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I don’t know about y’all, but The Crawfish is glad that Tuesday is finally here, having spent the weekend watching over four girls, when he only has TWO daughters, not feeling physically well, and having to help Mrs. Crawfish finish some college work at the last minute. Add in the physical terrorist, er…therapist increasing the exercise load and, well you get the picture. Now for what caught my eye in the news of the past week.

The media and the American Left (but I repeat myself) is trying to hammer Governor Palin over “Troopergate” and they keep conveniently failing to put a little fact in their stories. The trooper used a TASER on a 10 year old! He should have been fired IMMEDIATELY! Anyway, the investigation is definitely politically tainted. See who is running it and who is the judge supervising it: SUPPORT THE MESSIAH If that’s not enough, now there is audio out there (I’m too computer-stoooopid to find it this morning) of that investigator plotting his report to be an “October Surprise” to be dropped on McCain-Palin. CBS is trying their hardest to help out as well with this: Sarah Phenom is DOOMED

From the “Did They Really Go There?” Department, the Obama campaign is bringing out “faith merchandise” that reads “Believers For Barack” although they are trying to say it means Christian believers, not Barack Messiah believers. Believe THIS!

When the Republicans sneer about Obama’s “community service”, the Obamites complain that they are either being racist or putting down really important work done on behalf of the little guy. Actually, Obama’s community service was all based on the radical leftist teachings of Saul Alinksy, as reported by Byron York. community service Bravo Sierra
Heck, even the Brits caught on to it: It is all a sham

Speaker P-Lousy is going to allow a vote on an energy plan that supposedly includes more drilling. As I have warned repeatedly, it is all a sham. Her plan is a political move designed to get Republicans to vote “against energy production” when it contains nothing of the sort. Just say no to energy

Somebody sent me this interesting tidbit concerning the bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac:
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Top Campaign Contribution Recipients 1989-2008

Name Office Party/State Total
1. Dodd, Christopher J Senator D-CT $133,900
2. Kerry, John Senator D-MA $111,000
3. Obama, Barack Senator D-IL $105,849
4. Clinton, Hillary Senator D-NY $75,550
5. Kanjorski, Paul E House D-PA $65,500

The Messiah’s campaign tried to get Her Bitterness’ senior thesis from Princeton locked up until after the election. Too bad for them that someone got hold of it anyway and posted it on the web. It is chock full of racism, Black Power stuff, and disappointment in her fellow black students and alums who aren’t seperatists. Verified by SNOPES

Now The Messiah is violating the Logan Act by attempting to negotiate for the US government when he’s not President. Red Nanny did this a few months ago in Syria, but nobody put her up on charges either. Obama wants to delay the force status agreement between the US and Iraq to be delayed until HE gets elected and takes office, instead of letting the actual US government do the job. Logan Act Violated

SICKO ALERT! Don’t read this on a freshly filled stomach. Satanists in Russia kill and eat 4 victims. Just plain SICK

I KNEW IT! Now there if proof that vegetarians are idiots. Their brains are shrinking! Vegetarian: Lakota Sioux word for “bad hunter”. Eat More Meat

OJ’s trial in Las Vegas has commenced. His legal team is a bit miffed because the jury is all WHITE! Maybe this time a jury will actually consider the evidence against him instead of his celebrity and skin color.

Back to the campaign trail, where Obama now claims his income redistribution plan and tax hikes on “the rich” (also known as every American that actually pays taxes) is the “neighborly thing to do.” Of course, his own tax returns show how “neighborly” he is, as he and Her Bitterness give less than 1% of their earnings to charity. Friggin Socialist

HA HA HA HA!!!!!! The DNC Convention’s carbon offset program was a complete failure. They didn’t even take in $20. Carbon Scam Failure

And now from the “attempted smear that actually shows media bias and stupidity” files, we get this headlines from the front page (above the fold!) of the Noo Yawk Slimes on Sunday. “Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes” Considering that she was elected Mayor of a small town, where she had multiple kids in the school system, was a PTA leader, and was a hockey mom, she was probably friends with most of the town! Was she supposed to hire enemies? The Slimes wins a Golden DUH Award

And finally….HOW ‘BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!! 41 to 37 over the Illegals!

