Thursday, August 19, 2004
Stay Tuned
6:04 PM
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Posted by
Morly
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
story developing...
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
story developing...
89 comments :
Get-r-done! We'll be waiting!
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http://russelltea.blogspot.com
Why are people posting such HUGE, and sometimes very biased, comments on CB's site. Post them on your own and provide a link so that CB and the rest of us can decide if we want to read them out.
I'll stay tuned CB...
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the military indeed has the authority to suspend the constitutional rights of soldiers. When you sign on the dotted line, your ass belongs to them. They can pretty much tell you what and how you can write, or even what type of religious clothing you can wear, or when you can go to church. The courts have granted them alot of discretion if they can demonstrate a tactical necessity.
That said, it would suck mightily if CB is going to be "shut down". IF that happens (and we don't know yet) I doubt that it is his battalion CO who is responsible. More likely his blog came to the attention of someone higher up the chain of command, some paper-pushing colonel type who doesn't want any negative publicity to threaten his promotion to general. As anyone who has been in the military knows, the more detached a senior officer is from the troops, the bigger a prick he is.
CB,
Good to hear from you again, even if it seems to not be good news.
Hate to say this beacuse I enjoy reading some of them, but you might consider disabling comments on the blog. I don't see much that controversial in your blog postings, but I can certainly see the powers that be not being happy about some of the rants in the comments.
I'll miss everyone else's opinion, but first and foremost I come here to read what you have to say.
hmm...maybe your, uh, wife could start a blog and keep us abreast of your life. You can write to her, right? We could teach her how to copy/paste.
CPT Holly, "the military indeed has the authority to suspend the constitutional rights of soldiers. When you sign on the dotted line, your ass belongs to them."
The only extent to which soldiers' rights are limited is the degree necessary to maintain good order and discipline, and operational victory. The UCMJ, rather than supercede the Bill of Rights, INCORPORATES those rights into it, and only provides exceptions required for battlefield success.
There is nothing in any of CB's posts that would amount to battlefield loss, or loss of discipline among the troops. I think if the UCMJ itself is twisted in such a way as to directly censor CB (beyond just what it takes to maintain good OPSEC--which doesn't require very far-reaching censorship at all), then Robre's rants, and possibly even some of what Alvaro spews, will end up taking on far more credibility than they would normally deserve.
keep writing.
every day.
but keep it private not public.
then when you are not in the service anymore.
switch to public.
i heartily agree that the comments should be disabled...i'm sure that they are causing the problems. even though, i enjoy reading some of them, and some of them turn my stomach (or cause my "panties to get into a bunch", as one commenter so lovingly put it)...i'd rather just read his post, on their own.
but...que sera sera.
has anyone noticed the name of the blog is changed?? i guess "fear and loathing" isn't the view of the war that the "higher ups" wanted the american people to have...
good dose of healthy censorship: hunter would be proud.
chin up cb...you'll be home soon.
aprildawn
While all us common tators speculate, how's this for a plausible scenario:
CB has been operating, day and night for the better part of the last week, gets back to camp and tries to write something, and his editor wants something changed that he doesn't think needs changing. Both author and editor are a wee bit cranky and somebody lacked tact. Showers and rack time will eventually soften opposing positions, compromises will be made, and the words will once again flow.
Yayy, you are ok!
Everybody else, just stay tuned and stop the "Army won't let him speak" talk. If the Army won't let him speak there is a good reason for it. He might not like it, he might not even agree with it, but there are good reasons for it or his superiors would allow it. As I said in another post, the needs of the unit must come first before CB's needs, and especially before the wishes of those of us safe in blogland that read for entertainment value. But don't jump to conclusions and stay tuned.
And I always hear about "paper-pushing colonels" but all the colonels I knew in the Army were ranger-tabbed studpuppet combat types who would have given up their colonel's eagles to be a captain or lieutenant with the troops again in a hot minute. Like his BDE commander, Col. Mike Rounds. He was never afraid to hear soldiers talk honestly.
So relax and stand by people.
Yeah...I think we need to wait to see what happens. I did notice the title. I think hell on earth might mean that our boy is being selected to do something he doesn't want to.
He's a bit of a rebel with just enough anti-authority in him to not like it when somebody higher up actually wants him to do something that he likes. Now it's somebody else's idea.
I don't blame him, I get that way sometimes.
I just found this blog yesterday and have read everything you've posted. If you are forced to disconinue posting on your blog keep writing down your stories and I'm sure once you get out you can find someone to publish a book. I for one will gladly buy it.
Keeping an open mind here, CB. Keep the faith.
lonelyshade: you must have missed my earlier post about military intelligence. It is a common misperception that intelligence guys run the Army (or the military). Nope. Army intelligence doesn't decide if CB can post, his chain of command does. There isn't an MI officer in that chain. From platoon to company to battalion to brigade they are all infantry officers, and above that they are general officers with no specific kind of speciality (which is why they are "general" officers) but probably from an infantry, armor, or aviation background there as well. No MI in the chain.
Military intelligence (MI) can't and never would tell an infantryman what to do (and smart ones - they do tend to be smart- would never want to try). Only an infantryman's commander can tell an infantryman what to do. If an MI colonel told CB's brigade commander that CB should stop, the brigade commander (or battalion or whatever level) decides if the MI guy is right or not. If they don't agree with MI then CB posts all day long. It is not and never has been up to intelligence guys. And combat guys often disagree with MI assessments. MI works for and supports the combat guys (and for the most part does a good job) but the combat guys don't work for MI.
In short: combat guys run the military and support, well, supports.
There are two kinds of men in the world - infantrymen and those that wish they could be. Hooah!
I have to second all that was written by D.MC, TWD, Kat and RedLeg...
For the readers:
We don't know what's going on so let's wait and see with no left or right wing shit that may nake the situation worse.
For CB:
You already know we all love you so maybe taking the 'comment option' away would be a good thing.
For White House/Pentagon/Military Brass leaders:
CB is the best PR you guys have -hell, I am a 30-something mother of two and his posts make me want to jump on a plane and fight right beside him!
Stay Tuned
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
CBFTW Location:hell on earth, Iraq
Balder
Oh ohhhh....
Usually when someone has to pull out the First Admendment its beacuse someones rights are being trampled.
I hope it's not your rights being trampled THEY WERE, THAT'S WHY HE DIDN'T POST FOR OVER A WEEK LAST TIME. HE EVEN WAS CONSIDERING CLOSING HIS BLOG DUE TO THE COMMENTS AND ALL THE ROTTEN EMAILS HE WAS GETTING.
TReich said...
Uh-oh. I've got a feeling the Army is coming down on you and is trying to stop your blog.
