Charges Dismissed On Another Haditha Marine

Via Sweetness and Light. Charges have now been dismissed on five of the eight Marines accused of various crimes in the Haditha Iraq incident. From day one I did not think these highly trained Marine infantryman had done anything except their job. Jack Murtha who is yet to apologize or even comment as each case gets dismissed should resign immediately. As a former Marine, Murtha is the only ex-Marine I have ever seen. This most recent dismissal combined with the internal witch hunt that was written about earlier this week will lead to dismissal of all charges against the last 3 Marines. Semper Fi

From: XXXXXX
To: XXXXXXX
Subject: LCpl Stephen Tatum
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:06:03 -0500
All charges were dismissed with prejudice against LCpl Tatum this morning, on the day his trial was to begin on allegations stemming from actions in Haditha, Iraq on 19 November 2005. The government said it was done to further the truth seeking function. We emphasize that LCpl Tatum will testify truthfully if called as a witness but there is no deal for his testimony. It became clear to the experienced prosecution team that the right thing to do was to dismiss all charges against LCpl Tatum. We believe the evidence shows that LCpl Tatum reacted to an enemy attack the way he was trained to do.
This result is consistent with the recommendation of the Article 32 investigating officer who recommended last summer that no court-martial be held in this case.
JACK B. ZIMMERMANN
KYLE R. SAMPSON
LTCOL MATTHEW W. CORD, USMCR
MAJ JEFFREY V. MUÑOZ, USMC

Fake Military Heroes

Great video with Steve Robinson who works with the POW Network that exposes fake military hero’s.
Click the title to see the POW Network web site.

Endeavour Home Safely

Captain Dominic Gorie, USN, (ret) makes it look easy as he bring Endeavor to a perfect night landing at the Kennedy Space Center

MISLEADING REPORTS ABOUT ANTARCTICA

After the breathless reporting yesterday of the ice shelf that sheared off the Antarctic Peninsula. I thought a little truth on the subject, kind of the rest of the story was in order. Via Icecap

MISLEADING REPORTS ABOUT ANTARCTICA By Joseph D’Aleo, CCM
http://icecap.us
Last year when Antarctic set a new record for ice extent, it got no media attention. They focused on the north polar regions where the ice set record low levels. This summer when unprecedented anomalous cover continued in the Southern Hemisphere again no coverage. Then this report in the news today. You probably saw it on your favorite network or internet news site (pick one, anyone).
Vast Antarctic Ice Shelf on Verge of Collapse - Latest Sign of Global Warming’s Impact Shocks Scientists Andrea Thompson Livescience
Excerpt: A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off from the Antarctic Peninsula, the latest sign of global warming’s impact on Earth’s southernmost continent. Scientists are shocked by the rapid change of events. Glaciologist Ted Scambos of the University of Colorado was monitoring satellite images of the Wilkins Ice Shelf and spotted a huge iceberg measuring 25 miles by 1.5 miles (37 square miles) that appeared to have broken away from the shelf. Scambos alerted colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that it looked like the entire ice shelf - about 6,180 square miles (about the size of Northern Ireland)- was at risk of collapsing. The region where the Wilkins Ice Shelf lies has experienced unprecedented warming in the past 50 years, with several ice shelves retreating in the past 30 years. Six of these ice shelves have collapsed completely: Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and the Jones Ice Shelf. See MSNBC version of this story here.
Icecap Note: Let’s put this in perspective. The account may be misinterpreted by some as the ice cap or a significant (vast) portion is collapsing. In reality it and all the former shelves that collapsed are small and most near the Antarctic peninsula which sticks well out from Antarctica into the currents and winds of the South Atlantic and lies in a tectonically active region with surface and subsurface active volcanic activity. The vast continent has actually cooled since 1979. See full image here Source: NASA Earth Observatory
The full Wilkins 6,000 square mile ice shelf is just 0.39% of the current ice sheet (just 0.1% of the extent last September). Only a small portion of it between 1/100th-1/200th of Wilkins has separated so far, like an icicle falling off a snow and ice covered house. And
this winter is coming on quickly. In fact the ice is returning so fast, it is running an amazing 60% ahead (4.0 vs 2.5 million square km extent) of last year when it set a new record. The ice extent is already approaching the second highest level for extent since the measurements began by satellite in 1979 and just a few days into the Southern Hemisphere fall season and 6 months ahead of the peak. Wilkins like all the others that temporarily broke up will refreeze soon. We are very likely going to exceed last year’s record. Yet the world is left with the false impression Antarctica’s ice sheet is also starting to disappear. See full image here. Source: The Cryosphere Today
One Icecap reader calls attention to a new paper (Glasser et al, 2008) identifying some of the other natural processes that can lead to these ice sheet breaks, in this case Larsen B

Haditha Marines, Where They Set Up For Show Trials?

