, nay...our duty, to refute her. Point by point. Without further ado:

Cindy Says:

A New World Is Possible -- And necessary! This is the theme for the World Social Forum that I (along with tens of thousands of people from all over the world) am attending in Caracas this week. I know the idea of a world where everyone lives in peace and with justice is very "subversive," but the theme is very close to my heart and soul.

Tanker Brothers Say:

     Damn Skippy, we need a New World. A world with justice, where criminals and terrorists who commit crimes against their people won't be let off the hook because some Anti-War Peace Activist doesn't have the "stones" to do the right thing. We need a New World with guys like President Bush calling the shots, showing resolve, and doing the right thing. This should be the theme for your World Socialist (or whatever) Forum. The idea of a world where everyone lives in Peace and with justice cannot happen until criminals and terrorists are eliminated or incarcerated. Only then can you have justice. And as a result...peace.

Cindy Says:

Since I began to speak out against the dishonesty and deception that led to this illegal and morally reprehensible occupation of Iraq, I have journeyed all over the United States and now am starting to fill my passport with stamps.

Tanker Brothers Say:

     What is dishonest, deceptive, or morally reprehensible about bringing a tyrant and dictator to justice? A man (if you can call him that) that had supressed the freedom of his people, executed dissidents to his regime, was a documented mass murderer, invaded his neighbors, funded suicide bombers in Israel, had confirmed ties to Al Qaeda, hosted terrorist groups and even built a training facility south of Baghdad for them (guess what...an airliner for them to train on), and was the main source of instability in the Middle East? What is dishonest, deceptive, or morally reprehensible about bringing freedom to a country who had not held a free election in decades, or had the choice or opportunity on how to govern themselves? Yeah, I guess I can see how all that would be dishonest, deceptive, and morally reprehensible, considering your best friend is a dictator like Hugo Chavez.. And Cindy, I'm quoting you: "I admire him for his resolve against my government and its meddling..."

     I'm sure we can arrange for you to renounce your US citizenship to a consular officer there in Venenzuela, if you hate this country so much. Then again, you could fill up your US Passport with all those pretty stamps, could you? Nor would you be covered by our First Amendment, huh? Yeah, I can see how that would such, you cowardly "moral midget".

Cindy Says:

Our world is so beautiful, and the people who inhabit it are, for the most, part loving - and all they want is a good life for themselves and their children. They just want to feel safe and secure in their communities. They want to be warm and fed. They want clean drinking water and they want to dance and laugh when appropriate. They want to live long lives with their families and they want their children to bury them at the end of their time here. In short, the people of the world want what we Americans want.

Tanker Brothers Say:

     You're right. Our world is beautiful. And even though we know that "for the most part, loving", you of course meant that the Majority of the US: all the Red State, Conservative, Freedom-loving, Bush-voting, meat-eating citizens of the United States that voted for President Bush (Remember, we won the last two elections). That's the cool thing about free elections (you know, the kind that Iraqis are just now experiencing), the people who get the most votes decide what we're going to do to make Americans safe and keep America strong. Not some washed-up hippie holdover from the 60's, who uses her son's brave sacrifice as some kind of morbid claim to fame. Stop dishonoring your son, Cindy. I'd like to think he died for something he believed in: serving his country in a time of war.

     They want to feel safe and secure in in thier communities? What about us, Cindy? What about Americans who are willing to fight for that safety and security? Don't we have a right to it, as well?

     Allow me to fill you in on a little secret: We (the TankerBrothers) fight for the security, safety, and freedom of our families and loved ones. I'd be willing to bet my life (again) that your son fought for the exact same things we do. By maring what we do, you cheapen that sacrifice he made almost two years ago, and you cheapen the sacrifices made by 2240 other brave men and women who have shed their blood in the defense of this nation, its people and their freedoms and security, and the freedom and security of the citizens of Iraq.

Cindy Says:

It is our governments who want to demonize and marginalize other cultures, religions, races and ethnic groups. George Bush and his cold-hearted cronies and his easily misled and willingly blind followers want to "fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here!" Who are these "thems" that we are fighting over there? Are they the babies lying in their cribs when a bomb (chemical or conventional) is dropped on their house? Is it the mother who has gone shopping for her family's daily food who is killed by a car bomber who never even thought to commit such a heinous act until his country was occupied by a foreign invader? Is it the grandmas and grandpas who are too old, or too stubborn, to leave their lifelong homes when the coalition troops are illegally carpet bombing civilian centers?

Tanker Brothers Say:

     How do we demonize or marginalize other cultures, religions, races and ethnic groups? By overthrowing the people that hold them down, and giving them back the honor and freedom they deserve as human beings? Our Founding Father wrote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." They didn't write that these rights were exclusive to Americans, but everyone. And look what we've done since 2001: stood up two democracies where brutal, repressive regimes once tortured and raped their citizens at will. Inspired the Lebanese people to throw off the destructive influence of their Syrian neighbors. Influenced the abandonment by the Lybians of their WMD programs. Led to the first elections in Egypt to have opposition parties. The list goes on and on.

     If fighting "them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" means I am easily misled and willingly blind...then sign me up! Because I'll tell you who the "thems" are: they are guys like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who would just as soon chop your friggin' head off with a dull knife as he would mine. Don't worry, Cindy, he won't get to you. One of the unfortunate aspects of our jobs as Soldiers is to protect even the uninformed, ignoant, or just plain dumb Anti-War protestors. People who wouldn't believe it until Zarqawi or one of his cronies shows up at your doorstep with a dull knife, an orange jumpsuit, and a video camera (so Al Jazeera can get some ratings).

     Also: I haven't heard of any carpet-bombing going on in Iraq. Would you care to back up your allegations with some sort of evidence?

Cindy Says:

We as citizens of the United States of America must stop allowing our leaders to give the orders to kill innocent people. I almost said: we must stop allowing our leaders to "kill" innocent people. But we all know the cowards don't fight their own fantasy battles or send their own children to fight in the causes that they idiotically and diabolically iterate are "noble." No, they order our children to go over and do their dishonest and destructive dirty work! Our soldiers are taught that "Hajis," the brown skinned people of Iraq who clean their toilets, showers, and wash their clothes, are less than people ... which makes them easier to kill. The dehumanization of the Iraqi people is also dehumanizing our soldiers. Our children.

Tanker Brothers Say:

Allegations of War Atrocites are a very serious thing, and border on slander. I would strongly suggest you provide evidence on Soldiers being given orders to attack or kill innocent civilians. If by "kill" you mean build schools, immunize and innoculate, feed and clothe, provide work and security, repair infrastructre, and provide for the welfare of innocent civilians...then you really need a dictionary. Because those are all things that American Soldiers do for the poeople of Iraq. We only kill those who attack us, and those who attack and murder Iraqi civilians. There a a huge difference in what you're implying and what the reality of the situation is.

Fighting a war to help people who are not strong enough to help themselves is noble, Cindy. But I know that would be difficult for you to understand. People like you have no idea of what nobility or honor is.

Cindy Says:

A new world is necessary and it can only be possible if we believe and live the belief that every human being is inherently the same as we are. They feel pain when they are hurt. They have hunger pains when they haven't eaten. Their mouths go dry when they are thirsty. They mourn when they experience a loss. They shiver when they are cold. They laugh when they are happy. How can we condone our leaders' killing our brothers and sisters like this, or even allow it?

Tanker Brothers Say:

You're absolutely correct in all but the last sentence. Every human being is inherently the same. They all yearn for security. They all strive for freedom. They all want a better, stronger future than the present one.

Once again, you insinuate that the US military indiscrimanately kills huan beings seemingly at random. Be very, very careful with this, Cindy. I might take it personal. Once again, you provide no proof or reputable evidence. You're a liar and an idiot.

Tomorrow, we'll cover part two of this point-by-point. Cindy is so long-winded and wordy, my fingers hurt from typing.

Sleep well my brothers and sisters in Iraq. Real Americans have your backs.

CODE PINKO Anti-Recruitment Crap

So anyway, it's not secret that I have a distaste for the Anti-War idiots. Code Pink is at the top of my list.

Anybody ever watch "A Few Good Men" with Jack Nicholson? Maybe Code Pink needs a Code Red. And once again, to quote Mrs. Bill Clinton: "...And you know what I'm talkin' about!"

The military is desperate for young people to fight in Iraq and they are doing everything they can to pull in young people: promising them a college education, big cash bonuses, and trying to guarantee that new enlistees won't get sent to the Middle East. Recruiters roam the halls of high schools luring students into conversation with free goods, rock climbing walls, war simulation video games, and, worst of all, fancy Hummers.

Okay, Code Pinkos: let me set y'all straight:

1. The military is in no way, shape, or form "desperate for young people to fight in Iraq". What we do is give people a chance to serve the country they believe in. We're experiencing the highest retention rate we've had in decades. Guys and Gals that have deployed and fought the bad guys are chompin' at the bit to go back. Read this post to see what I mean. Guess what? There are hundreds of thousands just like the Tanker Brothers.

2. We "promise a college education" because that's exactly what a Soldier can get. Fort Hood, for example, has an excellent Soldier Education Center where Servicemen and women can take college courses. University of Maryland University College offers an Associate degree, 20 Bachelor degrees, 44 Graduate degrees, and a Doctorate degree all available online PLUS many certificate programs. And this is just at Fort Hood. Posts Army-wide have agreements and Education centers. You can go as far as you want to, educationally, and all with tuition assistance. Nevermind the fact that you automatically are enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill and in some cases, the Army College Fund for when you leave the military.

3. Cash bonuses are awarded to enlistees who join up to perform jobs that require special skills, or that the Army has had a hard time filling. Information Analysts, for example, enjoy large bonuses because they typically only stay in a few years before moving on to the private sector. Can you speak Farsi? (aiding and abetting the enemy...I wouldn't be surprised) You, too can get a bonus.

4. I have never heard of anyone making a "no-deployment guarantee".

5. I highly doubt a baseball cap or bumper sticker with "Army Of One" on it qualifies as "goods". If Code Pinko is jealous that "Army Of One" tee shirts are in higher demand than "Code Pinko" shirts...talk to your merchandising department. No self-respecting potential Army recruit would be caught dead in hot pink. Sorry...it's a fact of life. You can castrate all the touchy-feely lefty men, but please stay away from All-American, red-meat eating Alpha Males and Alpha Females that want do do something honorable for this country. Boycotting and harassing wounded warriors on the grounds of Walter Reed, for the record, is not viewed as honorable.

6. Rock Climbing walls: judging from some of the haggard chicks in Code Pinko....Rock Climbing walls might be a good thing.

7. HELLO: Full Spectrum Warrior and America's Army kick ass! If you don't like them...come out with a Code Pinko "peace" simulation video game. We'll see how well it sells. As a matter of fact, I think you should invest millions and millions of dollars into. Invest everything y'all have. Trust me....it'll be a winner.

8. Fancy Hummers? Have you even ridden in a M1114? Lemme tell you something: it's designed for crew survivability, not flashy looks or plush interiors.

So what do y'all think? Does Code Pinko need a "Code Red"?

CODE PINK and Howlin' Howie in Cahoots?

Why am I in no way surprised? Check out this photo, prominently displyed on Code Pink's Website:

I wasn't aware that the Code Pinkos were into trying to court men to their cause....politically or otherwise. Perhaps Howlin' Howie is more...effeminate than we think?

Tanker Brothers Thought For The Day:

This is for all the Anti-War, Code Pinkos out there:

"Some People are like Slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your fae when you push them down a flight of stairs..."

-Author Unknown

Lest We Forget: SPC Matt Maupin

I haven't heard anything on the search for SPC Maupin for a very long time. From the Wikipedia:

United States Army PFC Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin (born July 13, 1983) (died June 28, 2004???) was captured by Iraqi insurgents on April 9, 2004 while serving in the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq after his convoy came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire near Baghdad, Iraq. On June 28, 2004, Al Jazeera reported he was executed by his captors who shot him in the head. On June 30, 2004, an Army spokesman said the video showing Maupin's alleged death was "totally inconclusive." However, he is presumed to be dead.

Who is presuming him to be dead? Definitely not the US Military. SPC Maupin is still listed as "Captured". This means that we still have hope, and at the very least, no information that would lead us to believe he has been killed.

Although I can’t share details of the meeting, I also had a private discussion with General Casey about the ongoing search efforts for Army Specialist Matt Maupin of Clermont County who was captured in Iraq in April of 2004. Based on what I heard in this meeting, I feel positive that everything possible is being done to continue the search for Matt. I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure the search efforts continue.

GEN Casey is, of course, the Commander of the Multinational Forces - Iraq.

Tanker Boots

Somebody emailed me, asking me what Tanker Boots were, after this post:

"Okay, people, if I hear one more gutless politician or Hollywood director lamenting that the US Military "takes advantage of the lower classes", I'm going to puke in my Tanker Boots."

So, without further ado, I present you with Tanker Boots:

Help Out These Kids!

Sometimes, in a War, it's easy to forget about the people that have no say-so either way: the children.

While my Brothers and Sisters are in Iraq fighting the good fight against the bad guys, they are also doing everything they can to bring security, Medicine, and education to the children in Iraq.

The nightly news doesn't really go out of their way to report this, and lets face it, Soldiers helping kids doesn't get anyone ratings in this "Anti-War, Hate Bush" time we live in.

Well, maybe it's about time it should.



Let's face a harsh reality: the seeds of hate for Americans are sown to the young children of the Middle East when they are very young. They know how we stood by and did nothing as Saddam Hussein killed, murdered, and raped his way into infamy. They know that now, we are trying to make ammends by bringing freedom and hope to their land. For some of them, the first American they see or meet, in the flesh, is a DCU-wearing Soldier or Marine. You know what they say: first impressions are lasting impressions.

Fighting terrorists in alleyways and war-torn streets is one thing, but there is a much larger battle happening in Iraq: the fight for the future. These children represent the next generation of Iraqis: citizens that have grown up in war, and are the first to ever experience a real, tangible freedom. What they do with it, and the future of their country, depends on our actions here and now.

