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.
Is time running out to peaceably deal with Iran on their nuclear program? I've written before that many in the intelligence business openly feel that Israel is preparing to strike Iran's nuclear and long range missile sites. That possibility was confirmed by Barack Obama after his meeting in Israel two weeks ago when he reported back to Democrats in the Senate that Israel will strike Iran if sanctions don't work.
The New York Times reports the latest chest thumping by Iran (here), where they continue to threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz and attack shipping in the Persian Gulf. Time does appear to be running out since Iran last Saturday rejected the latest offer of incentives to end their nuclear enrichment program by the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain.
When dealing with religious and political fanatics, sanctions don't always work. They didn't work with Iraq or with North Korea. Unlike the situation leading to North Korea developing a nuclear bomb, there is another suspected nuclear armed country (Israel) who will take action on their own if the civilized world doesn't have the backbone to do it. As I have stated before, the Jewish nation will not risk the near annihilation it experienced in the 1930's & 40's at the hand of Hitler's Germany. They will strike first to eliminate this threat liked they did against Iraq's nuclear plant in the 1980's.
Again, this puts the US is in a no win situation. We will get blamed and our interests will be attack regardless of our involvement once the attack takes place. Iran will unleash Hezbollah and Shia extremists throughout the Middle East and the world. Many Persian Gulf nations will denounce Israel publicly, but applaud their actions privately because they also fear a nuclear armed Iran. Once again, I predict that Israel will take action shortly after their September elections and before the US elections in November. Unfortunately, I don't see this being resolved diplomatically.
If this isn't reason to hold on to our petroleum reserves and not to release part of it as Barack Obama has asked for, I don't know what is!
Afghanistan remains on the target list of the Taliban some six years after they were sent fleeing into the mountains. Now they are regrouping and rebuilding in the safety of the tribal regions of Western Pakistan. Today's New York Times has an interesting evaluation of the status of the Afghan War (here).
The major problem in our effort to totally eliminate the repressive Taliban is their freedom of movement of men and supplies across the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our continued pressure on the Pakistan government has yet to stop the training camps, terrorist recruiting, supply points and safe areas within the Pakistan border because of tribal alliances that date back decades. NATO and the US can not openly invade Western Pakistan without possibly causing the overthrow of the Pakistan government. We are using limited air strikes against targets in that region, but that has produced limited success.
The Taliban seem content to use hit and run tactics against NATO troops in Afghanistan while they wait for NATO to grow tired of the war and depart the field of battle. At that point the Taliban plans to resurface and take back control of Afghanistan.
The key to Afghanistan's survival is an "awakening" similar to that in Iraq. Once the Afghanistan government produces a military and police force in adequate number and loyal to them and not a tribal alliance, progress can be made. A large increase of US or NATO troops will not solve the problem, but might buy time for the Afghani people to provide for their own safety and security.
Israel is convinced that Iran is on the verge of a "major breakthrough" (here) on it's quest to develop a nuclear weapon. With the decision of the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to not run in the Israeli elections in September, the situation appears to be at a point of action for the Israel government. There is a good chance that the new Israeli Prime Minister will be less likely to continue the hide and seek game of diplomacy that Iraq has been playing with the United Nations and European leaders.
Israel has openly tested their military's ability to make long tactical strikes. Israel also has every reason to be skeptical of a change of government in the United States in November. Many in the intelligence business are becoming more convinced that Israel will strike militarily at Iran's nuclear and long range missile facilities before the US elections on November 4, 2008. This would force both Barack Obama and John McCain to side with Israel or risk losing the US Jewish vote.
The Jewish people will not go quietly into the night as they did in the 1930's and 1940's.
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!
