Rough Riders Return!

108th Cav is one of Great Satan's Nat'l Treasures. First formed as the Georgia Hussars in 1785, the unit has undergone several name changes and has fought in Civil War, Indian Wars, The Spanish American War, both World Wars, Bosnia, Iraq and AfPAK.

And the piercing tip of the 108th spear is 1st Squadron

Currently nom d'guerr'd the "Rough Riders" after 26's Charge up San Juan Hill - the 1st is an all voltiguer Nat'l Guard unit of the Empire State of the South's rough and rowdy Hillbillylanders whose ancestors were creating water bongs out of the bones of dang Yankees a scant century ago.

And they just got back today.

Pre Surging Iraq - in the infamous 'Triangle Of Death" where they personally witnessed the evolution of IEDs from the size of a "Box of Ritz Crackers to the 155mm artillery shell to flying IED's."

The battle tested Rough Riders paid in precious lives for the recent Iraq elections during their Iraqi battle: SGT Michael J. Stokely, SPC Joshua P. Dingler, SGT Paul A. Saylor, SGT Thomas J. Strickland, SSG George R. Draughn, Jr., and SFC Robert Hollar, Jr.

Deployed to AfPAK, the Rough Riders held the line to help protect and train the Afghan Nat'l Army and Police in COINesque tactics, designs and even the birth of democracy in Afghanistan.

Again, the cost was more than we could stand: MAJ Kevin M. Jenrette; SFC John C. Beale, SGT Jeffrey W. Jordan and SGT Raymundo P. Morales.

There will be celebrations honoring and respecting our own dear dads, husbands, brothers, sons, cousins, nephews and sweethearts - the pride of our nation - throughout North Georgia.

On her knees, Georgia thanks God Almighty for raising up this laughing race of free men, for today - The Rough Riders return.

Pic "Come What Will" with Kristen Johnston

Dedicated to Major Kevin Jenrette of Lula, Ga. KIA near Kapisa, Afghanistan June 4, 2009.

“Operation Sledgehammer”

The charming thing about conspiracies is when a machination is real - no one ever suspects - when it's not real - everyone does.

Maybe, maybe not!

As best understood, the modern Turkish State has been protected by the Army - the guarantor of a secular unM'hammedist rule "...clearly stated in the Turkish constitution and determined by laws as to react against new security challenges and crises in 2000’s, to be ready to face the uncertainties, and to ensure the security of Turkey against internal and external risks."

For eons, Turkish Army has been swaggerlicious:

Turkish Armed Forces are way more grande' than France and Great Britain combined, with 514,000 men under arms and 380K in reserve, plus a robust air force with American fighters.

Actually, it's the 2nd largest standing force in NATO after Great Satan, and 8th biggest number of active troops in the world.

Since the 2002 elections have put M'Hammedists in charge of Turkey's gov, Turkey's General Staff actually prepped a plan to seize control if things got jank.

Details leaked from the 5000 page plot "Operation Sledgehammer" are totally off the hook yet wickedly familiar.

Terror bombs on the two biggest mosques in Turkey, fomenting a military crises with Greece involving the shoot down of a Turkish plane (plotting to shoot it down themselves if the Greeks declined), arresting over 200K ppl, panzers patrolling certain city districts and

"...also hoped to end transmission of many TV and radio stations, which they categorized as "extreme right," "extreme left" and "missionary." Among such stations were Radyo 7, Kanal 7, Yön FM and Mega FM."

Oh Snap!

"One bold idea was to stir up chaos in society through violent acts so that a military takeover would be justified. Options included bombing an Istanbul mosque during the Friday prayer, which would provoke the Islamic masses and lead them to a clash with security forces. In the face of this “Islamist uprising,” the military would roll its tanks, and save the country from the incumbent “reactionary forces.”

"Another option was intentionally bringing down a Turkish warplane on the Aegean, putting the blame on Greece, and thus creating tension between the two countries – something that would show the dovish government as weak, and, again, lead to the military’s ascendance.

Pic "Balyoz!”

The Myth

"There is a myth that though we love freedom, others don't; that our attachment to freedom is a product of our culture; that freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law are American values or Western values"

So sang Great Satan's coolest Uncle ever - the one and only Great Britain PM Tony "When in doubt - knock 'em out" Blair.

An article of faith among the faithless (that for decency's sake shall remain nameless) is essentially hot! sexyful fun and free choice are totally incompatible with certain elements in the world.

Specifically the seemingly illicit hook up betwixt M'Hammedism and tolerant, egalitarian secular 'democrazy'.

"From Pakistan to Palestine, the Middle East is beset by political and social turmoil that threatens to slide the entire region into the clutches of autocratic fanatics. And while American campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have revealed the staggering costs of remodeling societies from afar, the difficulty of these campaigns does not mean we must abandon the Middle East to a totalitarian fate."

Nation states like India and Malaysia inexplicably enjoy secular rowdy parlimentary deomcracy with more mohammedists than the rest of the world combined.

"If there is a fundamental incompatibility between Islam and democracy, 800 million muslims seem unaware of it."

Pic "Ma’alim fi al-Tariq"

The Vote

Democracy has transformed most Iraqis from people who either voted scared or were apathetic to Saddam’s fake election, into people who are driven to vote by a sense of ownership of their country.

Iraqis realize that their democracy is not the best, but they also know that practice makes perfect.

Since 2002 Iraqi elections have been evolving. While still not perfect, democracy is striking root.

Meanwhile, what Iraqis like me have learned is that transformation from autocracy to democracy would not have been possible without the 4,700 brave American and allied servicemen and women who lost their lives, and the many others who were wounded, for the sake of Iraq’s freedom.

