Big Dogs Weblog

Imagine That, Negotiations Have not Worked

Feb 13, 2007 Uncategorized

For a long time the bell has been sounded for negotiations with different countries. We were supposed to negotiate with Iraq instead of going to war. John Kerry made a big campaign issue about engaging the International Community. George Bush did not do that and is a bad man. All we had to do was listen. When North Korea launched a missile and exploded a nuke we were up in arms (pun intended) and rightly so. The left continued to remind us that while we were focused on Iraq North Korea and Iran got nukes. North Korea appears to be ready to negotiate an end to its program. This is likely due to the apparent failure of the nuclear test and pressure from China.

Iran, on the other hand, has failed to respond to the negotiations with the International Community. Iran has engaged in discussion while continuing to develop nuclear technology. Iran has balked at sanctions and complained about the violation of its right to own nuclear technology. The International Community now acknowledges that Iran’s attainment of nukes can not be stopped and that negotiations have failed.

In an admission of the international community’s failure to hold back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the document – compiled by the staff of Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief – says the atomic programme has been delayed only by technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure. “Attempts to engage the Iranian administration in a negotiating process have not so far succeeded,” it states. FT.com

The article also goes on to state that “The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone.”

Iran is hell bent on obtaining nuclear weapons. Those countries who were reluctant to impose tough sanctions have only themselves to blame. I have said all along that we should leave Iran alone like the left and the rest of the world wanted us to do. We have been told by Ahmadinejad that they are developing nuclear energy for peaceful use and that should be good enough. Then when those lying pieces of scum unveil a nuclear weapon and the world is shock and demanding action we can tell them to shut up and handle it themselves. We are further away than most places and they will be in danger before we will. Israel is capable of aggression on its own behalf and can cripple Iran. Since Israel is Iran’s first target we should assume that Israel is ready to take matters in its own hands.

This is what happens when we appease tyrants. This is what happens when everyone in the world wants to make nice. If you take these Muzzies at their word you are committing suicide. They will lie to your face and then attack you when they have an advantage. They will kill you so they can take over your country. We should target about 10,000 spots in Iran and lock As many missiles as we have on those targets. If Iran threatens anyone with a nuke we should launch all 10,000 missiles at the same time and obliterate their country.

Code Pink, the Democrats, CAIR, and the rest of the Muzzie appeasers can go pound sand in a posterior orifice.

Tags: Commentary

Message from the Father of a Haditha Marine

Feb 12, 2007 Military

I have been following the travesty that has gone on with regard to the Marines who were doing their jobs in Haditha and were betrayed by our government. The following is from a post at Conservative Thoughts. It is from the father of one of those brave warfighters. I want you to pay attention and ask how our government could do this to our warfighters while treating the terrorists like visiting dignitaries.

Justin Sharratt- My Son

by Darryl Sharratt

I am the father of L/Cpl Justin Sharratt. On August 16th, 2003 the dreams of a little boy became reality. My son Justin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school graduation. Since the age of six, Justin dreamed of a military career. The combat boots, camouflage fatigues and helmet he wore as a child would soon become his uniform of the day as a United States Marine. To serve and protect the United States of America from all enemies both domestic and foreign; a duty he did not take lightly.

Justin’s first combat tour of duty was the city of Fallujah, Iraq. It was here, in the heat of the Iraqi desert, a boy became a man. Sharratt, Stone, Mitchell, Stevens and Wolf soon became ‘brothers by different mothers.’ In a battle known as “Hell House” they fought toe to toe with Iraqi insurgents bent on the destruction of U. S. Marines. They formed a bond forged in the furnace of combat; a bond that will last a lifetime. Semper Fidelis.

Upon his return from Iraq Justin joined us while on leave. He was transformed into the man all fathers dream and hope they will be. While on leave, Justin broke his ankle and was put on medical leave. It was at this time I realized what it meant to him to be an infantry rifleman, a grunt. He stared me in the eyes and said “Dad, all I want to do is get my ankle healed. I have to return to Iraq with 3-1 Kilo Company. The guys are counting on me to cover their six and I will never let them down.” Discussion ended—my son the warrior.

The city of Haditha, Iraq was the destination of 3-1 Kilo Company on Justin’s second deployment. Known to be a hot bed of Iraqi insurgency, the Marines of 3-1 Kilo Company could only envision what to expect. Seasoned from their tour in Fallujah, most of the Marines were on their second Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, many their third. They were experienced combat veterans, drilled on the Rules of Engagement yet sensitive to their alien environment and the Iraqi populace.

On November 19, 2005, a convoy of four Marine humvees was ambushed on a city street in Haditha. A massive IED explosion ripped the fourth humvee in the column apart. One Marine was killed and two were seriously wounded. 3rd platoon, 3-1 Kilo Company, my son’s unit, was now in a firefight for their lives. There was no time for rage or revenge. Justin needed to apply his Marine Corps training and experience to preserve the lives of his fellow Marines. All the Marines in 3rd platoon responded in like manner- to preserve the lives of fellow Marines. Reinforcements were called in and an ambulance was needed to attend the wounded. Marines were positioned to defend their precarious position and a comm link was established to FOB Sparta. All done in the best of Marine Corps tradition and training while taking enemy fire.