Another sad day for the military when the brass is worried about public opinion rather than being up front and honest, article via Newsmax. Click the title for a link to the Thomas More Law Center and more information. http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=63
Haditha Bombshell: Pentagon Had Secret Committee
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:51 PM

By: Philip V. Brennan
A shadow legal body was set up by the Defense Department to manipulate the prosecutions of U.S. Marines accused of massacring Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005.
That’s the bombshell disclosure from the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm that is representing one of the accused Marines, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.
And it could prove to be the most damning piece of evidence showing the political motivations behind the ongoing prosecutions of the Haditha Marines.
“The hysteria and media firestorm over Abu Ghraib and the Pat Tillman investigations led to fear of a similar media reaction to the Haditha incident, causing the military’s civilian bosses to set up this shadow oversight body,” Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Law Center, told Newsmax. “This extraordinary action politicized the military justice system and was a clear signal to top generals that they were expected to hold individuals criminally responsible. The investigation turned into a quest for a prosecution — not justice.”
The shadow legal body included the senior official or a representative from the offices of the Under Secretaries of the Army and the Navy, General Counsel to the Department of Defense, and the Staff Judge Advocate of the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corps separately set up “Legal Team Charlie” to prosecute the Haditha cases, and lawyers were brought in exclusively for the team.
According to the Law Center, the director of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service admitted that more than 65 investigators were assigned, which in his opinion was the largest investigative effort in the department’s history.
“I am deeply troubled by the fact that the desire to appease the liberal anti-war press and politicians has led to the prosecution of innocent Marines for purely political purposes,” Thompson told Newsmax.
He went on to say, “These prosecutions will become a scandal of historic proportions unless terminated by independently minded and virtuous military judges.”
As Newsmax has been reporting almost from the outset, Marines of Kilo Company are being prosecuted for their house-to-house battle to flush out ambushing insurgents on Nov. 19, 2005.
In the firefight, 15 civilians were killed. Details of the battle and the civilian deaths were dutifully reported throughout the chain of command, including top generals, and all concluded that although this was a tragic and unfortunate consequence of urban warfare, the Marines were justified in their actions.
Months later, however, a Time magazine article — later proven to be erroneous — called the deaths of the civilians a “massacre,” setting off a media firestorm and leading the military to initiate investigations.
The secretary of the Navy countermanded a determination by then Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis that Col. Stephen Davis, Chessani’s regimental commander, “would receive a 'Non-Punitive Letter of Caution,' which would not be part of his permanent record,” according to the Law Center.
“Mattis’ decision was overridden by the Navy secretary, who ordered a 'Letter of Censure,' a more severe punishment, which effectively ended this fine Marine officer’s career. As the consolidated convening authority in all the Haditha investigations, General Mattis’ decision, under normal circumstances, would be absolute and final.”
Chessani was not personally present at the scene of the ambush in Haditha, but the Marines responding were in his battalion. Chessani is charged with “dereliction of duty” and “orders” violations.
The 20-year Marine veteran and father of six faces a maximum of three years in prison, dismissal (an officer’s equivalent of a dishonorable discharge), and the loss of his retirement benefits.
An Undue Command Influence motion has already been filed on behalf of the two combat Marines facing charges over the Haditha battle. The Law Center said it intends to file its own Undue Command Influence motion on behalf of Chessani, and promised that further startling events will be revealed at that time.
In other developments, the court-martial of one of the combat Marines, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, will commence Friday, March 28. Newsmax’s Nat Helms is in California to cover the trial at Camp Pendleton.
Editor’s Note: The Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center does not charge for its services and is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Center can be reached at www.thomasmore.org.
© 2008 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

An Open Letter to the Democratic Party

Great Letter by a patriot. All I can say is this will leave a mark as people get educated to the truth, not the spin. Click the title for a link to the Lincoln Heritage Orginization.

