Solved Murder

I suppose it's true crime day in Mudville - the entry below followed by this blurb for a documentary about teenage lesbian satanist killers.

Unsolved Murder

Found this e-mail on returning home today:

My blog partner and myself (Seven Inches of Sense) are trying to get the word out about the murder of his son in hopes of finding new information.

Burke O'Brien, was murdered in New York, shot through the heart, in front of 75-79 Orchard Street on January 12th 2003.

The murder goes unsolved to this day.

The ABC documentary series, NYPD 24/7, will feature solely Burke's case during the July 20th airing. It is the only one in the series that remains unsolved.

We are trying to get as many of you big boys of the blogging world as possible to post something about the case and the ABC broadcast. The only real hope of solving this case is someone coming forward with new information. And you just never know where it will come from.

Also included was this link to a post from Michele at A Small Victory with more details.

Home Again

"In life, as in baseball, it's the number of times you reach home safely that count"
--Unkn

Score one more for me.

On the Move

Traveling again. At journey's end I'll have much to say. In the meantime, here's a must read from the front lines via the Stryker Brigades.

The Layover

My upcoming return to Germany includes 4 lovely hours Monday afternoon at JFK.

Any suggestions on what to do for four hours in that vicinity will be appreciated.

Finished!

Finished Hugh Hewitt's new book. Didn't want to recommend it until I did so - haven't time now for an in-depth review but have to say it's a must read and a must read now. Given it's focus on strategies for the upcoming political campaigns it should be obvious that this isn't a book you want to delay reading.

You won't find it at Wal Mart or most major chains - but that plus Blogs have made it a top seller on Amazon.

Get a copy via Hugh's site today.

More on Moore

Some folks claim that there's no such thing as bad publicity. If that's true, then there must be exceptions to the rule.

From John McCaslin's July 12th Inside the Beltway column in the Washington Times

The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Maj. Stone was killed in March 2003 by a grenade that officials said was thrown into his tent by Sgt. Hasan K. Akbar, who is on trial for murder.

<...>

The movie, described by critics as political propaganda during an election year, shows video footage of the funeral and Maj. Stone's fiancee, Tammie Eslinger, kissing her hand and placing it on his coffin.

The family does not know how Mr. Moore obtained the video, and Miss Gallagher said they did not give permission and are considering legal recourse.

She described her nephew as a "totally conservative Republican" and said he would have found the film to be "putrid."

And this follow-up from July 16:

Outrage from across the country after Inside the Beltway wrote this week about the family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone being shocked to learn video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The mother of the major labeled Mr. Moore a "maggot that eats off the dead."

<...>

"If the family wishes to seek a suit against Michael Moore ... I will donate $100 toward legal fees and will solicit my friends to do the same," promises Manny Gagliardi of Arlington, Texas.

"Mountain States Legal Foundation was founded in 1977 by the late Joe Coors," writes William Perry Pendley, foundation president and chief legal officer, of Lakewood, Colo. "It has litigated many cases, including many against President Clinton's abuses. Could you forward MSLF's information to the family of the Air Force officer whose burial was used without permission by Michael Moore?"

Given that Mr McCaslin has included that bit of correspondence in his follow up I'd speculate that the family might be pondering the offer.

While there may be very few "fence sitters" remaining on the issue of Michael Moore's credibility, there's still no reason not to shine a bright light of truth on the murky world Moore presents in his films.

Not to mention his actions are simply wrong.

Should you wish to contact Mr McCaslin to encourage him to continue to pursue this story he can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.

If the Mountain States Legal Foundation does join this effort, expect to see press releases on their web site.

Polka for the Troops

Perhaps I was wrong in a previous post regarding military recruiting difficulties, accordi-ing to this there may be problems after all:

There's a great job out there awaiting an accordion player. The catch: six weeks in boot camp.

The Air Force is looking to replace the accordion player of its band's Strolling Strings music ensemble; the last one retired two years ago. So far, the search has been fruitless.