Which would be a great loss to history.
Hope that's not what's happening.
American Soldier said...
CB,
You know despite your BC telling you that you needed to have supervised postings. You need to understand that the last thing you need is to be look upon as a liability. Just be careful, I'm playing the devils advocate, however make no mistake about it, I will be the first to tell you that I wouldn't give a fuck about what someone says about my blog. As long as I'm not given out Intel or hurting anyone, fuck em! LISTEN TO HIM CB!!! HEY, AMERICAN SOLDIER, YOU MAY NOT HAVE POSTED ON YOUR SITE IN SOME TIME, SO I'M GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU AND THAT YOU ALSO, ARE DOING OKAY.
all others we monitor said...
I'm hitting the delete button, but can't seem to delete the duplicates. Network issues or password issues. I'll keep trying.
TO: ALL OTHERS WE MONITOR: after posting and publishing your post - you can delete anything you say at any time. When you look at the comments section, every post you've made has a "trash barrel" just past the ending of your post. If you click on that, your post will then be removed - anyone who does that has this reply "Post removed by author." Hit refresh to see it, then delete, hit refresh again and you'll see it's gone.
all others we monitor said...
I joined the ranks of those who became addicted to your blog, and have checked it daily to get another dose of the real world, as seen through the eyes of a thoughtful, engaged, and eloquent observer.
For others, you are their only friend in harm's way. You have created a personal connection to this war for many who, in the age of the all-volunteer military, have lost any ties to those who protect us. In so doing, you have truly served with with distinction and honor, in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States military.
I'll echo many others - if your posting is done, keep writing, save your notes, and share your insights with us when you come home. We'll be waiting. And we'll be thinking of you. Keep your head down, and come home in one piece. AMEN TO THAT.
D.Mc said...
Hate to say this beacuse I enjoy reading some of them, but you might consider disabling comments on the blog. I DIDN'T SAY TO DISABLE THE COMMENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY COOL - WHAT I DID SAY WAS FOR CB NOT TO READ THE COMMENTS, SO THEY DON'T UPSET HIM AND BESIDES IT'S BETTER IF HE JUST POSTS WHAT HE CAN, WHEN HE CAN AND NOT TO LET THE COMMENTS GET UNDER HIS SKIN. NEVER DID I SAY TO DISABLE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE PRECIOUS. I JUST SAID FOR CBFTW NOT TO READ THEM.
I'll miss everyone else's opinion, but first and foremost I come here to read what you have to say. EXACTLY.
Robre said...
And we wonder why they fight... Maybe it's because they were removed from slavery to their government under Saddam into slavery under yet another government. I wonder if the Iraqi people will ever have a government that doesn't lay claim to their lives and gives them true soverignity. ARGH!!! YOU'RE STILL AN IDIOT.
Valerie said...
hmm...maybe your, uh, wife could start a blog and keep us abreast of your life. You can write to her, right? We could teach her how to copy/paste. HEY, EVEN I OFFERED TO HOST HIS SITE.
Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-Filessaid...
There is nothing in any of CB's posts that would amount to battlefield loss, or loss of discipline among the troops. I think if the UCMJ itself is twisted in such a way as to directly censor CB (beyond just what it takes to maintain good OPSEC--which doesn't require very far-reaching censorship at all), then Robre's rants, and possibly even some of what Alvaro spews, will end up taking on far more credibility than they would normally deserve. GLAD WE THINK ALONG THE SAME LINES CSMX-FILES - IT'S ROBRE, ALVARO AND STEVE. CB HAS NEVER SAID OR DONE ANYTHING THAT WOULD PUT HIM, HIS UNIT OR THE FOB IN ANY DANGER; ALL HE HAS DONE WAS INVITE US INTO HIS EXPERIENCE AND WE, FOR THE MOST PART, HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF HIM ALL THE WAY.
ProudCavMomsaid...
CRAP!!!
The war has taught me to curse and CB, you have helped me refine the skill! HAHAHA ME TOO
If any Col., Maj., Gen., etc with any pull read this site... PLEASE let CB keep posting (preferrably without censorship) Those of us stateside with family serving in the Middle East need sites like this for sanity purposes. HOPE YOUR MESSAGE GETS THROUGH. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE (MI) DOES CHECK HIS POSTS ON A DAILY BASIS AND THAT INTRUDES ON HIS PRIVACY RIGHTS.WE DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS REAL NAME.
RJ said...
I have consumed everything in your blog like it was candy. If there is any way we can show support, or a letter we can write (be it your CO or my congressman), please let us know. Thank you so much for everything you have done. WELL SAID. IT'S WHAT I KEEP SAYING BUT I GUESS PEOPLE DON'T REALLY READ ALL THE COMMENTS. AND WE DEFINITELY SHOULD THANK HIM. CB, THESE GUYS WHO ARGUE THIS WAR PARTISANLY AREN'T BLAMING YOU PERSONALLY, SO DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. BUT THIS BLOG IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT YOU AND SUPPORTING YOU IN ANY WAY. THANKS FOR SAYING IT AGAIN RJ.
aprildawn said...
i heartily agree that the comments should be disabled...i'm sure that they are causing the problems. even though, i enjoy reading some of them, and some of them turn my stomach (or cause my "panties to get into a bunch", THAT WAS ME!! as one commenter so lovingly put it)...i'd rather just read his post, on their own. MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD DO BUT NORMALLY, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN WITH CB FROM THE BEGINNING ARE VERY PROTECTIVE OF HIM, HIS PAIN, HIS ANGUISH AND WE THANK HIM SINCERELY FOR DOING WHAT HE IS DOING AND SHARING HIS LIFE WITH US. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL. LIKE I SAID, THE COMMENTS BOTHER HIM, THE EMAIL HE GETS BOTHERS HIM. I DID NOT SAY TO DISABLED THE COMMENTS, I JUST SAID THAT MAYBE HE SHOULD JUST NOT READ THEM RIGHT NOW, BUT TO CONTINUE POSTING SO WE KNOW HE'S OKAY AND TELL US WHAT HE CAN.
Mike M. said...
I noticed your "about me" was changed to HELL ON EARTH - damn, CB, I hate that for ya - I, as well as many others have really come think of you as family - AYUP!!!! THAT AREA OF THE WORLD WAS SAID IN "NAVY SEALS" BY CHARLIE SHEEN'S CHARACTER - HE CALLED IT "THE ARMPIT OF MISERY."
I just hope for the best for you, and keep all of you guys in my prayers. MOST OF US DO.
Cannoneer No. 4 said...
