Present, Arms!

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - After decades of faithful service, the United States Air Force (USAF) says it will retire the world’s first stealth fighter jet, the F-117 “Nighthawk.” The twin-engine, single-seat fighter demonstrated the tremendous capabilities of stealth when it helped Coalition forces expel Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military from Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War.

Order, Arms!

The governments of Ecuador and Venezuela have recalled their ambassadors from Columbia and have moved troops to the border in a clear display of anger over reported incidents of Columbian military attacking terrorists inside Ecuador’s border.

In a televised address, Correa called a raid by Colombian national police and air force one day earlier a “massacre” that killed civilians.

The strike at dawn Saturday killed two leading figures in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist movement that has fought a guerrilla war against the country’s government for some 40 years. One of the dead was FARC’s second-in-command, Luis Edgar Devia Silva, known as “Raul Reyes.”

The United States is in a sticky situation here, as Columbia is an ally. But this sounds very much like Venezuela and Ecuador are supporting the FARC terrorists and are trying very hard to get on the “Axis of Evil” list.

We know Chavez is a leftist fascist and Correa seems to be a great understudy - even for a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana.

UPDATE: Documents reportedly found in a FARC camp in Ecuador implicate Correa.

BOGOTA, March 2 (Reuters) - Colombia said on Sunday documents found in a camp in Ecuador where Colombian troops killed a top guerrilla boss showed ties between the FARC rebels and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, including contacts about political proposals and local military commanders.

FARC rebel commander Raul Reyes was killed inside Ecuador in an army operation that has fueled tensions between Washington ally Colombia and neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador, where leftist leaders are fiercely opposed to U.S. proposals. Police Commander Gen. Oscar Naranjo said documents found in computers belonging to Reyes showed contacts between a Correa government minister, Gustavo Larrea, and the FARC commander to discuss political proposals and projects on the frontier. “The questions raised by these documents need concrete answers,” Naranjo said. “What is the state of relations between Ecuador’s government and a terrorist group like the FARC.”

UPDATE 2: Looks like those computer files Columbia found in Ecuador, after killing the FARC chief, don’t put Hugo Chavez in very good light either.

March 3 (Bloomberg) — Colombia’s police chief Oscar Naranjo said documents from the computer of a guerrilla leader killed last weekend in Ecuador show links to Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez.

The documents on the computer of Raul Reyes, the second in command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, indicate that Venezuela provided the guerrillas with at least $300 million and would help Chavez in the event of a U.S. attack on Venezuela.

So, for all you Hugo-lovers out there, it appears at least that your boy is a sponsor of terrorism.

UPDATE 3: Did you see the part where FARC was trying to buy 110 lbs of uranium?

Obama: “I always reserve the right for the president … to make sure that we are looking out for American interests,” Obama said. “And if al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad.”

As long as that president isn’t George W Bush.

McCain: “I understand that Sen. Obama said that if al Qaeda established a base in Iraq that he would send troops back in militarily. Al Qaeda already has a base in Iraq. It’s called al Qaeda in Iraq,” McCain said.

 ”It’s a remarkable statement to say that you would send troops back to a place where al Qaeda has established a base — where they have already established a base.”

 Obama:  “But I have some news for John McCain, and that is that there was no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.”

Ah - well this brings up two points.

Bin Laden’s Justice Department indictment specifically states - despite the 9/11 Commissio’s white wash - Al Qaeda had a relationship with Saddam’s government based upon an agreement that Al Qaeda would not work against the Iraqi government and would assist on certain specific projects Iraq was involved in - assuredly with regards to support of Hizb’allah. This went back to the time when Bin Laden was in exile in Sudan prior to moving his base of operations to Afghanistan. Al Qaeda may not have been a fighting force in Iraq prior to the invasion of Iraq, but they would not have had anyone to fight there, now would they?

Al Qaeda was in New York and Washington DC “until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.” They have not - apparently -been back since.

It is interesting how Obama seems to gain points for making inane promises of military might he does not espouse, and then also be able to gain points for making inane anti-war proclamations which reflect a false sense of history and a proven failed approach to combating terrorism.

Obama’s answer is talk - you cannot reason with a rabid dog, Mr. Obama. You put the dog down.

The US District Court in New Haven, Connecticut is the scene of an interesting trial this week. Hassan Abu-Jihaad goes on trial for terrorism related charges.

Hassan Abu-Jihaad is the post-conversion name of Navy sailor Paul R. Hall, who allegedly passed classified documents and information regarding United States Navy ship positions and the contents of classified briefings to terrorists. He is also charged with assisting with raising funds and garnering military equipment for terrorists.

Colon, who met Abu-Jihaad at a mosque in Phoenix, said Abu-Jihaad admired the rebels in Chechnya but he rarely saw his friend angry and had a hard time believing the man whose children played with his children secretly supported terrorists. Colon said Abu-Jihaad was dedicated to his prayers, reading Islamic literature and following rules against drinking.

Abu-Jihaad is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist arrested in 2004 and accused of running Web sites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles for terrorists. Ahmad is to be extradited to the U.S.

Hassan Abu-Jihaad was working in Phoenix, Arizona when he was arrested.

UPDATE: Hassan Abu-Jihaad has been convicted of assisting terrorists and putting his shipmates in jeopardy.

A B2 bomber has crashed on guam with no loss of life.

Developing.

I cannot conceive, nor has it been posed, what we intend to gain by supporting Kosovar independence from Serbia. I have said several times in these pages there is only the obvious desire to show our “even-handedness” to Muslims. We really have no dog in this race. We may get a military base out of this, but with a few thousand troops in the area, we have that already.

We have used the United Nations to conspire the break-up of a member nation for no clear reason other than to gain favor with terrorists. Kosovo is the United States’ Balkan Tragedy.

UPDATE:

A contact of Michelle’s gave an update on the Military Hate Monger and Attorney, Jay R. Grodner, who was caught keying the car of a US Marine.

Here is an update on the court proceedings in this case.

Read the rest >>>

So maybe it is a bit awkward - you are not sure how to say it and you’re not sure how it will be taken. Here are a couple of ways to say thank you to our troops that might be a little easier for you.

Here are two ways to say thank you to someone serving in our armed forces.

[youtube MSfFYxSdKdo nolink]

The second way takes a little more work, but it is just as cool in the effect it has.

If you are in a diner or restaurant, explain to your server that you want to say thanks to the military persons seated in the establishment with you by paying for their meal, but you don’t want them to know who it was who did it.

Now, every person in the place is a potential “thanker” and even the most innocent look from another patron to the military folks can have a whole new meaning.

I was once a recipient of this kind of thanks and I know how I felt just being acknowledged through an anonymous grilled cheese sandwich.

Click play - I Double-Dog dare you!

Now go to SoldiersAngels.org and donate or adopt a soldier!

The US Army is reducing the footprint of missile testing operations in Kwajalein, and transitioning operations to CONUS.

 By 2010, many Kwajalein missile range operations will be distributed to Huntsville, Alabama, reducing the on-island footprint. Radio and television spots by Col. Stevenson Reed, USAKA commander, announcing the transition plan, were followed-up last week with two town hall meetings at the military facility in the Marshall Islands.

Kwajalein is where the Reagan ballistic missile defense testing occurs.