In the aftermath of this engagement, 24 Iraqis were killed. A U.S. Congressman has called these Marines murderers. Time magazine has enlisted the propaganda of foreign journalists to sell its political agenda. Iraqi civilians have been schooled in making false statements. An Iraqi girl missed a day of school because she was afraid the bomb blast would injure her. Interesting reading, but I truly believe the American people can see through this barrage of media conjecture. I ask you not to prejudge my son, not to prejudge these Marines. They have served this country with honor, truth and diligence. I say unto you. the Few, the Proud, the Marines………..

War is a tragic thing. The enemy we are fighting has had centuries to prepare. They wear no uniforms, fight by no Rules of Engagement or follow the Geneva Convention. Using civilians as human shields is a common practice and their hatred for non-Islamic cultures is endemic.

The United States government has taken 12 months and spent millions of dollars and countless man-hours investigating the Haditha engagement. On December 21st, 2006, four NCOs and four officers were charged with violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. My son, LCpl Justin Sharratt faces three counts of unpremeditated murder. This is not the forum to discuss these charges but my son stands strong in the fact he followed the Rules of Engagement, protected his fellow Marines and did nothing wrong. All of these men are innocent of these charges. In the aftermath of 9-11, these men have risen to honorably serve their country. Some have given a lifetime of dedicated service, others were just beginning. They have demonstrated to the world there is “No better friend, No worse enemy” than a U.S. Marine.

For now, the handshakes will be tighter, the hugs will be longer and the tears sliding down my face are not a sign of weakness- they affirm a father’s love for his Marine son.

Darryl Sharratt Canonsburg, Pa.

www.justinsharratt.com

My friends, Jack Murtha and other slime balls have prejudged these brave warriors. These men were fighting a ruthless enemy who was hell bent on killing them. Int he process some civilians died. That does not mean we need to persecute our warriors. They did nothing wrong. The American people need these kind of men standing ready to do violence on our behalf so that we may sleep in peace at night. What kind of world do we live in where a slime ball like Jack Murtha tries to take a bribe and escapes jail and these brave men are facing jail for doing their jobs. Insult to injury is that the slime ball Murtha called these men murderers.

God bless these Marines and the thousands more like them who stand ready at the gates of hell to keep Satan from entering our lives.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway ♦ Perri Nelson’s Website ♦ The Random Yak, basil’s blog ♦ DragonLady’s World ♦ The Bullwinkle Blog ♦ The Amboy Times ♦ Conservative Cat ♦ Conservative Thoughts ♦ Wake Up America ♦ Faultline USA ♦ third world county ♦ stikNstein… has no mercy, Blue Star Chronicles ♦ Pirate’s Cove ♦ The Pink Flamingo ♦ Planck’s Constant ♦ Dumb Ox Daily News ♦ High Desert Wanderer ♦ Right Voices
Thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Tags: Commentary, Link Fest

Freely Bestowing Information

Feb 12, 2007 Uncategorized

The FBI is an organization that is supposed to investigate crime, gather information, and protect the citizens of this country. Unfortunately, they have changed from an information gathering organization to an information dispensing one. In fewer than four years the FBI has lost 160 laptop computers at least ten of which contained classified information. This information comes from an organization that has had trouble keeping track of its property for many years. It appears that instead of gathering information on the criminals, the FBI is allowing people to gather our information. Who knows where that information has landed and how it will be used. It would be criminal if the next terrorist attack occurred because of information contained on one of those laptops.

If it is not bad enough that they lost the laptops and all that information, the FBI reports that it has lost 160 weapons during that same time period. Since those numbers are exactly the same, it would be interesting to see if the same people lost both items. In any event, there are 160 weapons unaccounted for and that means they could be used to harm others as has happened in the past. This is inexcusable and the agents who lost this equipment need to be held accountable. They need to be put on probation or lose their jobs for this carelessness.

The FBI is required to keep track of around 52,000 weapons and 26,000 laptops. Do these agents not have to sign for their equipment and do not their supervisors have to accomplish a regular inventory? These are not large sums and they should be able to be controlled. In the military if a soldier loses a weapon (aside from losing it in combat) the whole unit is out searching for it until it is found. I can remember more than one occasion walking around for hours looking for the weapon of a lunkhead who failed to secure it. I also know that when a soldier loses a weapon there is a price to pay. It usually involves loss of rank, loss of pay, and reimbursement for the weapon if it is not found.

This report does not indicate if any of the people responsible were punished for their carelessness. If this is not the case they need to receive punishment. There also needs to be a public documentation of that punishment so the taxpayers will know that there are repercussions for careless acts by public servants.

I am not too happy with this report. Th Inspector General can laud the FBI for decreasing the number of losses but that does not wash with me. If these agents are not able to secure their weapons and their laptops, how in the world will they secure this country. If they can’t protect their equipment I have little faith they can protect America.