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I wrote this little piece back last Fall while Bryan was gone. I call it the REAL fantasy of an Army wife. Enjoy.

As I Stand Raking

It was a crisp Saturday in early November that year, and our back yard was covered with leaves already. The drought in our little Northeast corner of Tennessee had left the trees crunchy and dry instead of supple and bright. The leaves were not their normal fantastic array of bright hues. The “fall” of the leaves, which normally takes a month, happened in just a couple of days. I was left standing at the back door looking across the yard and dreading the hard work ahead of me.

My back yard is not huge, but it is full of beautiful trees. Not one Evergreen among them, mind you. They are all large, full and beautiful. I am a sap for this time of year normally. There is nothing I love more than an earth-tone patchwork quilt covering the yard. That year the yard only looked neglected. The leaves were dead before they hit the ground. I heaved a sigh, put on my gloves, checked my pocket to be sure my cell phone was there, turned on and turned up. The first thing I learned when both my husband and son simultaneously deployed was to never allow my cell phone to go dead, and never set it down out of hearing range for one moment.

Grabbing my trusty rake and my gardening gloves, I head for the top of the hill. My thoughts drift quite a bit. It is easy to let them go because I really do not want to be here on this day. Daydreaming is how I get through when I am running cross-country. I kind of drift between lucid thought and a daydream state. Seasoned athletes call the dream state a “zone.” It is a forced altered state of consciousness that is used to stave off the driving desire to give up.

I begin raking, and I am making very little progress. Regardless, I keep moving and doing. My thoughts drift back and forth between my husband and my son. I am laughing in my mind at something Bryan said before he left, and I am remembering the last chat I had with my son Mike, before he left for Baghdad. I am thinking about all of my children, the housework that needs doing, and bills that need paying. I am drifting and raking and thinking.

Suddenly I feel a twinge. It is not in my back or my knee. It is in my heart and it is a small taste of resentment mixed gingerly with a nice twist of guilt. The resentment is fleeting and small, but the guilt is large and overwhelming.

“Here I am having a pity party for myself over having to rake these leaves.” I scolded myself for thinking “If Bryan were here…, or if Mike were here…”

Those of us left on the home front are tired and busy too. I wish they were home, but for that moment I wished they were home for the wrong reasons. I was not fantasizing about their homecoming or hugging their necks. I was fantasizing about them raking while I rest, and consequently I taste guilt.

It is not just the raking that has me blue. Everything is so overwhelming some days. There are days where my little daughter does not want to cooperate with anything. She has her papa’s will and his uncanny ability to convince me of just about anything. I have the weight of the entire household on my shoulders, twenty-four-seven. Every financial decision, every medical decision, educational, social and disciplinary actions are all mine to think through, decide and act on. When I feel I have made a bad decision, or even just a “less good” one, I get to reap the full benefit of excruciating self-doubt and guilt as well.

Shoot, it’s not even all of that. It’s the fatigue too. I go to bed painfully late, and I get up early. I run all day long, and when the day is over, I spend half of the night cleaning and preparing for the next day. My down time, when I have a sitter for the little one, is spent at appointments or running errands. Of course, sometimes I get the occasional luxury of doing yard work. Wait a minute! I am supposed have a good fantasy to escape this dreaded chore, but I cannot seem to get beyond the undercurrent of guilt that has me ensnared.

About that time in my reverie I hear chattering around me. I look over the fences around me and I see it. I see them. There are men doing yard work. There are wives out there with them pruning and preparing to plant their tulip bulbs after the first freeze. They are chatting, laughing, and helping each other. I suddenly feel sad and tired.

Back to raking. I have a few piles going now. A couple of large ones already accumulated pretty fast. My back is sore, and the pity stew I am eating is getting caustic. I lean on my rake for support. It was at this time that a man approached me.

“Hey! I am your neighbor from across the way there. We wanted to welcome you months ago, but haven’t had time. You all military, huh?”

I startled as he loudly blurted out the greeting. He pointed toward a pretty house across the way and continued,

“My wife will be here in a minute, but we noticed you have a lot of work to do here and with your husband gone and all.”

