Friday, June 16, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military says two soldiers are missing after their team came under attack at a traffic control point in Yusafiyah, Iraq Friday night, that left one other coalition soldier dead.

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Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (June 15, 2006) - Ceremony participants stand in prayer during the benediction and conclusion of a Pentagon groundbreaking ceremony for the 9/11 memorial monument. From left are Pentagon family members James J. Laycheck, President of the Pentagon Memorial Fund and their Vice President Ms. Rosemary Dillard, opposite end is Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and one of the memorial architects Julie Beckman. The memorial on the west lawn of the Pentagon will have 184 cantilevered benches, one in memory of each victim of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Construction is expected to be completed in September 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Johnny Bivera

Earlier today, while cruising the referrals to this blog, I came across a moonbat's evaluation of IWT that described it as "War-mongering bloggers that take pleasure in other's deaths, and the efficiency and lethality of the US war machine." and puled,"What has the West become?"

Heh. "War-mongering?" Hmmm....

War
war (wôr) n.
1. a. A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties.
b. The period of such conflict.
c. The techniques and procedures of war; military science.
2. a. A condition of active antagonism or contention: a war of words; a price war.
b. A concerted effort or campaign to combat or put an end to something considered injurious: the war against acid rain.

Monger
mon·ger (mnggr, mng-) n.
1. A dealer in a specific commodity. Often used in combination: an ironmonger.
2. A person promoting something undesirable or discreditable. Often used in combination: a scandalmonger; a warmonger.

OK, maybe I am one. I suppose war is undesirable, though sometimes unavoidable and necessary. OK, so I'm a warmonger. Then again, maybe not. I'm not promoting war, as in "Cool, let's have a war....come one, come all....step right up to the war!" Ah, well. Enough grey area maybe to have me as a warmonger. I'll have to be strong, and try to just soldier on.

"taking pleasure in other's deaths."
Hmmm....well, if we're talking about Zapping Zarqawi (since they said "other's," not "others'"), he may have me there. Not to put too fine a point on this, but can an "other" really have "deaths?" Other than in sci-fi, I mean. I guess we did think we got him once or twice before, so maybe it's a cat-with-nine-lives kind of reference...

...but I digress.

I guess I have to admit, yeah, I'm glad he's dead and gone. Don't recall ever getting teary-eyed over the death of any other terrorist, either. Oh, well. But I don't take pleasure in random killing....and, I'm not cracking out the popcorn for the death count.

And as far as taking pleasure in the "efficiency and lethality of the US war machine" goes...Well, I guess he's got me on that one - I got nothin' here. Yeah, I guess I am damned proud that we have the best military out there, period. Hooah! And what exactly are you supposed to take pleasure in when evaluating your military? I mean, have you ever seen anyone take pleasure in the "color coordination and spectacular macrame skills" of a "war machine"? It's a war machine. (See "war" definition, above)

What has the West become? Dunno. Can't speak for the whole West. I'm hoping that the US has become a country that has zero tolerance for threats and terrorism.

Oh, and in fairness, "bloggers" is a little unfair. I don't know if Patti, who started this blog, and Paul, who occasionally posts here, want to be called warmongers - and it's just not right to have them share my Moonbat-levied label without their consent. And Natalia's not a warmonger. Seriously unfair call there. Bad Moonbat - Bad! Back in your corner (you'll find it over there...far to the Left).

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In related Moonbattery, David at The Thunder Run got a visit from a Grade-A Moonbat, shrieking the shriek about Haditha, calling the Marines cowards, and basically treating the MSM version of events as fact. Real peach of a comment - definitely shows an ability to remain open-minded until all the facts are in - or NOT.

Read the full comment, and David's response, here. (David, you warmonger, you)

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UPDATE: Up for a little Friday Merry Moonbat Mincemeat-making? (nice alliteration there, eh?) Visit Blue Star Chronicles for "Caption This" - and figure out what's going on in Teddy's addled head.

by Petty Officer 2nd Class Roger Duncan
June 15, 2006
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines from Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa run 4 miles around Camp Lemonier, Djibouti.

Once in Iraq, the phone calls were not 2 to 4 times a day anymore, and now they were timed (30 min.) the time difference, long lines and the fact that I didn't have a computer made our communication limited.

I was 7 months into the pregnancy and started feeling very sick to the point I could barely get out of bed to go to work. When I went to see my ob/gyn, I started crying trying to express to the doctor the way I was feeling, he told me ( I was just depressed and gave me a prescription for Zoloft, he said, that was going to take care of my problem).

I switched doctors the same day and was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I kept it to myself for a while (didn't want to worry my husband) and took maternity leave sooner, good thing I did, I started having 5 to 6 appoinments a week. Between finger pokes and 3 Insulin shots a day on my belly, I told Maxwell the news.

Then it was my 28th birthday, took the kids to a fancy restaurant, but oh boy! that was my worst birthday ever.

Once November came, things got a lot better for me....

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Need to catch up on Natalia's Corner?
Deployment, Part I
Deployment, Part II

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Additional NOTES from Pam:
* Certain details will be edited to protect security concerns or family privacy. My edits appear in brackets [ ].

* Maxwell's status as the blog's "adopted" Hero, and Natalia's posts about her experiences, should NOT be construed as their endorsement of any opinion I post on this blog, or representative of any policy or position of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any other government entity. This is merely a way to allow readers to learn more about what military families experience, and to offer an opportunity to support a deployed Hero and his family.

* To learn what you can do to help, click on Maxwell's picture over on the left, or go here.
To adopt "your own" Hero, visit Soldiers' Angels.

HORNET LAUNCH — An F/A-18C Hornet aircraft assigned to the Sidewinders of Strike Fighter Squadron 86 launches from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, June 13, 2006. The carrier is deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of the war on terror. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Navy Airman Marshall James

Chandler, Anthony Gordon Warner, USN (GA); remains returned 2001

Rupinski, Bernard Francis, USN (PA); F4J shot down, presumed killed

Wilber, Walter Eugene, USN (PA); Released by DRV February, 1973 (injured), later accused of mutiny while in captivity

1973
Cornelius, Samuel B., USAF(TX); F4E shot down, survival unlikely

Smallwood, John J., USAF (GA); F4E shot down, survival unlikely