Do we cut and run, abandoning these children to the terrorist thugs and extremist Islamists, just to give birth to the next-generation of American-hating suicide bombers?


Do we stay in Iraq, and bring this country back to its feet, eductae these children about the larger world around them: full of promise and potential?

Make no mistake: if we miss out on the chance to show these young children how generous America can be, the Terrorists would be more than willing to fill them with lies and turn them into living, breathing Weapons Of Mass Destruction.

Read about it Here and Here. Do something about it Here.

Thanks to Jake over at Freedom Folks for pointing me in the right direction.

Nothing To Do With TankerBrothers...

...but I'm still jazzed about my new Blogging Machine.

I got a great deal on a laptop.

Toshiba Sattelite with a Pentium M at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, and a 60GB HDD, all for the low, low price of $479.

I'll gladly add this new machine to my collection. Here's a desktop capture for y'all:

Tanker Brothers Is Not Some Dumbys!

Okay, people, if I hear one more gutless politician or Hollywood director lamenting that the US Military "takes advantage of the lower classes", I'm going to puke in my Tanker Boots.

A few Members of Congress, motivated by American combat in the Middle East, have called for the reinstatement of a compulsory military draft. The case for coercing young citizens to join the military is supposedly based on social jus­tice—that all should serve—and seems to be but­tressed by reports of shortfalls in voluntary enlistment. In a New York Times op-ed on Decem­ber 31, 2002, Representative Charles Rangel (D– NY) claimed, “A disproportionate number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks of the military, while most priv­ileged Americans are underrepresented or absent.”

What difference does that make, Charlie? I mean, let's be honest: joining and serving honorably in the US Military is a matter of individual choice. Some people choose to do it, others do not. Fear not, dear reader, Charlie is wrong, as usual:

This claim is frequently repeated by critics of the war in Iraq. Aside from the logical fal­lacy that a draft is less offensive to justice than a voluntary policy, Rangel’s assertions about the demographic makeup of the enlisted military are not grounded in fact. Although all branches of the armed services have been able to meet recruiting goals in recent years, the Army’s difficulty in meeting its goal of 80,000 new soldiers in 2005 has been widely reported, and some view it as a symbol of the need to reinstate the draft. However, this shortfall should be placed in the proper context. The Army is pro­jected to fall just 7,000 (about 9 percent) short of its 2005 recruitment goal, which is less than 1 per­cent of the overall military of over 1 million person­nel. Furthermore, there is the unexpected rise in re-enlistment rates. In other words, the total force strength is about what it should be.

What does this mean? It means that the guys and gals that are actually already in the Army (and staying in, in ever-increasing numbers), offsets any perceived shortfall of recruiting goals. That, however, is not the point of this post. We're talking about a perception of the demographic of people that join the Army.

It's easy to buy into, and as a result - accept, the assertions of Charlie, John Kerry, and Michael Frickin' Moore. Does anyone that saw Farenheit 9/11 remember Moore running down Congressman on the street and asking them if they would sacrifice their children to secure Fallujah? Of course you do.

Well, those assertions are blatant lies, or at the very least, uninformed. For example, let's look at Education:

We find that, on average, recruits tend to be much more highly educated than the general pub­lic and that this education disparity increased after the war on terrorism began. Comparable detailed education data from the Census classify the educa­tion level of individuals into one of seven categories (from less than high school up to graduate/profes­sional degree). We generated a binary variable that assigns a 1 for individuals with a high school diploma or higher and a 0 for less than a high school diploma. If one single statistic could settle this issue, it is this: 98 percent of all enlisted recruits who enter the military have an education level of high school graduate or higher, compared to the national aver­age of 75 percent.

Still not convinced? I understand. The persuasive powers of the Left-Wing Propaganda machine are the stuff of legend.So let's move on the "minority issue":

We found that whites are one of the most pro­portionally represented groups—making up 77.4 percent of the population and 75.8 percent of all recruits—whereas other racial categories are often represented in noticeably higher and lower propor­tions than the general population.

But wait...there's more:


The article sums it up with some interesting conclusions:

This paper reviews the demographic status of the all-volunteer military and refutes the claim that enlisted troops are underprivileged and come from underprivileged areas. In terms of education, household income, race, and home origin, the troops are more similar than dissimilar to the gen­eral population. Put simply, the current makeup of the all-vol­untary military looks like America. Where they are different, the data show that the average sol­dier is slightly better educated and comes from a slightly wealthier, more rural area. We found that the military (and Army specifically) included a higher proportion of blacks and lower propor­tions of other minorities but a proportionate num­ber of whites. More important, we found that recruiting was not drawing disproportionately from racially concentrated areas. Perhaps more could be done to dismantle the claim that an all-volunteer military relies dispro­portionately on ignorant, black, poor, urban young citizens in America, but the evidence already clearly shows this claim to be hollow.

So what does this mean to the Charlie Rangels, the John Kerrys, and the Michael Moores of the world? It means they need to go back and do more research before they try to spread lies and half-truths. The demographic data shows that the members of the US military represent not the underprivileged and the undereducated, but instead the best and brightest that America has to offer.

The Anti-War crybabies, the Looney Left, the Extreme Left Wingers, and that God-forsaken Code Pink: they hate the military. They despise us because we have the testicular fortitude (read: Balls) to do something they would never have the guts or commitment to do: Serve. Being a Soldier is probably the hardest thing a person could ever do: sometimes you have to go off to strange places and put your life on the line, so that guys like Michael Moore can run around and tell everyone you're stupid for doing it, and too poor to do anything else.

Well, Michael, Charlie, and John: I'm not stupid or poor. I do this because I love it. I do this because I love my family and I want them to be safe. And as much as I'd hate to admit it, I even do it for idiots like you.

Note: I'm not really stupid. I wanted to interject some humor with the title of this post.

Here We Go Again

OK. These people are stupid. How are you going to kidnap 2 people from Germany while they are in Iraq if, and I'll make sure to make the point as clear as possible, THERE ARE NO TROOPS THERE?!?!?!?!?! Come on! Your taking people from a government who don't even want us there... JUST LIKE YOU! You would think they would make natural allies!

You know what I think? I think that they want everyone to hate them. I really do. Shows you how stupid some people can be, doesn't it?

Well, seeing that there are quite a few stupid people in the world anyways, I had better just let this one go.

Check this out:

ABDUCTION IN IRAQ Two German Engineers Kidnapped

"Two German engineers were kidnapped in Iraq on Tuesday, continuing a recent spate of abductions of foreigners. The latest incident comes only a month after a German woman, Susanne Osthoff, was released from captivity."

I really don't like stupid people, anyone else?
- Cav Tanker

Camp Katrina Weapons Cache Databank!

Do you ever wonder about the good stuff the US Military is doing in Iraq?

Do you ever wonder what the Mainstream Media is keeping from you?

Phil over at Camp Katrina has set up the Weapons Cache Databank! Yes, that's right, every time the Coalition disarms future terrorists by snagging weapons and destroying them, Phil posts it. You would be surprised how many weapons we've confiscated since the beginning of the year!

Camp Katrina's 2006 Weapons Cache Databank, updated daily, now gives you the ability to check out a current list of MSM-ignored stories showing every bomb and gun our military takes out of terrorist hands this year. Check back daily for more stories proving that the U.S. military does much more than just kill people and break things!

Be sure to check it out...the number of weapons the Coalition captures increases daily!

Jack Army on "Body Armor"

Jack Army has a great post on the recent debate concerning the inadequacy of body armor:

Norman of Woodbridge, Conn. wrote: Our Pentagon, to its credit, recently completed a study on the deaths of 93 Marines. The study concluded that 74 of these 93 heroes — nearly 80% — could have survived if they had been equipped with more extensive body armor. Am I the only one thinking, "duh"? The study could have concluded that all 93 Marines would have lived had they been encased in 18 inches of steel, too. Not very effective for the missions they are performing in Iraq, but they would have lived. You know, a magic life-bubble that prevents all death-producing effects would have been neat, too! The reality of combat is that there are risks associated with everything our troops do... or don't do, wear or no wear, and so on. Could they have been better armored? You betcha! Would they have wanted to be? That's harder to answer.

I found the post to be well-written, and well-informed.

After wearing Interceptor body armor for well over a year, I can honestly say that Jack has it right-on.

Read about it HERE.

This Just In: White House Response To Osama's Truce Offer!

Note to Osama:

Your days are numbered. We're coming, and all the delays and truce offers you can muster won't change the inevitable.

Osama bin Laden offered the U.S. a "truce" in Iraq and Afghanistan in a new audiotape aired yesterday on Al Jazeera Arabic-language TV - a proposal the White House rejected immediately."We don't negotiate with terrorists," Vice President Dick Cheney said. "I think you have to destroy them."

Dubya responded with his own "exclamation point":

Impeach Bush? Bring Them On...

The Looney Left has made no effort to hide their efforts to attempt impeachment of President Bush, on charges ranging from NSA eavesdropping operations to the War in Iraq.

You know what the TankerBrothers say?

"Bring Them On."

Meanwhile, in a galaxy far away, former Congresswoman Liz Holtzman, who sat on Nixon's impeachment committee, just wrote that Bush's defiance of the law through illegal wiretapping, lying about the reasons for going to war, and condoning of violation of US law about detainee abuse constitute grounds for impeachment.

Let's be honest here for a second: the Democrats couldn't Impeach President Bush. The numbers just don't add up. From Wikipedia:

The procedure is in two steps. The House of Representatives must first pass "articles of impeachment" by a simple majority. The articles of impeachment constitute the formal allegations. Upon their passage, the defendant has been "impeached."

Considering that the Republicans control both houses of Congress, and only the craziest and looniest of Democrats in the House of Representatives would even try it; it would be safe to assume that charges would not pass with a simple majority. Even in the off-chance that the Dems win big in this Fall's elections, and I am convinced that they won't, voting for such a prospect would effectively give the perception of moving even farther away from the center-left, not where any individual Congressman/Congresswoman would like to be. You alienate too many of your "swing voters" by moving farther away from the center, effectively handing them over to the Republicans.

Also, consider that the situation in Iraq is getting better and better every single day. As the Coalition continues to hand over responsibility for security of Iraq to the Iraqi Police and Army, more and more Soldiers will come home. Projections are for one-fourth of our deployed forces to be home by the end of this fiscal year. This means that the War in Iraq is succeeding. Osama Bin Laden is in full retreat, even attempting to sue for a truce (he won't get it, despite the calls of Libs that "maybe we should take him up on that.") Do you know what this means? It means that the Anti-War, Anti-American politicians in Congress are going to look pretty stupid. Their opponents will use their words against them, and I predict you'll start to see the loonier Anti-War people start to get booted out of Congress by the electorate. That's why I honestly believe that they will never get even a simple majority.

But, by a chance in a million, let's pretend that President Bush is impeached, and full charges are brought before the Senate. Again, from the Wikipedia:

Next, the Senate tries the accused. In the case of the impeachment of a President, the Chief Justice of the United States presides over the proceedings. Otherwise, the Vice President, in his capacity of President of the Senate, or the President pro tempore of the Senate presides. This would include the impeachment of the Vice President him- or herself. In order to convict the accused, a two-thirds majority of the senators present is required. Following conviction, the Senate may vote to punish the individual only by removing him from office, or by barring him from holding future office, or both. Alternatively, it may impose no punishment. However in the case of executive officers, removal follows automatically upon conviction. The defendant remains liable to criminal prosecution. It is possible to impeach someone even after the accused has vacated his office in order to disqualify the person from such emoluments of office as a pension.

Now we're in "safe ground". The chance of a conviction is non-existent. Once again, even if the Dems win big this fall in the Senate (and I have suspicions that they might even lose more seats, considering the complete alienation of sensible, middle-of-the-road Americans), they would never get a Supermajority (two-thirds of the Senate). I don't even think they could muster a simple majority to vote for conviction. You know the "Usual Suspects" can be counted on to vote for such a ludicrous proposition (Pelosi, Schumer, Reid, Kennedy, Kerry, and Clinton), but they would be in a very small majority. Guys like Lierberman could really come out looking and smelling like a rose by rising above the petty proceedings and voting for National Security and our continuing resolve in the War on Terror. Think about it: an vote to impeach or convict (depending on the particular house of Congress) would effectively be a vote against fighting the War on Terror. It is, for all intents and purposes, a vote against the President doing everything he can to secure the safety and security of the American people. I don't think even the most spiteful lefty would want to go on the record voting for that.

So to Pelosi, Schumer, Reid, Clinton, Kenedy, and Kerry, I've got a great quote for you from my Commander-In-Chief: "Bring Them On..."

Man Of Honor Needs Our Help!

In keeping with our commitment to veterans like ourselves (the authors of this Blog), we can't forget the noble men that came before us. We must remember the Soldiers that are still with us that fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

The Vietnam War has a very special significance for us. Vietnam was our Father's war. Dad served two tours in Vietnam. Three of our uncles also served in that fight against the spread of Communism. None of them came back the same.

It wasn't the battles that did it to them. It wasn't the days and nights not knowing if you would make it back home. The change happened when they got home. They got the full brunt of the Anti-War craze when every street-corner hippie was calling them "baby killer" or "warmonger".

The last straw, the final betrayal, were the words of the spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Against The War (VVAW), and its spokesman: a guy by the name of John Forbes Kerry.

I would like to talk, representing all those veterans, and say that several months ago in Detroit, we had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command.... They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.

To be accused of war crimes and atrocities by this silver-tongued devil (who spent less than four months in Vietnam, a mere third of a combat tour) was like being stabbed by a bayonet squarely in the back. Add this to the sneers, the spitting, the protests...it was too much to bear. But they coped. They survived.