Source:
Washington Post

Tags: Commentary

Obama Flunks Foreign Policy 101

Feb 12, 2007 Uncategorized

Since the war on terror started the Democratic Party has told us time and again that we are alienating the world and that our allies are unhappy with us. We need to make nice with them and the rest of the world and the terrorists will stop being bad and trying to kill us. The Democrats have forgotten what allies are and what it means to be an ally. All during the Iraq phase of the war on terror the Democrats have failed to recognize other countries that are helping. They were relegated to the status of insignificant.

Prime minister John Howard of Australia this past week made a comment that indicated the terrorists should pray that Obama wins and the democrats are in charge. This was in response to Obama’s assertions that our troops should be removed from Iraq by March of next year. Howard indicated that this would be a defeat for the US and would impact the security of his nation. He is, of course, correct. Obama’s response demonstrates how he lacks an understanding of the world.

Obama, in Iowa a day after formally announcing his candidacy, responded to Howard’s initial comments by saying he was flattered that one of Bush’s close allies had chosen to single him out for attack.

He then challenged Howard on his commitment to the Iraq conflict, noting the United States has nearly 140,000 troops in Iraq compared with Australia’s about 1,400 forces in the region.

“So if he is ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq,” Obama said. “Otherwise it’s just a bunch of empty rhetoric.” Washington Post

Here is where Obama gets it wrong. John Howard is not one of Bush’s allies. Australia is one of the allies of the United States. While there might be individual friendships, alliances are between nations. Obama should realize that Howard is Obama’s ally too. That is because Howard represents Australia and Obama is a citizen of the US and that makes us ALL allies. For a man who wants to be President it does not seem very wise for him to question the commitment of an ally. Of course, this is what the left has been doing since the war started.

Obama also told us, without realizing it, that the plan by the president to send more troops is the right one. Obama said that if Howard is ginned up for a fight he needs to send 20,000 more troops or his talk is empty rhetoric. So Obama is admitting that if you want to fight you need more troops. Those are his words. Bush has stated that he wants to take the fight to the enemy and decided to send 21,500 more troops. Obama opposes that troop increase. The fact that Obama does not want to send more troops shows that he does not want our President to succeed in Iraq and that he does not want us to fight the terrorists. When Obama tells anyone he wants us to have national security it is empty rhetoric.

Obama admitted that the way to win the fight is to send more troops. Since he opposes sending more of our troops he does not want us to win. For a guy who wants to be President he sure does not act very Presidential.

Cheers to John Howard and all our allies and friends in Australia. I will take a group of Aussie Diggers over any American Liberal any day of the week. With the Diggers you know you have someone who will watch your back, not stab you in it like the Liberals will do. I will take any of our Aussie friends who support us over any of our Liberals. With the Aussie, you get someone you can count on to help you succeed. The same can not be said about an American Liberal.

Tags: Commentary

Increased Minimum Wage Means Increased Unemployment

Feb 11, 2007 Uncategorized

I have discussed the minimum wage and why increasing it would be a bad idea. I even cited the studies showing that in states where the minimum wage has been increased above the federal minimum there have been layoffs and fewer people being hired. When this issue was discussed in the past I talked about how employers would reduce workforce in order to keep payroll in line and in order to keep costs down. I spoke about many of these things and so much more here at my site and on my radio program. It would appear that the media is confirming that once again, the Big Dog is always right.

AZ Central is reporting that teens are losing their part time jobs or their hours are being cut in order to keep payroll costs down. As I discussed many times, companies are now more reluctant to hire unskilled or untrained workers because it costs them more to train them and to pay them.

Some Valley employers, especially those in the food industry, say payroll budgets have risen so much that they’re cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees.

And teens are among the first workers to go.

Companies maintain the new wage was raised to $6.75 per hour from $5.15 per hour to help the breadwinners in working-poor families. Teens typically have other means of support.

Mark Messner, owner of Pepi’s Pizza in south Phoenix, estimates he has employed more than 2,000 high school students since 1990. But he plans to lay off three teenage workers and decrease hours worked by others. Of his 25-person workforce, roughly 75 percent are in high school.

“I’ve had to go to some of my kids and say, ‘Look, my payroll just increased 13 percent,’ ” he said. ” ‘Sorry, I don’t have any hours for you.’ “AZ Central

We will see much more of this as the new federal minimum wage increases and more businesses, especially small ones, are squeezed. There will be fewer workers hired and more laid off. This will raise the unemployment rate and hurt the economy. The law of unintended consequences will hurt the average worker, those the Democrats so desperately wanted to help (except those working for a tuna company in Nancy Pelosi’s district who was exempted by her).

The real fun will be watching as the Democrats, who pushed this increase through entirely on their own, try to find someone to blame. When they were the minority they pointed to the right but now they are in the majority so all fingers point to them. In reality it will be entirely their faults but you can bet, and I know in my military mind that they will blame George Bush. Of course, I will place some of the blame on him as well. If it is enacted it is because he signed it instead of vetoing it.

Big Dog Salute to Ms. Underestimated

Tags: Commentary