Not a Hero

Yesterday, former Marine Cpl. Lance Korkesh lost his appeal and was discharged from the Corps for wearing his uniform to an anti-war protest and for using disrespectful language to a superior officer. To the political Korkesh is looked upon as a hero.

If Kokesh is a hero, then the left's definition of that term is completely befuddled if not ridiculous.
Kokesh broke several long standing codes of honor in the service. Just because he took off his unit patch did not exempt him from the regulation stating that servicemembers will not wear a uniform to any official protest. He also used profanity towards a superior officer which is a breach of discipline. Kokesh also had contempt for one of the board members, a Chief Warrant Officer, who sat on his appeal. Kokesh stated that the Warrant should not have sat on his board because he is not a commissioned officer.

The last time I looked at the Navy/Marine Corps rank system, we called Chief Warrant Officers as 'sir' symbolizing that they are indeed officers. Chief Warrant Officers are normally senior enlisted personnel who have been granted a commission as officers due to their sustained superior performance.

I guess Kokesh and I serve in two different militaries?

Not only is Kokesh in need of a lesson in discipline but he also needs a course in officer recognition.

Kokesh is no hero and to call him one is dishonorable.

Duty is a 24 hour Job

In a recent Washington Post article, a US Marine reservist and Iraq War veteran has been charged with misconduct after appearing at an anti-war protest while wearing a uniform. In addition, he insulted a superior and used offensive language when told that he was violating regulations by wearing the uniform. The Marine, CPL Lance Kokesh, stated in his defense that "This is clearly a case of selective prosecution and intimidation of veterans who speak out against the war," Cpl. Kokesh said. "To suggest that while as a veteran, you don't have freedom of speech is absurd." In regards to his participation in the protest, Cpl. Kokesh argues that he was not representing the military at the protest in Washington, and he made that clear by removing his name tag and other military insignia from his uniform. Mr. Lebowitz said Cpl. Kokesh technically is a civilian unless recalled to active duty and had the right to be disrespectful in his response to the officer. He called the proceedings against Cpl. Kokesh highly unusual and said the military usually seeks to change a veteran's discharge status only if a crime has been committed.

Sadly, CPL Kokesh is mistaken for serving in the military is a 24 hour a day/7 day a week job. We are accountable for our behavior both on and off duty whether or not we wear a uniform or not. CPL Kokesh can be, and will be, held accountable for his remarks towards his superior and for dishonoring a uniform whose honor, he knows full well he is to uphold.

There is freedom of speech and those in the military are allowed to participate in protests but there are also rules and wearing a uniform at an official protest is one one of them. Why? Because by wearing a uniform he is endorsing a Marine Corps position. CPL Kokesh's position, however, is not the Marine Corps position. Therefore, he should not have worn his uniform and should have worn his street clothing to represent his own opinion.

CPL Kokesh is also a member of the group known as Iraq Veterans Against the War which has been known for pulling publicity stunts and for distributing false information such as the so-called veteran who published a video on You Tube where he talked about US attrocities in Iraq which were later proven to be false. The soldier in question was also discharged while in basic training and never served in Iraq at all.

An American Terrorist Says Hello

Hello. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Michael and I am a sailor in the United States Navy. I have served in the Navy for nearly 20 years. I am going to retire and go home to Philadelphia in December. I am, according to reknown TV personality, and apparent foreign policy and engineering expert, Rosie O'Donnell, a terrorist.

Over my term of service to my country, I have been called many things. Being in the Navy has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and to meet a variety of people. I have been called a 'hero' by Viet Nam vets and from a man who owned a restaraunt in Haifa, Israel. I was called 'friend' by a Greek in the city of Rhodes and was given many thanks from the citizens of New Orleans for helping them to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

I have defended the interests of my country in three different wars. In the First Gulf War, my command aided Kurdish refugees with humanitarian supplies. In the Balkans, I helped throw back the aggressive Serbs and put an end to their genocidal practices in Kosovo. In the Caribbean, I chased and helped capture drug smugglers who poison our children with their 'product'. In 2003, I participated in the overthrow of dictator, criminal and human rights abuser, Saddam Hussein. I returned to the Gulf in 2005 and resumed my mission. Everywhere I have gone, I have fought for liberty, the security and the safety of other people.

But, according to the wisdom of Rosie O'Donnell, I am a terrorist.

I strongly believe that Ms. O'Donnell is greatly mistaken in her concept and definition of just what a terrorist is. A terrorist, by Webster's dictionary, is one who uses terror to accomplish a political end. The only "end" I have pursued in my career is the safety of others and to defend them against aggression.

In the beleagured nation of Iraq, Islamic extremists have pursued a campaign to put an end to the spread of democracy in the Middle East. The insurgency is being funded and aided, militarily, by elements of the group known as Al-Qaeda and by the governments of Iran and Syria who fear a democratic regime on their doorstep.

In this extreme version of Islam, women would become slaves and the people would fall under the rule and whims of mullahs instead of being able to rule themselves. Their rights and liberties would be determined by a few instead of by the many.