While all us common tators speculate, how's this for a plausible scenario:
CB has been operating, day and night for the better part of the last week, gets back to camp and tries to write something, and his editor wants something changed that he doesn't think needs changing. Both author and editor are a wee bit cranky and somebody lacked tact. Showers and rack time will eventually soften opposing positions, compromises will be made, and the words will once again flow. SURE HOPE SO; I BELIEVE AMERICAN SOLDIER HAS TOLD HIM THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
redleg said...
That being said, as a lowly blog reader (and retired Army guy), I really enjoy reading your articles. Too bad you couldn't have remained anonymous. It's stories like yours that make us appreciate what you guys are going through. We tend to forget how much it sucks over there, but you do a great job of describing it. THAT HE DOES.
Chris said...
CBFTW
Please hang in there. I find your blog and others from soldiers like you the most informative means of learning what it means to serve in the military beyond what I get from the biased press. I thank you and every other soldier for your service to the United States. AMEN
ArmyRetired said...
I love the site. I'm sitting right across the camp from CB. Wish I knew who he was I'd love to talk to him. CB come by and call home you can use my phone. THAT IS SO COOL - I'M SURE YOU CAN FIND HIM THERE AT THE BASE. HIS ROOM IS OPPOSITE OF THE NEW GYM PUT IT AND RIGHT BESIDE HIS DOOR IS THE FREE SNACK MACHINE. IF YOU'RE THERE IN THE SAME FOB, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND HIM FAIRLY EASY.
And if anyone thinks THIS post is too LONG - too bad.
Glad you're back, CB. As I told you a long time ago, even if you write something, even "tired today, will talk later" is better than NOT posting at all.
May God Bless You and Yours and May he hold you in the palm of his hand safely until your return from Iraq. As Always, I will be checking in on you several times a day. Im glad American Soldier posted because now I know he's okay too.
Stay Safe!
Hugs,
~C
I'm actually glad so many read the posts in completion. I NEVER SAID TO DISABLE OR CLOSE THE COMMENTS SECTION. What I did say was - due to prior posts and knowledge of CB, THAT HE NOT READ THE COMMENTS NOW - BUT MAYBE WHEN HE GETS BACK HOME AND I ASKED POLITELY THAT PEOPLE STOP SENDING HIM HATE MAIL, NASTY EMAILS, POLITICAL EMAILS BECAUSE THEY UPSET HIM. His journal was not meant for that.
So please, give the guy a break and just let him post and post more when he feels more comfortable. And CB if you are reading this, listen to AMERICAN SOLDIER who is on his way over there soon and heed his advice.
Those of us who have been with you since the beginning understand more than you'll ever realize. We care about you, we worry about you and we do need to hear from you. You have become an integral part of our lives and our concern for you is real.
I know I didn't post much from the beginning, now I can't seem to shut up, because I have to fight these morons and MOORE-ONS in defense for you. And I will continue to do that but mostly I will continue to pray for you, your wife, your family, your comrades who are fighting this war for our continued freedom.
The reason I wrote about my husband, hon, was to show you the difference between soldiers of yesteryear and soldiers today. I also hoped it explained to you about your father, too. I'm also the one who brought up "the book!" something that everyone jumped on, which is cool actually but they sure don't mind putting me down if I say anything else. I am willing to host your site and any others because even though you changed the name, your IPO is the same.
We love you and hopefully all our love and prayers and concern will keep you safe and sound till you are back on American soil. Let us also pray for our troops in Najaf, they sure need it.
Hugs,
~C
CB,
I look forward to hearing more from you, even if it is in edited form. To me, you epitomize the American warrior, you always do your duty and accomplish the mission, and you are unafraid to speak your mind. Whether you stay in the Army or get out, and I strongly suspect that you will opt out, you are a great American who will do great things wherever you may be. If we don't hear from you again, stay safe over there and I pray that you make it home to your wife alive and in one piece.
righty-o, man. don't take any guff from those swine!
CB, Just do what ya gotta do. God keep you safe.
BOHICA - LOL. For those who don't know, that is "Bend over here it comes again."
Can do - were you 1/5 IN by any chance?
And how the F does MI reading CB's blog infringe in his privacy any more than us reading it? Some of you people have very, very strange ideas of what MI does.
Keep up the good work MI - grunts appreciate it when you get it right, and always have somebody to blame when you fuck it up. Drive on!
You know the only thing he posted was the first ammendment. He didn't go into any kind of details on why he posted it, he just did. There are alot of reasons he might have and speculation doesn't really "figure it out".
Isn't it just enough to know that hey, hes alright, nothing terrible has happened since the last time he posted, which is what I think is the most important thing of all.
CB:
First of all, it's fine you are alive. Second of all, well, it's just second. Don't worry about the second. Time never stops.
That's life. The guys of morondom sees you as the biggest support of this fucking war, and the brasses keep you from they...
What a desappointment! Someone DO has to be guilt. Who? Some commentors, of course, who didn't buy the morondom ideas. Then, I learned here, after reading lines and lines and lines and more and more lines, there are comments and e-mails that upset you at the point you is endangering yourself in the "hell on earth" just by being upseted...
You have just a couple of months in this hell. Be patient and stand up. Life is life. The second is the second. The book will be your revenge.
"Já dizia Galileu da Galiléia,
Malandro que é malandro não bobéia.
Se malandro soubesse como é bom ser honesto,
Seria honesto só por malandragem, caramba!"
And aquele abraço!
Álvaro Frota
------------
PS: Backing home, Rio de Janeiro perhaps will be a good idea for vacations.
CB - Glad to hear from you. I think we all we're getting worried that something might have happened. As many of the others have posted, I thought you might have been "restricted" in your activities. Hope that isn't the case. Look forward to more REAL information from Iraq.
Stay safe!
BOHICA is well known in the Infantry. My friend who was in the Marines and is now enlisted in the US Army taught me what BOHICA stood for. LOL. If you're a grunt or a former grunt, you know that acronym is SOOOOOO true.
Who believes in Papai Noel?
---------------------------
1.) White House is desperately rushing the informational blocade about the bombing of an-Najaf.
2.) CB got censored.
And:
3.) Nobody here is capable to link the two points...
"Goods first made mad whom they want to destroy"
Keep posting, whether it's gibberish or not. Don't let the bastards get you down, in or out of the circle.
If Men in Black was changed by CB it didn't change the flow of the story - but it is an example of how seemingly innocent things can benefit the enemy. If they know what he was going for when he went for it they would get an advantage every time a crew member dismounted and didn't immediately seek cover. Think about it dumbass.
How about you delete your quote from the original Men in Black, please? Now? Right Fing now?
Robre, "It is hard for me to read the Iraqi constitution because it basically abandons social contract theory and grants the people of Iraq rights as privledges that can be taken away by law."
