This is your chance to show your devotion to the men and women serving in our all volunteer military. Exercise your First Amendment right to Free Speech by joining us on the sidewalk of 7th Street in Saint Paul tomorrow, Labor Day, September 1st. Bring a small American flag and pick up one of our "Victory Over Terrorism" signs and greet the anti-war protesters with a warm "Minnesota Nice" smile.
I regret that the Victory Sign campaign and my very sick Labrador Retriever "Bear" has kept me to busy to write on world events. America was told after the fall of the Soviet Union that we no longer faced nuclear or military danger. The "Peace Dividend" resulted in more government spending on social programs to enslave voters to government handouts while cutting our military forces by nearly two thirds to pay for those programs.
Along comes 9-11 and our world changed because of global and state sponsored terrorism. Although we still have a 2 million man military (Active, Guard & Reserve) we find we only have 10 Active Army divisions. Fighting a two front war in Iraq and Afghanistan has left us with virtually the same combat troops revolving into and out of these theaters with only a year back home before redeploying somewhere.
To prove what a turbulent and violent world we still live in we have seen a political leader assassinated in Pakistan and its President resignation, Iran attempting to develop nuclear weapons while unleashing surrogate armies like Hezbolla against free nations, and Russia attacking its neighbor Georgia while bulling Eastern Europe and the Ukraine over oil and natural gas.
Now America is deciding on who will be our next President and leader of the "Free World." This is not the time to choose a naive and untested politician who speaks in sound bites that have no substance or true understanding of the evil that confronts this world. For the sake of our national security we better go with an experience candidate, John McCain!
Yesterday we gave away 1,875 of the initial order of 2,000 "Victory Over Terrorism" signs. Again, I want to thank the Minnesota American Legion, the Minnesota Disabled American Veterans, and all those who volunteered their time and their support in making this initial printing and distribution possible. I would also like to thank Stephano's Restaurant, and the many members of Families United, Minnesota Vets for Freedom and the Minnesota Blue Star Mom's who stopped yesterday to get a sign or two.
The donations by those who picked up signs were extremely generous. We are going back to the printer to purchase an additional 3,000 signs for distribution before and on September 1, 2008 in Saint Paul.
Your support has guaranteed that when the anti-war, anti-military, anti-capitalism & anti-America crowd marches on the Excel Energy Center during the Republican National Convention, they will face thousands of patriotic American's holding the "Victory" signs and showing their support for our brave men and women in service to our nation.
Deb and I thank you all for standing up and being counted.
Tom Hauser from KSTP - TV 5 will run a story on this evenings (Monday) news about the Victory Over Terrorism sign effort.
MINNESOTA SUPPORT OUR TROOPS COALITION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 7, 2008
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - The Minnesota Support Our Troops Coalition, that brought you the 30,000 "LIBERATE IRAQ - SUPPORT OUR TROOPS lawn sign campaign in 2003, is at it again. This time the Coalition, with the help of Minnesota’s American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars, are printing thousands of signs that read “VICTORY OVER TERRORISM – LET OUR SOLDIERS WIN!”
At noon on September 1, the anti-war crowd claims they’ll have upwards of 50,000 marching from the Minnesota Capitol Building to the Excel Energy Center where the Republican National Convention, at the Excel Energy Center in Saint Paul.
We are asking everyone who supports our men and women in uniform defending America in the War on Terror to line the streets from the Excel Center with our signs. It is our way of being "Minnesota Nice" and wishing these protesters a "nice day in Minnesota." We encourage no discussion or verbal exchange with the demonstrators - only a pleasant “smile!
You can pick up a sign as long as the initial order lasts on Saturday, August 16th, in the parking lot of STEPHANO'S Restaurant, the corner of Highway 13 and Cliff Road (across from Walgreen's) from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM. Please arrive early since we are printing a limited number. Your donations will be greatly appreciated and will allow us to print more signs.
Buried deep in many newspapers today is the revelation that leaders of Al-Qaeda in Iraq have decided to flee to Afghanistan while the getting was good. Intelligence gathered from captured Al-Qaeda leaders indicate that there is a potential shift in priority as to where the main Al-Qaeda effort will be fought, Iraq vs Afghanistan. Seems too many of their terrorist buddies have been meeting untimely deaths or have been captured by the new Iraqi Army and our Coalition Forces. So some have fled into Iran on their way to Afghanistan.