<...>

So, since the accordion players aren't coming to the Air Force, the Air Force is going to the accordion players. Sgt. Bockenek is recruiting at the 66th annual American Accordionists Association festival this week in and around Boston.

She is looking for more than an accomplished musician.

"They have to be under age 35, they have to fit our weight and fitness requirements, and they have to be able to get a security clearance," she said. "We are looking for someone who's not just qualified to do the job but who fits the parameters of the United States Air Force."

Security clearance? Yes - they'll be playing the secret songs.

An' a one, an' a two...

Ooops (Part 20?)

Lots of folks are gloating about the "breaking" Joe Wilson story (see here and numerous other posts on this guys blog). Of particular interest is this:

... this "Restore Honesty" website by the now-discredited Joe Wilson is mostly of comedic value now. But wait, there's more -- scroll to the bottom and you'll see that it's "Paid for by John Kerry for President, Inc." Quite an embarrassment.

As long as we're discussing Kerry embarrassments burried in stories on page A47 of the local news, here's a surprising bit from Reuters via the NY Times:

Senator John Kerry, whose campaign demanded to know on Wednesday whether President Bush had read a crucial intelligence assessment on Iraq, did not read the document himself before voting to give the president the authority to go to war, aides later acknowledged.

Whoops! Actually, seems all around like "no way to run a country" - but we are talking about busy people here, right? Of course, no one actually claims anywhere whether the President read it or not...

The Kerry campaign stepped up the attack on Wednesday, sending out an e-mail message with the headline, "Did anyone in the White House read the full National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq?"

Certainly a follow-up e-mail will explain all.

Panama Fred

Almost missed this! The always-insightful Fred Shoenemen has authored a book on his experiences in Panama (during the invasion, mind you, not MTV Spring Break weekend) and has shipped said volume off to an agent. So if you're a publisher or otherwise in the industry, you may want to check this out. (Note to such folks: The Blogosphere sent Hugh Hewitt's book into the top 10 on Amazon.)

And if you're a combat vet, you may want to check this out (same link):

...if there are any veterans out there who'd still like to a look, email me and I'll send it to you. I'd especially like feedback from former Infantrymen/Airborne infantry/Rangers/Marines/SEAL's -- basically, anyone with experience at the squad level in a combat arms unit.

Let me emphasisze, that's Fred's offer, not mine! Go visit Fred!

Speaking of Fear and Loathing...

An unedited story from a soldier in Iraq:

The temperature was way over 100 today and my PLT had a patrol in the afternoon, which I was supposed to go on, but my Squad LDR told me I had to stay back because the Command SGT Major wanted to talk to me at 13:00. That's not good. That usually means you fucked up and are on your way to an article 15 and some extra duty. I racked my brain on what I could have possibly done wrong out here, I couldn't think of anything that I've done recently that could have possibly gotten me into trouble. What I found out at 13:00 was that the Command SGT Major, who is pretty much the top of the food chain in the NCO ranks here, wanted to present me an award (!) for, as he said, "Going above and beyond what is expected of me here in Iraq." He said my PLT selected me for this award, because they wanted me to be recognized for all the hard work I've done out here. And he presented me a Command SGT Major Award Coin (Note: A coin is not a big deal, it's not a medal of honor or anything like that. It carries the came weight as say, a "thank you" card) and shook my hand. I thought that was kinda cool. I've been out here busting my ass doing a thankless job and I'm being recognized for it and thanked by higher. That was a huge moral boost for me today.

You gotta love it - because that's the sort of hero America loves - the guy that doesn't even have a clue that he's a hero.

I had an interesting conversation with a non-military relative here in the States the other day. He may have briefly forgotten what I do for a living, and I can't give a direct quote now, but the gist of his (inaccurate) comment was that the military is having a tough time recruiting these days, and that they are seeking and accepting increasingly less qualified candidates, and generally lowering standards for enlistments.