So you mean Iraq is the same as every other country in the world (including Australia), with the sole exception of the US? As an Australian, let me assure you that you are completely correct. I quake with fear every time I step outside, knowing that my fascist government is about to take away all my rights, and there's nothing I can do about it. If you ever visit Australia, you'll feel the fear the moment you step off the plane. In fact, you'll be so scared yourself that you end up hopping straight back on the plane to the good old US of A, the only country in the world where the only thing stopping 14 year old girls from being hit by sniper fire is, well, nothing really. Anyway, you keep doing things your (correct) way, and we, and the Iraqis, will continue to suffer under our oppressive fascist governments. Of course, if we ever wanted to do things your way, all we need is a referendum to get passed with a 50% majority. But the people here have all been brainwashed so much that we actually enjoy being oppressed. We've heard about the wonderful freedom that the Americans have, and sometimes we wonder if we should probably have a constitution just like yours, so that we too can be totally free. But most of us do nothing about it, since we all assume that it's someone else's job to worry about how to overthrow the fascist Australian constitution and replace it with the a glorious revolutionary US-style constitution. You'll probably understand it better if you come and visit. You'd be amazed. When you go to order a beer, you have to look under the counter to place your order, because the bartender is invariably cowering under the counter, hiding from his fascist government. It's an amazing place. Seeing is believing.
The trully mad man is whom isn't capable to think about his madness.
To all:
If one wants to debate this fucking war, I think here isn't the right place. Then, I invite all who knows that debate is not a exchange of insults to read and comment something that I write in my blog:
http://www.alvarofrota.blogspot.com
Aquele abraço!
AF
CB -- Set up your PayPal account, you have hit the blogosphere jackpot. You have been blogrolledby Blogger 6 and have an Instalanche going. Congratulations.
CB -- As I was on the blog roll. My mistake. You're Instalanche is still underway. Your hit numbers are going to go through the roof.
They have the FBI and Homeland Security knocking on the doors of protesters in the U.S. You think they're going to let soldiers in the field tell it like it is? They have a propaganda campaign to conduct.
I recommend you take your blog entries and whatever else and write a book. Don't sell the rights off to anyone and good luck.
Robre, "God save the Queen"
In the year 2000, Australia had a referendum, to replace the Queen with a president. I voted in favour of doing that. Although a majority of Australians wanted a republic, they couldn't agree that the model being put forward was the one that they wanted. So it was voted down (basically out of spite). But I'll be voting down their alternative (because their model sucks).
However, had Australia got the 50%, the Queen would be history. You know it. I know it. And the Queen knows it. In fact, the British offered no opinion on the subject at all. They all said "If I were an Australian, I would offer an opinion".
As such, if you think that America has more freedom than Australia, based on the fact that we have a ceremonial Queen, you are lying to yourself, and it is nothing more than the same cultural bigotry that makes Europeans walk around with their nose in the air with regards to Americans.
You know it. I know it. And the Queen knows it. But keep repeating your folklore if it makes you feel superior. Personally, my heart goes out to the 14 year old American girls who have to face snipers just walking to the local shop. But whatever rocks your boat. You have a democracy too, and I know as well as you do that if you want to make 14 year old girls safe from firearms, it is in your power to do so. As such, since it is your democratic choice, go for it. Although with so much indoctrination on the matter, it is probably hard for you to ever make a sensible choice. But regardless, the freedom of speech and freedom of thought are available to Americans. If you can't get over your neurosis, that's just bad luck for 14 year old girls.
Robre, "You think that Britain can't apply any pressure on Australia, but all you need to do is look at WW1 and WW2 propaghanda posters and see that it has happened in the past only 60 years ago."
Do you have any idea at all as to why Australia is part of the coalition in OIF? If you go to www.newspoll.com.au and search for Iraq, you can see at the time of war, public opinion reached 57% in favour of going to war, 36% against.
Any idea at all? Is it because Australia is a colony of America? Is it because Australia was pressured by the US? Is it because we were fishing for a Free Trade Agreement? Is it because we were scared that if we didn't do something, we'd be attacked?
The main reason Australia goes into these things, is a feeling of solidarity with the rest of the free world. That is why we turned up to help Britain in 1939 while you were hiding under your bed. That is why we turned up to Vietnam when Britain was hiding under the bed. It's not that we're after anything in return. It's because we are the epitome of freedom. And anyone who touches another free country has to do it over us. An attack on one is an attack on all. The smarmy Chinese dictators who massacred those children in Tianamen Square were OUR DAMN CHILDREN. That is why our Australian PM at the time, who incidentally is an atheist, literally cried in parliament.
So, if you want to treat Britain as some sort of imperial arsehole who you look down on your nose at, go right ahead. To us, they're part of the free world, and damned if they're going to be bombed by Nazi Germany. And recently, Australia has spent a LOT of effort trying to get to the top of Osama Bin Laden's hit-list. Quite frankly, I'd rather he attacked us than you.
But if you don't have a feeling of solidarity in return, don't worry about it. It's presumably a concept unique to Australia. If you think we get "pressured" by Britain or the Queen, just go right ahead. We do it out of a spirit that is obviously alien to you. No problem. You want to look down on us as a colony, go right ahead. You'll probably find surprised looks if you actually ask any Australian how they feel about being "pressured" to obey the British though, being a colony and all. ROFL!
BTW, this action was responsible for the forces of freedom creating a whole damn country (Israel):
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/3671
Most Australians haven't even read our bloody constitution, and are blissfully unaware that according to whacky American folklore, we are allegedly inferior. What a joke. Have you ever actually personally met any of these inferior Australians?
"That said, I have many Australian friends who would respectfully, but strongly, disagree with your benign view of the Queen's authority. Many remain outraged at Governor-General Sir John Kerr's 1975 sacking of the Labour Prime Minister on behalf of London -- and they were barely old enough to remember it at the time."
This is rubbish. The Governor General sacked Whitlam before he got sacked himself. And the reason for the sacking was because supply was being blocked because Labor controlled the lower house, and the Liberals controlled the upper house. You know like those government shutdowns you have over there sometimes? Well, in that situation, it's the GG's job to dissolve both houses of parliament and call fresh elections. Which is exactly what was done. I'm not sure what you wanted done instead.
Just because some Australians have heard some left-wing spin, what's that got to do with anything? In actual fact, these same left-wing people even go so far as to blame the CIA!!! Because the CIA asked Britain to do something about it. So if you really want to go down the left-wing route, Australia is a defacto colony of Britain, and Britain is a defacto colony of America.