Fast forward to 2004. That same silver-tongued devil is running for President. Carlton Sherwood, a highly decorated Marine that served in the DMZ during Vietnam, produces a documentary exposing Kerry for what he really is.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Sherwood produced the anti-Kerry documentary Stolen Honor, which presented the viewpoints of a number of American Vietnam War veterans who contend that John Kerry's anti-war activities harmed them.

Sherwood is a patriot, through and through. His service to his country didn't end upon his return from Vietnam. Sherwood served as Special Media Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan Administration. As a matter of fact, Mr. Sherwood has even blasted the Anti-Iraq War politicians and Left-Wing media as far back as 2003:

On the 8th November, 2003, Carlton Sherwood appeared on the Judicial Watch Report Radio Show. Sherwood had just got back from Iraq and was invited onto the show to talk (over the telephone) about the worsening security situation. "Every time I get up in the morning and I turn on the cable news and I see that one or two more of our soldiers have been killed it's like a kick in the guts to me, personally. But it's also a double whammy because I know what soundbite's going to follow that. And you're right. It'll be some wannabe - a Presidential wannabe, or one of their aides, carping, almost gleefully, using your word, almost gleefully that, uh, this is one more evidence of a failure."

Carlton Sherwood is our kind of guy. And he's in trouble.

Update: John Kerry Surrogates File New Lawsuits Against Vietnam POWs and Carlton Sherwood Jon Bjornson, M.D. v. Carlton Sherwood and Red, White and Blue Productions, Inc., Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation and NewsMax Another former member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War has brought a lawsuit claiming that he was libeled by Carlton Sherwood's documentary Stolen Honor. In a complaint filed August 25, 2005, nearly a year after Stolen Honor was released, a man named Jon Bjornson alleges that Stolen Honor implied he was a "fraud and a liar" who made up stories of atrocities by US soldiers in Vietnam in order to deceive the American people. Bjornson's name was never mentioned in Stolen Honor. Represented by the same counsel representing Kenneth Campbell in his defamation lawsuit against Carlton Sherwood, Bjornson has sued not only Sherwood but also the VVLF and its board of directors. Four members of the VVLF's board are veterans who served more than five years each as POWs in North Vietnamese prisons. The VVLF did not yet exist when Stolen Honor was put together and released. Like Kenneth Campbell, whose suit against the VVLF and Carlton Sherwood is described below, Bjornson testified at the Winter Soldier Investigation in 1971. John Kerry relied on Bjornson's and others' accounts of war crimes and atrocities when he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that war crimes were authorized "at every level of command."

This spiteful attack is just more evidence to what I have thought all along: John Kerry is a sore loser. This guy actually thinks that the 2004 election was stolen from him by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and patriots like Carlton Sherwood. What Kerry doesn't realize is that nothing was stolen from him His words and deeds after his tour in Vietnam are matters of public record. All the Swift Boat Vets and Mr. Sherwood did was bring those words and deeds back into the public spotlight.

Honor, Ladies and Gentlemen, is standing by what you believe, regardless of the popularity of those beliefs. Here at TankerBrothers, we stand by every single word we post. We call 'em like we see 'em. Our thoughts on the War on Terror will be the same today, tomorrow, and fifty years from now. We're proud of our service. We're proud of the time we spent in Iraq, and the things we accomplished. Someday, if and when we ever run for office (and we won't, but it's a nice thought), we invite anyone and everyone to take these same words we post as evidence of our tenacity and our commitment to getting the truth out about this war we fought in.

Unlike John Kerry and his "surrogates", we won't run from our War, or our past.

So do us a favor. Check out Carlton Sherwood's story. Visit the page on Stolen Honor. And please take the time to visit the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation, maybe (no pressure) make a donation to a noble cause (it's tax deductable), and tell Col. Day that the TankerBrothers sent you.

Late Edit:
Oh Yeah, And please sign our Battle Roster!

Words Of Wisdom: Full Metal Jacket

I'm not a huge Stanley Kubrick fan, but I've gotta say one thing: Full Metal Jacket is one of the greatest war movies of my generation.

Sometimes, we have to look at the past in order to get a good perspective on the present, and to better focus on the future.


In Kubrick's movie, Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin) is the M60 Machine Gunner in a Marine Infantry squad during the battle of Hue City during the Vietnam War. In this particular scene, he is being interviewed by a television journalist (and standing in "full battle rattle" with his M60 over his shoulder, in front of an M48 Medium Battle Tank). His quote is forgettable when I first watched the movie over fifteen years ago, but it really hit home when I saw it today, especially in light of the Anti-War crazy lefties:

"What do I think about America's involvement in the War?" (pause) "Well, I think we should win."

Simplicity.

Plus, the '48 makes a pretty cool backdrop (although I admit, I am a bit biased).

Get a cool "Animal Mother" desktop picture Here.

This Week's Tanker Brothers Rusty Center Guide Award Winner!

Terrorist thug Osama Bin Laden for having the audacity to offer the US a truce in the War on Terror.

Is he living on the same planet as the rest of us?


Like Chris Tanner (one of our TankerBrother readers) said:

Doesn't everybody know that the arrogant kid on the playground who when confronted says loudly, "Of course I can beat you up, but I just don't feel like it right now," is scared to death? I mean, seriously. Osama is quaking in his sandals, and with good reason. Terrorists don't offer truces when they think they're winning. They offer truces when they know they're losing. And they thought they could stand up to American soldiers! We'll call that the underestimation of the century."

Don't let anyone tell you that TankerBrothers doesn't have the most intelligent, well informed, and analytical readers in the Blogsphere.

I don't think we could have put it better ourselves. But allow me to take a shot at it:

1. This is once again proof of the Cindy Sheehan anti-war clones giving the bad guys rhetorical ammunition. Remember all my posts about terrorists getting a view of our morale as a nation based on the screechings of the Anti-War crazies? Now it's finally coming back to haunt us. When are people like Cindy Sheehan going to learn that undermining the efforts of our Soldiers that are fighting overseas empowers terrorist thugs like Bin Laden? They take these people's quotes and use them to supplement their own propaganda. Now, how many of you out there really think it's going to get the crazies to shut up? I didn't think so. 2. How are we supposed to believe in a "truce" that is to be honored by scum? These terrorists have really showed us how honorable they can be, hijacking planes with box cutters and flying them into buildings. These guys have showed how honorable they can be by murdering thousands of innocent, unarmed civilians. They have showed us their character by aiding a nihilist like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. What do they offer the people of the Middle East if we pull out prematurely? Nothing but chaos and anarchy. They offer violence, corruption, and extremism. 3. Bin Laden's claim that they will abide by any truce because they "are a nation forbidden by Allah from lying or deceiving." So gaining passports and visas under false pretenses in order to commit terrorist acts is not lying or deceiving? Isn't strapping a suicide vest to yourself, concealing it, and walking into a crowd of innocent bystanders with the purpose of murdering them, in fact, deception? Yeah...I have a good feeling that we can wipe our fourth point of contact with Bin Laden's "truce"."

So, congrats on being our weekly "winner", Osama. Why don't you come out of your cage and collect your prize? I'll even throw in a complimentary sandbag, some zip-strips, and a date with Lynndie England.

To quote Hillary Clinton this week: "and you know what I'm talking about..."

Book Review: Election 2004: How Bush Won and What You Can Expect in the Future

I'm not a big fan of Newsweek, as a matter of fact, I consider them to be sensationalist "journalists" with a knack for undermining the efforts of this administration to fight the War on Terror. They are just one evolutionary level above the National Enquirer (in my estimation).

That being said, I was impresed with their portrayal of the "behind the scenes" of both the Kerry and Bush Presidential Campaigns. Everything I believed about the President was confirmed, everything I loathed about John Kerry proved to be true.


While admittedly, the book is slightly left-leaning, President Bush is treated fairly (for the most part). Kerry is painted as a man out to fulfill his destiny, and at times is portrayed as a sympathetic, tragic hero who just ran out of steam before he could win the election. Considering the fact that he was "sunk" (at least partly) by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the whole episode is actually given very little coverage in the book.

President Bush, on the other hand, is shown as a man on a mission. In this case, not winning the Election, but as trying to fight the War on Terror, with the Election as a distractor from what he has set his goals on doing. I honestly think that the President never really considered losing the Election: he saw it as more of a formality for him to go through in order to continue to fight the War. Only in the last few weeks did President Bush really put his full effort into campaigning.

In my estimation, this is one of the true marks of a great leader, keeping your eye on the prize and concentrating on the ultimate goal: the security of the American people and the defeat of international terrorism, along with the rise of a Western-friendly Democracy in the Middle East.

Contrast this with the scores of votes Kerry missed on issues like, oh, National Security while he was running around campaigning.

In summary, the book is good, but the lefty tone brings it down a bit. Three-and-a-half stars.

Osama Bin Laden: Truce?

I think we might finally have this guy grasping at straws...

In his first audio release since December 2004, Osama Bin Laden, recording in "Boogeyman" persona, said it was just a matter of time before another terror attack on US soil.


Tough talk for a guy who is hiding in a cave, scared for his life.

In light of this fact, the "benevolent" terrorist has offered the United States a truce:

In the recording bin Laden said U.S. opinion polls "show the vast majority of you (Americans) want to withdraw your forces from Iraq," according to a translation provided by the SITE Institute. Because most Americans believe that "it is better that we don't fight Muslims on their lands and they don't fight us on ours," jihadists had "no objection to offering you a long-term truce based on fair conditions which we will abide by because we are a nation forbidden by Allah from lying or deceiving."

I have a few problems with this statement:

1. This is once again proof of the Cindy Sheehan anti-war clones giving the bad guys rhetorical ammunition. Remember all my posts about terrorists getting a view of our morale as a nation based on the screechings of the Anti-War crazies? Now it's finally coming back to haunt us. When are people like Cindy Sheehan going to learn that undermining the efforts of our Soldiers that are fighting overseas empowers terrorist thugs like Bin Laden? They take these people's quotes and use them to supplement their own propaganda. Now, how many of you out there really think it's going to get the crazies to shut up? I didn't think so.

2. How are we supposed to believe in a "truce" that is to be honored by scum? These terrorists have really showed us how honorable they can be, hijacking planes with box cutters and flying them into buildings. These guys have showed how honorable they can be by murdering thousands of innocent, unarmed civilians. They have showed us their character by aiding a nihilist like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. What do they offer the people of the Middle East if we pull out prematurely? Nothing but chaos and anarchy. They offer violence, corruption, and extremism.

3. Bin Laden's claim that they will abide by any truce because they "are a nation forbidden by Allah from lying or deceiving." So gaining passports and visas under false pretenses in order to commit terrorist acts is not lying or deceiving? Isn't strapping a suicide vest to yourself, concealing it, and walking into a crowd of innocent bystanders with the purpose of murdering them, in fact, deception? Yeah...I have a good feeling that we can wipe our fourth point of contact with Bin Laden's "truce".

Hey, Osama Bin-Stupid: I've got a truce for you. Come out of that cave you've been hiding in (with your gay uncle Zawahiri) with your hands above your head, and we'll negotiate a truce.

Trust me. *wink*

Let's face reality, true believers. Osama Bin Laden is washed up. After vowing to bring "Death to America", now he's trying to sue for peace? Of course he is. It's one of the basic rules of strategy: when you know you can't win, try to negotiate a peace. It's better than losing outright. Unfortunately for Bin Laden, we have a Commander In Chief with something called resolve, and a commitment to bring Al Qaeda to justice.

And like Bin Laden said in his most recent tape: "It's just a matter of time..."

Truer words have never been spoken, Osama. And your time's almost up. "It's just a matter of time..."

Three Points Of Contact

I have been getting a few requests from people wanting to know about the term "3 points of contact". I know most people don't know what the heck it means and that's ok, we think no less of you.

When you're on a tactical vehicle ( like, oh, I don't know, let's use a TANK ), and it's a relatively tall one over 3 meters in height (once again, a TANK), a fall from the top of the turret (the thing that goes 180 degrees around) can hurt....ALOT. So the Army, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to play it safe and give us guidelines on how to move about on top of the turret. Doctrine says for us to always have at least 3 points of contact for stability. Your feet and a hand should always be in contact with a portion of the turret.

Now that's the literal meaning of the sense. Former tankers, my brother, and I also use it for a less literal purpose. Sometimes we use it to tell someone else to stay safe, or on top of a certain issue (YUP, like the ones we talk about on this post), etc..

Now, like I said before, don't think that I am calling anyone dumb or stupid because they didn't know this. I'm actually kinda flattered that some people care to ask. It shows that you really do take an interest in what we write/talk about here. It is hard to know what Army people talk about if you haven't been in the Army. I dont know what Marines talk about because, well, for one I'm not a Marine (thank goodness) and two, they have different terms for different things, or maybe I just don't care, most often it's that latter (that's a joke, PLEASE don't get bent out of shape about it, Marines and former Marines).

SO... in closing, talk to y'all soon and remember, maintain 3 points of contact. Did you all like that?

Yeah, I know it was kinda corny, but I went for it anyways!

-Cav Tanker

Joshua - My Hero

I would like to introduce you to one of my heroes: Joshua Sparling.

Joshua is a paratrooper in one of the most hooah units in the US Army: the fabled 82nd Airborne Division. On November 18th, 2005, PFC Sparling was injured by an explosive device while patrolling in Ramadi, Iraq: one of the hottest insurgent zones in the OIF theater.

While fighting to keep his leg while under care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in our nation's capital, a cowardly Anti-War activist sent him a letter that read:

The letter, addressed to "Any Soldier" was written in what looked like child's handwriting and told Sparling to have "great time dieing (sic) in the war." It ended with a postscript that said in big letters "DIE."

You probably heard Joshua's story on "Fox and Friends" and "Hannity and Colmes". Joshua's family reports that cards and letters have been poring in ever since. Joshua, being a member of the Army of One, even goes out of his way to share the letters with his fellow wounded warriors at Walter Reed. What was Joshua's reaction to that one, hate-filled letter?