I open my mouth to ask him how he knows we are military and how he knows that my husband is gone, but then flashing before my eyes are men in ACUs standing in my driveway, Go Army! stickers on my car, huge American and Blue Star flags, and my even huger yellow ribbon wrapped around my front yard tree. I guess it’s obvious.

The man explains that he was out doing yard work and his wife prompted him to come and offer me a hand with mine. She was walking over the pathway at this time, she had a huge smile on her face, and a hand extended before she even made it to my yard. She is pretty, warm and very easy to chat with. Her husband disappeared for a moment and she and I stood there chatting. When he came back, he had three other men with him! They all had rakes, leaf bags and even clippers! The wife of the first man says, “Let’s go sit on the deck, chat and we’ll let these guys finish this work for you today!”

I am so overwhelmed that I am standing on the ledge ready to jump off and into a vat of insane weeping. I cannot believe it! She is so easy to talk with. I normally am quite a stoic, but with her, I can just talk and share these burdens and the loneliness that at times is overwhelming. I do not think I have ever talked so candidly to anyone other than my husband about how difficult it can be some days. I purge the pity stew I had feasted on earlier.

Suddenly the cat is out of the bag. Claire confesses all. She is tired, wore out, and sick of being strong. I know it is just that kind of day and I will get through. That is no comfort in the moment though. No more room for pity. My new friend and I just moved into the realm of brutal honesty.

What feels like a mere five minutes later, I look up and notice that my yard looks fantastic. I am ready to cry again, but this time out of relief and gratitude. I offer everyone a drink, but they refuse, insisting that they are fine. They say “Thank your husband and my son for their service to our Country.” I hear that a lot and I always pass the message along. I wonder if these people realize that they just thanked me for holding the fort down and working so hard to keep it all going smoothly while my soldiers are actively serving. They took a moment to offer a helping hand in a very tangible way; a small way that made a huge difference to a discouraged and tired neighbor.

I stood up and extended my arm to shake my new found friends’ hands, but I hear a very loud roaring motor in the background. It is loud and intrusive. So loud, in fact, that it shook my universe for just a moment. I looked at my extended hand, and there sitting in it was a rake. I looked around me and I was standing in my backyard. All around me are crunchy leaves. The loud roar that viciously ripped me from my daydream is a neighbor’s lawn mower.

Within those dry, crackly leaves I found a momentary oasis. Sure it was just a fantasy, but it was a real fantasy had by a real Army wife.

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I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here’s your weekly dose of good news from the front lines.

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Last week as many of you who read my blog know I began the process of filing for bankruptcy. It has been very healing in so many ways. All of the burdens that I have been living with for nearly two years have begun to lift from my shoulders. It is going to take time but now I have taken action.

In the time that I have gone through the financial stress, I have also been going through emotional stress. Often we lump it all together and don’t know how to separate it in order to handle it properly, I have found if you deal with each individual issue separately, you will be more successful in the end. I have learned to break it down.

When any of us suffer a loss we find ourselves stuck. I have been stuck. Divorce can be very similar to a death. Domestic violence only compounds that feeling. Toss in the financial devastation that comes with any loss, you will find a recipe for disaster.

I became very emotional in my responses to my divorce and financial issues for a very long time. That is normal of course but it won’t get you anywhere. People around you will say they understand but after awhile you are on your own. You become “that poor woman.” I hated that. I needed to get away from that label as I am too strong for that. I had my pity party and now it’s over.

I had bills that I ignored because I had no way to pay them. I didn’t open them for almost two years. That didn’t solve anything. When I did call about them, the companies could care less about what I was going through. I have finally waded through everything. It really represented my emotional distress. My lack of organization was a symptom of my grief and utter loss. I went from a very organized woman to one who couldn’t remember what she had to do from day to day literally overnight. That was very disturbing to me. I had to write notes to myself just to make it through each day.

Now that I have come through it and am tackling the situation, I feel so much better. I still have to get through the whole bankruptcy process but it will be the true closure for me.

