National Guardsman, Dad of 3, Sacrifices Life To Save Afghan Girl

No-one ever focuses on the many good things we have done over in Afghanistan, and  maybe that's because the media fails to highlight them. The Afghan people revolt over a burned Quran (inadvertently at that), urinating on dead corpses (not a good thing) and the horrific rampage of one lone soldier who flipped out.  They don't see these as isolated incidents (perhaps because they are too ignorant to make the distinction), so they blame the U.S. and turn to violence.  And all the good deeds get sidelined by the
bad.

So, it's all the more important for us to honor those who have sacrificed themselves for a mostly ungrateful country, since the mainstream media won't.

Like Spc. Dennis P. Weichel from Rhode Island, father of 3 young ones, who saved the life of a young Afghan girl and, as a result, lost his own.  The ultimate sacrifice.

While riding in a convoy in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan Thursday, Spc. Dennis P. Weichel Jr., 29, and his unit, noticed children collecting shell casings on the road ahead, ABC reports.

The soldiers urged the children to get out of the way, but one girl ran back to pick up more casings underneath a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle -- a truck that can weigh more than 16 tons.

To protect the girl from the massive vehicle, the Rhode Island National Guardsman lifted the girl out of the way, but the armored truck ran him over.

Weichel later died from injuries he sustained and the girl survived, according to the news outlet.

"Specialist Dennis Weichel's life was marked by bravery, selflessness, and commitment to others -- and unfortunately it was in demonstrating these remarkable characteristics that it was lost," Governor Lincoln Chafee said, according to WPRI. “And he will be remembered, and mourned, by people across our state as a great Rhode Islander.”

Weichel was posthumously awarded the bronze star and is survived by his parents, fiancé and three children.

Flags were flown at half-mast in Providence.

Rest in peace brave warrior.

IT'S UP TIME AMERICA by Kimberly Alyn

From Kimberly Alyn, motivational speaker and best selling author comes IT'S UP TIME AMERICA. A great speech about personal responsibility, accountability and leadership. Would be nice if we all followed her advice!

IT'S UP TIME AMERICA

If you see injustice, STAND UP
If something needs to be said, SPEAK UP
If you make an appointment, SHOW UP
If you make a mistake, FESS UP
If you’re overstepping, BACK UP
If you get behind, CATCH UP
If they knock you down, GET UP
If you’re out of line, STRAIGHTEN UP
When your boss instructs, KEEP UP
When your elders speak, LISTEN UP
When your teachers teach, SIT UP
When your preachers preach, WAKE UP
When your country calls, MAN UP
Ladies too... WOMAN UP
When the fight is over, MAKE UP
If you’re being hard, EASE UP
If your heart is closed, OPEN UP
If you want to buy something, SAVE UP--
It’s not an entitlement, so SHUT UP!
If you make a mess, CLEAN IT UP
If you drop trash, PICK IT UP
If a car is waiting for you to
walk across the street, SPEED IT UP
If you’re cold busted, GIVE IT UP
If people fall down, HELP THEM UP--
Not the government, YOU STEP UP
If idiots start fighting, BREAK IT UP
If the music is wholesome, TURN IT UP
If the message is poisonous, THROW IT UP
If your words are vulgar, CLAM IT UP
If your words encourage, KEEP IT UP
If your pants are baggy, PULL THEM UP
If the belt’s too loose, CINCH IT UP
If your fly is down, ZIP IT UP
If you’re dressed half naked, COVER IT UP
If you can’t afford stuff, PASS IT UP--
No “bailouts” folks, PONY UP
If you made a promise, you BACK IT UP
And you can take your whining and PACK IT UP
It’s called personal responsibility, so TAKE IT UP
This country was founded on it, you can LOOK IT UP
It’s the American way people, so TURN IT UP
Because when life gets boring, you SHAKE IT UP
When life is good, you SOAK IT UP
When life’s unfair, you SUCK IT UP
When life is funny, you can YUCK IT UP
When life is sad, just LOOK STRAIGHT UP
And life’s too short people, so LIVE IT UP!

