Still Winning the War...

The Iraqi Interior Ministry reported today that 75% of al-Qaeda's networks within Iraq have been neutralized throughout 2007. Officials from the military and ministry credit the improved Iraqi security forces, the rise of Sunni and Shiite groups against al-Qaeda, as well as the increased number of US forces (of course). Here is the story from AP.

However, despite all the successes that have been cited throughout the past several months, liberals are still looking for ways to turn the Iraq War into a winning issue for them. Now they claim we need to pull soldiers out of Iraq in order to place more focus on terror threats in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Here is Kristy Gillibrand (D-NY): "Congress is challenging the administration's strategy in Iraq in favor of a better one that will effectively combat terrorism and create stability in the Middle East...Time and time again, we voted for a strategy to redeploy troops out of Iraq, to leave policing the streets to Iraqis and to focus our mission on anti-terrorism, and we won't give up." (Full story here)

Funny how they continue to shift the reason as to why we need to bring soldiers home, huh? Lets see, there was the "illegal war" excuse, the "we were lied to," the "we cannot win," the "never-ending war," the "another Vietnam," not to mention a slew of conspiracy theories that have to do with money, oil, personal vendettas and sketchy old white men.

Now, while I agree that there are still problems in Afghanistan that we are handling and a developing issue in Pakistan, our armed forces are doing their job in Iraq and doing it well. This is the time to continue the push and finish off this insurgency. As we weaken our enemy we make it easier for the Iraqis to take full control. With that, we continue to put pressure on the extremists as they constantly struggle to find a safe haven in which to operate.

I don't know about the rest of you (unless your a die-hard liberal), but I like being on the winning team.

Benazir Bhutto: The Price Of Freedom

Today the citizens of Pakistan lost a great patriot. Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. She stood against tyranny and terror in a world that is full of both. She offered her people a path towards freedom. For that she was struck down by the forces of terror. This runs quite contrary to some of the theories that surround terrorism.

Liberals and others contend that in fact the people in the middle east like dictators. They use the example of Hamas to state that if you give Arabs voting rights and democracy they will simply elect the terrorist. Well today they have been, sadly, proved wrong. If the terrorist could compete with democracy, then they would have squared off with Bhutto at the ballot box. But they cannot so they did what they always do they used fear and destruction to get their way.

To us in America this should be a lesson. Hold dear the freedom we enjoy. More important we need to help others searching for freedom. For if we leave these people with out assistance they could begin to fall prey to the politics of suicide bombings and terror. Thanks to the surge this is fading in Iraq but we must stay until it fades completely. Unless we show these monsters that freedom can prevail, then they will continue to use the methods that have served them well thus far.

Merry Christmas

Its that time of year where no matter what may be going on elsewhere in the world, it all seems to melt away for these few days of family, faith and joy. I'll be sure to take it all in (especially since I'm still on leave) and enjoy this time with my family and friends...I hope you all do the same.

We'll be hitting the ground running here at RFAR as soon as the holidays slow down; there's quite a bit happening out there that Chris and I will be sure to cover, so be sure to check us out again as you start to sober up from the buckets of egg nog you'll be consuming throughout the next 48 hours. Until then, however, we bid you ado.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

**There's no story behind the cartoon, I just enjoyed it and figured it would fit my mood this holiday season...very "Christmas-y."

Iraq Update

Good news out of Iraq this week as the Pentagon has released an assessment that shows "significant progress" being made on the ground as violence is in dramatic decline and the economy continues to grow. High profile attacks have dropped by more than half in the past several months and there has been a cited "tribal awakening" of Sunni and Shia leaders rallying their followers against al-Qaeda. On top of that, more Iraqi forces are conducting, and taking a lead in, counter-insurgency operations. However, the main issue that remains (as many already know) is the slow transition of control from Americans forces to the Iraqis themselves.

Police forces are having problems with corruption within their ranks while the Iraqi Army is attempting to deal with a lacking officer corp and high levels of desertion. Iran continues to fuel the remaining militias who fight our soldiers and kill innocent civilians; Syria holds the door open for foreign warriors to enter the fight. While progress is being made by leaps and bounds, there continues to be a level of fear that deters many Iraqis from stepping forward and doing their part to rebuild and secure their nation.