Domestic violence seems to be on the rise. It is so easy for me to sit here and tell those of you who read my words to just get out. I know how you are feeling. You love your husband. Many of you have no income. You have children together as well. More often then not you are afraid. You fear him. You fear leaving and not being able to support you and your children. You are so in love that it is impossible to see it for what it is really. It is human nature to be this blind. I can look back now with 20/20 vision and know that from the very beginning I made a bad choice. My only gift that I ever got from him is my son. So to say I wouldn’t do it again would be unfair to my little boy. I wouldn’t have him would I?. We love each other so. So in the end love did conquer all.

My hope is that someone out there who reads my words and sees herself in me will find it in her to get help and get out of a dangerous situation. You are not doing your children any favors by staying. They are suffering right along with you. You are their only voice. They are just kids. Be strong for them. Teach them that abuse in any form is wrong. Your actions will go a long way with them. Children are very smart and resilient

I have some signs of abuse that I have experienced. If you can identify with them then you know that you really are in a bad situation.

1)Does he isolate you from friends?

2)Does he belittle you in front of others? Tells you to shut up?

3)Does he keep you from working and control the money?

4)Does he abuse drugs and alcohol?(not always the case)

5)Does he call you names? Has he ever restrained you? Shoved you? Hit you?

6)Does he blame everyone else for all of his problems?

7)Are you afraid to talk to him about anything especially financial issues?

8)Does he make you feel like a child? Treats you as if you don’t have a brain?

These are just some of the signs that should make you realize things are not as they should be. I will also add that MEN are also abused by WOMEN as well. I am only speaking from my own personal experience.

The bottom line is this…Love should not hurt and if it does then you have to identify the problem and make some serious changes. Take care of yourself and your children.There are agencies out there that will help you. You must go to them. They won’t come to your door checking on you. Be proactive, not reactive. Get your finances in order. Start saving money. Put it to the side for an emergency. Prepare for the worst. If you are in immediate danger call 911. Don’t let your love preclude the fact that your husband tried to hurt you. He will have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

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Clear as a bell. I get up, eat a cerial breakfast, grab my fishing tackle and hed for the strem next to my house. Same thing I have done morning after morning for years. Daybreak, sky is clear and so is the water. Very still ,not even a ripple. The fish spook easily when the water is this clear and still. Fish for a while trying different techniques to get a bite, but no takers.

Boaring when there are no fish biting.

Head home, put up the tackle, walk in the house, Sue says Oh My God Doug someone just crashed a plane into one of the twin towers in New York City.

She is watching it on Fox News.

They show the pictures over and over. At first we and everyone else seems to think this is an awfull accident. and just as I am setteling down to watch another plane crashes into the other tower.

Horror is the only way to discribe the feelings. Unbelief, sudden awareness that this isn’t an accident: But what then if not an accident?

Intentionally crashing what now appears to have been airliners into the world trade center!

Oh God! The people in those floors must be dead. The fire now raging from several floors in each tower.How dear God can this be? This is New York City! How? Why would someone do this? Confusion, fear grip Both Sue and I as we watch the images over and over. I must not let Sue see my fear. Why, dear Gods Why! People now appear to be falling or jumping from the towers. Could they be jumping to a certain death to be spared burning to death? Horror! They report another plane inbound for Washington DC. Oh MY God! The White House or the Capital. Now the reports of other planes. WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!! Oh God how can this be? Reports are poring in fast and confusing. How many planes? Where are they? Could they be coming here? to Our town? What should I do? Should I get the Guns out? No, they will not help from this kind of attack.

Who the Hell are these people? Chineese? Russians? TERRORISTS?
That is it! Terrorists! They hit the towers before.

More reports of more planes. Our son and His fiance come in from school. Wendy is crying. I’m fighting back tears and fear at the same time. My fight or flight response is going off the chart. How do I defend my family from this? Will they come here? Matt, Get the Guns, We will, defend ourselves if needed. Wendy now is near hysterical. Comfort the family, Fighting back tears myself.