--Kimberly Alyn

Female Genital Mutilation Gets Up To Life In Prison In Uganda

There's good news out of Uganda regarding female genital mutilation (FGM)- one of the most barbaric, backwards and abusive practices forced on young females in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Ugandan parliament has just passed a law banning female circumcision, a traditional right of passage performed on young girls under the age of 15, without their consent. An horrific cultural, and sometimes religious practice, which predates Islam and Christianity, the genitalia of the child is wholly or partially removed.

Sometimes the remaining flesh is stitched closed, a practice called infibulation, leaving only a tiny opening for urination and menstruation, and making intercourse and childbirth painful.

It's estimated 2 to 3 million mutilations are performed per year, and there are anywhere from 130 to 140 million women worldwide who have been tortured through female genital mutilation; at least those still living, since it's common for girls to die during the procedure or from complications, including infection. And it is torture in many instances where anesthesia is not used, and the methods can be very primitive-

“I have never been traumatised my whole life,” reported MP Margaret Muhanga as she testified to her witness of FMG. “They used a sharp stone and cut off the girl’s clitoris…Imagine your daughter being treated like that.”

“The Lord was not stupid to put it the way he did,” said Ngora MP Francis Epetait. “All those accessories had their purpose. It is very stupid for man to claim to be wiser than God.”

The sentencing structure varies depending on certain factors
- 10 years for those caught performing FGM.
-Life in prison if the child dies, contracts HIV or is eventually disabled. It seems the risk of HIV AIDS is much higher for those who have been circumcised.

The Bill passed unanimously, although stopping the practice will be very difficult. Though it has been banned in other African countries, Egypt and elsewhere, it is still far too prevalent. Old habits die hard, and unless you start a massive re-education programme the horrific practice will continue. At least this is a step in the right direction.

Mickey Rourke Doesn't Blame Bush!

Well, well, well, is actor Mickey Rourke a closet Republican? I had no idea, but one has to wonder.


In an interview with Britain's GQ Magazine, he shared the following:

"President Bush was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't know how anyone could have handled this situation.......... I don't give a f**k who's in office, Bush or whoever, there is no simple solution to this problem... I'm not one of those who blames Bush for everything. This s**t between Christians and Muslims goes back to the Crusades, doesn't it. .....It's too easy to blame everything on one guy. These are unpredictable, dangerous times, and I don't think that anyone really knows quite what to do."

He also mentioned how surprised he was at Britain's acceptance of Islamic fundamentalism:

"I was in London recently and I couldn't believe all these hate-talking fanatics you have over here who are allowed to carry on doing their thing even when a bus full of women and children gets blown to pieces.

"I know you've deported one or two of them, but it seems crazy. I think there is worse to come, something terrible will happen to either America or the U.K., or France even. I don't think these fundamentalists should be allowed to talk all this crap, and brainwashing these young kids."

You certainly have to give him credit. When most everyone, these days, is hyper-critical of G.W. Bush's 8 year's in office, bad-boy Mickey has the guts to come out and admit he actually sympathises with the President, and doesn't blame him for all the ills in the world.

What a nice surprise this was!

Welcome to the fold, Mickey!

Holiday Cheer For Our Service Members

The holidays are fast approaching and as you make out your holiday card list, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year, why not add a soldier to your list:

The American Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes to send holiday cards to military personnel, veterans and their families both here and abroad. The deadline is December 10th. Click here for guidelines. For the cost of a card and a stamp you can bring good cheer to someone who deserves it. They also have free cards you can download.

If you feel like sharing a little more than a card, there are organizations that send care packages, year round, to soldiers across the globe. Some of my favorites include:

Treats For Troops- You pick a soldier to shop for, and then have at it. You can also adopt a troop to send a package to. There is a wide variety of items to choose from.