A concern for us all if true, but as I have seen no evidence of such I have to wonder if I had heard a recitation of a new talking point. Seems likely to me (more so than his unsupported claim) that if the troops are generally in favor of what's going on in the world these days, then it might behoove certain elements in our society to depict said troops as something other than the heroes they've been depicted as recently.

Or stated differently, lets say those who have been proclaiming "Support the troops - bring them home!" are realizing the troops aren't supporting them. What can they do? They can claim the troops are different now.

There was a time when service in U.S. military was honorable and professionally rewarding. But because of politicians who use the military to pump up corporate profits instead of defending us, that was a long time ago. Americans with personal integrity should boycott the volunteer military and discourage everyone they care about to do the same. "They come from parts of the country where jobs are hard to find," an acquaintance condescendingly excuses the enlistees. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I'd rather sleep under a bridge, eating trash out of a Dumpster, than murder human beings for Halliburton.

<...>

Until military service becomes less of a scam, no one should sign up. Those who have should not reenlist.

Who will defend the United States if attrition shrinks the volunteer armed forces? If we're attacked by a foreign power, as we last were in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, Americans will line up to volunteer. World War II, won six decades ago by a storied generation of draftees and volunteers, was fought to defend American freedom. But we haven't fought an honorable war since.

Get the message? It's Ted Rall's latest screed. (Via Michele - and don't miss her commentary here) Ted's a creepy sort of guy, of little consequence, and most Americans would rightfully dismiss him as a member of the extreme and loony left, and not mainstream.

Others might hail him as a visionary, a trendsetter.

Think about the Seattle area -- Bainbridge Island to be exact -- and you think scenic views and liberal-minded tolerance.

At least the killer views are still there.

The bucolic island's deep reputation for civility got a gut check this week during the annual Grand Old Fourth of July celebration.

That's when Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the local event. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said "Veterans for Bush."

Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd that felt like a thousand daggers to the heart.

"Baby killer!"

"Murderer!"

"Boooo!"

To understand why the reaction of strangers hurt so much, you must read what the young man had written in a letter from Iraq before he was disabled in an ambush:

"I really miss being in the states. Some of the American public have no idea how much freedom costs and who the people are that pay that awful price. I think sometimes people just see us as nameless and faceless and not really as humans. ... A good portion of us are actually scared that when we come home, for those of us who make it back, that there will be protesters waiting for us and that is scary."

On the Fourth, Jason faced his worst fear.

It was such a public humiliation -- home front insult after battlefield injury.

(Via Chief Wiggles)

Did I mention talking points?

Here's apologist Kevin Dwyer, executive director of the (presumably Bainbridge Island) Chamber of Commerce:

Dwyer added: "I believe (Jason's) mom when she said her son was called 'a murderer.' But I'm sure it wasn't so much directed at the kid as it was the president. A soldier with a sign represents that."

An interesting echo of this quote from Rall:

"When Bush launched an illegal war," a European reader wrote to Time magazine after the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, "he created an atmosphere that led some Americans to believe that anything goes. Please, America, don't blame the soldiers. Blame Bush, and hold him responsible in November."

The left is struggling with itself as it stumbles towards blaming the troops, a subset of the population it desperately wants to believe supports them. (Some do, most don't.) But that desperate lefty cling is starting to slip. The tidal shift was first hinted at here, followed by a flood of Abu Ghraib coverage. Ironically, it's the Abu Ghraib story that prevents the left from turning all-out against the troops. For now they need the accused of that crime to be hopeless victims, and they need the administration to be the real bad guys.

But they are getting tired of waiting for the troops to revolt.

They don't want to accept that the troops might actually support the mission in Iraq, but they are beginning to prepare quotes for that moment when they can no longer deny it.

