This is what today is all about
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl Crater, Honolulu
May 25, 2009
May 25, 2009
April 12, 2009
Easter Seals
How fitting that on Easter Sunday America’s prestige on the high seas has been resurrected.
President Obama was right to order the SEAL rescue attempt and good riddance to the three pirates who deserved to die. Pirates must be reminded from time to time that if they attack an American ship they will not receive ransom, but they will meet their maker.
UPDATE: Per the comment below, I’ve changed the title of this post.
April 9, 2009
Piracy presents opportunity
In the past decade we have witnessed the return of a scurge that seems as 18th century as a smallpox outbreak. Pirates once again cruise the high seas–especially off the Horn of Africa and around the busy Strait of Malacca between Indonesia and Malaysia. It is such an anachronism that until the Maersk Alabama was seized this week, most Americans were probably more likely to associate piracy with illegally copied music, movies, and software.
The last time that Americans were concerned with actual pirates–the Barbary Pirates who raided ships off the coast of North Africa at the turn of the 19th century–it was so long ago that the event is immortalized in the first line of the Marine Song: “To the shores of Tripoli.” But there is one memorable sentiment from that era that bears repeating today. It is echoed in the words of a South Carolina Congressman, Robert Goodloe Harper, who when debating what ransom to pay pirates who had seized American ships said, “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.”
That prompted this then-third-world nation to stand up to the Barbary Pirates even while the two largest powers on the planet, England and France, paid ransom. Thomas Jefferson launched the first Barbary War to retaliate against the pirates. A decade later the European powers, having seen the success of American endeavors, launched their own invasions to finally put an end to centuries of piracy off the North African coast. The result of the invasions was that for two centuries, pirates, where they still remained, did not dare to attack an American ship.
The fact that a US-flagged ship has been seized is itself a stunning indictment of how rampant piracy has become. American vessels are so uncommon that by 2001 there were only 239 merchant ships flying under an American flag, less than half the number of just a decade before. Only 3% of commercial cargo originating in American ports travels overseas on US-flagged ships. Most shipping, even most American-owned shipping, now flies under a “flag of convenience,” usually that of Liberia or Panama. They do so to save money, since shipping under an American flag requires a mostly American (and usually unionized) crew, as well as higher fees and taxes. On average, American-flagged shipping costs about 80% more per ton.
But there is an advantage to flying an American flag; it’s an advantage that has been forgotten during our 200-year holiday from piracy history: vessels flying the American flag carry with them the implicit protection of the United States Navy. It is an advantage that the navies of Liberia and Panama cannot possibly offer.
There is one thing about pirates that has not changed over the centuries: they do it for the money. Pirates have no incentive to attack a ship that won’t pay ransom–particularly if by doing so, they know that they run the risk that the American Navy will blast them to the bottom of the sea while the United States Marines raze their towns and cities. For a long time, the extra premium charged to ship under the American flag hasn’t seemed worthwhile to the world’s shippers. Depending on how the Obama Administration responds to the current situation, it may be so again.
And if the Administration is not motivated by the fact that a swift and severe response is the right thing to do, perhaps this will encourage them: when the world’s merchants realize that American-flagged ships always reach their destinations, thousands of new unionized American jobs might be created.
RELATED:
Here, here and here. And, yes, pirates captured on the high seas should be hanged without benefit of a trial to which they are not legally entitled.
ALSO:
Joseph Murphy, the father of the Maersk Alabama’s second-in-command, is himself an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He stated that he sees pirates all the time, but that he thought the pirates “knew better than to go against the American ships”
I think the pirates are going to regret this. The Americans will respond . . . There will be an aggressive response.
I hope he’s right.
March 2, 2009
Sucker
A Russian News Agency (take it with a grain of salt) reports:.
Obama ‘ready to drop shield plans for Russian help on Iran’
If that is true, America will get neither a shield nor Russian help with Iran.
October 23, 2008
The disgrace is down by 13 points
Pennsylvania Democrat Jack Murtha is, in my book, a despicable man. No, it’s not his racist or redneck comments that make me think this. Nor even his notorious porking of the American taxpayer. It was Haditha–and the fact that Murtha was a Marine.