"It made me angry at first," Sparling said Thursday of his thoughts when he first opened the letter. "Then I said, 'I'll get better just to spite this person.'"

Attaboy, Joshua. Give 'em hell, buddy!

The Tanker Brothers salute you!

Iran: Next Target?

My brother (and fellow Tanker Brother), Cav Tanker brought up a good subject yesterday: namely, the ongoing Iranian Nuclear Proliferation Crisis.

I've been very careful about choosing my position on this topic for several reasons:

1. I don't want to speculate on United States Military strategy in such a sensitive area (Please, take the time to read our disclaimer).
2. I'm not as well informed on the Iranian problem as I would like to be.

However, without violating the above two concerns, allow me to continue:

Let me be upfront - something needs to be done about the Iranians. There is literally a laundry list of belligerent actions on the part of this rogue nation that deserve condemnation. The Muslim extremist human rights abuses, the the continual undermining of the New Iraqi government (by sponsoring extremists like Muqtada Al-Sadr), public threats against Israel (threatening to "wipe them off the map"), rumors of harboring Al-Qaeda terrorists, and threats to artificially affect the world oil supply are just a few of the reasons we should do something about the problem. And of course, let's not forget the ongoing efforts to "go nuclear".

I can see why the Iranians feel they would need to rattle the saber. Consider this: being a Theocratic Republic (albeit radically extremist), they are in the vulnerable position of having not one, but two US-friendly new democracies on either side of them. That would be a scary situation, no matter how you look at it. Second, every natural disaster in that volatile area (and the Iranian Government's inability to react effectively) weakens the grip they have on their people. Third, consider that the younger generation of Iranians, those too young to remember the Islamic Revolution in 1979, are becoming increasingly restless. They want Wal-Mart, the Gap, and McDonald's. They see the potential right next door in Iraq, and they want that for themselves. They want the whole thing. The question is: who should give it to them?

There lies the question.

"The British Foreign Office said all five permanent members of the Security Council — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — and Germany had shown "serious concern over Iranian moves to restart uranium enrichment activities."

Okay, then....put your money where your mouth is. I don't think there is any question that the United States and Great Britain have done their part to bring freedom and stability to the region. Now it's your turn.

France, Germany, Russia: I challenge you to do the right thing. If you want to be relevant in the 21st Century you need to step up to the plate and be what you have always aspired to be: Leaders. This is your chance to do something to make the world a better place. At the same time, it's your chance to fall flat on your faces if you fail to act.

Show the Iranians that your words aren't hollow, like you showed Saddam Hussein for more than 12 years. Reach for the greatness you once held. Because know this: if you don't, someone else most definitely will.

Shout Outs, Part II

First off, let me apologize right off the bat to my readers for not posting anything for the last few days. I always say that family is important, and I was spending a quiet long weekend with mine (Thanks for making the drive up, Dad!)


With that out of the way, lets get to business:

I want to send a shout-out to the listeners of KSFO Hot Talk 560AM in San Fransico, for taking the time to check out our little slice of the War on Terror. Agree with us, or don't, but thanks for doing us the honor of listening to our side of the story (and our rambling commentary). And special thanks to Melanie Morgan for choosing us as a "Mel Recommends". We don't deserve it, but we'll try our hardest to live up to the honor!

Thanks also to MAJ(Ret.) Lynch at Ft. Huachuca for your service to your country. As fellow Soldiers, we salute you. Thanks for checking out our page!

I also want to recognize Mr. Joseph Williams in Vacaville, CA (Cindy Sheehan's stomping grounds). Sir, we know you have made the ultimate sacrifice, as a father, for your country and our future as Americans. Please know your son died for the noblest of causes: bringing freedom to those who have never known it. I know there is nothing anyone can say or do that would ever replace your loss, but have faith that all of our brothers and sisters in the military remember and honor the loss of your son. I can, of course, only speak for myself, but every Soldier, Marine, Airman, and Sailor lost on the field of battle is, to me, like losing a sibling. Remember, this is coming from someone who literally spent over a year in Baghdad with his little brother. Sir, we salute you, your personal service to your country in the Vietnam War(my Father's war), and your son.

I want to send greetings to my good friend Wolf, always an inspiration to me and my family. To me, Wolf embodies everything honorable and decent in America. He gave up his life in Germany to immigrate to the US, where he served with distinction and honor as a New York City Police Officer during the 9/11 attacks. The love and devotion for the United States that he displays daily is the America that should be. It represents an America that we should strive every day to bring back.

Finally, a shout-out to Debbie at InTheBullpen for her witty political commentary. Keep it up, Debbie! Your site is a TankerBrothers "Must Read"!

Finally, They have seen the Light!!!

I could not believe my eyes when I read that Russia AND China are agreeing with the US on the status of Iran and their nuclear talks! According to this article I found on MSN ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10836280/) Iran looks to be losing friends pretty soon!

Check this out :
"The British Foreign Office said all five permanent members of the Security Council — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — and Germany had shown "serious concern over Iranian moves to restart uranium enrichment activities."


They agreed on the need for Iran to "return to full suspension," according to the statement.

Diplomats from Britain, France and Germany also informed officials from Russia, China and the United States that they plan to call for an emergency board meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog next month. The 35-nation IAEA board, which could refer the issue to the Security Council, will discuss what action to take against Iran."

HA! SOMEONE IS GONNA GET IT!

OK, that might be a lil much, but my personal feelings are just to send us over there and let us whoop their asses! Again....a little much, but these are MY feelings, so please refer complaints to me.

-Cav Tanker

My Own Shout Out..

I have been getting a few emails from you all and the consensus is that all of you want to thank us for a job that we do and for speaking our minds. Everyone is EXTREMELY welcome. But more to that, I would like to thank all of our readers just for stopping by!

I know my brother and I don't do this expecting to receive praise or anything else for that matter, we do it because we like to speak our mind and share our opinions. It's just an added bonus that MOST of you feel the same way, so we both are truly extremely grateful to have such awsome readers!

Please keep the comments coming because we like reading your thoughts, ideas, and concerns as much as we like writing ours.

Oh, one more thing, I PROMISE to start getting back in the groove of things and start posting quite a bit more, I know I have been slacking the past couple of weeks, but hey, I really liked enjoying my vacation.....SORRY!

In closing, keep in touch, we LOVE hearing from everyone!

Shout Outs and Thanks!

Hey y'all:

I know that I haven't posted too much in the last two days. I apologize. My post on the 10th about "Pet Peeves" really took a lot out of me. I'm still fuming about it. I just want to let y'all know that we really appreciate you checking out the Tanker Brothers. God Bless all of you.

I just want to pause from my usual rants to recognize a few people out there:

Bravo Battery, 1/117FA deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Y'all stay safe, we'll keep you in our prayers. Keep your heads down, and give 'em hell when you need to. We've been where you're at, and we know what you're going through. Be safe, Chuck.

Mike, a veteran from the Wisconsin National Guard. He deployed to Iraq with his brother (Man, I know what that's like), and thankfully has returned home safe and sound (November). Keep him in your prayers as he reintegrates back to civilian life. You done good, Mike.

Dave at Mausercentral.com and Big Dave at TruckStopUSA.com. Thanks for checking out and linking to our little slice of the Internet. We appreciate the comments from your members, and we salute you.

This Week's Tanker Brothers Rusty Center Guide Award Winner!

Without a doubt, Senator Teddy Kennedy (D-Mass.) for making a complete spectacle of himself at the Confirmation Hearing for Judge Samuel Alito.

1. Teddy, for the life of me, cannot pronounce Judge Alito's name correctly. Hey, Teddy: a-LEE-toe, not al-EE-OH-toe. Have alittle respect, man, the guy is nominated to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Frickin' Court!

2. For this eye-opening exchange between Teddy and Sen. Arlen Specter, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Commitee:

In fact, Kennedy made a scene in an effort to take control of the proceedings after Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter told him his request to subpoena CAP records would be considered in due time. Here is the final portion of the Kennedy/Arlen Specter exchange:

KENNEDY: Mr. Chairman, I'd appeal the ruling of the chair on this.

SPECTER: There has been no ruling of the chair, Senator Kennedy.


KENNEDY: Well what is the -- my request is that we go into the executive session for the sole purpose of voting on a subpoena for these records that are held over at the Library of Congress -- that purpose and that purpose only.

And if I'm going to be denied that, I'd want to give notice to the chair that you're going to hear it again and again and again and we're going to have votes of this committee again and again and again until we have a resolution.

I think it's...

SPECTER: Well, Senator Kennedy, I'm not concerned about your threats to have votes again, again and again. And I'm the chairman of this committee and I have heard your request and I will consider it.

And I'm not going to have you run this committee and decide when we're going to go into executive session.

We are in the middle of a round of hearings. This is the first time you have personally called it to my attention, and this is the first time that I have focused on it. And I will consider in due course.

Rumor had it that Sen. Kennedy didn't have his, *ahem*, Jesus Juice prior to the hearings, which would explain his foul mood.

Cheers, Teddy. Here's to you, and you winning the (not) coveted Tanker Brothers' Rusty Centerguide Award!

Cindy Sheehan: At It Again...

Y'know, the more Cindy Sheehan opens her mouth, the loonier she gets:

Sacramento's Out Of Iraq Forum Rocks The Capital City By Nancy Tronaas Welcomed with a standing ovation, Cindy Sheehan and co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace gave a rousing talk. She stressed the need to impeach this administration as war criminals who continue to lie to the American public about pre-war Iraq intelligence. She also contends that Pres. Bush's assertions about pulling the U.S. troops out of Iraq would lead to chaos are a part of a calculated strategy to mislead the American public. Cindy reminded the audience that we all need to take responsibility for Iraq—as we elected the officials who ultimately allowed the invasion and occupation. We have the power to remove them from office. Cindy emphasized we must exit Iraq now to save precious lives. After expressing her support for a Dept. of Peace, Cindy concluded that she'd like to create a U.S. Dept. of History, with herself as the first secretary.

Of all the Anti-Cindy Sheehan posts I've done, I really should quit. She's old news. But I just can't help myself. It's like watching a train wreck. I think it's called morbid curiosity.

A US Department of Peace? Setting herself up as the first Secretary of History?

Yeesh...

Just A Reminder:

Look up, just to the top of this page, underneath the Tanker Brothers
banner.

There's a link to our Battle Roster. If you're new here, and never
signed it, honor us with your comments and suggestions.

God Bless.

WOAH! Crazy Love For The Tanker Brothers!

Y'know, I thought my post on my current pet peeve was forgettable, but obviously some of y'all thought it was worth mentioning.

I am humbled.

1. My good buddy and guardo camino (Spanish for Road Guard), Jake over at The Freedom Folks continues to be one of my Blogging Mentors and a great friend.

2. LandryFan over at Landry's Life also hooked us up with a post on my article!

But that's not all!

Our good friend Nelly over at German Princess submitted my "forgettable post" to Military.com! That's pretty cool!

On top of that, don't ask me how the heck we ended up at TruckstopUSA or Mauser Central! But we like it, we like it!

Y'all are the best supporters a couple of Tanker Brothers could ask for.

Now, for the rest of y'all: what are y'all waiting for? Start clickin' some of those links and check out their stuff!!

...Why Am I Not Suprised?

John Kerry, always one to cast stones at the Republican Party, accusing them of "Dirty Tricks", confirmed today that he does, indeed, live in a glass house.

'Kerry's Criminals': Democrats on Trial NewsMax.com Wires Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 Five Democratic activists accused of slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans on Election Day 2004 are now charging that "professional political operatives" with the Democratic Party actually damaged the tires and then set up the activists to take the blame. Attorney Sheldon Shellow, who is representing accused tire-slasher Sowande Omokunde – son of Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) – said the operatives' loathing of Republicans and President Bush motivated the slashings. The GOP rented more than 100 vehicles for a get-out-the-vote campaign in Milwaukee on Nov. 2, 2004. The vehicles were parked in a lot adjacent to a Bush campaign office, and party workers planned to drive poll watchers to polling places by 7 a.m. and transport any voters who didn't have a ride. The defendants, paid workers for Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign, are accused of slashing 40 tires on 25 vehicles, causing more than $5,000 in damage, at about 3:30 a.m. on the morning of the election.

Y'know: someone who has very little honor (accusing US Soldiers of "terrorizing Iraqi woman and children", and accusing US Soldiers of atrocities in Vietnam that he never witnessed) can't be expected to employ people who have honor.

This is a good example.

One Of My Pet Peeves...

I was talking to a friend of mine today, and we were discussing how we feel about the War in Iraq.

My friend (who has not been deployed to Iraq), asked me why it seems like so many Soldiers are "chomping at the bit" to go back. It's kind of difficult to explain, but for your benefit, I'll try:

Lots of my fellow Soldiers, brave men and women who come from all corners of America, gave up what they were doing because they believe in something. They were moved by the shameful attacks against innocent men and women on September 11th, 2001. They are willing to go anywhere in the world to make sure things like that never, ever happen again. Our Commander-In-Chief, President Bush, told us the fight was in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

That's where we went. That's where we'll go.

Saddam is overthrown, and millions and millions of Iraqi citizens who have never had a free day in their entire lifetime are enjoying the beginning of a Democracy. It's a Democracy that's arguably more Democratic than what our country has become. It's a place where every man and woman has a vote, and each and every vote counts exactly the same. In Iraqi politics, winning Ramadi doesn't mean that you will lose Mosul. Losing Karbala or Fallujah won't lose you the election. Every single vote means something...something more than how many electoral votes will get doled out.

Every single vote is an insult injury defeat to the insurgency. Every man or woman that votes in the Iraqi elections is like a slap in the face of terrorists like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. Every vote in the Iraqi elections is a man or a woman, Iraqi citizens, saying: "We don't want this anymore. We don't want lawlessness. We don't want terrorist thugs spreading anarchy and extremism in our streets. We want safety for our families and the people we love."