Personally, I consider it to be insulting to all 3 countries to say things like this. Trust me, we're not controlled by Britain, and no-one here gives the Queen a second thought. If a policy is not the way we want it to be, we know damn well that it's the arsehole sitting in the next cubicle who is responsible, so we'll vent our anger on them for being such dickheads. The Queen never enters the thought process. Nor does retaliation from the US, or the CIA, or anything like that. It's purely a debate amongst the population as to what is the best course of action, mainly from a moral point of view.
Unfortunately there are idiots in Australia who consider the UN to be some sort of "moral arbiter", and there was about 20% extra support waiting for UN approval for OIF. No attempt was made to explain to these people why the UN is a morally bankrupt organization, because the PM doesn't need public support to actually go to war. Nor does he need the GG's approval or the Queen's approval. However, this year the PM gets to pay the price for that decision. And the really big problem is that the Iraqi people weren't grateful enough for being liberated. I was expecting something like 90% to be overjoyed. It didn't happen. It is a bit of a shock to the pro-war side that people could not appreciate their freedom.
I wonder if it's because it isn't "true freedom", ie where the constitution doesn't have "under law" that is upsetting the Iraqis so much? Maybe if we got rid of those clauses, to be the same as the US, the Iraqis would suddenly start being happy? Worth a shot?
"most Australians haven't read their constitution. This makes anything it contains a "myth" even though it is THE document that defines a nation's system of government."
It's not a myth, it's just not important to us. In actual fact, if they hadn't gone to a lot of effort to tell us the name of our first Prime Minister during our centenary year (2001), no-one would even know that either. What matters is our freedom, not some complicated fine print/theory that they teach in America (and that you posted a link to). That freedom is not threatened by our government, nor is it threatened by the US. Our freedom, or that of our allies (basically we don't really draw a distinction), was threatened by Germany, by USSR and now by various Arabs/Muslims. There is no concept of a threat from our own government, and even if there was, the Army would not stand for it. There is no concept of requiring arms to defend against our government. Which incidentally is just more US folklore. Modern wars are won in the air. If the US army ever goes up against the US population, it is the US army that will win. Exactly the same as happened in Iraq in 1991. The peashooters they allow the public can't actually penetrate a tank. And that glorious revolution against the British is more folklore. It is more like the Northern Alliance having a victory against the Taliban. The French heavy-lifting in the revolution was as important as the US air support in Afghanistan. Even the numbers are similar, the Northern Alliance being a MINORITY.
"So you're saying it really doesn't matter if a government violates the principles of a social contract because no one cares about a constitution."
Britain and New Zealand don't even have constitutions. They're not as important as you think. We've got one, but no-one cares about it. We simply vote for whoever we want. And if neither party is suitable, we simply start a new party up. It's not that complicated. That's all that's required for freedom. You get a chance to kick them out every 3 years. What more do you want? The solution to any complaint is "go and start your own party if you don't like it". Everything is changable.
"Everybody should just drink and be friends and have "solidarity" and everything will work out in the end because you, Australia, will always be able to tell the right side of any conflict even if the right side always ends up being the British side."
Britain chose the wrong side in Vietnam. They chose neutrality. We didn't. We independently decide what is right ourselves. We've never been wrong yet. Not once. We've always been on the side of freedom. It comes naturally to us. Or at least, a majority of us. We've been afflicted by the same Soviet psyop you were afflicted by:
http://www.thinktam.com/askiraq/viewtopic.php?t=330
which has poisoned the left-wing. The left-wing never used to be like it is now (ie like Michael Moore). The poll numbers don't look good. We've got an election this year, and the left-wing are leading. I hope that Iraq is peaceful before then, so that Howard can crow about how morally bankrupt the left-wing was for wanting to leave these people in state-slavery. But at the moment, the left-wing are able to crow about how these people have their own distinct slavery-loving culture.
"The military is where they take away all your God-given rights, and dole them back to you one by one as privelidges." -Anon.
Hang in there, your blog is great. As an ex-soldier and a journalist, I'm behind you 100%. If this gets nasty, call a jag and we can set up a legal defense fund for you.
You're fighting for our freedom, we'll fight for yours.
CB, Glad to see you posted again. Hope you spirits are high and wish you well.
Robre, "Okay, really I doubt London could force anything onto Australia but Australia and G.B. do have a very close relationship."
Actually, we have a closer relationship with the US. We also have a defence treaty, ANZUS. We have no such treaty with Britain. Although there is that embarassing Commonwealth thing where theoretically we're meant to care about a whole lot of tinpot African countries. We don't.
"Iraq was not founded as a colony. We claim that we are staying in Iraq to give them liberty and soverignity. Are we really?"
Yes. They have it already right now. It doesn't get any freer, legally, than Iraq right now. They don't even have speed limits on the roads, unlike Australia. No restrictions on pornography, unlike Australia. These are the only two unfree things I can think of about Australia. For the US, I would add prostitution is illegal, unlike in Iraq.
"The United States goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy."
Australia does not have this nihilistic hangup. We're quite used to traipsing around the world telling people what they can and can't do.
"This is what I am afraid of."
Nothing to be afraid of here. To fight a war properly, you need to do it globally. Your enemy certainly will. If you want to look for some US mistakes, take a look at Egypt. Britain and France, members of the free world, had taken it over. The US chased them away. How was this repaid? Nasser the Nazi aligned with the USSR, turned Egyptians into racist Arabs and bigotted Muslims, incensed them with the supposed Israeli and US crimes, frustrated them with dictatorships so that they couldn't express their desire to wreak havoc, and so they instead turned to terrorism, and you got 9/11.
In hindsight, that territory (Egypt) should not have been effectively handed over the the USSR in the middle of the Cold War. It is US's obsession with independence that hurt everyone basically. In fact, it was the thought that the US might have been an imperial power in Vietnam that made the US abandon South Vietnamese allies, frogmarching them off to communist gulags against their will.
The US started its democracy by only allowing nominally educated people to vote. As did Britain. When you allow uneducated people to vote, they vote for communists, because they don't understand modern economic theory. Most of these nasty dictators would have been better off as colonies. They were let loose too soon. If you speak to educated Indians, they realise this too. They wish Britain had delayed independence.
The US is currently taking a gamble by allowing a politically immature Iraq, just finished 35 years of indoctrination of lies, to take a step into the abyss. My peronal opinion is that the Iraqis are sufficiently educated to at least be able to tell the difference between a moderate and a demagogue, which will give the breathing space required for modern education, and freedom of speech to have its effect. But it really is a gamble. Of course, there's always the fallback of simply reinvading. But I don't think the US has the political will to do this. Japan was done in 7 years. Germany in 5. Iraq is being compressed into 2. My guess is that circumstances are so different post-Cold-War that it is going to work anyway. Certainly interesting times!
