11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

MoonHowler

A huge Thank YOU to all of you veterans out there, those still serving and also to those no longer with us.

These kids did a fabulous job of honoring their teachers who were veterans.

Kids obviously did this video. Not ‘obviously’ because of quality but because of the recognition of their teachers at the end of the video. CCHS is a high school in Anytown, USA. The JROTC group made it and they recognized their teachers. Well done. Their parents and teachers should be proud.

Freedom Isn’t Free Veterans Day 2009

A special salute to my father who served from December 7, 1942-March 17, 1946 on active duty.

Resources:

Wounded Warrior Project: Voices of Veterans

2009 Veterans Day Tribute: An American Soldier

A Venerable Veterans Day -Last Year’s Veterans Day Tribute on Antibvbl

WWII in HD begins Sunday night at 9 pm on the History Channel.  It is a 5 night presentation.

What is Terrorism Really?

MoonHowler

For the past several days we have debated whether or not the massacre at Fort Hood was terrorism or not. Terrorism seems to differ in each person’s mind. 

Tonight I looked at old footage for Veterans Day. The attack on Pearl Harbor continued to come up and it was intermingled with footage from 9-11. Was the attack on Pearl Harbor terrorism?  How about the Marine Barracks  attack in Lebanon in 1983? 

We have no internationally agreed upon definition. In fact, within our own country there is no one defnition. Certainly there would be no question if most of those killed had been civilians.

If we use ‘terrorism’ too often does it detract from the horror? Does the sneak attack make Pearl Harbor terrorism?  If troops are sleeping or doing other duties, are they non-combatants?

Fort Hood Memorial

MoonHowler

“No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor,” … “And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice — in this world and the next.”

“This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.”

President Barack Obama

Was the Attack at Fort Hood Terrorism?

MoonHowler

Days have passed since the massacre at Fort Hood where 13 people lost their lives and 30 others were wounded.  The Army has issued warnings about jumping to conclusions and has advised all to back off and allow them to do their own investigation.  However, typically, politicians were beginning to weigh in on the topic over the weekend.

Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, was perhaps the most direct and vocal.  He flat out called the attack terrorism.  He is quoted in the NY Daily News:

Sen. Joe Lieberman called the Fort Hood massacre an act of “Islamist extremism” – even as top Army brass warned Sunday against guessing at a motive, fearing backlash against Muslim soldiers.

“There are very, very strong warning signs here that Dr. Hasan had become an Islamist extremist and, therefore, that this was a terrorist act,” Lieberman (I-Conn) told Fox News on Sunday.

“If the reports that we’re receiving of various statements he made, acts he took are valid, he had turned to Islamist extremism.”

Experts in law enforcement and in the mental health field  sift through the clues left after the massacre. They seem less willing to commit to definitive answers. People have begun to compare this rampage to the horrible massacre of students at Virginia Tech in spring of 2007.

Many people are beginning to form their own conclusions. What constitutes terrorism? Do we need government permission to call an act terrorism? Certainly when a gunman attacks people who are just sitting ducks, that is terrorism, regardless of motivation. Who dropped the ball? Didn’t the Army have strong warnings that this killer was unstable, was a bad apple, or whatever we want to call it. Why wasn’t he removed from where he could harm others? Should he have been discharged? Does that not send a bad message to others about fulfilling commitment? After all, much was invested in Major Hasan’s medical training.

Americans will be grappling with these and many other questions as more and more clues are uncovered from this horrible massacre.

Westboro Baptist Targets the Obama Children

MoonHowler

How low can they go? Westboro Baptist ‘Church’ tries for a new low as they now are demonstrating outside Sidwell Friends, the Obama children’s school. Westboro Baptist is run by Fred Phelps and family and is well know for attending the funerals of our fallen military troops while screaming vitriol and hate at the family and friends.

Their website refers to the Obama children as ‘Satanic Spawn of a murderious bastard.’ This church is also protesting outside the White House, the World War II Memorial, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission field office. They recently have demonstrated outside of Jewish Temples and other Washington area schools. Tomorrow they plan to target Sasha’s school in Bethesda.

In a related topic, Perry Jefferies posts the following:
Protesting Military Funerals: This Is Not Free Speech

Staff Sergeant Mike Wenrick, who has been blogging from Iraq has started a letter writing campaign to help deter the emotional damage inflicted by these trecherous people. He wants national legislation that keeps Westboro Baptist and other demonstrators 500 feet away and also keeps the from the scene and hour before and an hour afterwards. Works for me.

Until I found out about Westboro Baptist Church, I never quite understood the expression ‘lower than a snakes’s belly.’ Now I do.

[Editor’s Note: Apologies for the consistent use of the wrong church name. In each case it should have read WestBORO Baptist Church.]