Thank you Wanderlust. You eloquently spoke for those of us who lived there, in that Hell on Earth we’re trying to prevent from returning, even creeping into here.

A few more “victories” like Iraq and we’ll all be in the poorhouse.

“Credit” was an interesting choice of words, Rob…about a trillion dollars worth?

alphie on July 5, 2008 at 9:14 PM

Yeah, we screwed up the war almost as bad as the Democrats have screwed up their convention.

If so, then perhaps the success in Iraq is becoming too great for them to ignore.

Not only should the troops get some fine parades, President George W. Bush should be honored and celebrated for having the courage and foresight to stick to his guns.

But I won’t hold my breath. . .

Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 5, 2008 at 10:13 PM

Next to the quotes by the Founding Fathers, quotes from Ronald Maximus should be required reading for everyone on the Fourth of July Independence Day.

My all time favorite Reagan quote is this line:

We cannot buy our security, our freedom from the threat of the bomb by committing an immorality so great as saying to a billion now in slavery behind the Iron Curtain, “Give up your dreams of freedom because to save our own skin, we are willing to make a deal with your slave masters.”

May Ronald Wilson Reagan rest in Peace on this Independence Day, and may anyone who supported the deal with the Devil known as Détente rot in the Hell they consigned the Soviet peoples, and by extension, all of us, to live in so long as the USSR was prepared to spread its gospel of Communism by the bullet, the Bomb, and the gulag, by any means possible.

And God Bless the men and women who serve, and have previously served, in the US Armed Forces.

Except, that is, for Murtha, McPeak, Clark, Kerry, and such ilk as have disgraced the Uniform.

Go Limey Jr.!

Well done 3rd ACR! (That’s my boy!)

Limerick on July 5, 2008 at 9:06 PM

There will always be a valley
Always mountains one must scale
There will always be perilous waters
Which someone must sail

Into valleys, into waters
Into jungles, into hell
Let us ride, let us ride home again with a story to tell
Into darkness, into danger
Into storms that rip the night
Don’t give in, don’t give up
But give thanks for the glorious fight

Well done 3rd ACR! (That’s my boy!)

He fell off the e-mail wagon a bunch lately. All he ever said was ‘Dad, we’ve been busy’. Mom and I figured that it wasn’t because of Nintendo.

Limerick on July 5, 2008 at 9:06 PM

Limerick, thank you for raising such a fine young man. Please give him my thanks and best wishes.

If our country can survive the next 20 yrs., I know it will be in the hands of some of the finest men this country has ever produced.

goodevening to ya,Entelechy!:)

canopfor on July 5, 2008 at 10:17 PM

Not ignoring you canopfor – had left the HA parlor to get some housework done – it’s the juggling of hats, from professional to the more mundane. A good evening to you too,

My son USMC, my grandson USAF. In the words of the Texians, “come and take it”.

Johan Klaus on July 6, 2008 at 12:21 AM

Thank them and yourself for their service.

I’ll drink (coffee) to that Texian :- )

“If you are fighting to install sharia [Islamic law] on this country, you are going to have to be killed,” said Colonel David Brown, an American adviser to 2nd Division.

Has the good Colonel read the Iraqi constitution?

Article 89:

First: The Federal Supreme Court is an independent judicial body, financially and administratively.

Second: The Federal Supreme Court shall be made up of number of judges, and experts in Islamic jurisprudence and law experts whose number, the method oftheir selection and the work of the court shall be determined by a law enacted bya two-third majority of the members of the Council of Representatives.

It is a distinction with a difference, even if it does not appear to be different, on it’s face, in it’s possessive qualities.
Dusty on July 5, 2008 at 11:29 PM

I appreciate your well-thought out, intelligent response, but the sentence I quoted of yours, by your own admission -it seems to me- a semantical fallacy that is easily fallen into.

It is just something that has always bothered me. I do appreciate the communities indulging me of this rant and having a discussion about it.

I think that most people use term “our troops” out of pride.

Johan Klaus on July 5, 2008 at 11:23 PM

On this side of the aisle, yes. On the other side it is used to undermine the mission because we need to keep “our” troops safe, or “our” troops spend too much time away from their family, or the fact that “our” troops face too much hardship… I could keep going, but I think you get my point.

I understand your point with respect to using it to express some exclusive claim, in the sense you are excluding others from such “possession” for political purpose or advantage, but you must recognize that all such uses are not done for that purpose and you need to remind yourself that the troops are the same as the founders, the president, this country. That is, they all are ours in the sense of being “of us” not “belonging to us”. It is a distinction with a difference, even if it does not appear to be different, on it’s face, in it’s possessive qualities.

I, for one, will work to keep your concern in mind, and watch that my use of “of us” does not spill over into “belonging to us”, but as a free and independent man, myself, being now responsible by having accepted the oath which my fellow countrymen have taken, on my small part, to me, I’ll not quit using the term altogther.

Blarg the Destroyer on July 5, 2008 at 10:37 PM

I think that most people use term “our troops” out of pride.

The American People are our boss, and we have volunteered to “belong” to the U.S. for a period of time (thats why we just cant quit.

So the feelings are understandable.

Squid Shark on July 5, 2008 at 11:01 PM

Squid, I agree with everything you said after the comma. Their is nothing in the oath we swore about serving the American people. However, I do wish we would do more about the enemies “…both foreign and domestic”.

And innominatus, you can say the Army is your favorite branch (cause they are the best -wink). Trust me, I know that nearly all here are unabashed patriots, that love the country and appreciate the sacrifice that those that chose to serve undertake upon the behalf of others. I appreciate that more than you will ever know.

However, that does not ignore the point about the left in this country using the “our troops” mantra in undermining the mission. As I pointed out, it would be hypocritical of me to disapprove of them using “our” to undermine the troops, while not asking those of you that support the Armed Forces to stop using “our”.

I hope that came off less [insert favorite derogatory term here for the limp-wristed, linguini-spined beta-males here].

A few more “victories” like Iraq and we’ll all be in the poorhouse.

“Credit” was an interesting choice of words, Rob…about a trillion dollars worth?

alphie on July 5, 2008 at 9:14 PM

Freedom is not free.

Blarg the Destroyer on July 5, 2008 at 10:37 PM

Blarg I think it is more the way a boss refers to his employees as “my people”.

The American People are our boss, and we have volunteered to “belong” to the U.S. for a period of time (thats why we just cant quit.

So the feelings are understandable.

Point noted

canopfor on July 5, 2008 at 10:48 PM

That is all I ask for. :)