Democracy? For who?
-------------------
It is simple like that:
1.) If there are a pro-US man in Iraq, a Negroponte's puppet, and the oil turns a private business of US companhy, then, he will be a democratic one.
2.) If no, if iraqi people choose a man that demands the re-nationalisation of the oil and the withdraw of the occupiers, then, he will be a dictator.
In clever words: Alawi will be a democratic one and Moqtada will be a dictator. Period.
As Lula is a democratic one in Brazil and Chaves is a dictator in Venezuela.
And if one demands to debate this, he is a terrorist, an enemy that must be killed. End of discution.
Aquele abraço!
--------------
AF - From Rio de Janeiro.
Alvaro, I'm not sure if it's the language barrier...but boy, you're getting nuttier and nuttier. It's like you're in the back of the room trying to get everyoone's attention...everyone else is posting about encouraging CB or debating freedoms...you, I don't know waht you're trying to do. hehehe. Vrangel above was right.
Paul Edwards,
That is a very interesting viewpoint about our penchant to Liberalism and our (US) "obsession with independence that hurt everyone basically." I think that's the crux of the controversy, though, no? We Americans tend to be deeply enamored with John Locke and ascribe to *ideals*. Such is the case with our "silly" private gun ownership. Truly, Americans are indeed swinging towards the direction you espouse...the last defenders of that "silly" 2nd amendment of ours are idealists willing to accept our gun realted crimes for liberty.
Maybe it does hurt us in the end...and from many outsiders (and indeed, many Americans), we ouught to give up the ghost and go completely into an ends-means game. To many, we sould adopt the complete utilitarian route that shuns "outdated" notions of liberty for the sake of security.
It's a valid argument. I accept the point of view...I don't necesarilly agree with it, but it is supportable.
I too share a certain fear of things that you don't have. You've enumerated them...our government, or in RObre's John Quincy Adams example, the US getting "entangled in all the wars of interest and intrigue, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom." You value more tangible aspects like security rather than ideals like "liberty".
I don't mean to make it a loaded equation...I truly accept your point of view. I'm often on the fence about this myself.
BUt I think that's where the divide lies. We should simply accept the different points of view...I don't think it would benefit anyone much more to make the case for either direction.
(by the way, to American readers, by Liberalism I mean it in the classical sense...not the social-Democrat sorta sense that we tend to call "liberal" today)
(oh, and to the person who suggested to make a new blog for this robre/paul edwards discussion: that's what comments and blogging is all about. an exchange of ideas...they've been largely civil, and CB's post stimulated debate. Maybe I've been spoiled by academia, but we should always encourage thinking, wouldn't you agree? or maybe you want the "comments" section to be merely pats on the back for the poster?)
"Álvaro Frota said...
To all:
If one wants to debate this fucking war, I think here isn't the right place. Then, I invite all who knows that debate is not a exchange of insults to read and comment something that I write in my blog:
http://www.alvarofrota.blogspot.com
Aquele abraço!"
Now didn't I say that already?? BTW, look at the right side where CB describes the reason for his blog and let's try to accept that as it is. Thank you.
Stay strong. Keep writing and reading.
I look forward to the upcomming story.
we love you!
xxxooooo
I will be waiting to hear what you have to say before I jump to any conclusions.
Hope to "see" you back soon!
Hmmm. IF that's true (and we don't know that yet) then it would validate my original theory: CB's blog wasn't shut down by his BnCO, but by someone higher up the chain of command.
It may have been for legitimate OPSEC reasons.
Or it may have been that the Army didn't like "unofficial" accounts of battles getting so much attention.
I wonder if this had anything to do with CB's recent Instalanche.
We'll have to see...
CB, It is obvious--you are greatly loved. Take care and may God watch over you.
SpaceCadetZoom, "You value more tangible aspects like security rather than ideals like "liberty"."
This is not true. I want the security to safeguard my liberties. And the only liberties I feel I don't have in Australia are:
1. Some restrictions on pornography. These can be bypassed via the internet, but I am really pissed off that we have a Censorship Board, where some people basically can watch anything they want, while I am basically told that I am intellectually inferior to them and they need to protect me from seeing various things for my own good. Yeah, right. But once again, I can scrap this board, if only I can get 50% of the Australian public to agree.
2. Speed limits are set at values that have no scientific basis. Instead of being able to drive at a speed I consider to be suitable for the conditions, exactly like happens when it is raining (ie speed limits are ignored as way too high for conditions), arbitrary values have been set.
In America, prostitution is illegal. But I have that liberty here. Again, the government telling two adults what they can get up to consentually is a gross infringement on liberty, and against separation of church and state.
There is nothing magical about Australia's constitution that gave us legalized prostitution, but the US doesn't. I would not say that we have a constitution that gives true liberty, while yours doesn't. I noticed that some US state was banning sex toys too. Another gross violation of liberty.
As for the gun laws, the fact that in the US, a 14 year old girl can be confronted with a criminal with a gun, and doesn't even have the option of running away, because she knows she can be shot, is another denial of liberty. I don't want criminals to be holding guns and threatening my daughter. I prefer the situation in Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, where no-one ever threatens you with a gun. You can always run away and scream for help. And others can help too, since they know they're not going to have a fatal encounter. I'm not saying the US should adopt the Australian way - I'm just saying that you shouldn't claim that the US values liberty more than Australia. It isn't true. That is folklore.
I consider Iraq to be the most free country in the world at the moment. No speed limits. No restrictions on pornography. No censorship board. No restrictions on prostitution. These are the things that liberty is made of. Whereas others look at the Iraq constitution and call the most free country in the world illiberal based on folklore about the words "under law".
"Guns don't kill people, bullets do"
The people keeping CB from posting are the same people that kept him from skating the Ralphs parking lot back in the day...
that is all you have to know about liberty and freedom, the politics of skateboarding
Matt W, "A gun is the greatest force multiplier a person can have."
And criminals have them. And terrorists have them. And psychopaths have them. But my 14 year old daughter doesn't.
Quite frankly, I don't consider a society that has children afraid that when they walk home from school, their head might explode from the latest sniper/Islamofascist to be a form of "liberty". I think that people have the right to not live in fear.
"After 229+ years of legal firearms, there's no way outlawing them now would get rid of them so at this point outlawing firearms in the US would be futile and counterproductive."