Jack Murtha was the first veteran of the Vietnam War to serve in Congress, elected in 1974, he is one of the last–if not the last–remaining members of the Watergate Landslide Class of Congress. He has since represented his Southwestern Pennsylvania district full of small towns built from coal and steel. It is a gerrymandered Democratic district encircling Pittsburgh and includes a heavy labor population. It is also fiercely pro-military.
On November 19 three years ago, at the height of the Sunni uprising in Anbar province, there was a firefight reported in the town of Haditha resulting in the deaths of Iraqi civilians. Immediately fingers were pointed at the Marines, some claiming that this was another My Lai incident, referring to a massacre of innocents at the hands of Americans in Vietnam.
Murtha said at the time:
It’s much worse than reported in Time magazine. There was no fire fight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that’s what the report is going to tell.
Murtha later added that the incident was “murder”. Not a killing, but murder.
There was initially great deference to Jack Murtha. A veteran and a Marine himself, not to mention a powerful member of Congress, Murtha was presumably in a position to know more than had been so far disclosed to the press, and had the life experiences to know what was right and wrong in war.
But soon the story began to crumble. One by one the charges against most of the defendents–including one from Murtha’s own district–were dropped. The one Marine, the battalion commander, who was to go to trial had the charges dismissed. The judge went so far as to issue a stern rebuke to the prosecution for unlawful command influence encouraging the prosecution of a case so poorly evidenced.
But the damage had been done. Predictably Murtha’s condemnation of his fellow veterans travelled around the world in an instant and added to the crescendo rising against the War in Iraq. It spurred Al Qaeda, which liked nothing so much as to use a prominent American’s own words against her, and dissuaded Anbaris from cooperating with the American Marines.
A lot of Americans dislike the war in Iraq. But not a lot of those have been veterans of an unpopular war themselves and should know better. Fewer still have also been senior members of Congress.
As a Congressman, his unsubstantiated blame was an unscrupulous political ploy. But as a Marine himself, his first reaction to blame without evidence fellow Marines of murder, was an unconsionable severing of the bonds of brotherhood. Jack Murtha is a disgrace.
But there’s good news. The disgrace is now reportedly down by 13 points. His opponent is retired Lt. Col. Bill Russell.
October 21, 2008
Will he pass the test?
By now you’ve probably heard that Joe Biden told a crowd that within six months of a Barack Obama election our enemies will create an international crisis to test the untested new President.
Iran could launch Shahab missiles against Israel. China may make moves against Taiwan, or more likely, the Senkakus. Russia could fortify its Black Sea Fleet facilities in Sevastopol and launch a cyberattack against the Ukraine. The Taliban and its Pakistani allies may try to instigate an uprising in the federally administered region bordering Afghanistan. Iranian Qods Forces, who have recently grown more active in trying to infiltrate Iraq, may attempt an attack on Coalition or Iraqi Security Forces in Diyala or Wasit. Or something not even on America’s radar. Or even a combination of the above.
Now former Secretary of State, and Obama advisor, Madeline Albright has agreed with Biden, saying that his comments were “a statement of fact, frankly.”
I think that their both right. An Obama victory will probably embolden our nation’s enemies to test him. How do you think he’ll do on that test?
October 15, 2008
Hey, at least he’s honest
Democratic Representative John Murtha about the people of his own district:
There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area.
It’s nice to know that there are at least a few elected official honest enough to admit that they have contempt for the people who vote them into office.
Believe it or not, Murtha is not running unopposed. His Republican opponent is Retired Lt. Col. William Russell. Give him a look. At least he doesn’t seem to think that his supporters are a bunch of hicks.
UPDATE:
Yes, this is the same Jack Murtha who, without any evidence, claimed that a Marine from his own district was a cold-blooded murderer. The Marine was later exonerated, even after immense pressure on the Corps for a conviction due to the fact that Murtha is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Contempt for his constituents and contempt for those who serve. At least he’s consistent.
August 10, 2008
The Russian I-O campaign
I have noticed an unusually high number of pro-Russian comments on blog posts like this one. There are also reports of possible Denial of Service attacks on Georgian internet sites.
Makes make me wonder if this is part of an orchestrated information-operations campaign by the Russians. It wouldn’t be the first time.
July 4, 2008
How did you spend Independence Day?