The blogger at Fear and Loathing generally leaves politics out of his posts. Here, for instance, is a conclusion to a recent entry:

I had to pull radio watch in the War Room last night, and somebody left a copy of the April edition of People Magazine there. So on radio watch, I read how Survivors Rob and Amber are in Love, Kelly Osborne is in Rehab, Omaarosa has a suprising past, and how Reese Witherspoon and hubby Ryan Phillippe bought a house in Los Angeles for 4.9 million. And you know what, after reading that magazine, for a split second, I was glad I was here in Iraq, and not back in America.

Hopefully he'll never have any more serious reasons to feel that way.

Homecomings

Cpt Patti's return home from Iraq got me thinking. A few months ago there seemed to be 24/7 coverage on television, newspapers, magazines, and blogs of the announcement and impact of the extension of many GI's tours in Iraq. Countless relatives were shown, upset and teary, having just received the news that their loved ones were not coming home next week after all.

Has there been similarly extensive coverage on the happy homecomings for these troops? How about interviews with them to see how they feel about what they've accomplished - and the cost of that accomplishment?

I may have missed the stories - TV hasn't been my top priority while on leave - but I suspect the images and voices of the returning heroes from Iraq have not been amplified by national media coverage.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Cpt Patti is Home

Tim says:

AFTER 427 days...she's HOME!!!

Cpt Patti, of course - home safe and sound.

And the don't miss post is here.

Welcome home Cpt Patti!

In the Service

From the WaPo:

The Lions Club has given itself a new mission: helping Iraqis receive adequate health care.

It is time for service-minded individuals to chip in where "the government just can't seem to get started," says Emory Harmon, 87, a retired postmaster from Greenbelt and Lions Club member since 1955.

Harmon has faxed Iraq's ambassador-designate, Rend Rahim Francke, to propose establishing a Lions Club chapter in Baghdad. Harmon said the president of Lions Clubs International, Clement F. Kusiak, of Linthicum, Md., has also sent a fax promoting the idea to Iraq's Washington embassy from the headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill.

Eighty-seven.

Of course, he's just following the lead of the Optimists and Dick Cheney's Boy Scout cronies in the takeover of Iraq, don't you know.

Researchers say Boy Scouts have been active in Iraq for decades, with some placing the establishment date at 1921. Troops were repressed under Saddam Hussein's regime, however, and are only now getting re-established.

Now who besides a murderous dictator would suppress the Boy Scouts?

More Fear and Loathing

So... how are you spending your Bastille Day?

We had an IED Sweep for a mission this after noon. An IED (Improvised Exploding Device) Sweep is when we drive around town for hours until we hit an IED speed bump, or until one of us visually finds an IED along the road. No lie, that's how we find IEDs on IED Sweeps out here, we drive around until one literally blows up on us or if one of us visually finds one. Today was a successful sweep, we found 3 rocket launchers, two of them with rockets in them. We found them right there next to the road, not even hidden, in front of a playground.

You probably had less dangerous things to do, but if you haven't visited My War - Fear and Loathing in Iraq yet then your day is not complete. (Note: quoted post is here.)

Bastille Day

Bonjour! Hope your Bastille Day is a happy one. For all the latest on the country that made beheading chic, be sure to stop by Merde in France, and No Pasaran!. These blogs and David's Medienkritik keep me in touch with Europe as I enjoy my vacation here in the good ol' USA.

Lawyers, Guns, and Money

If arguments were water, Iraq would be the deepest well on earth. Here are a few more bucket loads:

When the 15-member United Nations Security Council legitimized the US-imposed interim government in Baghdad in June, the five-page unanimous resolution carried a provision little publicized in the media: the lifting of a 14-year arms embargo on Iraq.

The Security Council's decision to end military sanctions on Iraq has triggered a rush by the world's weapons dealers to make a grab for a potentially multimillion-dollar new arms market in the already over-armed Middle East.

Visions of shady characters dancing in your head? Or perhaps dollar signs?

At first read this doesn't sound like a high priority item (arguably perhaps even indicative of a complete lapse of sanity), but in a world where arguments are plenty and water is limited, weapons other than squirt guns are in the hands of many. So given sovereignty and a government that is not a threat to its people or its neighbors this is an unavoidable (albeit debatable) step along the way.

