The Political Conundrum!

..and I don’t mean by just sticking a yellow magnet on the bumper of your car either.

The awesome folks over at Soldier’s Angels are at it again. It is that time of the year to raise money for Valour-IT. The history of Valour-IT is the following:

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss’ fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of providing laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss (now a Major) and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.

In the years since its founding in 2005, the project has acted to meet emerging needs and its mission of supporting the the severely wounded has expanded. In addition to voice-controlled laptops, Valour-IT now helps provide active and whole-body video games such as Wii Sports, which is used to great effect in physical therapy, and personal GPS systems that help compensate for short-term memory loss and organizational/spacial challenges common in those with brain injuries.

Some more info on Valour-IT:
Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of November 2008, Valour-IT has distributed over 2700 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery.

Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support our mission, but also offers a sponsorship option for laptops. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.

I encourage you to click here to donate on behalf of Team Army.

Back on Sunday, November 9th the Doonesbury cartoon published by my good friend Garry Trudeau riled up some feathers in the military and milblog community. Another friend, Uncle Jimbo over at blackfive.net expressed his opinion on the cartoon which was less than flattering. I read Uncle Jimbo’s comments and then read the cartoon.

I have to admit that I was not really encouraged but what I saw in the strip either. Rather than rant about, I forwarded on the blackfive.net link to Garry to let him know how it was being perceived by some. I also told him I was a little concerned. In addition to the concern I had, I was confused becuase I know Garry and I know how much he supports and cares about American’s men and women in uniform. I sat there with him in a Fisher House spending hours talking with and being impressed by many wounded warriors and their families.

After sending my email to Garry, he responded quickly. I asked him if I could quote him on his email and he said that was fine. The reason I asked him was becuase I think his explanation made sense and it explained what was in his mind as he drafted the strip. I was also very impressed that he took the time out of his busy schedule to respond so quickly. I think that is a testament to how much he cares about soldiers. I have no doubt that he has received a lot of hate mail, etc. over the years and I am sure he does not explain himself to all of them.

So after pointing Garry to Jimbo’s comments, Garry replied with:

“Context is everything, and those who merely sample Doonesbury will take away from it what they’re predisposed to. Regular readers know that one of the reasons that B.D. sought treatment for PTSD was that he overheard his own daughter saying she’d become afraid of him since he returned home from Iraq. They also know that B.D. has had alcohol abuse issues. In this strip, B.D. comes into a bar early, too early, in the day. The bartender subtlety references other vets he sees with substance abuse issues and wonders about his own role as an enabler. B.D. sees himself in that scenario, turns on his heels and leaves the bar. Without accusing him of anything, a caring bartender has helped B.D. recognize that he might have been slipping back into self-destructive behavior.

It does no one any good to pretend that these issues don’t exist, that some veterans don’t have readjustment problems upon returning home. The last four years I have worked pretty hard to point out what some of those problems are so that, 1) the general public has a greater awareness of the nature of PTSD and other challenges veterans face, and 2) to help foster the kind of open conversation we need to destigmatize soldiers struggling with mental health and other disability issues.”

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a video recording from an emerging Palestinian Al-Qaida faction based in the Gaza Strip, Jaish al-Ummah ("The Army of the Islamic Nation"), claiming responsibility for rocket attacks on the town of Ashkelon and other Israeli targets on November 14, 2008. The video includes footage of the purported launch of the rockets, and a statement read by two masked militants in front of the official banner used by Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI). The spokesmen indicated that the rocket bombardment, labeled "The Battle of Abdul Rashid Ghazi", had been carried out in honor of the late head cleric at Lal Masjid (a.k.a. "The Red Mosque") in Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghazi was killed on July 10, 2007 during a raid on the besieged Islamabad mosque by Pakistani military forces. During their recorded communiqué, the two Jaish al-Ummah militants also hailed the victories of their fellow "brethren" in various other locales, including Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The video can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website.

Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA) may perceive itself as ready to emerge from the shadows.

A leaflet credited to HTA was posted today to Khalifah.com, one of the few official Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) web sites. It is the first time that the global organization has formally acknowledged the existence of HTA.

The leaflet, originally dated October 28, 2008, is titled "Cooperate in Piety or Sin? Participation in the American Election." It calls for American Muslims not to participate in the U.S. presidential election.

In countries where HT has transitioned from a covert developmental phase to its public form it has been because the branch's membership was devoted enough to sustain potential resistance from local government agencies, its membership base was large enough to project the impression of strength, and it had influential members able to effectively persuade others of the party's objectives and methods for establishing an Islamic state.

Although we have been casually aware of HTA's presence for many years, and have seen unofficial acknowledgment of its existence by its own members, we have not seen a nation-wide public demonstration by HTA or any official web sites. Therefore, we do not have a measurable way to determine the size of HTA's membership or the depth of its influence. However, the official acknowledgment of HTA's existence, as demonstrated by the publication of the leaflet on the Khalifah web site, possibly shows that the HT leadership perceives HTA is solid enough to withstand public knowledge of its existence and the potential for additional scrutiny that comes with that knowledge.

Props to Blackfive for pointing me to a blog that had this listed on Veteran’s Day. There is so much truth here, that it is scary.

Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you’re too busy to talk to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it’s yours.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that’s what the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds’ ass that left you behind.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for a lifetime.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences…
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of…

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you’ve had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, ‘You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!’ Then carry you home safely and put you to bed …

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out of them — for using your name in vain.

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’, for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’

From one Veteran to another, it’s an honor to be in your Company.
Thank you Veteran!

Online education is increasingly attractive for military veterans, according to Denver-based Jones International University, a Web-exclusive institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. About 350 current or former soldiers are pursuing a degree at Jones, three times the number last year. The university has a total of 2,000 students.

Somali pirates hijacked a supertanker hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa, seizing the Saudi-owned ship loaded with crude and its 25-member crew, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

Pakistan sent troops armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns to escort trucks Monday along a major supply route for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, part of new security measures to combat militant attacks.

Pakistan sent troops armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns to escort trucks Monday along a major supply route for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, part of new security measures to combat militant attacks.

A U.S. military helicopter made a "hard landing" Saturday after hitting wires in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing two American Soldiers, the U.S. military said.