An Open Letter to the Democratic Party
By Lt. Colonel Frances Rice,U.S. Army Retired: Contributor to the LHI

"We, African American citizens of the United States, declare and assert:

Whereas in the early 1600's 20 African men and women were landed in Virginia from a Dutch ship as slaves and from that tiny seed grew the poisoned fruit of plantation slavery which shaped the course of American development,

Whereas reconciliation and healing always begin with an apology and an effort to repay those who have been wronged,

Whereas the Democratic Party has never apologized for their horrific atrocities and racist practices committed against African Americans during the past two hundred years, nor for the residual impact that those atrocities and practices and current soft bigotry of low expectations are having on us today,

Whereas the Democratic Party fought to expand slavery and, after the Civil War, established Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes and other repressive legislation that were designed to disenfranchise African Americans,

Whereas the Ku Klux Klan was the terrorist arm of the Democratic Party, and their primary goal was to intimidate and terrorize African American voters, Republicans who moved South to protect African Americans and any other whites who supported them,

Whereas, according to leading historians (both black and white), the horrific atrocities committed against African Americans during slavery and Reconstruction were financed, sponsored, and promoted by the Democratic Party and their Ku Klux Klan supporters,

Whereas from 1870 to 1930, in an effort to deny African Americans their civil rights and to keep African Americans from voting Republican, thousands of African Americans were shot, beaten, lynched, mutilated, and burned to death by Ku Klux Klan terrorists from the Democratic Party,

Whereas Democratic Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman rejected anti-lynching laws and efforts to establish a permanent Civil Rights Commission,

Whereas the Democratic party has used racist demagoguery to deceive African Americans about the history of the Republican Party that: (a) started as the anti-slavery party in 1854, (b) fought to free African Americans from slavery, (c) designed Reconstruction, a ten-year period of unprecedented political power for African Americans, (d) passed the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S. Constitution granting African Americans freedom, citizenship, and the right to vote, (e) passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 granting African Americans protection from the Black Codes and prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations, (f) passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 granting African Americans protection from the Jim Crow laws, (g) established Affirmative Action programs to help African Americans proper with Republican President Richard Nixon's 1969 Philadelphia Plan that set the first goals and timetables and his 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act that made Affirmative Action Programs the law of our nation, and (h) never sponsored or launched a program, passed laws, or engaged in practices that resulted in the death of millions of African Americans,

Whereas Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka (a 1954 decision by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was appointed by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower) was a landmark civil rights case that was designed to overturn the racist practices that were established by the Democratic Party,

Whereas after Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt received the vote of African Americans, he banned African American newspapers from the military shortly after taking office because he was convinced the newspapers were communists,

Whereas Democratic President John F. Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Law, opposed the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and was later criticized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for ignoring civil rights issues.

Whereas Democratic President John F. Kennedy authorized the FBI (supervised by his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy) to investigate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on suspicion of being a communist,

Whereas Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, made a 14-hour filibuster speech in the Senate in June 1964 in an unsuccessful effort to block passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and was heralded in April 2004 by Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd as a senator who would have been a great leader during the Civil War,

Whereas when the 1964 Civil Rights Act came up for vote, Senator Al Gore, Sr. and the rest of the Southern Democrats voted against the bill,

Whereas in the House of Representatives only 61 percent of the Democrats voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act as compared to 80 percent of Republicans, and in the Senate only 69 percent of the Democrats voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, compared to 82 percent of the Republicans,

Whereas Democratic President Bill Clinton sent troops to Europe to protect the citizens of Bosnia and Kosovo while allowing an estimated 800,000 black Rwandans to be massacred in Africa, vetoed the welfare reform law twice before signing it, and refused to comply with a court order to have shipping companies develop an Affirmative Action Plan,

Whereas Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore created harmful racial division when he falsely claimed that the 2000 presidential election was "stolen" from him and that African Americans in Florida were disenfranchised, even though a second recount of Florida votes by the "Miami Herald" and a consortium of major news organizations confirmed that he lost the election, and a ruling by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission declared that African Americans were not denied the right to vote,

Whereas the Democratic Party's soft bigotry of low expectations and social promotions have consigned African Americans to economic bondage and created a culture of dependency on government social programs,

Whereas the Democratic Party's use of deception and fear to block welfare reform, the faith-based initiative and school choice that would help African Americans prosper is consistent with the Democratic Party's heritage of racism that included sanctioning of slavery and kukluxery, a perversion of moral sentiment among leaders of the Democratic Party whose racist legacy bode ill until this generation of African Americans,

Now, therefore, for the above and other documented atrocities and accumulated wrongs inflicted upon African Americans, we demand a formal written apology and other appropriate remuneration from the leadership of the Democratic party.

