Nice to know the US Media doesn't consider this news

Winning Isn't News
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Monday, July 07, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Iraq: What would happen if the U.S. won a war but the media didn't tell the American public? Apparently, we have to rely on a British newspaper for the news that we've defeated the last remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq.
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London's Sunday Times called it "the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror." A terrorist force that once numbered more than 12,000, with strongholds in the west and central regions of Iraq, has over two years been reduced to a mere 1,200 fighters, backed against the wall in the northern city of Mosul.
The destruction of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) is one of the most unlikely and unforeseen events in the long history of American warfare. We can thank President Bush's surge strategy, in which he bucked both Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington by increasing our forces there instead of surrendering.
We can also thank the leadership of the new general he placed in charge there, David Petraeus, who may be the foremost expert in the world on counter-insurgency warfare. And we can thank those serving in our military in Iraq who engaged local Iraqi tribal leaders and convinced them America was their friend and AQI their enemy.
Al-Qaida's loss of the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis began in Anbar Province, which had been written off as a basket case, and spread out from there.
Now, in Operation Lion's Roar the Iraqi army and the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is destroying the fraction of terrorists who are left. More than 1,000 AQI operatives have already been apprehended.
Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, traveling with Iraqi forces in Mosul, found little AQI presence even in bullet-ridden residential areas that were once insurgency strongholds, and reported that the terrorists have lost control of its Mosul urban base, with what is left of the organization having fled south into the countryside.
Meanwhile, the State Department reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government has achieved "satisfactory" progress on 15 of the 18 political benchmarks - a big change for the better from a year ago.
Things are going so well that Maliki has even for the first time floated the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. He did so while visiting the United Arab Emirates, which over the weekend announced that it was forgiving almost $7 billion of debt owed by Baghdad - an impressive vote of confidence from a fellow Arab state in the future of a free Iraq.
But where are the headlines and the front-page stories about all this good news? As the Media Research Center pointed out last week, "the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 were silent Tuesday night about the benchmarks" that signaled political progress.
The war in Iraq has been turned around 180 degrees both militarily and politically because the president stuck to his guns. Yet apart from IBD, Fox News Channel and parts of the foreign press, the media don't seem to consider this historic event a big story.

Stop don't stare

And the countdown has begun: 6 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes.
Found in this week's Sgt Grit Newsletter:
Sgt Grit, I found this on www.downrange.tv a forum for shooters and gun owners Thomas B.
The USMC in Afghanistan.....
This provides a little insight into the modern Marine Corps fighting terrorists. This is from a Reconnaissance Marine currently in Afghanistan. He talks like a Marine in the field- and he is worthy of our thoughts and prayers as are all of our military deployed in some God-forsaken place.
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush mountains along the Dar 'yoi Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.
I also glance at the area around my a$s every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but them scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a b*stard.
The antidote tastes like transmission fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement.
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin.
I dream of Bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit a bloody ear into his face and plunge my nickel-plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me. I'm a romantic. I've said it before and Ill say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government. This is an inhospitable, rockpit, sh!thole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of em, are Huns. Actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. Its what they do. Its ALL they do.
They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five- year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each others barbarism. Cavemen with AK 47's. Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my a$s off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours.
Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban 'smart.' They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is 'cunning.' The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I'm good at it. Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives.
The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullsh!t and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here because you have no idea what we're doing and, really, you don't want to know. We are your military and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
You wanna help? Buy Bonds America.
Saucy Jack
Semper Fidelis
ANSWERS to the astronomy quiz:
1. Since 1976 NASA has been landing spacecraft on which of the following planets?Mars NASA's Phoenix Lander just set down on Mars in May 2008. There were a number of prior missions, starting in the 1970s.


2. Which of the following is no longer considered a planet? Pluto In 2006, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto didn't meet all the criteria for a planet. Now there are, officially, eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.


3. What is considered essential for life on any planet? Liquid water The search for water is a major reason for the current mission to Mars, which is looking for evidence of water and other conditions that could have supported life.


4. What is a blue moon? The second full moon in a calendar month The expression "once in a blue moon" comes from the fact that blue moons are rare.


5. Which telescope is currently orbiting in space? NASA's Hubbell Space Telescope The Hubbell telescope is in orbit around Earth. The Mt. Palomar telescope is near San Diego, California, and the twin Keck telescopes are at the top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii.


6. A comet is made of which of the following materials? Ice and dust Comets have a head composed of dust and ice. They are often described as "dirty snowballs."


7. What is a constellation? Stars that just look like a pattern from Earth but may have no relationship to one another Constellations are named patterns of stars. Many cultures, including the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, named the patterns after animals and objects.


8. The Big Dipper is part of which constellation? Ursa Major (Big Bear) The tip of the Big Dipper's handle forms the Bear's nose! Even though the Big Dipper isn't a constellation, it's one of the most widely recognized configurations in the sky.


9. How many stars are believed to be in a galaxy? Millions, billions, or more stars A galaxy is a big system of stars, gas, dust, and other elements that are gravitationally bound to one another and travel together. It consists of millions, billions, or more stars.


10. Our solar system is in which galaxy? The Milky Way Our galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of about two hundred billion stars. The word galaxy derives from gala, the Greek word for milk.


11. Which constellation includes five stars that form the letter W? Cassiopeia Cassiopeia can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere near the North Star. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was Andromeda's mother.