Now surprise here, our soldiers in Iraq have been saying it for months now. The main stream media finally has been forced to report that the "surge" has worked. Iraqi's have more security, far less sectarian violence, their economy is beginning to flourish and Iraqi security forces have proven their ability to protect their people. Too bad that Barack Obama just can't bring himself to admitting it, but he's afraid of the spanking he would get from MoveOn.org, Code Pink and the Daily Kos folks. Now that's "change & leadership" for you!
Iraq became the major focus of Al-Qaeda's efforts to confront the United States when in 2003, Al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin-Ladin declared he would defeat the US in Iraq. Since then Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni based insurgency, has met with set back after set back as the Iraqi Government and Army has grown. The Iraqi Army has nearly 200 battalions in the fight and has greatly increased local security through the Sons of Iraq (SOI) program. The SOI program has grown to over 100,000 strong. It was only after the increase in US troops with the commitment of "the surge" that Sunni Sheiks came forward to commit to fighting Al-Qaeda. Now, US casualties are at their lowest point since the start of the war in March 2003.
We are winning. Now let our soldiers finish the job!
A good friend of mine and a fellow member of Minnesota Vets for Freedom, Jason Meszaros has a great Opinion piece in todays Saint Paul Pioneer Press (here) on the importance of winning in Iraq. Jason served in OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afghanistan in 2004.
Jason is right on when he says our mission in Iraq is not about partisan politics. I agree with Jason when he says must establish free, democratic, secure and stable nations in both Iraq and Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda and win the global war on terror.
Our change in tactics "the Surge" is working and the main stream media has acknowledge that fact. For any politician to say differently is wrong and blatantly partisan.
I have been getting some interesting e-mail from some very strange people. The most creative is the one at the bottom. Maybe some of my readers would like to drop them a line or two. These idiots show about as much "support to the military" as Barack Obama did in Germany last week! I wonder if they wear flag pins?
davebourgeois@mac.com
“Thanks Joe. Say it with me: "president Obama." I know it's tough for racists to say it.”
“Glad to see you're so pro military. You must have been a John Kerry supporter.”
robinmichael@verizon.net
“You do sound like an angry white man.”
“I do worry about people like you that have such thick skulls that your thinking is Neanderthal-like – enough to hunt and eat, but not enough to care for others.”
boblegere@roadrunner.com
“You support Bush a failure and a liar, and now you want us to support McCain, an old incompetant. The biggest military threat is the economy.
Open your eyes, the military industrial complex is your problem, a great President was able to see the enemy, some 50 years ago.”
wibint@aol.com
“You're a moron. Rant on. McCain will lose.”
hesiod_2k@yahoo.com
“How do you sleep at night knowing that you are such a disgrace to the armed forces you once proudly served? You have no honor.”
”Since you obviously cannot beat Barack Obama in a fair fight and with an honest discussion of policy differences, you have resorted to outright lying and disingenuous, hypocritical attacks. Shame on you.”
“If you have a shred of decency or honor, you will retract what you said and resign from the McCain campaign or disavow any further participation in it.”
ragin12@bellsouth.net
“I find your comments to be absolutely racist. You must have been a very light colonel in the KKK. Really you probably graduated at the bottom of your class, as demonstrated by the way you spell. I'm happy you're for McSame. Maybe you all can coddle each other after November and tell racist jokes. You Lose. LOL”
triperegrin@yahoo.com
“John McCain is not fit to be president. Joe, please listen, pay attention, and you too will support Obama.”
Planetjeffy
“Joe, I've read all you writings - good work. After reading everything, I can tell you might want to join a group like this - http://online.logcabin.org/ They might help you deal with your anger issues, by getting in touch with your real feelings. Much love, pj”
What many of us bloggers have been saying, and what the Saint Paul police spokesman has been denying, is that the anti - war crowd is planning to illegally disrupt the RNC convention. For all practical purposes they now openly admit it (here) in this Star Tribune article.
All anyone needs to do is to surf the web to see how many groups are planning lawless attacks to disrupt the RNC. They will put up road blocks, they will stop traffic, they will attack those attending the RNC and they will openly riot if allowed the chance. Look what they did in Seattle at the World Trade Meeting or in Anoka just a few weeks ago at a war materials plant. Someone better start listening and planning for the worse. The idea that these anarchists are going to play "Minnesota Nice" is a pipe dream.
We don't have enough police hired to do the job in Saint Paul or Minneapolis for that matter. It's going to look really bad for the Minnesota and the RNC when Governor Tim Pawlenty is forced to bring out the National Guard to stop the riots the police were not prepared to handle.
In the military we are taught it is always better to be over prepared then under prepared. Wake up Mayor Coleman before you have a disaster on your hands.
