Thought you should know that I am offended by the Pakistani Muslim Cleric who is offering a bounty of $1 million dollars for killing a cartoonist. Of course we don’t hear the esteemed gottdamned United Nations condemning this latest fatwa, probably working out a scheme to skim some money off the bounty in exchange for the release of all those poor detainees rat bastards down at Gitmo.
Any one else notice my patience has been wearing a little thin as of late? Sgt Hook out.
It seems the United Nations has issued a “report” calling for the immediate closure of the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the release of all the terrorists detainees residing there.
Reserving comment on the “United Nations” (oxymoron?) as an effective international body actually worth a fuck (pardon my french), let me just ask, “why it is, said body is calling for shutting down Gitmo?”
But the U.N. report found that interrogation techniques authorized by the Department of Defense, “particularly if used simultaneously, amount to degrading treatment in violation of … the Convention against Torture.”
For example, indefinite periods of detention and prolonged solitary confinement amount to torture, the report said.
And it noted a “profound deterioration” in the mental health of many being held on the island. In 2003, more than 350 acts of self-harm were reported, along with individual and mass suicide attempts and hunger strikes, it said.
Oh well hell, now that makes complete sense!
I recall watching Bosnia back in ‘94, as the light blue beret wearing UN peacekeepers soiled their trousers because nobody had their back when they suddenly found themselves facing mean, evil, men with real guns. Then NATO quietly stepped up to the plate, replacing the light blue berets with kevlar helmets and real guns, locked and loaded, stating quite clearly to the world that the Emperor Has No Clothes.
These “detainees” are not innocent foot soldiers, or confused Afghan opium farmers drafted by the Taliban. They are Islamic fundamentalists from across the Middle East, rabid jihadists who have dedicated their lives to the destruction of America and Western civilization. Among the residents are al-Qaeda organizers, bomb makers, financial specialists, recruiters of suicide attackers, and just plain killers. Many of these men met frequently with Osama bin Laden. The terrorist Maad Al Qahtani, a Saudi who is a self-confessed collaborator with the September 11 hijackers, is one of many infamous captives.
While we observed absolutely no evidence of torture of prisoners at Gitmo, it is clear that the daily atmosphere is rife with harsh abuse: The prisoners are constantly assaulting the guards.
Our young military men and women routinely endure the vilest invective imaginable, including death threats that spill over to guards’ families. All soldiers and sailors working “inside the wire” have blacked out their name tags so that the detainees will not learn their identities. Before that step was taken the terrorists were threatening to tell their al-Qaeda pals still at large who the guards were. “We will look you up on the Internet,” the prisoners said. “We will find you and slaughter you and your family in your homes at night. We will cut your throats like sheep. We will drink the blood of the infidel.”
That is bad enough, but the terrorist prisoners throw more than words at the guards. On a daily basis, American soldiers carrying out their duties within the maximum-security camp are barraged with feces, urine, semen, and spit hurled by the detainees. Secretly fashioned weapons intended for use in attacking guards or fellow detainees are confiscated regularly. When food or other items are passed through the “bean hole”—an opening approximately 4 inches by 24 inches in the cell doors, the detainees have grabbed at the wrists and arms of the Americans feeding them and tried to break their bones.
It certainly seems to me that the gottdamned emperor still has no clothes. In fact, I doubt that even if the rat bastards terrorists targeted the United Nations itself, would the dumb asses esteemed delegates of the UN change their tune on Gitmo.
I hesitate to state the obvious, but operations at Gitmo are about protecting America, period. The mission is about protecting Providence, Rhode Island; Ozark, Alabama; Queens Creek, Arizona; Barrow, Alaska; Southampton, New York; and Lynchburg, Virginia. I’m sure the dumb asses delegates at the UN were concerned about your town/city when they issued their report on Gitmo, all the while marveling at what the emperor was wearing.
Where are you from and what say you on closing Gitmo? Sgt Hook out.
While I’m recommending books by bloggers, allow me to direct your attention to one written by a real Soldier’s Angel, Holly Aho. She’s put together a wonderful collection of inspirational, heartfelt, and true stories as told from the perspective of those who live the mantra, “support the troops.” But don’t take my word for it.
This guy is a great writer and has had his novel, Army Porn, rejected by the big publishers on more than a few attempts and has now decided to post the work on his blog for all to read. Why don’t you stop in and give it a read. Sgt Hook out.
As congress looks into the handling, or mishandling, of disaster relief before, during, and after Katrina, the hurricane, by the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, I’ve some thoughts on the subject myself.
Before I share those thoughts though, let me just say that first and foremost, I very strongly believe it to be an individual responsibility to protect oneself and one’s family in the face of any disaster. To put it simply, personal responsibility comes first, and last, in my humble opinion. Don’t take me wrong, it is the government’s inherent responsibility to protect and defend this nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic, but in the face of mother nature’s wrath, if the government is going to offer assistance, I expect nothing but the best from my tax dollars.
Having said that, I humbly suggest that the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, ought not be just another set of bureaucratic agencies run by political appointees. Rather, and recognizing my bias towards the military, I feel strongly that the DHS and FEMA should be organized and ran much like our armed services. Why not hire retired military who have spent 20 to 30 years planning for and executing contingency operations? Both General Honore of the USA and Admiral Allen of the USCG performed famously in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And they did so not because they had planned to be put in charge of that mission, but because they had spent a lifetime of leading a myriad of missions through severe adversities.
Not that anyone is asking, but my reccommendation is to re-look how we’ve organized and staffed the DHS and FEMA. I’m just saying. What say you? Sgt Hook out.
Ever wonder why today is filled with the giving of flowers, cards, candy, sexy lingere, and jewelry? Wonder no more…
Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn’t the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn’t going to support that law!
Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies — secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, “Love from your Valentine.”
I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh — because they know that love can’t be beaten!
The Department of Defense has put together a fabulous slide show depicting your Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen in action during 2005. Worth your time. Sgt Hook out.
First of all, there were some fabulous captions offered up and I want to thank all who submitted a caption for their wit. I sincerely enjoyed reading them. Alas, there can be only one caption, and the winner is…
“Okay…I’m going to say this JUST ONE MORE TIME! It ISN’T a big white mint!”
This site is a collection of my writings, thoughts, and ramblings and in no way reflects the official positions of the United States Army or the Department of Defense. OPSEC trumps everything.
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In view of a recent tendency to identify characters in fiction with real people, it seems proper to state that there are no real people in this volume: both the characters and their names are ficticious. The names or designations of any military units are ficticious. There are no living people nor existing military units presented in this book.
-Ernest Hemingway
Halfway down the road to hell,
In a shady meadow green,
Are the souls of all dead troopers camped
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddler's Green.
-Author Unknown
The Blog of War
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Winner of the 2006 Gold Medal for Anthologies - Military Writer's Society of America
"This collection is an excellent introduction to an emerging form of war reporting." - Booklist
