Dhimmi This!

Project Valour- IT

"There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the GWOT, you won't have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.  No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, Son, your Granddaddy supported Project Valour-IT and rode with the Great Milblog BlackFive and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Matty Burden!" ~ slight paraphrase of speech by General George S. Patton, Jr delivered to his troops on June 5, 1944.

Project Valour-IT, the brain child of Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss (along with Fbl) - tcoverride.com, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. The voice activated software allows the wounded to operate laptop computers by speaking into a microphone. Our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field, all without having to press a key or move a mouse.

The military blogs are heading up Valour-IT's online fundraising competition.  The goal of this friendly competition is to use the naturally occurring inter-service rivalry to raise money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!  The competition started on October 29 and runs through Veterans Day.

Giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world. The blogger teams have been divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs."

I have joined team Army. Now go get you some!

Valour-IT Fundraiser

The Threat Still Exists

Neda's mother: She was 'like an angel

"It was t he moment of seeing her give her life, the life leaving her body. That was very painful. The look in her eyes at that moment. I wake up with that look in her eyes every morning; I go to bed with the image of that look in her eyes every evening."  CNN

Israel Says Weapons Seized on Ship Would Let Hezbollah Fight for Month

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on United Nations deliberations Thursday over Israel's conduct during last winter's Gaza war, said Iranian efforts to kill civilians by smuggling massive amounts of weapons to Hezbollah are the real war crime.

"It is a war crime that the U.N. Security Council should have a special meeting over," he told reporters in Tel Aviv. "A major component of this shipment were rockets whose only goal was to hit civilians and kill as many civilians as possible — women, children, old people," Netanyahu said.

"Just Beat It"

Iranian Protesters say "Just Beat It"  - Link to BlackFive for Video

The Revolution

"This action has many benefits. ... This has united our people. Our opponents do not dare act against us. We can put the constitution to the people's vote without difficulty, and carry out presidential and parliamentary elections." Ayatollah Khomeini,1979

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Point I: Non-Intervention in Iranian Affairs

1. The United States pledges that it is and from now on will be the policy of the United States not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Iran's internal affairs. ALGIERS ACCORDS, January 19, 1981

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Iran official alleges election fraud

Saturday, June 25, 2005; Posted: 8:33 p.m. EDT (00:33 GMT)

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- An official with Iran's Interior Ministry has accused Iran's Guardian Council of election fraud in the presidential runoff vote and said he was arrested when he objected to voting irregularities, Iran's official news agency reported.

"I was personally witness to interference of Guardians Council monitors' serious interference in voting stations where I was commissioned to survey the sound process of election," Ali Mirbaqeri, the managing director of the Interior Ministry's Majlis Affairs, told IRNA.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, mayor of Tehran, was declared the winner in the presidential runoff Saturday with more than 61 percent of the vote over Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani's 36 percent.

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Iraq Weapons -- Made in Iran?

"I think the evidence is strong that the Iranian government is making these IEDs, and the Iranian government is sending them across the border and they are killing U.S. troops once they get there," says Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief and an ABC News consultant. "I think it's very hard to escape the conclusion that, in all probability, the Iranian government is knowingly killing U.S. troops." March 2006

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Text of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's letter to President George W. Bush By Iranian Republic News Angency (IRNA)
Updated May 9, 2006

Excerpt -

Mr. President,
History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted the fate of men to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices.

Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

Is the situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago? Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

Vasalam Ala Man Ataba’al hoda
Mahmood Ahmadi-Nejad
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

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Ahmadinejad: Israel's destruction close

Jun 3, 2007 13:47 | Updated Jun 3, 2007 21:07

God willing, in the near future we will witness the destruction of the corrupt occupier regime," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying during a speech to foreign guests who attended ceremonies marking the 18th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who is known as the father of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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Iranian Election Fraud 2009: Who Was the Real Target... and Why?

June 15, 2009 – Washington, DC (electionfraudnews.com) – There most certainly was election fraud in Iran in this election and every previous election under the current electoral system.  The question is not, did fraud take place in this most recent election?  Of course it did.  You just need to study the Iranian Constitution and recent Iranian elections understand that, a step skipped by the major media and some nay-saying bloggers in the United States.

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Neda  

Photos

Paying It Forward

If anyone ever ask you about the caliber of person that is our United States Military - here is your answer.

    This link is to a website AfghanistanShrugged.  It is written by a soldier, call sign Vampire 6, who is currently deployed at a very remote FOB in Afghanistan.  He is a Team Chief for an embedded training team and is on the front lines fighting the fight everyday.  Through a joint project  Soldiers’ Angels and Web of Support  have provided support to Vampire 6 and his team. 

