Liberty Works » News From Iraq and Afghanistan

Voters Must Elect a Worthy Commander-in-Chief

BoomerJeff — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:31:29 +0000

In this video Barack Obama promises, emphatically, to cut “wasteful spending” by eroding the effectiveness and capability of the US military, including this pledge:

I will slow our development of future combat systems.

Future Combat Systems (FCS) is the name of a top priority program that is critical to making soldiers more effective and reducing combat injuries and deaths. The FCS program is the Army’s promise to provide Soldiers the best equipment and technology available as soon as practical.

One product of the Future Combat Systems program is an astonishingly small but effective unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called the Raven. In this one minute video…

UAVs Guard Convoys

…troops are seen assembling the UAV in the field and launching it by throwing it into the air, like a model airplane. The Raven “sees” the ground ahead and transmits video back to the soldiers so they can spot any dangers before they approach.

Barack Obama claims to be ready to take better care of the troops, But he has also promised to slow down the development of new technologies like the Raven UAV.

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

You Can Help a Disabled Hero

BoomerJeff — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:58:53 +0000

“Homes for Our Troops” doesn’t just thank returning veterans for their service. They custom build homes to accommodate the specific, individual needs of disabled veterans

Homes for Our Troops serves men and women who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan and are severely injured, have severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or are severely burned. The group will build a new home, if necessary, or remodel an existing one. Homes for Our Troops relies on the assistance of the community where the veteran lives or wants to live to help fund the projects with donated materials and services.
.

Here’ a short video about building aNew home for wounded Marine

Donate cash or building materials or services here

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

Obamania Summer Vanity Tour & Photo-Shoot (1)

BoomerJeff — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:36:26 +0000

The Media Extravaganza stopped briefly in Kuwait and then traveled to Afghanistan. As he was leaving Andrews Air Force Base Senator Obama told reporters:

“I look forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is. I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are, and I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they’ve been doing.”

Senator Obama affirmed several times in the past two weeks that his Iraq “plan” in already set stone. He said last week…

“I will give the military a new mission, and that mission is to end the war.”

By “end the war” Obama apparently does not mean that there will be peace in Iraq. “End the war” means President Obama will announce to the world, including Al Qaeda in Iraq, that all American troops will be pulled out of Iraq on a predetermined schedule, no matter what the consequences, whether or not the Iraqis are prepared to secure their nation without help.

So, we have a couple of questions:

Why does Senator Obama care what concerns the Commanders have?
What would he do if they were concerned about pulling all American resources out of Iraq before Iraqi forces were fully prepared to fight Al Qaeda and the other assorted bad guys on their own?

We wonder if any of the media herd following the Summer Vanity Tour will ask these questions. We’re not holding our breath.

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

Underreported Breakthrough in Iraq

BoomerJeff — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:42:14 +0000

The AFP News Agency reports that Iraq’s main Sunni Arab parliamentary bloc will rejoin the government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

This is a significant event because the Sunni Arabs have boycotted the parliament for a year, in protest what they saw as lack of sufficient reconcialiation efforts by the Shiite dominated government.

Quoting from the AFP (via Yahoo)

Saleem Abdallah, MP and spokesman of the National Concord Front, said his group had given a list of new candidates for five of the six ministerial posts which it previously held in Maliki’s cabinet.

“The prime minister has accepted the names of the candidates,” Abdallah told AFP.

Last August the Sunni bloc, which has 44 MPs in the 275-member parliament, pulled its ministers from the cabinet in protest at what it viewed as the monopolisation of power by the other factions in government — the Shiites and Kurds

The boycott by the Sunnis a year ago had undermined al-Maliki’s efforts to form a unity government, giving Barack Obama and the anti-Iraq Democrats a pretext for claiming Iraq was in a hopeless “civil war” and that political leaders were unwilling to compromise and resolve their differences.

Until just a few days ago, Barack Obama’s web site justified his “plan” to pull all combat troops out of Iraq on a predetermined schedule, without regard for the consequences by claiming that…

Iraq’s political leaders have made no progress in resolving the political differences at the heart of their civil war.

.

Apparently in preparation for his photo-shoot tour of the region, which began today, the Obama campaign purged the “civil war” language from his website on Monday. But he still claims there has been an “absence of genuine political accommodation” in Iraq’s government.

In March the Iraqi government began a major military operation against Shiite Militias, with al-Maliki personally in command. Defeating these militias was a major Sunni demand because Militiamen had kidnapped and/or killed hundreds of Sunnis. After only 24 hours, the Anti-Iraq Democrats and the media dismissed the campaign against the militias as a disaster and failure. Recently, the media have had to grudgingly acknowledge success. The militias have been largely defeated, and the crackdown continues.

The Obamania Summer Vanity Tour and Photo-shoot is performing for media groupies in Afghanistan today. In a few days the pageant travels to the next photo-stop, picturesque Baghdad. Will Senator Obama acknowledge Sunni reconciliation as a major development, signaling settlement of political differences? Or, will he look the other way and continue to claim Iraq’s leaders are hopelessly divided?

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

Heroic Marines The Media Herd Didn’t Notice

BoomerJeff — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:59:41 +0000

This is a three minute video report about United States Marines who are embedded with Afghanistan Army units to provide assistance, training and advice.

Every day these amazing young men win local hearts and minds, one at a time. The Marines are respected and admired by the Afghan soldiers.

These young Marines will turn more Afghans into lifelong friends of the American People than all the politicians and diplomats who jet to five star hotels in Europe and Asia, for summits and conferences with other politicians and diplomats. Yet we hear nothing from the media or the Presidential candidates about these inspiring American heroes.

The people whose work is the most important to the future of America are the people whose work is least noticed. While Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Sailors, and Guardsmen in Afghanistan and Iraq are building perceptions of America that will last for generations, the media herd endlessly report on trifling political skirmishes in Washington that will be forgotten in a few days.
.

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

American Heroes The Media Herd Didn’t Notice

BoomerJeff — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:09:46 +0000

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

May Recruiting Statistics

BoomerJeff — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:03:06 +0000

Our previous post mentioned Military Recruiting statistics for April. Today the Pentagon released the May numbers:

Pentagon officials note that the Army National Guard has already recruited 109% of its Fiscal 2008 quota, and the shortfall in May represents a deliberate adjustment in the recruiting effort.

Presidential Candidates in general, and Barack Obama specifically, should be asked how they intend to nurture and preserve the all volunteer military. So far Obama’s answer to questions on most issues is Bush is horrible and he will bring about a change. He should tell the voters what changes he has in mind for the all volunteer military.

Print - Email to a Friend - Share:

Iraq News the Media Herd Forgot to Report

BoomerJeff — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:09:24 +0000

Print - Email to a Friend - Share: