Greetings from sunny Iraq,

 

Times are moving forward at a rapid pace, however times do get slightly monotonous. The weather is very warm and dry here and isn’t cooling off anytime soon. We normally reach the 120’s at the highest during the day. It is hot and dry most of the time and not much changes, so we are forced to make time pass by and break the day up a little. We decided we were going to grow mustaches in our office. To many, it may not seem to be anything interesting, but to us out here anything new is much appreciated. There are about six Marines working in the office that have been growing them for the past few weeks. We have dubbed it the month of the mustache. It adds a bit of much needed humor into our lives. Change is welcomed in a place where the weather never changes, the rules stay the same, and the food at our local chow hall is on a 7 day rotation. As Marines it is our responsibility to ensure we keep not only our own spirits high but those of our Marines around us, even if that requires us to grow a ridiculous looking mustache.

Story by Pfc. Jerry Murphy

Story by Cpl. Chadwick debree and Cpl. Stephen McGinnis

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Coburn Urges Senate Leaders to Hold Full and Open Debate on $11 Billion Omnibus Spending Bill

Calls on Senate leaders to end obstruction of civil rights investigations, medical research, energy exploration

July 24, 2008

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today in advance of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan to consider a massive $11 billion omnibus spending bill this weekend.

“Once the Senate completes work on a meaningful energy package that will help lower the price of gas and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, I would welcome a full and open debate on Majority Leader Reid’s election-year omnibus spending bill,” Dr. Coburn said. “However, I’m troubled that on the eve of the Majority Leader’s planned weekend debate he has so far declined to accept my offers to expedite consideration of his package of unrelated bills.”

Dr. Coburn offered the following compromises to Majority Leader Reid in a July 17 letter.

     I would strongly recommend that the underlying bill or the managers’ package would include offsets that would pay for the cost of any new spending authorized by the bill by reducing lower priority federal spending elsewhere as well as an explicit assurance that there would be no limitations on energy or mineral exploration resulting from the bill. This would be my preference and would require no amendments or lengthy floor debates. It would also set an important precedent that any new spending approved by Congress will be paid for rather than continuing Congress’ “borrow and spend” policies that have resulted in a $9.5 trillion national debt. 

     If there is no willingness to pay for the cost of the omnibus, then I would request a fair amount of time to debate the contents and have the opportunity to offer a fixed number of amendments to address cost and any other related negative impact of the bill.

Some potential agreements include:

· One related amendment and one hour of debate for each $1 billion authorized in new spending by the omnibus;

· One related amendment for each new government office, government program federal commission, park, heritage area, wilderness area, or museum created by the omnibus with at least 30 minutes to debate each amendment; or

· One related amendment for each of the individual bills wrapped into the omnibus with 30 minutes of debate for each amendment.

“Senator Reid has refused to agree to any of these common sense proposals, and he has failed to provide a CBO score of this bill, as he pledged to do in a letter,” Dr. Coburn said.

“The Senate has a nine percent approval rating because its current leaders prefer demagoguery over debate and politics over progress. Many of the bills in this omnibus package are case studies in the triumph of mindless partisanship and spin over common sense solutions,” Dr. Coburn said.

“For instance, Senator Reid and others continue to claim I am blocking civil rights legislation like Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act (S. 535) when they have voted against additional funds for this effort in order to protect their pork. These Senators also continue to block a common sense compromise I offered that would allow this bill to pass today,” Dr. Coburn said.

“Senate Democrats first blocked passage of this bill in 2006 after its sponsor, Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), agreed to offset the costs of the bill. Democrats objected to this agreement because they wanted to deny Senator Talent a legislative victory in the midst of his re-election campaign,” Dr. Coburn said.

“In October 2007, Senators Reid, Durbin, Dodd and Leahy all voted against an amendment I offered to increase funds for the Department of Justice’s effort to investigate these crimes by redirecting funds from less vital special interest pork projects. Unfortunately, each of these Senators put their own pork projects ahead of victims of civil rights cases. Senator Dodd voted to protect $450,000 for a submarine at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. Senator Leahy voted to protect $300,000 for the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in Vermont for the ‘Eye-In-The-Sky’ Program. Senator Durbin voted to protect $300,000 for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago,” Dr. Coburn said. See related Amendment summary and Vote breakdown:

“Majority Leader Reid has now taken the step of effectively drawing a moral equivalence between legislation related to botanical gardens and victims of unsolved civil rights cases. The Majority Leader could pass the Emmett Till bill today if he brought it up as a stand alone bill with spending offsets I have already identified. Instead, the Majority Leader has linked the issue of unsolved civil rights cases to other causes that are unrelated and, in some cases, frivolous,” Dr. Coburn said.