The Pentagon is hit! Now terror becomes even more real as the attacks become more widespread. News of more planes one over Ohio. Oh MY God they are coming here!
We are away from Columbus, away from any strategic targets. OK, We will be OK!
People being pulled from the pentagon terrably burned, the Pentagon is being evacuated. People running everywhere not knowing where it is safe. Now word that there may be another plane headed tyo the Pentagon, The people are running now, near panic from the Building.

The tower is colapsing !The tower is colapsing! Oh MY Dear God!! Those people! How many escaped? People running everywhere coverd with dust. paper blowing everywhere.
OH MY GOD! Thousands of people in that building! How many got out? I cannot discribe my feelings. Everyone watching must be feeling them as well.

The second tower is colapsing! OH NO! Oh how? Why? What kind of people would intentionally attack a non military totally civilian building? The news reports say 50,000 people work in those buildings. As fear, confudsion, terror, sorrow wash over me and my family a new emotion is raising up in me. ANGER, RAGE, REVENGE. WE ARE AT WAR! The realization is overwhelming.

OK we can do this! We must avenge this atrosity! We will hunt these Bastards down to the ends of the earth! This will not stand unavenged!

My daughter in California calls, she just got up and saw it on TV. She is crying Sue and Wendy are Crying. Have never experianced such Rage, sorrow, fear, anger, all at once. Even in the War I didn’t feel all these things together a so strong. How do I controll my emotions and stear this family through the next days and weeks that are enevitable. Must be strong.

GOD HELP THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTOMS!

GOD GIVE US STRENGTH AND RESOLVE TO AVENGE THIS——————————-!

GOD BLESS AMERICA AT WAR!

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Today, I once again took the quiz of the VAJoe.com Candidate Calculator, found at CLICK HERE!.

While the number of issues discussed and their explanations is good, there is one disappointing aspect of this version. When you are complete, it gives you the matches with the candidates, but does not show how the candidates scored on each issue. You may have matched one candidate a lot on the issues that don’t really matter much to you, but the two or three that you really care about are non-matches, which would cause you to NOT want to vote for him/her.

Here’s how I voted and my percentage matches:
Do you support…..
Abortion Rights: No, Medium
Death Penalty: Yes, Medium
No Child Left Behind: No, Low (Education is not something the feds have Constitutional authority on)
Federal Embryonic Stem Cell Research: No, Medium (If this showed any real promise, the pharmaceutical companies would be all over it with their own money to be first to produce the medications)
ANWR Drilling: YES, HIGH!!!!!!
Kyoto Treaty: NO, HIGH!!!!!
Assault Weapons Ban: No, High
Gun Background Checks: Yes, Medium
Patriot Act: YES, HIGH!!!
Citizen Path for Illegal Invaders: NO, HIGH!!!!!
Border Fence: YES, HIGH!!!
Internet Neutrality: No, Low (keep the gummint out of it!)
US Sanctions vs Iran: Yes, Medium
Military Action vs Iran: No, Medium (not necessary at this time, but might be eventually)
Increase Minimum Wage: NO, HIGH!!!!!! (The federal gummint has no Constitutional authority to interfere in the private business contract between employee and employer!)
Same Sex Marriage: No, Medium
Universal Health Care: NO, HIGH!!!! (Its the Constitution, stoopid!)
Free Trade: No, Medium (Ross Perot was right on this issue!)
School Vouchers: Yes, Low (As long as the feds are involved, yes…but education is a state and local issue according to the Constitution, so kill the Dept of Education and federal regs on this issue!)
Privatize Social Insecurity: YES, HIGH!!!!! (End this unConstitutional Ponzi scheme! See my plan here: ATP Platform 2008 Part 2)
Fair Tax: Yes, Medium (The best way to get rid of corruption and lobbyist influence in Congress)

How’d I match up?
McCain: 71.19%
Baldwin: 67.80%
Barr: 51.69%
Obama: 31.36%
McKinney: 20.34%
Nader: 10.17%

How I matched McKinney and Nader more than 1% is beyond me.

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This video has received over 2 million views. Discuss and Debate.

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How do the candidates match up with The Crawfish?

There are a couple of websites that have “candidate calculators” that allow the user to input their opinion on a number of issues, and then see how the candidates match up with their beliefs.