Now comes the argument over what should be done about these remaining issues.

I say continue the fight. Progress will only continue to compile into additional successes. The entire liberal stance of "cut and run" is completely off the table at this point since we have been able to show that Iraq is not the "lost cause" that they were screaming about a year ago (an argument that was unjustified then and now). The surge worked. Continue the push forward. I suppose one could say "stay THIS course."

Yes, there are problems, but these issues revolve around fear: the key aspect of terrorism. With the increased levels of security and safety, more citizens will continue to center themselves behind this new government and its goals. A secure and controlled Iraq will produce an environment in which ordinary citizens will be able to step up and accomplish extraordinary feats...a trend similar to our great nation's beginnings.

Can we continue to be the "helping hand" that sees the Iraqi people through this hard time as we continue to build another free friend in the Middle East? I'd like to think so.

San Francisco Mayor goes after Caffeine

Should I be surprised that one of the first stories I catch since returning has to do with San Francisco? I suppose not since they were all over the news well before I left for training...

Mayor Gavin Newsome has begun pushing for additional taxes on caffeinated/sugary drinks in the fine city of San Francisco, stating that they account for tens of millions of dollars in health care costs for the city because of the obesity they cause. This is all a part of his "Shape Up San Francisco" program which began last summer with a "walking regiment..." AKA, suggested walking mandated by the government.

First off, what kind of health care system are you running in your city (on the taxpayers dollar) if its spewing out tens of millions for the obese? Is the government handing out Stacker2 or something? Maybe steps should be taken to fix the broken system and put the responsibility back onto the people rather than continually over-legislate in order to "take care" of us. I enjoy energy drinks, and I do it responsibly...why should I or ohers like me be punished twice now (once for the health care tax and then again when we buy the energy drink) because of what we choose to include in our daily life?

Mayor Newsome needs to understand that his job is to serve the people by providing the services they ask for when they vote, not play mommy & daddy as if we are all children and have no clue how to take care of ourselves. If little Johnny gets fat because he sucks down too many sodas, then his parents need to step in and fix the problem...either that or Johnny will have a life changing moment one day where he'll either decide that he wants to fix his appearance and change his lifestyle, or that he enjoys his current lifestyle and is willing to accept the social consequences of that choice.

Why do liberals always resort to taxing us when it comes to something THEY believe shouldn't be acceptable? If us conservatives ran things that way you'd better believe that we would've hit green tea and hemp shirts a long time ago...

I'm Back

For those who know me (either through my past writing or personally), I have graduated from Basic Combat Training with the US Army and have entered the Officer Candidate School here in Fort Benning, GA. I will be returning to the ranks here on RFARonline and soon be filling this page with my lengthy rants on the world today.

Its quite interesting coming from an environment where I was blind to all news and events occuring outside my training. There is a lot that I have been trying to catch up on...and therefore, a lot to write about. I'll be sure to find something good for you all soon enough, and maybe throw in some good commentary and reflections on my past 3+ months of training as I prep to become a Commissioned Officer in the US Army.

I won't lie, it has changed my perspective on the world...we'll see just how much in the coming weeks.

Good to be back.

Higher Education

As reported by the associated press two students from Penn state were pictured dressing up as shooting victims from Virginia Tech. The photographs were posted on Facebook; the students were wearing Virginia Tech shirts with a fake bullet hole and bloodstains part of a Halloween custom. The officials at Penn State responded by sending an apology condemning the actions of the Penn State students. However the students are not going to face any disciplinary action for there conduct.

This is a truly reprehensible act. That being said I agree that no punishment from the schools standpoint is in order. This was a simply act of free speech. Extremely offensive, stupid, and disgraceful speech; but its their right to do so. The School has no grounds on which to act and lets be real in this country if they did; they would be facing a law suit a week later. The fact is you cannot punish some one for being an insensitive moron. Hopefully their peers will simply realize the reality and this will prevent others from following the awful example set by this event.