Seventy percent voter turnout. Even in the most heated American Election, we can't get that. After all the Bush-haters campaigned day and night for their fellow loonies to "come out against Bush", we couldn't get seventy percent.

Why?

Because Americans don't care. We're so wrapped up in our own, pathetic little lives that serve no higher purpose than ourselves. Why is it than twentysomethings in the United States, the vast majority of them, can tell you all the names of the Desperate Housewives (I can't), yet can't tell you who the House Majority Leader is? Why is it that we're about to make a decision on an Associate Supreme Court Justice, a man who will help to interpret the US Constitution for at least the next twenty years, and no one my age knows who the heck he is or what he stands for?

Because we don't care.

We want our news wrapped up in little soundbites, we want our issues wrapped up in a thirty-minute news (ha!) program parody or a one-page magazine column. Oh, and if you can broadcast it or print it in Spanish, even better (We have to be fair, after all). If it's not in Maxim or FHM, we don't care. All we know is that Bush is bad, the Economy is Bad (?), Cheney is evil incarnate, and Halliburton is the Devil. Just don't ask us why, 'cause chances are, we won't be able to tell you.

And then you have the Media: the people that give you those little soundbites, those thirty minutes on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, or that pathetic reporting in Time and Newsweek...

Let me tell you a little secret: if an insurgent straps a suicide vest to himself and walks into a crowded place, he can change the lives of hundreds of people. He can kill scores of victims, but the ripples of his actions touch the familes and friends of those that are lost.

Hundreds.

That's not the secret, though. When the Lefty Media prints their scandalous lies, their uncorraborated stories, and their blatant misrepresentations of the events that directly affect you and me, the victims of their actions touch over 290 million people.

290 million.

So who is the bigger threat?

Looking back at how I started this post: why do they want to go back? Why do they continue to re-enlist in record numbers, knowing they'll go back to Iraq? Why do they commit themselves to what the media sells us as certain death at the hands of an impeachable President?

Because they've been there. They've seen, with their own eyes, what the media refuses to show you, out of sheer hate for probably the greatest wartime President of our generation, second only perhaps to Ronald Reagan. Perhaps.

They've seen the commitment of the Iraqi people, of the Iraqi Security Forces, to make a better situation for themselves. They've seen the faces of the children they help. They've built schools, and police stations, and community centers. They've passed out food, and innoculated people who have never seen a syringe or had an immunization in their entire lives.

They know we make a difference. And they want to continue being part of something bigger than Desperate Housewives, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or Time, Newsweek, and FHM.

They want to be part of history.

Jeep: Bouncy And Fun

I was checking out the new Google Video Store, and I saw this video.



...Genius.

BMP In Iraq

Just thought I would post this picture of me in Iraq, modeling a BMP.

LOL!

US Soldiers: Killing Machines? (That's What I'm Talkin' About!)

A good buddy of mine just sent me this:

December 9, 2005 (CNN) While interviewing an anonymous US Special Forces soldier, a Reuters News agent asked the soldier what he felt when sniping members of Al Quaeda(sic) in Afghanistan. The soldier shrugged and replied, "Recoil."

Hooah. Jane Fonda would be pleased.

Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know...

John Spencer is running against the Hilldabeast for the New York Senate seat. Smart guy, but what is up with the crazy blatantly obvious statements?

John Spencer Blasts Hillary Clinton On Spygate Newsmax New York Senate hopeful John Spencer blasted his opponent, Hillary Clinton, on Monday for criticizing President Bush's terrorist surveillance program, saying it shows she's weak on national security. "Senator Clinton has repeatedly said that the greatest responsibility she bears is the protection of American lives from terrorist attack," Spencer noted, in quotes picked up by the Associated Press. "It's incredible that Senator Clinton would attack the National Security Agency program that protected New York," the Vietnam combat veteran-turned-Yonkers Republican added. As first reported by NewsMax two weeks ago, Mrs. Clinton complained about the Bush surveillance program in a Dec. 30 fundraising letter, where she pledged to "keep speaking out about my disagreements with this administration" - including "a secret program that spies on Americans!"

Obviously, Spencer missed out on the entire Clinton co-Presidency, when we turned a blind eye to National Security time and time again. Hence, idiots like Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi running around for us to hunt down and kill.

But I guess he was bringing it up to remind everyone else that lived in some fantasy world where Bill Clinton's failed Presidency was something other than ineffectual and irresponsible. A Presidency where the biggest "-gate" was with a White House intern, while the World Trade Center, Khobar Towers, and American Embassies were bombed while Slick Willie used Monica as a frickin' humidor.

That's a fancy cigar box for all you unrefined people out there.

Like the, uh, Tanker Brothers.

Heads Up!

My beautiful wife decided to start a Blog! Check it out!

Sunflower's Random Thoughts From A To Z

I know she'd appreciate any comments/suggestions!

Al-Zarqawi = Idiot

Y'know something? Terrorists are dumb.

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is a complete moron. Anyone that follows this idiot is a moron. Terrorists in general are, you guessed it....morons.

Let's think about this for a second. If you're Joe Iraqi, you're seeing new things pop up all around you: schools, government buildings, police buildings, the New Iraqi Army, etc... You see your country struggling to gain its own voice, its own government. You see cowardly terrorists killing your friends and neighbors, not out of any desire to make your life better, or make your country a better place, but rather, out of sheer hate for the United States.


Does Al-Zarqawi offer the citizens of Iraq a viable alternative to Democracy? No.

Does Al-Zarqawi offer the citizens of Iraq security? No.

Does Al-Zarqawi offer the citizens of Iraq an economic future? Nope.

Do you know what Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi offers the Iraqi people? Nothing.

Not a damn thing.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if Al Qaeda in Iraq has their way, you will have murder, terror, and anarchy as the rule of the day. You will have nothing. You'll have a once-proud civilization that has been in the region since the dawn of recorded history in complete chaos. As a result, this idiot offers nothing but pain and problems.

And that's why he's an idiot.

Zarqawi Reportedly Assails Arab Countries' Iraq Efforts From Reuters DUBAI, United Arab Emirates The leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, denounced Arab countries working for political reconciliation in Iraq as U.S. agents, according to a recording posted online Sunday. "The countries that met in Cairo ... were involved in destroying Iraq and cooperated with America by opening their land, airspace and waters and offering intelligence to it," said the speaker, who officials said sounded like Zarqawi. He was referring to an Arab League conference in November called to allow Iraqi political factions to search for common ground. The tape, posted on an Islamist website often used by insurgent groups in Iraq, could not be authenticated. The speaker denounced the Iraqi Islamic Party, viewed as the largest Sunni Muslim Arab party, for endorsing a new constitution, thereby boosting the Shiite- and Kurdish-led government. "We call on the Islamic Party to leave this path ... which leads to the destruction of the Sunnis," the speaker said.

If the Islamic Party leaves the path to a stable government in Iraq, what path would Al-Zarqawi recommend? To bring Saddam Hussein's brutal Ba'ath Party back? A Taliban-style government in Iraq? What?

The truth is this: Al-Zarqawi knows he's been beaten. He knows that for every innocent Iraqi he and his thugs kill, hundreds turn away and follow the path to Democracy. Al-Zarqawi galvanizes the resolve of the common Iraqi Citizen to fight harder, to work harder, for the future of his or her family. Al-Zarqawi knows it's a matter of time before he is hunted down and killed. No matter where he runs, no matter where he hides...he's a dead man.

It's just a matter of time.

Sucker!

...So there I am: at Target, with my wife. I was looking for a new MP3 player (I recently lost my trusty Siren 512MB Flash Player). I was kind of flirting with an iPod Nano for a few reasons:

1. It's a flash player
2. It has a backlight and a color screen
3. It comes in 2GB and 4GB capacities
4. It comes in a pretty cool PSP-like black glossy finish.
5. It's small.

To be honest, if there was a black iPod Shuffle, I'd be all over it...but I digress...

There I am, at Circuit City, and all I went there for was a black 2GB iPod Nano. They have it for $199. My wife says "Honey, if you're going to get the 2GB, you might as well get the 4GB, it's only $50 more..."

(It's worth mentioning that my wife has a 4GB iPod Mini).

So I say "Good point. Okay, I'll go for the 4GB Black Nano."

The sales lady says they don't have it.

I ask: "Do you know where I can get one?"

Saleslady: "Well, you can try next door at Target..."

So my wife and I walk over next door to Target. Guess what...they have a 4GB White iPod Nano. Almost what I was looking for! But...

Wife: "Oh, wow! Look...they have the 30GB video iPod! And you get a $30 Target gift card with it!"


Me: "Oh, wow! That's a great deal..."

And just like that, $323 ($299 +tax), I went from a $199 iPod Nano to a 30GB iPod Video (still with the Black finish).

Y'see how that works? Dammit. My wife should be on the Apple Sales team!

And the $30 gift card? A pink jogging suit for my wife. She runs a hard bargain.

But the iPod is definitely cool. LOL!

PanzerBrueder Update!

Just a quick update: Chris, Scharfschuetze, and I are up and running over at the new German Language blog...check it out Here

Announcing: PanzerBrueder!

Okay...even though the poll is still ongoing, I have a feeling that the demand for a German sister page is (while in the small minority of readers) significant.

That left me with a problem: Cav Tanker doesn't speak/read/write German.

So, in the interest of reaching out to some of our German readers, I have opened up our Sister Blog: PanzerBrueder! My good friend (and fellow Conservative) Sharfshutze out in the Bay Area has signed on to be my co-conspirator, and we'll try to post in there once or twice a day. Same Blog format, same Blog layout, different Blog language.


Now...a warning: the articles/posts in that version won't mirror the articles/posts in this version (or our "sandbox" version TankerBrothers Too). It will be material that is completely different (some posts here would be completely irrelevant to the German version). I'm still trying to recruit my third co-conspirator...just waiting on an email back from him.

So peek in, when you have a chance...you never know, you might find something you like. Or not.

Tank Brothers: German Version?

As many of y'all know, I speak multiple languages: English, Spanish, and German.

I get a significant number of hits from Germany, and I was wondering if y'all think we should publish a German version of our Tanker Brothers Blog, in order to better accomodate our German readers.

That way, some of the more cowardly ones (the ones that claim they're scared to post comments, because they aren't too comfortable with the english language - peculiar, considering they're reading this Blog as it is, and we do have a Gunning Fog index of 10+).

But...whatever. If you think we should have a German Version, or not...please take the time to vote below.

How Do You Feel About Tanker Brothers Expansion?
	Starting a German Version would be a good idea!
	Are you kidding? Fugheddaboutit!
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Saddam: Links To Terrorism

This just in on NewsMax:

Documents will be released by the Bush Administration that were captured by US Foces during the ground war that detail three terrorist training camps in Iraq prior to the War. The best documented, Salman Park, even had a Boeing 727 set up for terrorists to practice hijacking a passenger airline.

"The secret training took place primarily at three camps in Samarra, Ramadi, and Salman Pak," reports the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes, who adds that the operations began two years before the 9/11 attacks and were "directed by elite Iraqi military units."

The existence of these documents, and the nature of what they describe, has been confirmed to the Standard by eleven U.S. government officials, Hayes says.

If true, the documents represent a bombshell finding that shatters the claims of Iraq war critics who have maintained for three years that Saddam Hussein had no connection whatsoever to Islamic terrorism.

More intriguing still is the documentation on Salman Pak - a camp previously described by Iraqi defectors as the location of airline hijacking dress rehearsals that bear a striking resemblance to what took place on 9/11."

A smoking gun linking Saddam to Al-Qaeda? Probably not. But irrefuatble evidence that Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime definitely aspired to do some pretty dirty deeds...

Jose Padilla: Transferred To Federal Custody

Jose Padilla, "The Dirty Bomb Plotter", was transferred to Federal Custody this week from being held by the military as a terrorist.


Hey, Jose:

"Good luck in prison, dirtbag...hope you brought your own Vaseline, 'cause I'm sure you're going to get alot of attention."

Iraqis: Not Fazed By Cowardly Terrorists

Good news! The Iraqis have reinforced their commitment to a stable, free government in the war-torn country:

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's president predicted Saturday that a new government could be formed within weeks and said the country's main political groups had agreed in principle on a coalition of national unity. He made the comments after meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Iraqis remained optimistic about their future despite suffering through a particularly violent week that saw nearly 200 people killed in two days, including 11 U.S. troops.

As soon as the Iraqis solidify their new government, they gain even more legitimacy on the world scene, and continue to prove the pre-war naysayers (France, Germany, Russia, etc...) wrong. President Bush made a great call: stay the course, and keep our eyes on the prize: a stable, free democracy (and valuable strategic ally) in the Middle East.

Maaaaaad Love!

Woah....there is crazy love out there for the Tanker Brothers today!

First off, my good buddy Jake over at Freedom Folks (one of my daily reads) features one of our immigration viewpoints today; and to make things even sweeter, James "Fellow Tanker" Solis over at Philologous has a post that completely floored us with flattery!

Guys...y'all are awesome. God Bless!

This Weeks Winner!

Without a doubt, the award has to go to USC Running Back Reggie Bush, for posting a whopping 177 yards of total offense during UT's Rose Bowl upset.

Compare these numbers to UT QB Vince Young's 467 total offense yards, 200 of which he gained by running the ball himself. Fox Sports calls it "the greatest individual performance in college football history and rightly so. What Vince Young did in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night may just be the greatest individual effort in any sport, at any level, in any era. He was superhuman."

That's what I'm talking about.

And we all know who Dubya was rooting for:


So Reggie Bush: congrats on winning the Heisman Trophy, and especially for being the third recipient of the (Not-So) coveted Tanker Brothers Rusty Center Guide Award!

I Told You So...

What have I been telling you for months now?

The enemy sees whining by the Liberals, Anti-Bush, and Anti-War crowd as weakness. They laugh at our perceived lack of commitment to winning the War on Terror.