As are the responses from partisans of every stripe:

"The flow of weapons to Iraq will not improve the security situation in Iraq, nor will it make the country safe from outside threats or an external invasion," said Naseer H Aruri, chancellor professor (emeritus) at the University of Massachusetts. "With 140,000 US military personnel, 20,000 from the so-called coalition of the willing and another 20,000 contracted civilians, Iraq remains occupied and denied effective sovereignty," said Aruri, author of Dishonest Broker: The US Role in Israel and Palestine.

"Purchasing weapons at this time, therefore, is more relevant to the needs of the occupier relating to the suppression of armed opposition, and consolidation of US hegemony. Moreover, it is not appropriate for the interim government, a subcontracting agency for the United States, to go shopping for arms as numerous arms exporting countries compete feverishly for contracts," he told Inter Press Service (IPS).

<...>

Since late last year, Iraq has purchased 50,000 handguns from Austria, 421 UAZ Hunter jeeps from Russia and millions of dollars' worth of armored cars from Brazil and Ukraine, along with AK-47 assault rifles, 9mm pistols, military vehicles, fire-control equipment and night-vision devices.

The biggest single deal was a $327 million contract with a US firm to outfit Iraqi troops with body armor, radios and other communications equipment. The contract has been challenged by two non-US firms that lost out on the bidding process.

The decision by the CPA to purchase the handguns from the Austrian gun maker Glock late last year evoked a strong protest to the Pentagon. "There are a number of US companies that could easily provide these weapons," Representative Jeb Bradley, a member of President George W Bush's Republican Party, said in a letter to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "Why were other firearms companies, namely American companies, passed over?" he asked.

Perhaps the water analogy wasn't the right one - this may be more like fuel for a fire. But bearing in mind that this is a result of the lifting of a UN ban, it will be interesting to see the spin that various pundits might place on this issue - or who might ignore it.

Hostage Situation

Update: Problem resolved.

And look for the Chief on NBC Nightly News Thursday!

A person? Not this time - a shipping company is holding 30,000 dollars of Operation Give's money hostage. Click here for the full story, and see if you can respond to Chief Wiggle's call for help.

Fear and Loathing

Thoughts on Michael Moore, from a GI in Mosul, Iraq:

What I'm going to try to do out here, to show people what its really like, and to get an opposing view point is I'm going to get several of my Iraqi friends that are interpreters for us here, drag them into my room, set up the laptop, show them the movie and film them watch the movie and shoot a short documentary on their thoughts and reactions to Michael Moores biased movie. And maybe get small little interviews with people in my Platoon. Maybe do the same thing. I think I'll call my documentary: FAHRENHEIT 7.62 (7.62 is the caliber of ammunition the AK47 fires) I'll keep you guys posted on how that goes.

He's a military blogger, and here's the entry that excerpt came from. If you think as I do that his film is a worthwhile idea you may want to consider leaving an encouraging comment.

And you'll certainly want My War - Fear and Loathing in Iraq in your favorites and on your blogrolls.

Quick Note

I'm with family for a wedding - posting will be light for a few days. However, just received an advance copy of Hugh Hewitt's latest: If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat: Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It. I haven't read it yet, but certain hints in the title lead me to believe that Hugh might be leaning Republican this year.

This may be a fun volume to have around, as the members of my extended clan represent virtually every point along the political spectrum. (I've had Richard Clarke quoted to me as a reliable source at least twice today.) I'll follow up with reactions to Hugh's book later.

(No perma-link yet available to Hugh's post directing you to sales points. Click here and scroll)

One More From The Road

Where does The West begin in America? The Mississippi? The Rockies?

Or does The West begin at that point where sunsets become something spectacular enough that man-made fireworks are somewhat shamed for this brief display; where people take notice and cameras are grabbed and pictures are taken; though those images are once again just imperfect attempts by man to capture and hold some essence of creation, some pale ghost of the wonder of the original?