Operation Gratitude- This is a wonderful organization that is totally voluntary, every penny you send them is used to ship packages to our service members. Corporate donors provide all the items, but each box costs $10.00 to ship, and as of today they only have enough funds to ship one-quarter of the 70,000 packages. The organization receives names of soldiers and each care package is personally addressed to them. Especially during the holidays, our service members can feel homesick and depressed, and receiving a card or care package can brighten their spirits. In fact, one soldier wrote to the founder of the organization the following letter:

"HI Carolyn Our unit will be leaving Iraq in a few weeks. I just wanted to thank you for your support of all soldiers over here. Your care packages helped lift morale here greatly and you should know helped save the life of a young soldier.

We had a soldier who never got mail, care packages, or anything. He did not have much family and as it turns out was planning on committing suicide on Christmas, but because that soldier received your care package it was like a Christmas gift. It made the soldier change his mind.

soldier now writes letters and emails to folks whose names were in the box and the soldier's attitude and outlook on life has really improved. This is not a story--it is true. We found out when the soldier finally opened up and talked to the Chain of Command about what was going thru his mind and got help for his depression.

Your care package made a major difference in a human life. Because of your organization, one less family received terrible news at Christmas time.

This has been my third deployment here and I remember how on my first deployment, I almost never got mail and then received a care package from your group. It made me feel much better about being separated from my loved ones. Is there anything I can do to help out? Your group has helped me so I think I should return the great favor. What can I do to help out? Send $$ donations? Just name
it. V/R, SFC J.S."

Our men and women in the military need and deserve our support. $10.00 isn't too much to sacrifice for those who put their lives on the line for us every day.

Obama Speech Writer Jumps Ship-Voting McCain!

Wendy Button, Obama's speech writer (and Huffington Post blogger) has crossed over from the dark-side and is voting for John McCain! In a post on the Daily Beast entitled, "So long, Democrats", Button explains how she came to this decision. A speechwriter for Barry O (and Edwards, Clinton and Kerry in the past), the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was what the Obama camp (via the liberal media) did to Joe The Plumber.

"The final straw came the other week when Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (a.k.a Joe the Plumber) asked a question about higher taxes for small businesses. Instead of celebrating his aspirations, they were mocked. He wasn’t “a real plumber,” and “They’re fighting for Joe the Hedge-Fund manager,” and the patronizing, “I’ve got nothing but love for Joe the Plumber.” Having worked in politics, I know that absolutely none of this is on the level. This back and forth is posturing, a charade, and a political game. These lines are what I refer to as “hooker lines”—a sure thing to get applause and the press to scribble as if they’re reporting meaningful news."

Not only has this party belittled working people in this campaign from Joe the Plumber to the bitter comments, it has also been part of tearing down two female candidates. At first, certain Democrats and the press
called Senator Clinton “dishonest.” They went after her cleavage. They said her experience as First Lady consisted of having tea parties. There was no outrage over “Bros before Hoes” or “Iron My Shirt.” Did Senator Clinton make mistakes? Of course. She’s human. But here we are about a week out and it’s déjà vu all over again. Really, front-page news is how the Republican National Committee paid for Governor Sarah Palin’s wardrobe? Where’s the op-ed about how Obama tucks in his shirt when he plays basketball or how Senator Biden buttons the top button on his golf shirt?"

It's blatantly obvious that the mainstream media is in the tank for Obama. I have never, in my many years voting, observed such overtly biased reporting during an election. It's disgraceful. So, you can be sure there will be no mention of this anywhere other than blogs.

HatTip: GOPMOM
Crossposted at RedCounty.com

"Dear Mr. Obama"- Iraq War Vet Tells It All

This is one Iraqi war vet voting for McCain.

This is his personal message to Obama, and a very poignant one at that. Please watch to the end, and tell me if this doesn't affect you as much as it did me.

God bless all our military personnel.