Al-Qaida Says U.S. Troop Reductions a Victory for Islam NewsMax.com Wires Friday, Jan. 6, 2006 CAIRO, Egypt -- Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States' recent decision to withdraw some troops from Iraq represented "the victory of Islam." Al-Zawahri, wearing a white turban and gray robe and seated next to an automatic rifle, waved his finger for emphasis as he spoke in the two-minute excerpt aired by Al-Jazeera. "I congratulate (the Islamic nation) for the victory of Islam in Iraq," he said.

See? If the Left would have let the truth be known, that Iraqi Security Forces were standing up and taking responsibility for security (and by doing so, relieving the Coalition to withdraw forces), it would have not been seen as weakness to these monsters. It would have been seen as a victory of the Coalition Strategy of helping the Iraqis take control of their own destiny. Unfortunately, however, the whining and crying from the left has instead emboldened the terrorists:

..."You remember I told you more than a year ago that the American withdrawal from Iraq is only a matter of time, and here they are now ... negotiating with the mujahedeen," al-Zawahri said. "Bush was forced at the end of last year to announce that he will pull out his forces from Iraq, but he was giving excuses for his withdrawal that the Iraqi forces have reached a good level."

Ummm hmmm... see what I mean? If you (the Left and the Mainstream Media) would have let the truth out, that increased capability of the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Army to provide security for the people of Iraq, this dingbat wouldn't have the perception that this was a retreat.

...Al-Zawahri said the American forces "with their planes, missiles, tanks and fleets are mourning and bleeding, seeking for a getaway from Iraq." "Regarding your withdrawal timetable ... you have to admit, Bush, that you have been defeated in Iraq and are being defeated in Afghanistan and will be defeated in Palestine," he said, speaking calmly but forcefully.

So...way to go, John Kerry. Way to go, Nancy Pelosi. Good Job, Harry Reid. Kudos, New York Times. Y'all have truly done it this time. Oh, and Al-Zawahri? (I haven't forgotten about you.) If this is such a huge "victory" for you: why don't you come out of that cave you're hiding in (like a little beeeyoootch, with your Gay Uncle Osama) and celebrate?

Y'know something that just occurred to me? Do you remember, way back when, all these lefties crying about the War in Iraq, comparing it to the Vietnam War? Maybe they were right.I'm starting to see the similarities: a hostile left-wing media, a dishonorable Anti-War movement, and cowardly politicians undermining the fight while honorable Servicemembers put their lives on the line day in and day out. How about the once-trustworthy media and looney left political hacks gleefully counting our brave, fallen Soldiers for no other reason than to wave those same numbers in the faces of America on the evening news? Yeah...I'm starting to see it now.

In 1968, during the Tet Offensive: we were trying to combat the spread of communism. In 2006, during the War in Iraq: we're trying to combat the spread of Islamic Extremism and International Terrorism.

Iraq = Vietnam?

It's starting to come into focus.

Quick Note

I'll get more into this later, but:

If you're going to take the time to read my blog, do me (and yourself - I'm about to make someone look stupid) a favor and read the WHOLE post before being a crybaby.

1. One of the cool things about Blogger: if there are multiple authors to a blog (like this one: the title Tanker Brothers is not an accident), you can see which author wrote a particular post. Look at the bottom of every posting. Just to the left of the time, comments, and trackback links, it tells you who wrote the post. In the case of this post, Cav Tanker (my brother) wrote it.

2. I have never said I spent 15 months in Iraq. My brother, however, did spend 15 months there.I arrived soon after he did, and I returned just before his redeployment. So before you go crying to someone about timeline accuracies, make sure you know who you are talking about.

3. If you have a comment on a post... there's a comment link underneath each post. Use it.

4. If you don't want your comment to be seen by anyone else, use the Battle Roster's Private Message feature, or at the very least use the "Email Me" link on each sidebar for the specific author you would like to pose your question/concern to. Don't be a coward and bitch about something without expressing your concern and allowing us to address it first. Otherwise, and I will say this again: you're a coward, and maybe you should go read one of the lefty blogs....they cater to your kind.

5. The same person also made the offline comment that we post "too much", and if we're such "Super Soldiers" (which, in my assessment, every Soldier is; just ask Jane Fonda); how could we have the time to post 3-4 times a day? Easy. Blogging is a hobby. It's something an author does when he has free time, or a spare moment. Kind of like stamp collecting. I won't lie to you, I time-delay my posts (I email them in using Thunderbird) to space them out a bit, but I do all my writing on my spare time. It usually takes me between 10-15 minutes (counting research time) for a good, long post. The shorter posts are usually written in about five minutes.

6. People, if you don't know what a Master Gunner is...look it up. It's actually a job in the Army: I'm not claiming to be a better gunner than anyone else (and it's been a very, very long time since I was a tank gunner). And Master Gunners don't even really have anything to do with the gunner's position on a Tank/Bradley. Duh. The Master Gunner position is unique to the combat arms. Infantry, Scouts, and Armor all have Master Gunner positions. We actually have to go to a school for this.

Once again: if you're the person we're addressing this to - you're a coward, and maybe you should go read one of the lefty blogs....they cater to your kind.

LOL...but I know you won't. You're addicted to us...admit it.

If you aren't the coward in question, then my sincerest apologies if I offend.

Iran's Ahmadinejad - Foot In Mouth Disease

Does anyone even take this guy seriously anymore? Is there any doubt why he was the first recipient of the Rusty Center Guide Award?

Thursday, January 05, 2006 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's president said Thursday he hoped for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the latest anti-Israeli comment by a leader who has already provoked international criticism for suggesting that Israel be "wiped off the map." "Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Chatilla has joined his ancestors is final," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency. ..."Hopefully, others (criminals like him) will join him too," ISNA quoted Ahmadinejad as telling a group of clerics in Qom, a holy city 80 miles south of the capital, Tehran. He spoke a day after the 77-year-old Sharon suffered a massive stroke and underwent surgery. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack termed the remarks "hateful and disgusting." "And this is a man who wraps himself in the cloak of a peaceful religion, Islam, and yet you hear remarks like this coming from him," McCormack said. "This regime has isolated the Iranian people from the rest of the world in a matter of months — through its actions and its statements."

Speaking of the Tanker Brothers' Rusty Center Guide Award.... stay tuned later today to see who the recipient for this week is!

Pat Robertson: Stroke Is Wrath Of God

In yet another example of the Tanker Brothers pandering to no one:

Pat Robertson - What The Hell Are You Thinking?

NORFOLK, Va. — Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land." "God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The 700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine."' Sharon, who ordered Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year, suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday.

I want to make it abundantly clear: The Tanker Brothers denounce these cheap comments. While we don't necessarily agree with PM Sharon's pullout from the Gaza Strip, we do understand the PM's desire to do what he thought was best for the future and the security of his people.

Shame on Pat Robertson for issuing such a cowardly and spiteful comment while PM Sharon is lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life.

Not cool, dude.

WOW WOW WOW ! ! ! !

Rose Bowl.

41 - 38.

Welcome to the Vince Young Show!

All I can is that the Texas Longhorn QB made his point in a clear and undisputable statement that he should have been the Heisman recipient. Young accounted for 467 yards, 200 rushing and 267 passing, with 3 rushing touchdowns. Amazing!

Reggie who?

He did what?

Oh, thats right, the Longhorn Defense took care of that.

I honestly believe that this game was by far the most stressing, aggrivating, nail-biting, and heartstopping experience I have had in a while, AND I WAS IN IRAQ FOR 15 MONTHS! Yes there were times I just had to turn away, but it was only for a few moments!

OK, I really needed to get that out. Congrats to a great college team and lets pray they repeat next year!

HOOK'EM HORNS!

want more info? Click Here

MasterGunner's Edit:

Reggie Bush may have got the Heisman Trophy, but UT has the trophy that matters.

Moscow To Iraqis: " Why Can't We All Just Get Along?"

Russia's Foreign Ministry just issued a statement pleading with the Iraqi people to get together and unite for the common good in Iraq. >From LexisNexis:

Moscow calls for national accord in Iraq - Foreign Ministry        MOSCOW, January 5 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow is appealing to all political and religious forces in Iraq to reach national accord, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday. "We urge all political and religious forces in Iraq to reach national accord in order to improve the situation in Iraq for the sake of its future," the ministry said in a statement posted on its official site.

Awww.....

To be honest, though, I don't really think that the Iraqi's give a hoot (insert substitute four-letter-word here) about what the Russian Foreign Ministry wants or suggests. Consider:

1. Russia was all kinds of dirty with the whole "Oil For Food" scandal, directly empowering Saddam Hussein and his stranglehold on Joe Iraqi Sixpack (your run-of-the-mill Iraqi citizen).
2. Russia's complete refusal to participate in the Overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the eventual Liberation of the Iraqi People. If you remember, they took the "Way Of The Frenchie" on that one.
3. Russia's alleged sale of weapons and equipment to Iraq in the lead-up to the Iraq War.
4. Russia's statement hours after the beginning of the War claiming war was an error.

Let's be honest: why would the now-free Iraqi people want to do anything specifically to please the Russians? I think that the Free People of Iraq want to come to an agreement and start a government in order to make their lives and the lives of their families better, not to please some former world-superpower.

Nice job, on Russia's part, though: trying to regain some relevance on the world stage.

Hilary Clinton: Dirty? (Say It Isn't So!)

The Tanker Brothers have repeatedly pointed out that Slick Willie's complete incompetence and lack of testicular fortitude to combat international terrorism has led us to where we're at right now: in a life-or-death fight against Islamic Extremist terrorists.

It's no secret that Hillary Clinton is seen as, shall we say "shrewed", all over America. One might even say she's been involved in a scandal or two. (Travelgate, Whitewater, anyone?)

Well, it's out: Hillary is officially dirty. Now we know why "Hil" hasn't come out all giddy over the Abramoff scandal. It's because "Hil" is a *gasp* recipient of dirty money!

Turns out, Mrs. Clinton is among the dozens of Democrats who accepted Mr. Abramoff's tainted contributions. Clinton spokeswoman Ann Lewis told The Buffalo News on Thursday that "after examining our records we found two contributions for $1,000 from tribes which have been clients of Jack Abramoff in the past." "To ensure that there is no question of any connection with Mr. Abramoff, Friends of Hillary will contribute the total of $2,000 to a New York charity," Lewis said. Link Here

I can't wait to hear Abramoff testify with all the lurid details!

Wait, but that's not all! I know what you're saying..."$2,000? That's chicken feed!"

You're right...chump change. But how does $720,000+ in illegal campaign contributions (not from Abramoff) grab ya? Read on:

Hillary Clinton Campaign Acknowledges Violation Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign committee likely violated the law when it underreported $1 million-plus in campaign contributions from Hollywood mogul Peter Paul, according to a four-year investigation by the Federal Election Commission. The FEC found "there was probable cause to believe New York Senate 2000 and Andrew Grossman, in his official capacity as [the campaign's] treasurer, violated 2 U.S.S Sec 434(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and 11 C.F.R. Sec 102(c)(8)(i)(A)." "On December 13, 2005, a conciliation agreement signed by Andrew Grossman was accepted by the Commission," the FEC said. Under the agreement worked out with the campaign, "New York Senate 2000" will pay a $35,000 fine and amend its public reports to show that Paul's share of production costs for a gala Aug. 13, 2000 Clinton fundraiser were understated by $721,895.

D'ya think we can get a Special Prosecutor to look into this violation of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform?

 I didn't think so.

Illegal Immigration: How To Fix The Problem

I'm an American, born in South Texas. Before you call me a racist for being an advocate for immigration enforcement, be warned: I'm a Hispanic. While I will not be so presumptuous to say that this qualifies me as any type of expert on illegal immigration,what it does is give me a unique point of view on the problem. I have fought for this country, and the freedoms and security of its citizens, for thirteen years.

Right now, immigration is a hot topic in America. Where I come from, however, it's been a hot topic my entire life. Hy hometown is a scant 12 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.

The Rio Grande Valley is a hard place to enforce immigration, since thousands of Mexican citizens have relatives that reside on the US side of the border. Every weekend, thousands upon thousands of Mexicans cross over the border to shop and play in the larger cities of McAllen and Brownsville. Some even venture as far north as San Antonio (230 miles from the Border) and San Marcos (300 Miles from the Border). Granted, a large amount of money from these "better off" Mexicans provides a steady stream of sales for the merchants in the Valley. On some days, it's so bad, you can't even get a store cashier or clerk to speak English to you. My Parents have even refused to do their shopping on the weekends, due to the crowds and the rude Mexican tourists who literally "take over" the stores. It's like the Texas War of Independence all over again. This time, instead of guns, they invade armed with dollars.

That's not a problem. We welcome revenue from damn near anywhere we can get it. The problem is with the "other" invaders.

Of course, I am referring to the illegal immigration problem. Hundreds of illegal immigrants cross through the Rio Grande Valley every single day. Many of them travel north to the rest of America. Many of them, however, do not.

In one of the local hospitals, along US Highway 83, there is an office on the first floor. A patient goes in to check in to the Hospital during regular business hours. Patient billing is also located in this office. If you look on the northern wall of the waiting room, there is a large bronze-colored plaque bolted to the wall. It states that it is against federal law to deny medical care to anyone based on race, creed, national origin, or ability to pay for those services. My son was born in that hospital April 2005. The bill came out to just over $13,000 for the delivery and stay (I have really good Health Insurance). If an illegal immigrant crosses the border with the intent to have an "anchor baby" in that hospital, guess what? You're paying for it. If your child goes to the emergency room, he has to get in line behind an illegal immigrant. If an illegal immigrant brings in a child stricken with cancer, they have to be treated. Everywhere you go in the Rio Grande Valley: they're there.