“I have detailed reasons for asking for debate on each of the bills in Reid’s omnibus bill. In many cases, I support the bills in the package but believe the Senate should live within its means, like every American family, and pay for new programs by reducing spending elsewhere. Any Senator who can’t find offsets in a government that wastes $300 billion every year through fraud or duplication doesn’t deserve to be here,” Dr. Coburn said.

“Regarding the omnibus’ medical research component, I look forward to explaining why various bills in this package that could block entities like the National Institutes of Health from conducting life-saving medical research. The disease specific earmarks in the Reid’s omnibus would essentially put career politicians, congressional staffers and Washington lobbyists in charge of medical research in this country. Medical research dollars should be directed by trained scientists and physicians, not politicians, lobbyists and celebrity activists,” Dr. Coburn said.

“I hope the Majority Leader will give the American people what they deserve: legislation that allows us to live within our means, or at least a full and open debate that will allow him to explain why we should not,” Dr. Coburn said.

“Finally, what the Majority Leader defines as my unprecedented obstruction is my desire to see the number of bills that pass the Senate in secret with no debate, no amendment and no recorded vote be reduced by less than ten percent. I have supported 855 unanimous consent or ‘hotline’ requests in the 110th Congress while I am presently urging further debate on less than 80 bills. What is unprecedented, therefore, is not anyone’s obstruction but the Majority Leader’s secret spending and refusal to debate critical legislation,” Dr. Coburn said.

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OK, this one made my eyes get all blurry.  I've had the honor of meeting Jesse at WRAMC and having dinner and a few beverages with him.  He is one of the most inspirational men I've ever met.  Google him and you'll read plenty about this great American.  I am thrilled that the Command made it happen for Jesse to be in Italy to greet his fellow Soldiers.  Good job ROCK!

From Army.mil/news

Wounded Soldier returns to Italy to greet comrades as they come home from Afghanistan deployment

Jul 24, 2008
BY Dave Melancon, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs Office

VICENZA, Italy -- July has been a month of homecomings for Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team as they return here from a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan.

Spc. Jesse A. Murphree of Destined Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), reversed that Afghanistan to Italy airflow July 22 when he traveled from the United States to rejoin his unit as they arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The "Rock Battalion" infantryman was among the first to greet the approximately 400 Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd ABCT and the 503rd's 1st and 2nd Battalions, on the air base flight line.

He shook their hands while standing on two artificial legs, steadying himself with a cane.

Murphree, 22, served as a gunner on an up-armored Humvee. His platoon was overwatching another platoon during a mounted patrol in the Korengal Valley, near Ali Abad, Afghanistan, two days after Christmas 2007. As his convoy was preparing to move, his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

Murphree said he has few memories of the explosion. He lost his legs below his knees and suffered minor burns in the incident. Two other Soldiers were also injured in the attack.

Medically evacuated from Afghanistan, he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Dec. 30.

"I was hit on the 27th and woke up in Walter Reed on New Year's Day," he said as he awaited the first of two aircraft bringing his comrades home.

Murphree arrived in Italy July 20 and said he plans to stay until the first week of August to welcome the remaining 173rd Soldiers. Upon arrival at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, he was greeted by other Destined Company Soldiers, including his former platoon and section sergeants and two other Soldiers who were wounded in earlier incidents.

"I was looking forward to that feeling you get when you see everyone all happy because they just got done with a deployment. I came back for that feeling," he said. "I've always been thinking about what is going on and worrying. I definitely miss being around all of the guys."

He is staying in the Caserma Ederle Warrior Transition Unit quarters.

"It is pretty hooked up," Murphree said of his lodging at the WTU. "They are accessible; there are ramps and a shower that works for me."

Murphree says this is the longest trip he has taken since arriving at Walter Reed. He has made three other three-day trips in that time -- to his hometown in Colorado, a Texas fishing trip hosted by the 173d Airborne Brigade Association, and a Memorial Day celebration in Pennsylvania.