The Crawfish has taken the tests and will now show how he matches up with them. A word of caution on the questions, though. Some issues require the user to click on the link to really understand how to vote on them, such as “Replace US troops with the UN in Iraq”. I initially put Strongly Oppose, until I looked at what each answer stood for, and had to change to Neutral.

The first site is On The Issues.Org. I am not going to bother with useless candidates such as Nader, McKinney, LaRiva, and Moore. My next post will be the “Candidate Calculator” at www.vajoe.com, where The Crawfish is a Moderator and weekly columnist.

Overall, I am listed as a Hard-Core Conservative (surprise, surprise). I matched Bob Barr (Hard-Core Conservative) 68% (75% social and 63% economic), Chuck Baldwin (Libertarian Conservative) 63% (56% social and 67% economic), McCain (Populist Leaning conservative) 43% (50% social and 38% economic), Obama (Hard-Core Liberal) 15% (19% social and 13% economic), and Clinton (Hard-Core Liberal) 8% (0% social and 13% economic).

Here are the questions with my answers and those of the candidates (SS= strongly support, S= support, N= neutral, O= oppose, SO= strongly oppose, check the website and links for explanations):

Abortion is a woman’s right
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SO, Baldwin- SO, McCain- O, Obama- SS, Clinton- SS (state issue according to the Constitution, only federal issue because of the most flawed Supreme Court decision in history)

Require companies to hire more women and minorities (support racism)
Crawfish- SO, Barr- O, Baldwin- N, McCain- S, Obama- SS, Clinton- S (McCain supports racism)

Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws
Crawfish- O, Barr- O, Baldwin- N, McCain- S, Obama- S, Clinton- SS

Teach family values in public schools
Crawfish- S, Barr- SS, Baldwin- S, McCain- S, Obama- O, Clinton- O (completely local/state issue according to the Constitution)

Death Penalty
Crawfish- SS, Barr- SS, Baldwin- N, McCain- SS, Obama- O, Clinton- O

Mandatory 3 strikes sentencing laws
Crawfish- S, Barr- SS, Baldwin- N, McCain- SS, Obama- O, Clinton- O

Absolute right to gun ownership
Crawfish- SS, Bar- SS, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SS, Obama- O, Clinton- SO (obviously Dims oppose the Constitution)

More federal funding for health coverage
Crawfish- SO, Barr- O, Baldwin- SO, McCain- O, Obama-SS, Clinton- S

Privatize Social Insecurity
Crawfish- SS, Bar- SS, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SS, Obama- SO, Clinton- SO (not something the feds are authorized to be involved in)

Parents choose schools via vouchers
Crawfish- S, Barr- SS, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SS, Obama-N, Clinton- SO (of course, this is not a national issue, since education is a state and local issue according to the Constitution)

Replace coal and oil with alternatives (click the link on this one for sure!)
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SO, Baldwin- SO, McCain- S, Obama- SS, Clinton- SS (Crawfish wants to eventually do so when the technology allows it, especially for cars, aircraft, ships, etc, but no way on cap& trade or Kyoto!)

Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it
Crawfish- S, Barr- SS, Baldwin- N, McCain- SS, Obama- O, Clinton- O (Democrats like drug users…altered brains believe their tripe!)

Allow churches to provide welfare services
Crawfish- S, Barr- S, Baldwin-N, McCain- SS, Obama- S, Clinton- S

Make taxes more progressive (Class warfare)
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SO, Baldwin- SO, McCain- O, BO- SS, Clinton- SS (imagine that, the Left wants more class warfare. Crawfish supports the Fair Tax)

Illegal Invaders earn citizenship
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SO, Baldwin- SO, McCain- S, Obama- SS, Clinton- SS (how can any AMERICAN support this?)