Laura Martinez Ilgun is director of development and public relations at the Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancer and Hematology Clinic in McAllen. She said one of the challenges her clinic faces is the number of parents from across the border who come to the facility with very sick children and no means of paying for services. "They have no insurance, they’re illegal, and we have to face that decision: ‘What do we do with this child who has a life-threatening disease and who has absolutely no financial resources?’ "So far, in the past 4 ½ years, we have not turned away one child for inability to pay, and we’ve been able to address that through philanthropy. But there’s just so much you can do for that." Link Here

I'm getting sick of the problem, and so are many other residents of the Valley. I saw a poll a few months back that reported that 70% of the residents of the Rio Grande Valley are sick of the problem, and would prefer to close the border.

If you get annoyed by the illegal immigration sympathizers, you would have an aneurysm in the Rio Grande Valley. Admittedly, people in the Valley are not as well informed as I would like. You have the consistent babble about strengthening illegal immigration enforcement would be "racist", or that we have to feel sorry for the poor people that come to the United States to make a better life. If there's a lefty talking point about illegal aliens, you'll hear it (over and over again) in the RGV. Then you have the ignorant advocates claiming that Texas was part of Mexico first, so this somehow legitimizes the stream of illegal immigrants. Last I checked, two wars were fought over that border, and "our side" won them both.To the victor, go the spoils, right?

I'll be honest with you: I don't have a problem with immigration. My wife is a European immigrant, and the process we went through to secure her resident status (and eventual citizenship) here makes me appreciate the perseverance of the people that immigrate here legally. The people that don't go through the wickets, in my opinion, are lazy, and never aspire(d) to be part of this great experiment we call America.

If we want to offer asylum to illegal immigrants, lets make them prove they want/deserve it. Are you ready for this? The answer to everyone's problems:

Have them commit to serve five years in the US military.

This would satisfy the five year resident requirement for citizenship, afterwards they could apply for citizenship.
This would provide a steady income for the immigrant and his/her family - income that can be taxed (like the rest of us), and not paid "under the table" (like getting a job from the Home Depot parking lot).
This would gaurantee them health care and housing
This would alleviate recruiting problems in the US Military - I'm sure we could conduct a month-long basic language class for recruits (it would require no hiring of additional people).
This would give the immigrants the opportunity to get started in a career that, if they so choose, would provide them with the opportunity to retire with a good income after 20 years.
This would make them appreciate the hard work and sacrifices made by fighting men and women throughout our history.

Of course, this would never happen. The lefties and the Mexican government would never stand for it! Why, it's mercenary! (Kind of like the French Foreign Legion - but don't tell the Francophile-loving left that).

Okay, this is getting ridiculous:

Yeah...this is definitely an MSM conspiracy: the mine collapse and death of twelve miners in West Virginia is officially (in the MSM's eyes) President Bush's fault.

Lefty Media Putting Us At Risk?

Yet another example of how the Left Wing media's fixation for undermining the Bush Administration's successes in fighting the War on Terror.

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006 10:08 a.m. EST Major Terror Plot Against U.S. Ignored The mainstream U.S. media outlets have failed to report a major terrorist plot against the U.S. - because it would tend to support President Bush's use of NSA domestic surveillance, according to media watchdog groups. News of a planned attack masterminded by three Algerians operating out of Italy was widely reported outside the U.S., but went virtually unreported in the American media.

 
I can't believe this. The Italians used the same domestic surveillance programs that the NSA is using, yet the MSM ignored this story completely because it would prove to the American public that there is significant merit to the President's strategy. I would hate to think that Italy is the only country that is actually serious about winning this War. Our Administration is serious, polls show that the American public is serious, yet we just can't get the lefties and media elite to join us in our fight. Who does that put in danger?

You.

Think about the absurdity of this for a second. If the NSA has a top-secret program to target communications going overseas to specific numbers/email addresses known to be related to terrorists and Islamic Extremists, and some dingbat newspaper publishes this top secret program.... guess what? Then the bad guys (the ones with the overseas communications - specific numbers/email addresses known to be related to terrorists and Islamic Extremists) now know they need to change their numbers/email addresses!

This isn't rocket science.

Guess what else happens? We have to start all over again! From scratch! It has taken us from 2001 to now to dissect the myriad of levels of an organization the size of Al-Qaeda, and target and listen in on some of their communications. Am I the only guy that remembered back in 2001, when the US could target and listen in on Osama Bin Laden's Thurya sat phone? Until some dingbat let it slip to the MSM, who turned around and broadcast it all over the news? Then guess what?

That's right, Bin Laden stopped using the Thurya.

Back to the present day. Do you think this failure to report the Italian Terrorism bust was a simple Media slip-up? Yeah, right:

Curiously, what was deemed worthy of a worldwide media blitz abroad was virtually ignored by the U.S. media, and conservative media watchdog groups are saying that is no accident. "My impression is that the major media want to use the NSA story to try and impeach the president," says Cliff Kincaid, editor of the Accuracy in Media Report published by the grassroots Accuracy in Media organization. "If you remind people that terrorists actually are planning to kill us, that tends to support the case made by President Bush. They will ignore any issue that shows that this kind of [wiretapping] tactic can work in the war on terror.” "The mainstream media have framed the story as one of the nefarious President Bush ‘spying on U.S. citizens,’ where the average American is a victim not a beneficiary,” commented Brent Baker, vice president of the Media Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to encouraging balanced news coverage, "so journalists have little interest in any evidence that the program has helped save lives by uncovering terrorist plans." The Associated Press version of the story did not disclose that the men planned to target the U.S. Nor did it report that the evidence against the suspects was gathered via a wiretapping surveillance operation.

The MSM has one simple agenda: do whatever it takes to impeach Bush. Why? Are they still sore over the whole 2000 Florida thing? Are they sore that everything President Bush has worked so hard to accomplish is coming to pass (overthrow of Saddam, winning a second term, elections in Iraq, etc...)? Is it that they are such moral cowards, that they resent a President that is bound by his moral convictions and his genuine desire to make the world a better, safer place for Americans? Can someone fill me in on any other motives they might have for the undermining of a strong President?

One obvious question media critics are now raising: Did the American media intentionally ignore an important story because it didn't fit into their agenda of attacking President George Bush for using wiretapping to spy on potential terrorists in the U.S.? "It's clear to me," says AIM's Kincaid, "that they're trying their best to make this NSA program to be an impeachable offense, saying it is directed at ordinary Americans. That's why they keep referring to this as a 'program of spying on Americans' - whereas the president keeps pointing out it's a program designed to uncover al-Qaida operations on American soil."

Note to the MSM: come aboard and join the team. We'd love to have you.

A Prayer For Ariel Sharon

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been stricken with a second stroke in less than three weeks. PM Sharon and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Ariel Sharon's Biography

Israel's Succession Of Power

President Bush Issues Statement On PM Sharon's Stroke

Ariel Sharon has served his country honorably for more than half a century, in times of Peace, and in times of War. PM Sharon holds a special place in the Tanker Brothers' Hall Of Fame, having fought as a Armored Division Commander in both the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars.

Sharon has a celebrated military history in Israel. He commanded the armored division that crossed the Suez Canal in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In 1969, he headed the Southern Command Staff, and was commander of an armored division in the 1967 Six Day War.

Our prayers are with you, Prime Minister.

O'Reilly Shuts Up Letterman

I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not a big fan of Bill O'Reilly. I think he's condescending and annoying. I think some of his positions are "right on", but he's not a very sympathetic character.

Yeah, I really dislike Bill O'Reilly. But I really cannot stand David Letterman. It's kind of a treat to see him get shut up.

It didn't take long for fireworks to erupt last night when Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly guested on David Letterman's "CBS Late Show," with the late night host finally admitting he wasn't "smart enough" to engage in a debate over the Iraq war.

People need to realize: David Letterman has just about as much credibility as that guy that played "The 40 Year Old Virgin" on his "news" show. He's an entertainer, and has little or no journalistic skill whatsoever. He's like a stand-up comedian that sits behind a desk. You really can't expect any real rational reporting/punditry from a guy who interviews people like Courtney Love and has a segment on his show called "Stupid Pet Tricks"

Letterman seemed to turn downright hostile, however, after O'Reilly defended U.S. soldiers and attacked Cindy Sheehan. "The United States, particularly the military, is doing a noble thing - the soldiers and Marines are noble," the Fox host insisted. "They're not terrorists. And when people call them that, like Cindy Sheehan called the insurgents 'freedom fighters,' we don't like that. It is a vitally important time in American history and we should be very careful of what we say." The comment prompted Letterman to admonish O'Reilly, "Then you should be very careful about what you say, also . . . I'm very concerned about people like yourself who don't have endless sympathy for a woman like Cindy Sheehan. Honest to Christ, honest to Christ."

It's no secret that the Tanker Brothers think Cindy Sheehan is a complete anti-war loon. We sympathize with her loss, but her actions are embarrassing to this country and its fighting men and women deployed overseas trying to accomplish a mission. So thumbs up to Bill O'Reilly, and thumbs down to that schmuck David Letterman...

Something Else To Think About:

Y'know...I really don't know how to take this.

Terrorism facts overlooked As we continue to pour hundreds of billions into "the war on terror," homeland security and related issues, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the OPEC oil cartel, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq all got their initial support and strength from flawed U.S. foreign policy. It's also easy to overlook the fact that most of the more notable acts of terrorism in this country stem from the fact we have no decent immigration standards or enforcement. Are we learning anything? Joe Taylor Sandy January 3, 2006

There is, admittedly, some truth to it, but you have to really do some stretching.

1. OPEC was never really a "United States" thing. If anything, OPEC has been a thorn in our side. Consider, for example, when OPEC decided to refuse shipment of oil to countries that had supported Israel in the 1973 War. Also, since oil transactions worldwide are conducted in US dollars, if  the value of the dollar changes against other world currencies (Euro, Yen, etc...) it can affect OPEC's decision on how much oil to put on the market. When the US dollar is weak against the Euro, for example, it decreases the amount per barrel that OPEC gets (since oil is sold in US Dollars). So OPEC could decide to put less oil on the market, artificially making the price per barrel more expensive, increasing their revenue. It makes my head spin sometimes, but take my word for it. The US will never be in bed with OPEC.

2. To say that the Taliban is a direct result of a flawed US foreign policy is like saying Cuba is Communist because we never invaded it. It's true that the US provided some support to Mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989 (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and China also provided significant support). The Taliban, however, was formed by a mullah that was backed by Pakistan. To be fair, the Taliban rose to power during the civil war that followed the retreat of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989. If US Foreign policy had not been "flawed", as the writer suggests, then Afghanistan would be under the firm control of the Soviet Union, even today. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a result of the illegitimization of the Communist Party due to "Russia's Vietnam" in Afghanistan (once again, to be fair, there were other factors, as well: economics, social change, government corruption, etc...)

3. Yes, it's true that the US had backed Saddam Hussein for a short time in his war against Iran. But you have to look at this in the context that Saddam was the lesser of two evils. On one hand, you had Saddam, who was one of the more secular leaders in the region that was "reaching out" to the West, and on the other, you had the Iranians. The Iranians who had taken US hostages before, and was in the aftermath of President Carter's abandonment of the Shah of Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The Iranians who were in the grip of a strict religious fundamentalist regime that was openly hostile to the West. The Iranians, who (at the time) were the biggest threat to security in the Middle East.

To say that these three things are results of the United States' "Flawed Foreign Policies" is over-simplifying things.

I will agree with the writer on his last point, though: our immigration failures are our Achilles' heel. If you combine huge, porous borders with determined invaders (economic or openly hostile), then throw in a generous measure of lax enforcement and an underfunded and understaffed Border Patrol; you have a recipe for disaster. If some simple, uneducated third-world laborer can get into our country with the intention of making money mowing lawns and sucking up health care, imagine what a determined, hostile terrorist could do under the same conditions. Then tell me we don't need the Minutemen.

Camp Katrina Exposes The MSM

Phil over at Camp Katrina points out how skewed and subversive the mainstream media has become. Do yourself a favor and check it out:

Notice, Katrina Campers, that the MSM presents the less encouraging "Iraq policy" poll numbers first, holding for later the news that troops still support the Prez's overall policy by a huge 60 percent margin.... ...That says it all, Katrina Campers.  And before you start agonizing about GWB's "paltry" 60 percent approval rating among the military, compare his lowest numbers to Bill Clinton's highest while he was in office.

Bottom line is this: by an overwhelming margin, the US Military has Dubya's back. 'Cause he's got ours.





Link HERE.

John Kerry: Down, But Not Out

When is this guy going to "get it"?

He tried as hard as he could, but the majority of US voters didn't want him as President. Now step aside.

The Republicans basically have this guy's "punk card". Consider, if you will:

1. His absolute lack of any legislation.
2. His extended absences in the Senate.
3. His inability to make a stand on any issue.
4. His habit of making statements supporting both sides of any given issue.
5. His controversial Vietnam-Era Anti-War activities make him look unpatriotic and elitist.
6. His continuing campaign against the efforts of US Soldiers in the War on Terror.
7. His image as a bitter loser, recently making comments using the word "impeachment".

To tell you the truth, Republicans hope and pray that Kerry will be the nominee. Read This Article. Pay special attention to this quote (at the end):

Kerry's image as a Northeast liberal with fuzzy views on major issues like Iraq would make him vulnerable once more, said (Ronald) Kaufman, who was White House political director for Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush. "I go to bed every night praying Kerry is the nominee again," he said.

Ronald Kaufman is "a veteran GOP operative with Massachusetts roots." (In the Article).

Bottom line:

Kerry should just give it up. He (and the Democrats) would probably better off taking Howlin' Howie's job....

Disclaimer (For People Who Refuse To Scroll)

This website is privately operated and is designed to provide personal
information, views and commentary about the author's experiences in the
world today. The opinions expressed on this website are solely those of
the authors and not those of any agency of the United States Government,
expressly including, but not limited to: the Department of Defense, the
United States Army, or the United States Army Reserve. The site is not
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to: the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or the United
States Army Reserve. Users accept and agree to this disclaimer in the
use of any information accessed in this website. Thank you. Questions?
E-mail me. NOTE: Due to the volume of e-mails, I cannot respond to every
e-mail. © 2005 TANKER BROTHERS

EDIT:

99% of the time, though, I do answer emails.

