The V Word

By | |
Leave a comment

When was the last time that you heard somebody claim “The war in Iraq is unwinnable”, “We have already lost”, or called it a quagmire, another Vietnam, a civil war, an unsolvable thousand-year-old feud?

In fact, when was the last time you saw a news story about Iraq which was not simply an outgrowth of election coverage?

Remember when the war in Iraq was the dominant news item, and when everybody said that it would be the deciding factor in the 2008 elections?

As the news media portray homecomings and reunions among joyous families, elated servicemembers, cheering crowds and so forth, they will never use the word Victory. They will not admit that we … Continue reading →

Announcing the Afghan Moon

By | |
Leave a comment

We just won in Iraq. We will win in Afghanistan, and Americans should know that. I am an American working in Afghanistan, and my intent with this blog is to explain why we will win, and why we are winning now, despite setbacks.
It is about to get very cold here in Afghanistan, but the sun has not disappeared. Next summer will be hot. Remember that when the media finally move off of the election, and resume their drumbeat of “Grim Milestones” about the Afghanistan front in this global war. We will win despite setbacks, just as surely as the summer will come despite the approach of winter.

Thank you for reading. Welcome to the Afghan Moon.

Continue reading →

Announcing the Afghan Moon

By | |
Leave a comment

We just won in Iraq. We will win in Afghanistan, and Americans should know that. I am an American working in Afghanistan, and my intent with this blog is to explain why we will win, and why we are winning now, despite setbacks.
It is about to get very cold here in Afghanistan, but the sun has not disappeared. Next summer will be hot. Remember that when the media finally move off of the election, and resume their drumbeat of “Grim Milestones” about the Afghanistan front in this global war. We will win despite setbacks, just as surely as the summer will come despite the approach of winter.

Thank you for reading. Welcome to the Afghan Moon.

Continue reading →

British Lord Benighted

By | |
Leave a comment

Lord Andrew Phillip, a washed former member of the House of Lords who says he no longer wants to be called Lord, is Lording it over us Americans. Yes, using his intrinsic Limey superiority, he lays waste to our foreign policy, morals, and intellect. All without needing to rely upon a single fact. Good Lord!

This Lord said:

To quote from the UNHRC Report,
“Following Israel’s withdrawal, Gaza has become a sealed-off, imprisoned, occupied territory.”

Come again? Occupied by whom? Oddly enough, I agree that Gaza and the incredibly modestly named “West Bank” are occupied territories, but this is because they are parts of Israel which are infested with generations of violent hippie squatters. There isn’t a single Israeli living, stationed, or patrolling in Gaza.
Occupied by whom, … Continue reading →

Two Billion Dollars to Imprison a Blogger

By | |
1 Comment


Meet Kareem. Full name Abdel Kareem Nabil, he was sentenced in February to four years confinement in an Egyptian prison. He was charged with and convicted of writing things critical of Islamist oppression and of the Egyptian Dictator, Hosni Mubarak. You cannot read his blog anymore, because he cannot write anymore.

Meet Sandmonkey. Not his real name. There’s no picture, and now there’s no blog. Recently, the Egyptian Security Service has been asking questions of his neighbors, and odd sounds on his phone lead him to suspect he is being monitored. He fears prison for being a “cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian, [and] disgruntled” writer. … Continue reading →

Sgt. Wilt is Wrong

By | |
Leave a comment

United States Army Sergeant Jim Wilt is mistaken about lowering flags to half-mast in mourning.

In this AP article, he expresses frustration that the nation’s flags are lowered to half-mast for those students killed in the VA Tech massacre, but not for American servicemen killed in Iraq. He proposes that at least the base he operates from should fly the American flag at half-mast when a serviceman from that base is killed.

I agree with the sentiment, but there is an important principle which has been overlooked: The national flag is flown at half-mast only on a day when the entire nation is officially in a State of Mourning. Countless Americans risk their lives in hazardous jobs every day. Every day, somebody is killed protecting America from … Continue reading →

Gonzocalypse Now

By | |
Leave a comment

I have been over at the Free Republic, wading among the ruins after Hurricane Gonzales. This looks bad.

Name a single fight the President hasn’t backed away from.
Situation A) An appointee of his is incompetent and he covers for them.
Situation B) An opponent of his is winning and he gives ground which will never be regained.
Situation C) He is unable to deliver on a promise, and avoids unscripted appearances for months, until the subject changes.

It feels dirty to say this, but the one fight he hasn’t backed away from is — the one he doesn’t have to fight. I don’t mean in the sense that somebody else has to march and shoot and perhaps die–that goes with the job. He is the Commander, … Continue reading →

In Which Arwa Damon Rocks!

By | |
1 Comment

Arwa Damon has impressed me greatly two times, both of which I mentioned here:

Just saw a “man on the street” bit on CNN, although with an Iraqi woman, and for once, I am impressed.

Arwa Damon (who is secretly on our side, I believe) turned in a great report with an Iraqi college student, one Miss Maha Nidal, saying that the turning point in killing a country is when the schools shut down. This is a profound point, and so simple (as profundity often appears) that I am just flabberghasted.

Arwa Damon, by the way, was the only CNN type to turn in a report after the Haditha extolling the unbelievable professionalism of the troops on previous patrols, and saying that in the end, she did … Continue reading →