American Ship Harassed Near Suez Canal

Mixed reports today with Egyptian sources saying at least 1 dead and a few wounded but the Military Sealift Command claiming no injuries, after warning shots were fired by the merchant ship Global Patriotat being harassed by small boats. The whole story will come out in the next few days but this goes along with the pattern of small boats harassing U.S. ships including warships in the region. Here is a clip of what the U.S.N can do with it’s CIWS when it is unleashed. When this happens there will be more than a few wounded.

Hilary and Obama, Both Less than Truthful?

I have held up on commenting on the Democrat party primary but it has become a gift that keeps on giving. First you have Obama and his non-speech last week as he attempted to distance himself from his 20 plus year association with the racist and anti Semitic Trinity Church. He might have pulled it off if had had actually denounced the Rev Wright and his rhetoric but instead we listened to another flowery speech that was meaningless. Can you imagine any Republican candidate that would have had ties to a similar church? Shoot he or she would have been under the bus the first day. Obama a highly educated man who probably initially joined the church for south side street credibility expects us to believe that he was not aware and didn’t agree of what was being said. I call B.S on this, if that was the case (1) this makes him clueless and (2) if he didn’t agree he should have taken his family and left, he didn’t and this is a problem. His inability to deal with this and his unbelievable naiveté in dealing with terrorists would and should disqualify him from the POTUS.
Then we have Hillary and her latest lies, err ah, her claims of sniper fire on her visit to Bosnia, sitting on flack jackets and corkscrewing approaches to the airfield and being told to run to the terminal. I thought this was crap from the first time it was reported last month. First off
as First Lady her travel would be a SAM, Special Airlift Mission usually conducted by the 89th Wing at Andrews. I figured that there would be no way that a SAM like this would be allowed to land if there was any threat. I thought right; tonight Rusty Humphries interviewed retired Col William “Goose” Changose who was the aircraft commander on this flight. He confirmed that there was no threat of fire, no one on his crew told anyone to sit on a flack jacket, there was no corkscrewing approach, no running to the terminal and if there was any threat he would have diverted to another airfield.
This is a good time, to think that these two are the best that the Democrat party can come up with. Now the MSM does not know what to do, who to trash and who to carry the water for. I predict Osama’s campaign will continue to come off the rails as more an more people get familiar with his real extreme left liberal voting record what little there is. At the same time the continued lies and deceit of the Clinton campaign will drive her negatives even higher among independent voters. A brokered convention in Denver could be a remake of Chicago 1968. After all Clinton needs the so-called super delegates to pull off the nomination. Can you imagine the reaction after this happened due to Obama’s un- electability and the reaction it would cause to the core leftist’s in the party? I say bring it on I’ll pop the popcorn

Blast From The Past, B-47 Stratojet

The XB-47 first flew on December 17, 1947, With its 35-degree swept wings and six podded let engines, the XB-47 was the first swept wing bomber bought by the U.S. Air Force. In total the USAF bought 2,042 B-47's, which served as a bombers, photo reconnaissance, weather reconnaissance, ELINT, ECM and flying test bed aircraft. The most prevalent model was the B47E,the B-47E was basically the standardized production version of the Stratojet, and incorporated many innovations that had been suggested by experience with the B-47B. It was equipped with six General Electric J47-GE-25 engines, which offered static thrust of 7200 pounds with water injection. It also had JATO units installed. Early planes had the eighteen units internal JATO system but this was s soon replaced by a jettisonable rack that contained 33 1000 lb. static thrust units that could be dropped following takeoff. The B-47E was fitted from the start with an approach chute to increase drag and a brake chute to decrease the landing roll. An anti-skid braking device was also fitted. Later production blocks of the E model saw the incorporation of upgraded radar and ECM packages, stronger landing gear for increased take-off weight, and upgraded defensive armament. 240 E models were built with a special camera housing in the nose and they became the RB-47 photoreconnaissance model. Some 35 E models were converted to WB-47E weather recon aircraft and The last WB-47E was actually the last operational B-47 in the Air Force inventory it was delivered to Davis-Monthan AFB on October 31, 1969.