OPSEC

This post is to reaffirm our commitment to OPSEC (Operations Security), and to provide guidelines to what you won't see in this web log. Also, may I suggest scrolling to the bottom of the sidebar on the right-hand side of your screen. There's a disclaimer posted.

As y'all know, we live in a dangerous world. Bad guys (terrorists) are all around us, with eyes and ears everywhere. With the rise of the World Wide Web, almost 80% of the information that Al-Qaeda uses against us (Americans), he can get off of the Internet. Every single scrap of info is a piece of a puzzle. When guys like Osama Bin Laden and Musab Abu Al-Zarqawi put together those pieces of the puzzle, they can formulate plans to target and attack us where we are least guarded.

These are things you won't see here in Tanker Brothers:

1. Photos of Soldiers with visible personal identification (I blur the name tags) or security credentials.
2. Maps or photos of military or federal installations.
3. Details on Security Operating Procedures.
4. Any details on Operational Tactics, Techniques, or Procedures.
5. Any details on our warfighting capabilities: specifically on weapons systems, ammunition, or personal weapons.
6. Any details on Soldier morale in a specific unit/command.

Keep in mind, we are completely aware of the fact that the bad guys can look over our shoulder, just like the good guys can. By posting information and commentary responsibly, we can still tell our story without giving the bad guys anything they will use against our friends and family.

Now keep in mind:

1. Democrats in Congress continuously make statements and comments on troop morale and troop strength (usually uninformed).
2. The Anti-War politicians calling for a pull-out from Iraq give Al-Qaeda in Iraq an important look at the morale of the country: they think that the citizens and politicians of the United States don't support the War on Terror. This is something that the enemy can use against us.
3. Certain politicians make false accusations and improper comments on the actions of Soldiers and Marines in Iraq. This pours gasoline on an already raging fire: If you were a "Swing Voter" Iraqi, and you heard certain news stories about a "credible" United States former Presidential nominee accusing US Soldiers of terrorizing Iraqi women and children in the middle of the night, joining up with the bad guys to get some payback would look pretty attractive, wouldn't it?

All I am asking our Senators and Representatives in Washington is to use their heads when they make comments on what we as Soldiers do in fighting a war. If you don't agree with the war...fine: go on the record and say so. If you don't agree with the Operational Tactics, Techniques, or Procedures we use to go beat the bad guys...fine: go on the record and say so. But stay in your lane. You concentrate on your job as a politician, and let us concentrate on our jobs as Soldiers.

It's bad enough we have to fight people that want to shoot us in the face, we don't need the extra threat of politicians back home that want to stab us in the back.

Commander: Al-Qaida Stymied In Iraq's West

Either the Marines have really kicked but in the latest rounds of offensive operations in the Western part of Iraq, or the Syrians are running out of able-bodied terrorists they can smuggle over the border.

Either way, it seems the well has run dry.

AL ASAD, Iraq -- Recent offensives near the Iraqi border with Syria have dealt a significant blow to al-Qaida and cut off the group's ability to smuggle in foreigners through the volatile western area to join the insurgency, a U.S. commander said Sunday. Maj. Gen. Steve Johnson, commander of the Second Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, said the operations had "neutralized" the group's ability to use the vast Euphrates River valley to organize and attract followers. The fighting helped restore Iraqi control of the border with Syria to eliminate smuggling lines and paved the way for successful Sunni Arab regional participation in Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, he said in an interview with a small group of reporters at this dusty U.S. base in al Asad, in western Anbar province near the Syrian border.

Whatever the case, it seems that we (and by that I mean Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Army), are making excellent progress in getting the security of Iraq under control. The Iraqi Army will son be able to take full control over the borders. Just like we planned....remember?

Yeah, She Said It.

I guess "Victory" is a dirty word among the Clinton Elite Democrats. Even his former Secretary Of State, Madeline Albright, seems to dislike "the V word".


Why, you might ask, is "Victory" such a dirty word to Dems?

Because they can't seem to get one.

Madeleine Albright: Bush Talks 'Victory' Too Much Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005 12:53 p.m. EST In an interview posted on the Democratic National Committee's web site, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says she doesn't like the way President Bush "repeatedly" talks about achieving victory in the Iraq war. "I was very troubled recently, particularly by [Bush's] first speech to the Naval Academy," the former top Clinton diplomat complains in a DNC audio webcast. "They clearly had some kind of a new pollster in the White House tell them that the word 'victory' had to be repeated endlessly," Albright griped. "Plus, [there was] the backdrop that said 'victory' and then there was 'victory' on the podium. I don't know how many times he used the word 'victory.'" Still, despite her discomfort over President Bush's victory talk, Albright insisted that she and other Democrats really do want the U.S. to prevail in Iraq.

Oh, yeah...they really want us to prevail. That's why John Kerry voted for the $87 Billion, before he voted against it. That's why Teddy Kennedy
"charged that the Iraq War was driven by domestic political considerations, as White House operative Karl Rove and other administration officials dragged the country to war to improve the president's political standing." That's why Nancy Pelosi is on the record as calling the Iraq war a ‘grotesque mistake’.Nevermind that we still had troops in the fight when she was saying it. Oh, wait a sec, how about John Kerry claiming that US Soldiers are terrorizing women and children? (Another link HERE.) But my all time favorite? Howlin' Howie Dean saying that winning War in Iraq is an idea that's "just plan wrong".

Why is victory such a dirty word for these people? Why do they have such little faith in American resolve?

I know why. It's because they are the ones who are weak. Check out my poll, and tell me we lack resolve.

Look Closely...

Take a close look at the following two pictures for a second:


Notice anything strange in either one of them?

There are no Americans in either one!

Yes, Anti-War Crazies: the Iraqis are stepping up and taking responsibility for their country's security. US Forces are handing over responsibility to the Iraqis. Just like we said we would.

This is what "Stay The Course" means: standing fast even in the face of adversity, and making sure the mission gets accomplished. And we'll reap the benefits from President Bush's leadership in 2006 and beyond.

Iran: Really Stupid

Once again, Iran has stuck it's collective foot in its collective mouth. Will these guys ever learn?

TEHRAN -- Iran warned Sunday of a "crushing" response if its nuclear and military facilities are attacked by the United States or Israel. Top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said, however, talk of such an attack most likely is "psychological warfare." "Iran has prepared itself...they will get a crushing response if they make such a mistake," Larijani said on Iranian television late Sunday. Larijani said Israel would "suffer greatly" if it launched an attack. "If there is any truth in such talks, Israel will suffer greatly. It's a very small country within our range."

Of course Europe, who is always wanting to get in on some (late) action, had to chime in:

European news media have indicated in recent days the United States is preparing its allies for a strike against Iran's nuclear and military facilities with the aim of curtailing Iran's nuclear program. Reports of a strike escalated after comments by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who called Israel a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" and his call to relocate Israel to Europe or North America. Recent visits to Turkey by CIA Director Porter Goss, head of the FBI, NATO General Secretary Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have increased speculation about a possible military stri

Well, to be honest, I think that Iran has really bitten off more than it can chew. My prediction is that the latest craziness by the Iranian government is going to finally drive its people over the edge. They are already on the brink of collapse, considering that the younger generation is decidedly pro-West. I think at some point in the near future, they will realize that their leaders are not acting in their best interests, and overthrow the Mullas. At least, I hope so.

I really don't think Israel opening up a can of "Whoop-Ass" is the best thing for stability in the Middle East right now. I have to say, I completely understand that they have a right to protect themselves against any and all threats, but if Israel were to preemptively strike Iran, you can be dang sure the Shiites in Iraq would rise up and cause all kinds of problems. Add into the mix the fact that Syria and Iran are in close cahoots, and you have a powder keg with the fuse lit in that region.

I think the best bet would be for Israel to hold tight for now. With any luck, Germany and Russia will grab their gonads and do something about the whole thing, without having to involve the US or Israel. I think an attack might be the straw that breaks the camels back in terms of a Social uprising in Iran.

Think about it for a second... the Iranians can't even provide humanitarian relief for thieir own people after one of their numerous earthquakes...

Experiment: Tanker Brothers Too

We have decided to conduct an experiment. We started a second blog, Tanker Brothers Too, as more of an "lab". We'll use it as a development tool, so most of the posts you read here, will be mirrored on the second blog. We're just using the second blog as a "sandbox", to fiddle around with different settings and tweaks, for possible incorporation into this (our main) blog.

At a later date, we may, in fact, switch completely over to Tank Brothers Too, for the sole purpose of making the URL more closely match the title of the blog.

If you'll remember, the original title of this blog was "Dragon Master Gunner", but since I brought my brother onboard, we switched the name to "Tanker Brothers". The URL of the sandbox is http://tankerbrothers.blogspot.com

See what I mean about streamlining the URL to the blog title?

Don't worry, the second blog won't go mainstream for a very, very long time. But if you want to peek at some of the stuff I'm working on, template-wise, then feel free to peek into the lab every now and again.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Does It Again!

Someone needs to tell this schmuck to keep his mouth shut.

The Tanker Brothers didn't award him the first-ever "Rusty Center Guide" award for nothing... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad doesn't surprise.

True to form, this dingbat is now claiming that Europe's role in setting up an Israeli state in the Middle East post-WWII had a secret agenda of finishing off what Hitler had started: the complete eradication of the Jewish people.

TEHRAN, Iran — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's hard-line president who has said the Holocaust was a myth, now has charged that European countries sought to complete the genocide by establishing a Jewish state in the midst of Muslim countries. "Don't you think that continuation of genocide by expelling Jews from Europe was one of their aims in creating a regime of occupiers of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)?" the official Islamic Republic News agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying Sunday. "Isn't that an important question?" Ahmadinejad said Europeans had decided to create a "Jewish camp" as the best means for ridding the continent of Jews. He said the camp, Israel, now enjoyed support from the United States and Europe in the slaughter of Muslims. In October, Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." Last month, Ahmadinejad said the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany killed six million Jews, was a myth. After global outrage over the comments, he said that Europeans, if they insist the Holocaust occurred, should cede some of their territory for a Jewish state. He said anti-Semitism had a long history in Europe, while Jews had lived peacefully among Muslims for centuries. His remarks have been condemned by the White House, Israel, Germany, France and the European Commission, among others. Germany has said the remarks would affect negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Once again...this doesn't make sense. Don't you think that the Iranians should hold a referendum on his presidency, perhaps even declaring him incompetent and incapable of responsible leadership. He's obviously delusional.

Online Readability Rating

I regularly read the Lifehack blog, and they recently published an article on the Online Readability Test at Juicy Studio.

Over at Juicy Studio, they have a tool on testing how readable the content is. You can test any online document by entering the URL into the page. It will return couple of reading level scores, including Gunning Fog, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesch-Kincaid. Even though they are just algorithms, they can be a good indications how suitable it is for your readers.

I am happy to inform you that the Tanker Brothers enjoy a Gunning Fog Index rating of 10.09, putting us on a readability level with Time and Newsweek. Only without the lefty spin.

Got a blog or webpage you want to test? Check it out here.

Deaths in Iraq: 2005

I'm not posting this as a criticism to the War in Iraq. On the contrary, I'm posting it out of respect for the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate price for their country, for you, and for me.

Military death toll in Iraq 844 in 2005 BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 The U.S. military death toll in Iraq in 2005 almost matched that of 2004. The New York Times reported at least 844 service members were killed in 2005, while the total for the previous year was 848. The total since the invasion began in March 2003 was 2,178 hours before the end of the year. The Times statistics came from the military and from a non-profit organization, the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.

Think about that number for a second.

844.

844 families who have had their lives changed dramatically in the last 12 months.

844 Servicemen that paid the ultimate sacrifice to spread Democracy throughout the Middle East: specifically, Iraq.

844 Servicemen who died bringing Freedom to people who have never experienced it.

844 Servicemen who died fighting for people who couldn't fight for themselves.

844 Brave Souls who gave their all for their country and their fellow citizens, so that we might fight terrorism in the streets of Baghdad, and not in the streets of a hundred US cities and towns.

Rest in peace, Brothers and Sisters. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten, and your deaths will have not been in vain... We won't let those who lack honor to sully your names or your deeds. We won't give up the fight, until the fight is won.

Rest in peace, Brothers and Sisters.

God Bless You.

Review: Wolf Creek

Verdict: Don't waste your time or your money.

I took my wife to the movies this afternoon. She had been dying to watch the movie "Wolf Creek" about some twenty-somethings that get lost in the Australian Outback.

All I can say is that this movie was probably the worst movie I have seen all year. In the one hour and forty-five minutes it took me to sit through that train wreck, I actually felt my IQ dropping.

I will say this about it, though: you keep watching, just in case there is some macabre twist that will come and save the movie. Unfortunately, you're waiting literally until the final fade out. Here's the story in a nutshell:

Three youths (a guy and two girls) set out across the Outback to "Wolf's Creek", a huge meteorite crater in the middle of nowhere. On the way there, they stop for a fill-up, and three roughnecks harass the guy a little. He kind of brushes it off, and they continue on their journey. They finally make it there, and go into the crater (there's a hiking trail). When they come out, their watches have stopped, and their car won't start. One of them (the guy) had talked about UFO's earlier in the movie, so you're starting to think all kinds of crazy stuff. None of the crazy stuff comes to pass. It takes about 45 minutes to get to this point.

Some outback roughneck guy drives up and tries to help them fix their vehicle. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the tools, so he offers to tow them back to his camp and fix them right up. They get to drinkin', and he gets to workin'. Next thing you know, one of the girls wakes up zip-tied, with her friends gone (although the other girl is screaming as the outback guy is torturing her). Zip-tie girl saves her friend, and outback guy keeps chasing them, trying to hunt them down.

That's it.

That's the whole story.

It sucks. Two thumbs down.