12. Which planet is known as the "evening star"? Venus Venus, while a planet, is brighter than most stars, Sometimes it is visible after sunset. At other times it is visible before sunrise. Then it is called the "morning star."


13. What is a shooting star or falling star? A meteor The bright streak of light created when a piece of rock or metal falls to Earth is called a "meteor" or "shooting star." The light is caused by heat created from air friction.


14. In 1962, who became the first American to orbit Earth? John Glenn In 1962, John Glenn orbited Earth three times. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first people ever to walk on the Moon. In 1983, Sally Ride was the first woman to orbit Earth.

Happy 232nd Marines

It's another year, and another birthday for the Marines. It's been 232 years since they were founded at Tun Tavern, Pennsylvania.

Wherefore many men have gone

Recently, someone told me that most Marines are idiots, that "They are called Jarheads for a reason". I was pissed. Course I was already in a bad day and kept my mouth shut instead of spouting off. But I wished I knew a Marine I could call up and have them come over and educate this person.
I'm reading my Marine newsletter from 2 weeks ago, and that quote was just ringing in my head.
Ever notice how it's the uneducated (about that subject) who feel the need to speak bullshit/crap on a subject they know nothing about?

How can you call this redemption?

As most of y'all know I love the military (if I have to explain it to ya, you shouldn't be in this country), especially the Marines (if I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand). For the last hour I have been reading one of the things I look forward to every week. It makes my life so much more enjoyable. What is it? It's the Marine newsletter. Go here to read it.
The letters that touched me the most this week were a few that described how badly they were treated when returning from Vietnam, in great detail; one from a Marine about how he felt connected to his great ancestors who fought in the Civil War; one about how his daughter was transformed through boot camp and training; a newspaper article on a Marine who fought in World War I, one from a Marine who went out of his way to drive another Marine to see his parents before he was shipped out, and how upset his girlfriend was for going out of his way; one from a Marine who still gets goosebumps when he sees Marines graduate at Parris Island; one from a Marine talking about the brotherhood between Marines of different eras and wars.
I've read this newsletter for years, I really don't know how long, at least throughout my college years, if not before.

Some new blogs I stumbled over this week: a couple who write about their experiences together and their work. Nothing really different from most people's but I find them pretty interesting. I'm adding them to my links on the side. Flat Coke and Flies and Bat Shit Crazy . So check those out.

Oh, and did you hear the great news? Armed and Famous is over. Thank God. I hate watching shows that pretend to be real, but are so obviously fake.
Among other TV news (yeah not really news, but deal with it), I hate FOX lately. Cops is delayed and Bones was delayed because of college basketball. Everyone else gets to watch these shows when they're broadcast (at their regular times), me I have to wait until 9:30, and God forbid I be watching something else at 9:00, because FOX has to have their damn news at 9:00. AAARRGGHHH!!! Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just means there will be a bit of delay (again) in my cops posting until college basketball doesn't fall on a Saturday night.
And, I think I've become less interested in CSI (the original) since, Grissom left for his 4-week sabatacal (or however the hell you spell it) I just have't been interested in taping it lately. Not a problem when I get to watch Supernatural and not have to deal with having to watch it later.

No matter how much time I have

It's the United States Marine Corps 231st Birthday today. Thank you to all Marines for protecting my Country

And here's a card for the Marines.

I wish for just one minute, I could see your pretty face

OK, so I'm a bad person. After telling y'all to buy that other calendar, I've decided not to buy it. But, just because I'm not a half-naked guy kinda chick. Instead go buy this one or this one. I'm not saying I'm in favor or not in favor of the war. I really am not gonna go there, it's way too painful and heated arguments start that way. Just check out these two calendars, they're only $13.

Truth or consequences, say it aloud

All right ladies, you have to go here and buy the calendar. I guess the guys can buy it for their ladies, I bet you'll make them extremely happy. It's a calendar of Marines (very yummy ones), it's only $15 and the money goes to disabled veterans, pays for bed, prosthetic limbs, etc. What a better way to spend your money, and a great thing to get for your money.
I stumbled upon this when I went to set up my tape for Survivor tonight. Cause we're getting our driveway paved and the guys that were doing it were very yummy looking (not that you could see that much of them since it's like 30 degrees out, but I was entertained, in more than one way). Anywho, that was why I was late setting up my VCR. So I go to set it up, and you know there's that millisecond between pushing the menu button and when you turn on the VCR, well it was on CBS, and the Today Show was wrapping up, and they had military, which I learned seconds later were Marines, which makes the everything so much better. Anyways they were talking about this calendar and I think you all should buy it.
So go HERE, for a very yummy calendar
And go here for a nice interview on the Today Show. Oh those are yummy guys.

She gon' rock them VVS stones

This is the last one for today, I promise

Yeah, so as most of you all know, I LOVE THE MARINE CORPS, or if you didn't you do now. I love all the armed forces, but I LOVE THE MARINE CORPS, I'm not sure why yet, but I do know that some people would say, cause their the best, which is what I do tell people. Though I'm still not sure how I got to loving them. I have pictures, subscribe to the online newsletter through Sgt Grit, get his seasonly catalog, and ordered (have now), the 230th Birthday Commemorative silver dollar that the US Mint produced last year (paid $35 dollars for it), so yeah, I kinda like them.

I don't know how many of you keep track of upcoming movies, but there's a new one coming out called "Flags of our Fathers" about the flag raising on Iwo Jima. I've decided I really wanna see that movie, and then buy it when it comes out on DVD/video.