Specifications of the Boeing B-47E Stratojet:

Powerplant:Six General Electric J47-GE-25 turbojets, 5970 lbs. static thrust dry and 7200lbs static thrust with water injection

Performance:Maximum speed: 607 mph (528 knots) at 16,300 feet. 557 mph (484 knots) at 38,500 feet

Cruising speed: 500 mph (434 knots)Stalling speed: 175 mph (152 knots)

Service ceiling: 33,100 feet Combat ceiling: 40,500 feet

Combat radius: 2013 miles (1744 nautical miles) with a 10,845 pound bomb load

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 116 feet 0 inches
Length: 107 feet 0 inches
Height: 27 feet 11 inches
Wing area 1428 square feet
Weights:Empty: 79,074 pounds Combat: 133,030 pounds Gross: 198,180 pounds Maximum takeoff: 230,000 pounds

Armament:
Two 20-mm M24A1 cannon in tail
Maximum bomb load: 25,000 pounds

Thunderbirds Are Go

The USAF Air Demonstration Team, Thunderbirds have flown their acceptance show at Nellis AFB NV. This is a yearly tradition that kicks off the show season with the ACC commander present. The team will perform 37 times this season. I will get to see them again April 19 here at the Coastal Carolina Air Show here in Wilmington.
Here is a list of the upcoming events:

March
15 -- San Angelo, Texas
29 -- Tyndall AFB, Fla.

April
5 and 6 -- Punta Gorda, Fla.
12 and 13 -- Lakeland, Fla.
19 and 20 -- Wilmington, N.C.
26 -- Charleston AFB, S.C.

May
3 and 4 -- March ARB, Calif.
10 and 11 -- Langley AFB, Va.
17 and 18 -- Fort Smith, Ark.
24 -- Tinker AFB, Okla.
28 -- U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (Invitation only)
31 -- McGuire AFB, N.J.

June
1 -- McGuire AFB, N.J.
7 and 8 -- Rockford, Ill.
14 and 15 -- Québec City
21 -- Klamath Falls, Ore.
24 -- Eielson AFB, Alaska
28 and 29 -- Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

July
4 and 6 -- Battle Creek, Mich.
12 and 13 -- Milwaukee, Wis.
19 and 20 -- McChord AFB, Wash.
23 -- Cheyenne, Wyo.
26 and 27 -- Rochester, N.Y.

August
8 and 10 -- Abbotsford, Canada
16 and 17 -- Offutt AFB, Neb.
20 -- Atlantic City, N.J.
23 and 24 -- Kansas City, Mo.
30 and 31 -- Travis AFB, Calif.

September
6 and 7 -- Westover ARB, Mass.
12 and 13 -- Reno, Nev.
14 -- Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
20 and 21 -- Scott AFB, Ill
27 and 28 -- Salinas, Calif.

October
4 -- Vance AFB, Okla.
11 and 12 -- Fort Worth, Texas
18 and 19 -- Dobbins AFB, Ga.
25 and 26 -- Houston

November
1 and 2 -- Lafayette, La.
8 and 9 -- Nellis AFB, Nev.

Cost Of New Marine One Gone Crazy!

At a time of budget crisis and the need for the Pentagon to show it can do contracting right according to the Washington Post the new cost for the development and delivery of 28 new helicopters for Presidential executive transport has risen to over 11 billion dollars or 400 million each. This is an outrage and was predicted by Sikorsky and some members of congress when the contract award was first issued. What appears to have happened instead of a simple modification program to an off the shelf EH-101 helicopter all the new requirements to make it “Presidential” will result in what is essentially a new design. What a waste of time and taxpayers dollars. The Navy will offer all kinds of excuses but the bottom line is no way should this program go forward it should be killed off now and the contract should be awarded were it needed to be with Sikorsky. Click the title for the full Washington Post article.

JDAM Strike

JDAM stike on a sniper house.

Pilot Dies in F-16 Crash in Arizona

It was confirmed that the pilot of the F-16 down near Alamo Lake AZ was killed in the crash. His name has not been released. Our prayers are with his family and friends.

F-117 Retirement

The world’s first tactical stealth aircraft was officially retired this week at ceremonies conducted at WPAFB, Ohio. The remaining F-117’s will be flown to Tonopah, Nevada were they will be preserved in flyable storage.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey)

Lawn Dart Down

An F-16 from the 62nd FS was lost during an air-to-air training mission Friday near Alamo Lake AZ. The status of the pilot from various news sources and the base PIO was unknown, which does not sound promising.