Families of these heroes should know that many of us are grateful to their sons and daughters, and to the United States and its allies at large, even if they do not hear thank you often from Iraq or its leaders.

It is on days like Sunday that these sacrifices most strongly comes to Iraqi minds.

Submitted by H. Abdul-Hussain

"Tactical Prelude"

As the Battle of Marjah follows the 'taking' part and begins to enter the 'holding' part - get ready for a hot! summer!

Great Satan and her allies are redrawing the face of combat command in the Af part of AfPAK - prepping for a lo down ho down in Taliban Town - Kandahar.

A tactical prelude.

"Regional Command South is led by British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, the architect of the Marjah offensive. With a new command established, Gen. Carter would shift his focus to Kandahar, leaving a yet named incoming American general to oversee operations in Helmand."

"Until recently, there were 2,000 Canadian and American troops patrolling Kandahar province, a small fraction of the troops deployed to Helmand and other regional hotspots.

And those numbers are about to sky rocket - especially as Great Satan plots send at least one reinforced "Screaming Eagle" Brigade from the 101st Airborne Division to Kandahar later this spring, which will push NATO troop levels up by at least 4K.

"A senior military official said another incoming brigade may also be sent to Kandahar this year, and other troops will be redeployed from within Afghanistan for the offensive.

"There won't be a shortage of manpower, and that's a huge change from every earlier attempt to secure the city," the officer said. "Kandahar had always been the definition of an 'economy of force' mission, and the Taliban exploited that to the hilt."

Pic - "Redefined!"

War Council

Oh! It's true Bay Bee! "Creep Meet" - the recent weekend tete' a tete' in Basharopolis betwixt kindred intolerant spirits petite, girthy and xtra tall:

Hiz'B'Allah's gross, overtly robust Body Part Collector General, Gay Free Iran's fiery tiny little rocketeer hand picked pres and the (nearly 3 meters tall!) Lion of Syria all took up with a hook up as a war contingency cohort:

“The timing of the meeting, the way it was undertaken and the ensuing press conference that was held at its conclusion, all point to a strategic coalition being reinforced.

"This is the build-up of a new front that will spearhead the confrontation with the US-Israeli alliance and whichever Arab countries that may, expressly or implicitly, be affiliated with it.”

“Indeed, we are being exposed to a new discourse here, an unprecedented sense of self-confidence and an unheard-of preparedness for retaliation.”

Little Satan celebrated Hiz'B'Allah's General Secretary's return to Lebanon by buzzing the A.O. with combat jets!

Pic "We should not be so polite and low key that our enemies miss the point"

Counterstrike!

Well, well well - Great Satan's original ganksta think tank reduxes a caveat of sorts about prepping for the aftermath of a Little Satan blitz on Mullahopolis' high priced enrichment entourage of the new clear persuasion.

"What will Iran do in the wake of an Israeli attack that Iran will almost certainly assume has U.S. support?"

Uh, anything they want?

The Revo Guard led counterstrike could swing both ways -

From totally off the hook like launching 11 thousand missiles a minute turning the gulf, Iraq and the Straights of Hormuz into an inferno to "...the first of hundreds of Shehab-3 rockets, pre-targeted at Tel Aviv, lift off from Tehran" to strike Little Satan to Hiz'B'Allah terror cells acting out in malls, schools and daycares within Continental Great Satan to Fajr 5 rocket attacks on Ft Huachuca, Arizona's Army Intelligence School courtesy of Comrade Hugo's HBA buds trekking into Mexico.

Or,

"Tehran's counter-punch would not have to be so bold to be effective and deadly.

"A less discussed, but equally dangerous, option for Iran is to dramatically step up its support of insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. This response is far more likely and, consequently, more worrisome.

"Iran already provides financial and military support to Shiite militias in Iraq, including the most violent and extreme among them. Weapons caches that include improvised explosive devices can be traced directly to Iran. Tehran is also a likely source of mortars, short-range rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and a variety of small arms and ammunition.

"Iran has a history of supplying surrogates to do its fighting. Along with Syria, Iran provided Hiz'B'Allah sophisticated weapons used against Israel in the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Perhaps of most concern to Israel was a variety of rockets with ranges of 20 to 100 kilometers. During that war, despite the best efforts of the Israeli Defense Force, the daily barrage of rockets did not end until the cease-fire took effect.

"Hiz'B'allah also employed high-end antitank guided missiles, which took a heavy toll on the Israeli Army, as well as air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship missiles and even unmanned aerial vehicles. None of these weapons has shown up in significant numbers in Iraq or Afghanistan—yet.

"If Iran did introduce them, the level of violence and the risk to civilians and military installations would escalate significantly. Air-to-ground missiles and antitank guided missiles, integrated with improvised explosive devices, would dramatically increase risks for U.S. and coalition soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Particularly worrisome would be the introduction of portable air-defense missiles, commonly known as MANPADS, into Afghanistan. Mobility in Afghanistan depends upon airplanes and helicopters. Threats to flight would severely hamper current operations.

"In this regard, we should remember that what unhinged the Soviet Union in Afghanistan was a similar increase in enemy capability when the United States gave the Mujahedeen Stinger missiles. The battlefield, including cities, could get much deadlier.

"Iran can accomplish this without directly engaging coalition personnel with its own military forces. In essence, it can deliver a Lebanon-like war to Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a scenario the United States and Israel must seriously consider before pulling the trigger.

True! So what?

It also functions as a wonder raison d'etre to forsake attacking nukey stuff and kill the Iranian regime instead!

Pic "Iran, le choix des armes"