He said he continues his routine of frequent stretching exercises and walking on his prosthetic legs here, adding that his two-week stay in Italy does not interfere with his treatment. In fact he says it's a plus.

"This is actually better for me," Murphree explained. "That's pretty much what I am doing here. I am walking around a lot. Being on my legs is doing more than therapy would do."

"I'm well past the critical stage of therapy," he said. "You have to keep your core strength up. You have to build tolerance and confidence in your legs."

The reunion night's agenda included going into town with friends and around the Vicenza military community, he said. "We'll have some drinks and stuff, go hang out and have a good time."

Later plans include returning to Vicenza in September for the 173rd's formal welcome-home ceremony and celebration, he said.

Murphree, who is still on active duty, said he will continue his treatment at Walter Reed while undergoing the Medical Evaluation Board process. He expects to be medically retired from the Army in February 2009.

"You can never predict how long you are going to be there, because there are always bumps in the road," he said.

He said he is considering attending college and studying counterterrorism, English or public speaking, and possibly psychology. Plans also include taking up competitive mono-skiing, a sport that resembles snowboarding.

Murphree's return to Italy, where he spent his first and only Army assignment, is an inspiration and strength for all 173rd ABCT Soldiers and the Vicenza military community, said Capt. Matthew J. Heimerle, the 2-503rd rear detachment commander.

"To see him in person lifts everybody's spirit," he said. "Murphree will never quit on his ambitions and goals and will forever be a source of inspiration for the Soldiers of the Battalion."

Heimerle said there were no difficulties in arranging for Murphree's reunion. Community and battalion leaders cleared the visit with doctors at Walter Reed and ensured there was a place for him to stay in the community and that his medical needs were met.

"This has been an extremely tough deployment for all in this battalion," Heimerle said. "Every one of us has lost close, close friends, and to see someone like Murphree get hurt the way he did and recover the way he has, and will continue to do, gives everyone a huge morale boost."

"To me his attitude, motivation, and character epitomize the young Soldiers that are in today's Army and it also reflects our core Army values," he said. "Guys like Murphree are the ones that should be talked about in the news."

"It was good to see that he is alright," said Sgt. Nathan Thomas, the emergency medical technician who treated Murphree in the Korengal Valley.

It's also good for Murphree to see his friends, Thomas added. "He has been in Walter Reed for so long," the medic said.

The entire Destined Company -- especially his friends -- are boosting Murphree's morale, Thomas said.

"I'm not helping him. We are helping him," Thomas said. "This is our little band of brothers sticking together."

Scout team members Spc. Mitchell Raeon and Spc. Jay Liske, who witnessed the explosion, said they plan to get together with Murphree during his visit.

"He looked good," Raeon said. "We have not seen him in about 10 months, so we did not know what to expect."

"I can't wait to drink a beer with him tonight," added Liske.

"It's been incredible to see my buddies come back. It is one of the feelings I've been waiting for," Murphree said as 18 busloads of Soldiers pulled away from the flight line for the two-hour ride from Aviano to Vicenza. "You sit there at the hospital and you think constantly about your guys and what is going on. And when you finally get to see them and you know that they are OK, it is definitely awesome."

1913Intel.com has picked an essay from Stratfor.com relating to bilateral relations between China and Russia. (Thus I have accomplished part of my due diligence of giving credit to who credit is due.)

 

Now you really need to read this essay by Peter Zeihan entitled, “China and Russia’s Geographic Divide”.

 

BUT before you do read Zeihan’s essay you need to have some thoughts in the back of your mind.

 

Consider that Russia (as the USSR) was a fomenter of instability in the Middle East during the Cold War rallying Mohammedan Nations with huge arms sales in the Islamofascist quest to wipe Israel off the map. Fortunately American sold weaponry (with Israeli innovation) was far superior to the old Soviet weaponry. It was fortunate because the little slice of Land known as Israel repeatedly defeated invading Mohammedan Armies from the North, West, South and (kind-of) East. So much were the Israeli victories that Israel re-attained some of their ancient heritage which America and the West is currently pressuring Israel to give up.