Winter Soldier II More Manufactured Garbage

Link: sevenload.com

A little reminder of the scumbag John Kerry and his lying traitorous actions in Jan 1971, will lead us to the next Winter Solider II. Another event sponsored by the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). This is group that gave us such proven liars like Jesse Macbeth, and their own co-founder Jimmy Massey whose fabricated tales published in the Sacramento and Modesto Bee have been refuted by reporters who interviewed Marines from his own unit that refuted everything he published. I’m sure that this will end up just like JFK ‘s lying performance in Jan 71 will be carried out this weekend.
These anti war types just make me sick; I guess they would rather have the bombs going off here rather than in Baghdad. As a retired SNCO I take this crap personally. This is the greatest country in the history of the world. It and our way of life are worth defending. We cannot stand idle and not take issue with these people this time around. Brave Marines like my daughters boyfriend who is getting ready to deploy proudly on his second combat tour deserve our collective unwavering support.

Check out Eagles Up and what they have planned to counter these anti war fanaatics. http://eaglesup.us/index.php

Endeavour Lift Off!

There is something magical about a night lift off from the Cape.
Here is a NASA photo of Endeavour lifting off pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Crazy Horse On Final

Here is a great shot of Crazy Horse coming in with a student pilot for a landing. If you are interested in flying in Crazy Horse or any of the other duel control Mustangs on an orientation ride check out the Stallion 51 web site, Stallion 51 offers orientation flights, checkout training, flight training, pilot training, air shows, aircraft management. Click the title for the link to Stallion 51.

Hamas Celebrates Slaughter In Jerusalem

From Ynet
Palestinians distribute sweets in celebration of Jerusalem terror attack as Hamas promises 'this is only the beginning'
Ali Waked

Gaza's streets filled with joyous crowds of thousands on Thursday evening following the terror attack at a Jerusalem rabbinical seminary in which eight people were killed.

In mosques in Gaza City and northern Gaza, many residents went to perform the prayers of thanksgiving.
Armed men fired in the air in celebration and others passed out sweets to passersby.

Hamas stopped just short of claiming responsibility but issued a statement saying the group "blesses the (Jerusalem) operation. It will not be the last,'' Hamas said in a statement
An Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed told Ynet the blame for the attack lay with Israel for its operations in Gaza. "The responsibility lies with those who killed 130 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them
children," he said. "We welcome this heroic act and strengthen the hands of those who carried it out. This is only the first of many responses the Palestinian people are planning."

The spokesman, a member of the organization's military wing – the al-Quds Brigades – said Israel is "reaping what it has sown in the Strip. Those who carried out the attack have brought great pride and raised the heads of the Palestinians."

The 'Galilee Freedom Brigades' – an Israeli-Arab group - has claimed responsibility for the attack. The organization has claimed responsibility for several terror attacks in Israel in the past.

Initial estimates indicate the gunman was a resident of east Jerusalem and likely possessed the blue ID card given to Israeli citizens.


The attack came a day after Rice persuaded Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks with Israel. Abbas briefly suspended talks to protest an Israeli offensive in Gaza.

At his West Bank headquarters, Abbas harshly criticized the attack. ''The president condemned all attacks that target civilians, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli.''

With the dancing and celebrating people from the religion of peace how can Hillary or Obama even think of negotiating with these murdering thugs? I’m sure that the IDF will be given a free hand to go after the Hamas leadership after this one. Can you say hellfire or laser guided bomb, I don’t think they would be cheering if they knew an Apache was airborne.

Cheering in Gaza (Photo: Reuters)

U.S.S. New York Christened

One I missed over the weekend, the USS New York, an amphibious assault ship was christened Saturday. Thousands of spectators, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white and blue banners. The bow stem, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site, bore a shield with two gray bars to symbolize the twin towers and a banner over that declaring “Never Forget,”. The New York will be able to deliver a Marine MEU to distant shores around the world.

Predator Strike In Iraq

More virgins needed after this hit by a USAF Predator. That’s going to leave a mark.

Northrop Grumman/EADS KC-45A Selected As New Tanker

Finally the Air Force has selected a replacement for the ancient KC-135. On Friday they announced that that the KC-45A will be the new tanker and that this is the Air Forces number one funding priority. This is a multi-year contract to produce 179 new tankers in 5 production lots. The KC-45 is a derivative of the Airbus A-330 powered by GE CF6-80E turbofans and is been selected by the RAF, Australian Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force as their tanker. Its larger size will allow more fuel off load and larger cargo capacity than the competing Boeing KC-30, 767 tankers.