Arrived safe and tired, another journey's end.

More to come.

Latitude Adjustment

Wandered in to a local bookshop to pick up the third volume of Michael and Jeff Shaara's civil war series, on the way out via a casual glance another book caught my eye. The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century. I haven't read much science fiction in the past several years, but on opening the volume I found this quote:

"It is well that war is so terrible- otherwise, we would grow too fond of it."

From Robert E. Lee, upon seeing the carnage his army had unleashed on their opponents at Fredericksburg. Which of course, was recounted in the first volume of the Shaara series. That many strange coincidences meant I had to buy the book.

I'm traveling today anyhow and will welcome the diversion.

Almost bought a Roger Simon book, but decided to order it via his blog instead. Seemed the right thing to do.

And remember, if you've got an Independence Day photo blog feel free to link it in the comments of the post below this one.

Southbound - more later from Dixie

Indypendence Day

This project began with a suggestion from Diggs (who's somewhere in the Middle East):

Take some pictures of your town's fireworks and send them to a soldier you know over here from your town. Let them know that back home, people still ooh and ahh when something blows up in the sky, and the kids wait happily in anticipation of the next one.

So this entry is under construction. If you've got Independence Day entries on your blog, please leave a comment below. If you'd like to add a picture to the collection, email it to greyhawk-at-mudvillegazette-dot-com and admin-at-mudvillegazette-dot-com. Please identify the location of the shot.)

Crowds gather

Night falls

(Is there an American flag in this picture?)

Celebrations begin

Worldwide...

Iraq (several entries, scroll, scroll scroll)

Marine Moms in Oregon

Road Warrior Tammi in Florida

Heh - it's the dog days of summer at Fred's.

Cheyenne, Wy

(Add your links here - leave comments or e-mail)

Thank those who made it possible

More to come...

The Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.

We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Signers

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntingtonv William Williams
Oliver Wolcott

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Matthew Thornton

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris

North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Landstuhl

A timely article for Freedom Week, from the Fayetteville (NC) Observer

Landstuhl is an American military installation near Kaiserslautern and Ramstein Air Base. It is the largest U.S. hospital outside the United States and, in many cases, the transit point for wounded troops between Iraq and Afghanistan and the United States. About 10,000 casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated at Landstuhl.

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Several times a week, buses drive up to the emergency entrance with people who got sick or were wounded or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Chaplains are on hand.

Indeed they are, and this Independence Day weekend if you're interested in helping those Chaplains help those troops who've given so much, visit Soldiers' Angels.

Update

An update from Glenn on the drowning of an Iraqi citizen first noted by Zeyad. A terrible event, tragic and horrible beyond all words. Must note, however, the linked Reuters piece alternates paragraphs of this story with bits of a report on mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and elsewhere. Not really the same story, except that both involve Soldiers, and although both are examples of the Army seeking justice rather publicly when it's own are accused of crimes, the press seems intent on spinning it otherwise.

Hopefully justice will be swift and true. Sadly, I expect the search for "smoking gun memos" from Secretary Rumsfeld authorizing the tossing of Iraqis into rivers to follow.

Update to the update: This Denver Post article might be the original source of the Reuters piece. It tries to tie the story to the prison abuse cases too, through a connection with other Ft Carson troops charged with manslaughter in a separate case. All of which are inexcusable and reprehensible, and related in the sense that all murders that occur in your town are related.

That tenuous connection wasn't enough for Reuters, who folded this story into it too.

Gettysburg

The 4th of July is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an incredible act of courage committed by patriots in the early days of the American Revolution. As if by divine providence, this week is also the anniversary of the most significant days of the Civil War. The battle of Gettysburg was fought from the 1st to the 3rd of July.

It's pure coincidence that as I enjoy my leave, a vacation trip that will take me from Yankee country to the heart of Dixie, I brought along a copy of The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara's outstanding fictionalized account of those three days that shaped our nation.