 

With the end of the Cold War and the downfall of Soviet Communism, the large installments of weaponry have not been forthcoming from Russia. On the other hand America was attacked by Islamofascist terrorists on American soil which has led America to become embroiled in an anti-terrorist Global War on Terror (GWOT) concentrated mostly in the Middle East.

 

Russia has taken this opportunity to trade technology more than weaponry. Sadly this has been with rogue nations Iran (primarily) and Syria. It is Russia that is aiding Iran with nuclear training lying to the world that Iran is going nuclear for peaceful purposes. Thus Russia has made every effort in the U.N. Security Council to water down harsh sanction to Iran just as Russia did with Iraq when Iraq was the recipient of technology. There is no smoking gun on WMD in Iraq but it is fairly common knowledge that Russia Special Forces smuggled the chemical WMD out of Iraq just prior or during the American invasion and HUGE amounts of weapons grade uranium was recently transported to Canada for peaceful processing.

 

Then there is China. China is also on the U.N. Security Council and its story is similar to Russia. China has been selling weapons in exchange for oil to Iran. And I suspect to old Saddam Hussein as well under the table so to speak (On the link scroll down to “What did Iraq buy with the money?”).

 

Thus there is the appearance that Russia and (still Communist) China are in cahoots for oil reasons AND geopolitical reasons to offset the hegemony of America. Like I said though, it is an “appearance.”

 

Peter Zeihan demonstrates with a little history and a little observation of China and Russia’s National Interest such an appearance of an alliance might be more illusion than reality.

 

Now you are prepared to READ “China and Russia’s Geographic Divide.”

 

JRH 7/23/08

 

1913Intel.com has picked an essay from Stratfor.com relating to bilateral relations between China and Russia. (Thus I have accomplished part of my due diligence of giving credit to who credit is due.)

 

Now you really need to read this essay by Peter Zeihan entitled, “China and Russia’s Geographic Divide”.

 

BUT before you do read Zeihan’s essay you need to have some thoughts in the back of your mind.

 

Consider that Russia (as the USSR) was a fomenter of instability in the Middle East during the Cold War rallying Mohammedan Nations with huge arms sales in the Islamofascist quest to wipe Israel off the map. Fortunately American sold weaponry (with Israeli innovation) was far superior to the old Soviet weaponry. It was fortunate because the little slice of Land known as Israel repeatedly defeated invading Mohammedan Armies from the North, West, South and (kind-of) East. So much were the Israeli victories that Israel re-attained some of their ancient heritage which America and the West is currently pressuring Israel to give up.

 

With the end of the Cold War and the downfall of Soviet Communism, the large installments of weaponry have not been forthcoming from Russia. On the other hand America was attacked by Islamofascist terrorists on American soil which has led America to become embroiled in an anti-terrorist Global War on Terror (GWOT) concentrated mostly in the Middle East.

 

Russia has taken this opportunity to trade technology more than weaponry. Sadly this has been with rogue nations Iran (primarily) and Syria. It is Russia that is aiding Iran with nuclear training lying to the world that Iran is going nuclear for peaceful purposes. Thus Russia has made every effort in the U.N. Security Council to water down harsh sanction to Iran just as Russia did with Iraq when Iraq was the recipient of technology. There is no smoking gun on WMD in Iraq but it is fairly common knowledge that Russia Special Forces smuggled the chemical WMD out of Iraq just prior or during the American invasion and HUGE amounts of weapons grade uranium was recently transported to Canada for peaceful processing.

 

Then there is China. China is also on the U.N. Security Council and its story is similar to Russia. China has been selling weapons in exchange for oil to Iran. And I suspect to old Saddam Hussein as well under the table so to speak (On the link scroll down to “What did Iraq buy with the money?”).

 

Thus there is the appearance that Russia and (still Communist) China are in cahoots for oil reasons AND geopolitical reasons to offset the hegemony of America. Like I said though, it is an “appearance.”

 

Peter Zeihan demonstrates with a little history and a little observation of China and Russia’s National Interest such an appearance of an alliance might be more illusion than reality.

 

Now you are prepared to READ “China and Russia’s Geographic Divide.”

 

JRH 7/23/08

 

From Tony Mazeika's newsletter:

Last week  (not sure of date) there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington , DC , filled to capacity by many of America 's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California . He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.

Eight Methods for the Destruction of the United States by former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm

"If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"