Rosie O'Donnell is mistaken in her definition of the word terrorist; just as she is in a great number of things. Unlike these people, I do not believe in the selfish and dictatorial practices of 'one man rule'. I do not enforce my religious beliefs upon others. I do not blow up markets or kidnap people and leave their dead bodies laying in some river. I do not behead prisoners of war nor do I make threats against civilians.

Nor do any of my comrades in arms in the US Army, Air Force, Coast Guard or Marine Corps.

Unlike Rosie O'Donnell, I know what it is like to be dedicated to something and to show loyalty to my friends and co-workers. After seeing the world, I also know what it is like to not be able to enjoy the freedoms we do in a democratic society. Ms. O'Donnell would prefer it if American soldiers left Iraq to the wiles of Islamic extremists and the predatory desires of Iran and Syria. I would much prefer if the people of Iraq were allowed to determine their own path and to rule themselves freely.

I have been to Israel and the Middle East and have seen with my own eyes what real terrorists do to people and the society which they infiltrate. I know fully the difference between right and wrong; good and evil. I have seen, with my own eyes, the sacrifices people have been willing to make in the name of freedom and security.

But, still, according to the all wise and knowing Rosie O'Donnell I am a terrorist?

Ms. Rosie O'Donnell has no idea, whatsoever, what it means to 'sacrifice' for anything or for anyone. She is a selfish, self centered woman who allows her ignorance of facts to determine her beliefs. She relies not on truth but upon propaganda and malicious rumors and loudly relays them on national television. Ms. O'Donnell has no concept of just what a 'terrorist' is. She is not a journalist nor is she professional by any means and I recommend that she, at least, ask someone who has lived under terrorism just how they feel about it instead of just spouting off her own misled and misinformed opinions before the world.

I stand fully behind my friends and fellow servicemen in Iraq. They are good men and women doing a job that no one else who stayed behind on the safety of their sofas know anything about. I know this from having served side by side with these men and women for nearly 20 years. They are my friends, my comrades and my family. I don't betray either of those for anyone let alone for politics.

If I am a terrorist, then I am in very good company for I follow in the footsteps of those who gave their lives at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, the Somme, Iwo Jima, Chosin Resevoir and Viet Nam.

So, as they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, I repeat with tongue firmly planted in cheek, Hello, my name is Michael and I am an American terrorist. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Rudy Giuliani says he can represent Blue states

Former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who has come under fire from many on the conservative Republican side for his pro-abortion stance, states that he can represent both the Red and the Blue states; making it clear that he is a compromise candidate.

"My view of this race for president is that the Republican Party should not go into this election, as we have in the past, having to write off New York, Connecticut, New Jersey," he said. "We've got to make this a 50-state election." Recent polls from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed Giuliani leading the pack of Republicans and Democrats in both Connecticut and New Jersey. He trailed Clinton, 50 percent to 42 percent, in New York - the strongest showing of any Republican there. Part of Giuliani's plan, according to Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, "is to tweak Hillary at home - to say to the Republican base, which is decidedly anti-Clinton, anti-Hillary Clinton, that he can give her a run at home."

Click here to read more on this article.

Iraq Veteran no Veteran at All.

This is how far the left is willing to go to make our President and our country look bad.

A man who claimed in an anti-war video to have "slaughtered" hundreds of civilians while serving with the Army Rangers in Iraq faces federal charges of falsifying his record.
Jesse MacBeth, 23, alleged in a 20-minute production by a 1970s antiwar activist he personally killed 200 civilians, many of them at close range, while on patrols with the Army Rangers during 16 months in Iraq before being discharged due to wounds.

click here to read more on this story.

What is Wrong with People?

It is with great sadness that I read the story about the young mother in Philadelphia who placed her dead baby in the trunk of her car. As I read the story I have to ask myself what is wrong with people? We live in a society where tragedy seems to have become an everyday event in our schools and neighborhoods, and because of it, people are becoming more and more apathetic towards their surroundings. You would think that all of this would have just the opposite effect and make people more aware and want to help but it is not. We are becoming numb towards the value of a human life or the welfare of our neighbors. We seem to place more value upon personal belongings and societal status than we do about each other and this is a sad state of affairs.

When I grew up, my neighbors knew whose child I was and would watch and report my doings to my mother and father. I was never afraid to go to a neighbor for help. It was also not uncommon for me to be brought by the ear by my neighbors to them when I did something wrong. Nowadays, people just want to mind their own business.

The idea of a community is fast slipping away as we become more isolationist in our ways. I wonder why this young woman could not go to anyone for help? Why, if she was pregnant, could she not talk to someone? I'm puzzled completely.

The full story, of course, has not been told concerning the reason how the baby died and why it was placed in the trunk of the car. It is even more bizarre that the young woman, a freshman in college, did not have the common sense to go to the authorities or to a local hospital. But, I believe that something is seriously wrong with our society.

Know Your Coffee

I love coffee. I drink every morning and at least once more in the afternoon. The best coffee I have ever had has been in a cafe in Hania, Crete. I believe it was Turkish coffee. Anyway, Men's Health has a great article about coffee and coffee etiquette.