As I've noted previously, the author's son has a web site, where Jeff Shaara-autographed versions are available.

Highly recommended.

Snugg Harbor

He's retired from the Navy, but the Navy's loss is the MilBlogs gain. Add Snugg Harbor to your blogrolls - should be a routine port of call for all who sail the blogosphere.

(And be sure to see his posts here and here - he links to a couple of important items I should have directed folks to previously.)

By the way, it's great to see the forward strides Blogger is making - comments, trackback, permalinks - anyone who's ever considered starting a blog should certainly try them out.

Independence Day

Freedom Week continues.

Shortly before we moved to Germany I was able to actually use one of the oldest jokes in the book on my kids. We were discussing holidays in Germany.

"Do they have Christmas?"

"Of course"

"Easter?"

"Yes indeed"

"The Fourth of July?"

"No... they go right from the third to the fifth."

Without hesitation, and I was able to remain straight-faced throughout my delivery, and even as they retaliated.

All of which serves as introduction to this bit from Diggs (who's somewhere in the Middle East) - another must read as Freedom Week continues.

Read the whole thing. I don't think I'll spoil it by repeating his conclusion:

Take some pictures of your town's fireworks and send them to a soldier you know over here from your town. Let them know that back home, people still ooh and ahh when something blows up in the sky, and the kids wait happily in anticipation of the next one.

It's a great memory to get back in its proper place.

I'll do that, and I'll also photoblog whatever show I see. And I'll invite anyone who's willing to send me shots of fireworks wherever they are and I'll post those too. (Just include a mention of location.) And any fellow bloggers who want to do their own post will get a link here too. We'll put on a blogospheric fireworks display for the world.

And if you want to do more for the troops - the wounded in Landstuhl from Afghanistan and Iraq, be sure to visit Soldier's Angels (and bloggers: add a link on your Independence Day post).

Incidentally I've seen American Independence Day fireworks on three continents and perhaps six states - I'm likely a fair judge of such - and the show we saw in Germany last year was spectacular.

But it will be good to see the sparks fly in the good ol' USA this time.

Update: Let's expand this - not just fireworks, but whatever you are doing this Independence Day weekend, blog it. We'll swap links, and if you don't have a blog or can't post photos, send them here (greyhawk-at-mudvillegazette-dot-com and greyhawk-at-europe-dot-com please use both). Even the things you might find boring will provide a "taste of home" (or a glimpse of real America) to folks over seas, troops and others. Leave a comment (include blog url if you have one) here if you'll participate. We'll create a big interlinked "day in the life" of America for all the world to see.

Here's an example: kids at picnics. Who doesn't love that?

Last Vietnam POW Pilot Retires From Air Force

Simply amazing (and kudos to the LA Times for covering this story from "flyover country")

The last Vietnam War POW flying for the U.S. military has called it a career, reluctantly retiring after 44 years in uniform.

Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier, who reached the Air Force's mandatory retirement age for his rank at 62, was honored at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. Mechenbier spent six years in a Vietnamese prison after his fighter was shot down.

"If we didn't have an age-limit law, Gen. Mechenbier would not step down," said Gregory Martin, commander of Air Force Materiel Command.

Update: More here. Coverage of one of the General's last official missions. Must read.

A Rough Road Ahead

For some at least.

I've stopped shaving over the past couple weeks of my leave - something I've done about three times over the past 20 years - but this has me reconsidering my decision:

Other outlets are reporting the story without the use of secret password for admittance to MoveOn.org meetings, focusing instead on Hussein's "defiance"

Washington Post: Hussein Appears Defiant

NY Times: A Defiant Hussein Rejects Charges in Court

As Saddam's trial progresses and he repeats the slogans of the many other critics of the Iraq war it will be interesting to see their response - or lack thereof. Their comfort level should at least be a bit low right now, something akin to the itchy feeling that accompanies my growing beard...

Or perhaps not.