I am not saying that the US should or shouldn't have gun control. I was the only person in my company who refused to sign the petition calling for stricter curbs on guns in Australia. However, the US can choose to have Australia's system, or Australia can choose to have US's system, at any time. All you need is sufficient public support and you can have whatever your society wants. Both nations are free. My only complaint is that the US looks down on other nations as not being as free as them, based on weird logic that makes Americans in some way as whacky as the whacky Iraqis. It is simply untrue.
Today is Saturday, August 21st; yesterday was my birthday. For a present, I'd just like to have you say HI so I know you're okay.
Thanksyou and God Bless.
~C
Yeah, maybe, but those pampered Baathists sure don't like President Bush. I hope they get their ungrateful butts kicked by some wimpy country and go home in disgrace. Piss on em.
CrazyCzech1:
Of course, the americans do had receivead - straight from God - the right to rules the world, in the best interests of the world people.
Then, the only cam judge if anything is good or evil is the american government.
AMEN, and
Aquele abraço!
Álvaro Frota
CB, hope all is well with you. You are in my prayers, keep posting if you are able. It is good for folks to here what is going on over there. It is too easy to get wrapped up in the BS here and forget what you all are doing. God Bless. js
Boy! What a bunch of pessimists. Could he have changed the name because he is no longer going to be in Iraq? That may be a little tough on some of you, but he HAS been waiting on the trip home to go through. The quote may be because he has said what he can, and when he gets out of the theater, he may be less confined as to what he can say.
On the other hand, ... a new move of forces? big brother cracking down on the little guy? a secret mission? Lots more exciting, but I doubt it.
Good going guy! You and your brothers deserve a big thank-you. Let us hear when you can. I'll be looking for the book. And don't let them "fix" the spelling, typos, or wording. It is part of the character, and you. Not perfect, just real.
Joe
Álvaro Frota, "Of course, the americans do had receivead - straight from God - the right to rules the world, in the best interests of the world people. Then, the only cam judge if anything is good or evil is the american government."
Actually, this is not true. The Australian government also came to the same conclusion. And the Australian people also came to the same conclusion - at the time of war reaching 57% in favour of liberating Iraq, 36% in favour of continued holocaust. You can see these figures at www.newspoll.com.au if you search for "Iraq".
What is more interesting to me is why YOU couldn't tell the difference between good and evil. Did you not see Uday raping women and feeding them to his Dobermans? Is that not evil to you? I'm an atheist, and even I can see that it is evil. It is against my morals. So, may I ask what religion you are that this is not considered evil? Are you a devil-worshipper or what?
Paul Edwards said:
1.) "So, may I ask what religion you are that this is not considered evil?"
To Paul: just read my profile and you will know about me.
2.) "Did you not see Uday raping women and feeding them to his Dobermans? Is that not evil to you?"
To Paul: I saw a lot of thinks im my live, not only the mass media intends one to see.
If you are searching for dictators that must be toppled, well, there are a lot of them in the world, most instaled and fully supported by the american government.
But, as a brazilian, I have no right to see nothing. The only has this right is the american government... and, of course, the australian one.
To CB: forget the censoring stuff and be concentrated in return home "in one piece". The book will be your revange...
Álvaro Frota, "If you are searching for dictators that must be toppled, well, there are a lot of them in the world,"
Yes, I'm searching for a list. And it looks like you are too. So, was Iraq on your list? Was it at the top? Were you overjoyed when Iraq was finally toppled? Was there any people who were suffering more than the Iraqis? What criteria do you use to decide who should be on the top of the list? Did your country help out? Did the majority of your country support helping out?
"most instaled and fully supported by the american government."
Actually, most came to power by other means, and I'm not sure what you mean by "support". Regardless, we're talking about Iraq. Did you support ending the Iraqi holocaust or not? If not, then I assume that means you support holocausts? Here was a great opportunity to end one, and you turned it down for contrived political reasons, is that correct?
"But, as a brazilian, I have no right to see nothing. The only has this right is the american government... and, of course, the australian one."
Actually, there was a percentage of people in every country in the world who supported ending the Iraqi holocaust. And there were a variety of governments in the world who supported ending the Iraqi holocaust. So, were you on the right side of history? Was the majority of your countrymen on the right side of history? Was your government on the right side of history? Or was it a case of 3 strikes?
Álvaro Frota, one more point. Public opinion is fickle, but majorities in favour of ending the Iraqi holocaust were achieved in the following countries:
USA
UK
Australia
Kuwait
Iraq
Now, can you tell me why these 5 countries should put aside their own opinions, and instead just do whatever the brainboxes in Brazil want?
To Paul:
The top of the dictator's list surely is George "Nero" Bush.
What holocaust you are meant? The today one?
Give me a break, fellow: Who had create Saddan and AlQaeda in first place?
To Paul: I just don't want to debate with you in CB's (aquele abraço, meu irmão!) blog. If you are able to digest a lot of realy information about this war, and corralated issues, you are invited to htt:www.iraq-war.ru. I'm an editor of the Spanish/Portuguese and English wires. And there is a Russian wire to. And the site is russian based. And in fact, most of the commentors are against the occupation of Iraq. But... itn's Russia a democracy, in your own words? There are comentors of US, UK, Japan, Latin America, Moslen World and o caralho à quatro. And I'm a brazilian, of course. Then, please realize I won't answer yor questions, here. I apologise you for it, but in CB's place I will not debate you. See you on iraqwar.ru. Shall we debate there about Australia and US agrressions and so. And, last but not the least, there are a rule of the board forbiden exchanges of insults. [AF]
Álvaro Frota, "The top of the dictator's list surely is George "Nero" Bush."
You think that the American people were being treated more cruelly than the Iraqi people? You think that the American people had less freedom of speech than the Iraqi people? Is that correct? What measure did you use to determine this? Number of tongues cut out by each respective government? Number of blogs from each country? Number of critical statement emanating from each country?
"What holocaust you are meant? The today one?"
No. The one where government policy was to rape women. To cut out people's tongues. A high crime rate as found in Iraq is not a holocaust. In fact, the crime rate is not even higher than a country like South Africa, or a city like Washington DC.
"Who had create Saddan and AlQaeda in first place?"
Saddam was created by his parents. Al Qaeda was created by Osama Bin Laden. Regardless, what has this got to do with the question of whether the Iraqi holocaust should be ended or not? Also, I still do not understand why the countries that wanted to end the holocaust, including Iraq itself, should listen to the opinions of someone from Brazil, instead of having their own preference implemented. Can you tell me why we should be deferring to the great thinkers of Brazil instead of doing it our way? Since when did Brazil become God?