Sad as this all is, it wont end here. I can assure you that this is probably going to spawn into tolerance and sensitivity classes for every student in every high school and college in America. Rather then pointing out the stupidity of the matter the reaction will be to educate the population on how to be more politically correct. Fact is this is not an issue of not understanding a tragedy; its an issue of two extremely ignorant and stupid kids who think they're being funny. Leave it alone because it is not the first time, nor the last.

Congrats To Governor Romney

Allow me to first say that to Governor Romney I owe an apology. Though the speech did not earn him my vote; it did earn him my respect. His speech helped define religion in the context of our countries founding. More importantly he made clear that secularism is not what was intended by our founders. He even went as far as to state that secularism is it self a religion and that certain people look to impose it on others. Will it help him become the leader of the free world probably not, but it was none the less a great speech. But don't take my word for it check it out for yourself. Just click play on the video below.

"Cowboy Diplomacy"

The latest National Intelligence Estimate is out and its findings are stunning. According to the report Iran halted its weapons programs in 2003. It also noted however that as Iran is still enriching uranium it can potentially have the bomb by 2010. Rather then taking the time to put this info into proper context the liberal media instead decided to blindside the President at his press conference. The reporters of the press core accused the President of over hyping the Iranian threat. They even went so far as to suggest in some way he needed to justify his behavior. Yet the President stood tall and simply reasserted that this report in no way means that Iran is no longer dangerous. He recommended we continue diplomacy and work to ensure there is no threat posed by Iran towards the U.S.

As linked on www.realclearpolitics.com radio personality Rush Limbaugh had an interesting take on the situation. He alleged that if in fact this report was correct that it was the result of Bush's foreign policy agenda. The term he used to describe it was "Cowboy Diplomacy". The term is dead on. Liberals so often assume that diplomacy is simply talking to another nation state unilaterally and you cave into all there demands (Much Like Clinton did with North Korea). In reality diplomacy is extremely complex. Look at what year Iran allegedly abandoned its program, 2003, that was the same year that Libya renounced its nuclear ambitions; more importantly its the year the United States invaded Iraq.

As I stated back in 2003 when I first heard about Libya's reaction to Iraq; showing that America is willing to get involved will make diplomacy easier. If a nation feels the threat of military action is real then when you leverage that threat they will take it seriously. Iran was placed in the "Axis of Evil" and there response was to drop the weapons and go on the down low. This is not because they are nice people. Iran like Libya was afraid of U.S. intervention. They watch as we toppled Saddam Hussein in mere days. George W. Bush's foreign policy isn't creating enemies its scaring them. Its only when we waver as we have lately that Iran and others begin flexing their muscles.

Romney's "Morman" Speech

After all the talk of the possibility of a JFK type speech from Mitt Romney to explain his religion; the time has come. Nothing like a few polls that completely destroy your path to the nomination to get you going. The fact is the Mormon factor is not whats dragging down Mitt its the fact that hes not living up to the hype. Keep in mind with full knowledge of his faith the voters of Iowa and New Hampshire still picked him in the straw poll. If being Mormon was the issue then such events never would have transpired. Hes not losing because of Religion but because he can not follow trough with his own action line.

Mitt Romney has positioned himself as the true conservative candidate. He claims to be the next Reagan but as of late the facts have proved him wrong. He has lost this status because some one else has filled the conservative void. Mike Huckabee's rise is about harnessing discontent within the republican party not about capitalising on bigotry towards Mormons.

Ultimately this speech is going to be little more then a dog and pony show. Romney will deliver a speech on the role of his faith and voters will remain unswayed. It may solve some problems but dispelling myths about the Mormon faith doesn't make Romney a better candidate. The fact is JFK was a great candidate who needed to mobilize the Catholics and perhaps convince some skeptics to come along. Romney on the other hand still has not proven his validity as a national candidate. If Romney wants to win the nomination and ultimately the presidency he needs to explain his candidacy not his Mormon faith.