UPDATE: Video
BAGHDAD – How are you spending your 4th of July holiday? While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony in the history of the American military. Beneath a large American flag which dwarfed even the enormous chandelier that Saddam Hussein had built for the Al Faw Palace, members of all services, representing all 50 states took the oath administered by Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq.
Petraeus, reiterating earlier remarks made by Command Sergeant Major Hill, said that the unprecedented ceremony sends a “message to friend and foe alike.” He told those assembled that it is “impossible to calculate the value of what you are giving to our country . . . For no bonus, no matter the size, can adequately compensate you for the contribution each of you makes as a custodian of our nation’s defenses.”
Last year Gen. Petraeus, along with Senator John McCain, presided over a similar Independence Day ceremony. Then only 588 servicemen reenlisted. This year’s event, more than twice as large, saw the equivalent of two battalions extend their service in America’s military. Nearly the entire rotunda was filled with reenlisting servicemen, their voices drowning out all other noise. For two days the military members, flown in for the occasion from all across Iraq, have toured the elaborate palace where Saddam’s sons were said to have entertained friends lavishly and tortured enemies mercilessly in the basement dungeon. Following the ceremony, they were treated to Chicago deep dish pizza donated by Lou Malnati’s Restaurant and flown fresh by DHL for the occasion.
Among those in attendance were service members from the more than two dozen Allies serving with MNF-I. Along with their American counterparts, each appeared in awe of the sacrifice of these incredible men and women. Each of the reenlistees knows full well the costs of war, and yet, they chose to stand with their units, their mission, and each other. It was as humbling an experience as I have ever witnessed. On this 4th of July, while you celebrate around grills and coolers all across America, keep in mind the 1,215 who allow us that privilege.
*Ten hours later and the YouTube video finally “processed.” Here is the link.
July 3, 2008
Baghdad Reenlistment
BAGHDAD - As you get away for a long Independence Day weekend this evening, you might want to give a little thought to an event taking place in Baghdad tomorrow. Eleven hundred Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines–the equivalent of two entire battalions–are celebrating the 4th of July by re-enlisting in the midst of what many call an “unpopular” war.
It is thought to be the largest mass reenlistment ceremony in the history of the United States military, and is twice the size of last year’s event where 588 military members reenlisted. The ceremony will be held in the Al Faw Palace which once belonged to Saddam Hussein. During a practice beneath a 40-foot high American flag today, nearly the entire marble floor of the immense rotunda of the palace was covered in a sea of camouflage uniforms representing all branches of service. Even the rehearsal was an awe-inspiring site.
No matter the timing, people reenlist for various reasons. But during a war there are often two. The first is financial. Many reenlistments make the military member eligible for bonuses that can range from a few thousand dollars to forty thousand or more. Since bonuses earned while deployed in a combat zone are exempt from federal taxes, reenlisting in Iraq can save the service member many thousands of dollars. However, even if the extra money is why one might consider reenlisting overseas, actually reenlisting in the middle of a war only happens when the service member likes his job, his unit, and his mission. That is the second, and more important, reason why most people who reenlist overseas, do so.
It is perhaps counterintuitive, but it is the military’s deployed units that often have higher reenlistment rates. Years ago on a deployment to Kuwait I saw it myself in my own unit. Soldiers were actually excited to be doing what they joined the Army to do. Our cavalrymen fired more rounds from their tanks and Bradleys and drove their vehicles more miles in just a few months while deployed than they did in years of garrison service. Upon their return home to Fort Hood life for Soldiers and officers returned to the mundane: police calls, days spent toiling in the motor pool, and staff work. Lots and lots of staff work. Boredom, even more than deployment, made reenlisting less popular.
To be sure, the military could use a little more of the mundane and familiar these days. Families are hit especially hard in this era of recurring long deployments. A larger Army—the active component was nearly fifty percent larger at the tail end of the Cold War—along with a bigger Marine Corps are certainly necessary in order to share the deployment burden more broadly. Until the time comes that the military expands (if such a time ever comes), it is these 1,100 who have volunteered to go into the breach. Again.
And that is why it is all the more important that you pause a moment to think of and thank those few among us who serve and who volunteer to continue to serve.
UPDATE:
A report of the ceremony.