    Rather than just accepting support, Vampire 6 and his team have decided to “pay it forward”.  They have recently purchased Unit t-shirts and have convinced the t-shirt designer to donate $5.00 of every t-shirt sold to Soldiers’ Angels.  Upon learning of this Vampire 6 was asked if there were any special items that his team could use with the money collected. His answer was no and he stated “just thought we could help you guys out with some additional monies to help those that deploy after us.”  The story is on his blog here.  “Paying it Forward”  while still in the thick of it - impressive. 

    The t-shirts can be purchased here - http://campaigncasuals.com/22ettvartvs.html

     

  

The law of diminishing returns

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obamas-budget-a.html

According to the ABC News link above:

"President Obama's budget proposes $989 billion in new taxes over the course of the next 10 years, starting fiscal year 2011, most of which are tax increases on individuals.

1) On people making more than $250,000.

$338 billion - Bush tax cuts expire
$179 billlion - eliminate itemized deduction
$118 billion - capital gains tax hike

Total: $636 billion/10 years"

The simple result of this is people are not motivated to try as hard to make money because of the law of diminishing returns - each additional unit of variable input yields less and less output.

Above $250,000.00 the federal tax rate, according to news reports, will jump to 39%, this does not include the fact that the One is also eliminating itemized deductions for mortgages, and increasing taxes on capital gains (This does assume that Congress will push through the budget like they have everything else so far).  Now also add state income tax of 15% and sales tax of 8% that comes to 62% of every dollar made over $250,000.00 is taxed. 

To put in simple terms you are a professional of some kind or another and you are able to charge $200.00 per hour.  That means that for every hour you charge you are going to pay the government $124.00 off the top.  That leaves you $76.00 gross profit.  Once you subtract overhead – extremely conservative estimate that it is $10.00 per hour - then for every $200.00 you earn above $250,000.00 you have the actual use of $66.00.

Said another way, you work an extra 250 hours (that is 6.25 weeks of work) and earn $50,000.00.  You then pay 62% tax or $31,000.00, so you have a gross of $19,000.00.  Subtract overhead of $2,500.00 to get $16,500.00 net.  You just spent 6.25 weeks busting your ass to earn $66.00 an hour.

Let's see you can cut your expenses and stop working in November and December or you can continue to bust your ass so you can pay the government other people $33,500.00.  The law of diminishing returns - at some point you just say screw it and stay home.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps!

Marine K-9 to retire: Has been adopted by his handler's family

Lex owned by Jerome and Rachel Lee of Quitman, MS

Lex, a 7-year-old German Shepherd Dog, is a retired military dog who served in Iraq with young Marine Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee. Cpl. Lee was a renowned dog handler due to his extraordinary ability to work an explosives detection dog and narcotics detection dog simultaneously. Under the skilled guidance of Cpl. Lee, Lex dutifully searched for roadside bombs to keep the roads safe and open for American troops in Iraq. Tragically, Cpl. Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Falluja in early 2007. As he lay bleeding, Lex, although injured himself, was at his partner’s side to comfort him. Their bond was so strong, the loyalty so deep, that medics had to drag Lex away so they could attend to Cpl. Lee. He succumbed a short time later and Lex was reassigned to the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

Cpl. Lee’s parents, Jerome and Rachel, who knew about the special relationship that existed between their son and Lex, petitioned to adopt the dog. North Carolina Congressman, Walter Jones, heard about the Lee’s request, and led a successful campaign to retire Lex, so that he could finally have a home with the Lees.

Since his retirement, Lex has been awarded a Commemorative Purple Heart, but he has not rested on his laurels. The Lee’s bring Lex to VA hospitals and retirement homes to offer solace to the veterans who have so honorably served their country.

US Marine acquitted of all charges in Haditha killings

A court martial on Wednesday acquitted a US Marine for his role in the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha in Iraq in 2005, the sixth man to be exonerated in the affair, a military official said.

Lieutenant Andrew Grayson, 27, was declared "not guilty on all charges" by a jury, said a spokesman for the Camp Pendleton military base in southern California where the hearing started on May 28. See full article here.

Oohrah - Grayson! And thank you for your service to your country and sorry for your being falsely accused of murder while you were just doing your job.  It is time for the Corp to admit that there was no massacre at Haditha and to clear the two remaining Marines. 

Too Cool for School!

FoxNews also has this article today. Reminds me of this video.