If you would like to debate this in a different forum to this blog, please go to:
http://www.thinktam.com/askiraq/viewforum.php?f=31
This is a forum that was set up to support an Iraqi called Sarmad, who used his freedom of speech to create a blog called "Road of a Nation". If you're lucky, he or one of his Iraqi countrymen may actually answer your questions themselves. You can explain directly to the Iraqis themselves why Brazillians deserve freedom of speech, and deserve to not have their ears chopped off, but the Iraqis deserve to live in state-slavery. I'm sure they will see how smart you are and how dumb they are. Although so far, no-one has managed to convince the Iraqis of that. But you might. Because you seem much smarter than the average racist bigotted anti-American Eurotrasher. We are in dire need of a "Brazillian perspective" - someone who can allow us to see things clearly.
lonelyshade, "sorry why couldn´t Bush wait and clean up that country first , before starting a next one ?? With warlords still roaming the country , with moslim extreme beliefs still deep rooted ."
Because it is the tactical thing to do. The solution to Afghanistan requires an indigenous army, that has allegiance to the people, instead of a faction. That is the Afghan National Army, and now number 13,000 soldiers. It is better to make it clear to the Afghan people that they have not been invaded by the Americans. Like you said - warlords control the country, not Americans. Eventually the warlords will be defeated by the ANA. That war hasn't started yet, and will in fact most likely be solved diplomatically. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the building of the ANA so that it can defeat the warlords can't be rushed without risking upsetting the locals. What is currently being done is an excellent use of US resources. Only using the minimum force required to get things on a PATH of constant improvement.
To Paul: As I said, I woun't debate you in CB's (Força, irmão!) blog. If want to debate, I just have invited you to www.iraq-war.ru. Thanks.
To "saint in a straitjacket": You don't know nothing about me and what I'm doing in my country. Then, fuck-of with your words.
AF
To Paul and "saint in a straitjacket":
As I said, I will not debate you in CB's (Força, irmão!) blog. If want to debate, I just have invited you to www.iraq-war.ru. Thanks.
To "saint in a straitjacket", specially: You don't know nothing about me and what I'm doing in my country and is trying to judge me? Fuck-of with your words!
AF
I just recently discovered your blog and spent a long night reading just about every post.
It's really interesting how we in the US can be so isolated from the rest of the world and yet we continue to broacast our influence so effectively. It's a sort of "Media-Diode"... a "Mediode," if you will - partly systemic, partly conspiratorial and don't forget self-induced.
I look forward to reading future posts.
Pasadena, CA, USA
itn's Russia a democracy,
Alvaro Frota
No! Who told you that. Did you see what happened to the opposition in the last election? He woke up in a gay porno video! What democracy act's like that?
Madtom
I do hope you are not going offline. I just found you today. My husband will be going off to Iraq next summer with another Stryker unit. You've given me much insight on what he'll go through.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sweet_lil_mo/
Hey CBFTW,
Lots of action going on in and around Mosul - sure hope you're doing okay? How's your friend doing?
Hugs
~C
Nice copyright.
Smart.
Mail call monday, maybe?
Anyway, I wasnt going to post, but why the hell not. Everyone else has, didnt want to be left out. Its the first and the last that get read when you have a million comments anyway...
What has been done has been written, and all you need to do now is get yourself home...the rest will follow, and so will we.
All hell breaks loose, comments-wise, when CB ducks out for a few days, doing all that war-fighting shit. This batch is starting to read like "En attendant Godot" in the original French.
I want a sitrep, dammit, not all these people's kibbitzing endlessly as can be read in about a trillion other blogs out there!
lonelyshade, "Who says the civilians are so safe then ??"
I didn't say they were. They weren't safe under the previous regimes either. Did anyone claim that either country would be turned into Utopia overnight? That is not the nature of the exercise. The nature is to use the mininum force required such that in the long term, the civilians will be safer than there were previously. I can't see anything immoral about that. Yes, it would be nice to have a magic wand and fix everything all at once. But there are no magic wands. There are threats of much worse things, like large-scale civil war. So I don't see anything wrong with what is happening now. ie constant improvement of two countries, without provoking a civil war.
You mentioned the problem of Muslim fundamentalism. That problem can be addressed in both countries at a later date when there is a stable and secure country and government with which to talk to, in an environment that has freedom of speech so that we can listen to different viewpoints.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Here's something of interest from www.wizbangblog.com and it says " The Veteran has earned the right to express his opinion in war and in peace, he defended that right by serving his country.
[Read The Rest]"
Check it out and fell free to post.
Hugs from NH
~C
Oh no, I hope you are still able to blog. I just found your blog recently and I've been reading every day.
You are all in my nightly prayers. God bless.
Jenny
An Army wife
Hey sweetie,
Thought you might be interested in this blog;
http://qtdiary.blogspot.com/
Its Quentin Tarantino's, lol.
Stay Safe.
xxxxoooooooo
I'm not going to read into the disappearance. It is what it is.
Whatever circumstances made it stop, might not be all bad from CB's point of view: maybe he was promised a one-way ticket back to the States if he'd quit posting, and given a bargain like that I don't think anyone would honestly have said "no" to it.
He's probably not dead unless he's that one unlucky S.O.B. we read about the other day.
Kerry's promising R & R for all the troops just as soon as he gets elected and gets all those German and French people to volunteer and play "catch the car bomb with Uday's cousins", in their place. Yeah, right (*snicker*).
here's a good review of Hunter S. for you CB:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13788-2004Aug18.html
And here is a good link about freespeech for all you people, I dare you to watch it:
http://www.freespeech.org/ramfiles/j20_nyc_imc.ram
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple.
Hugs,
Cindy
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple.
Hugs,
Cindy
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple.
Hugs,
Cindy
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple. I'm getting an error; he must have ended it himself.
Hugs,
Cindy
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple. I'm getting an error; he must have ended it himself.
Hugs,
Cindy
Look people, there's a lot going on and as I mentioned before, CBFTW gets upset by these posts and emails sent to him, so just let him breathe. DO NOT mention DEATH at all; that is not in his cards and he plans on coming home in one piece. He has so many prayers covering his butt, he'll be fine. This journal was a place for him to vent, not to become a political massacre. Think of it from his point of view. We'll hear from him when we hear from him. It's that simple. I'm getting an error; he must have ended it himself.
Hugs,
Cindy
How about this: Australia is NOT a republic, has oil (I'm sure there is some somewhere and there is definitely some offshore), has a lot of desert, and they speak "funny." Let's invade and end this off-topic bullshit!
Stand by for JDAMs Melbourne. Crocodile Dundee is a wuss.
In this time we live in were the powers that be seem willing to amend Our constitution for all the wrong reasons maybe the time is ripe, and we should amend the I amendment to include the word " the military command shall pass no rule".
Information is our greatest weapon, don't ever sell your self short.
Madtom
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