Support & expand free trade
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SO, Baldwin- SO, McCain- SS, Obama- O, Clinton- N (McCain wants more of the NAFTA failures)

More spending on the Armed Forces
Crawfish- SS. Barr- S, Baldwin- O, McCain- S, Obama- N, Clinton- O (this answer alone rules out Baldwin)

Stricter limits on political campaign funds (again, it is important to click the link on this issue)
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SS, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SO, Obama- SS, Clinton- SS

The Patriot Act harms civil liberties
Crawfish- SO, Barr- SS, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SO, Obama- SS, Clinton- SS (the main thing here is wiretaps on foreign phone calls, which is basic signals intelligence…what helped us with WW2 on both fronts! Foreign signals are free game and spies/saboteurs have NO RIGHTS!)

Replace US troops with UN in Iraq (VERY important to click the link!)
Crawfish- N, Barr- S, Baldwin- SS, McCain- SO, Obama- S, Clinton- SS (The Crawfish wants the UN to go away, PERIOD! Replace US troops with Iraqi troops when they are good enough and reliable enough to handle it!)

Just for S&G’s, I took the quiz and matched my answers with my Senator who is up for re-election.

Matched Senator John Cornyn 68% (69% social and 67% economic, with no breakdown available).

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To our delight, we recently had the opportunity to listen to General James Mattis, one of the four four-star generals currently serving in the US Marine Corps. He is from the Pacific Northwest and still calls it part of America where his memories are.

General Mattis commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then Task force 58 during Operation Enduring Freedom. He commanded the 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and stability operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He recently served as the commander of the US Marine Forces Central Command. Currently, he is Commander, US Joint Forces Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. Who better to listen to about Iraq and Afghanistan?

This is the second time we have had the opportunity to hear General Mattis. He speaks frankly and honestly about the good and the bad in the situations in the War on Terror. He opens the floor to questions and honestly answers each of them.

“We now have a victory coming in Iraq. We’re still a ways away, but victory is coming.” He continued about Afghanistan and discussed the transfer of resources from Iraq as it stabilizes to Afghanistan. He discussed the difficulty with the various terms of participation with the NATO countries. He also spoke about the difficulties of irregular warfare.

General Mattis also tells wonderful stories of the Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors in the war zones. While we are “the good guys, not the perfect guys”, he noted the trusting relationships that our troops are establishing, which is allowing success and victory.

He told the story of a young man who daily stopped traffic for an Iraqi woman to cross the street. She never acknowledged him, yet daily came to his corner to cross the street. He always smiled at her and wished her well. After many weeks of this, she approached him from a different direction, made eye contact with him, turned her head and stared at a house, repeating the gesture several times, and then passed by him. A raid on the house shut down a bomb making operation and removed a large weapons cache from the streets.

When he arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan, he was approached by locals interested in opening a school for girls, something that city had not seen in five years. Shortly after military commanders assured them the girls’ schools would be defended, girls in school uniforms were suddenly everywhere, Mattis said, ‘like somebody added water to dehydrated girls’ schools.”These girls came walking down the street, and they walked right by U.S. Navy Seals and Marines with automatic weapons standing there on the street corners,’ Mattis said. ‘And they knew they could trust these foreign soldiers with all these grenades hanging off them and everything else. They knew they could trust them.’

He also shared stories of hospitals and schools and market places opening. He talked about people wanting to live their lives and to care for their families. He gives the news the press never does. He also does not downplay the fragile nature of the peace that is being found, nor the ferocity of the enemy.

Additionally, General Mattis came to meet with the Marine JROTC students in the new program here. There are 87 students enrolled in the start up year and General Mattis assisted in getting the unit granted. What a start for a young person to meet a four-star general!

Thank you General Mattis for an informative and inspiring evening.

*******************************************

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The U.S. military will be engaged in irregular warfare operations for some time to come, a senior U.S. military officer said on June 19.

“Irregular warfare, from my perspective, is the key problem that we face today,” Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, told attendees at the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference.

The U.S. military is now locked in battle with transnational terrorists like al-Qaida, but it also must be prepared to fight conventional conflicts, Mattis said.

Meanwhile, American sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines will be fighting terrorists during the next decade or so, Mattis predicted.

“The enemy won’t fight us conventionally,” Mattis pointed out, noting the terrorists realize they’re outmatched on traditional battlefields.

He cited his belief that technology, although welcome and helpful, isn’t a panacea for all of the unknowns inherent in warfighting, where the human dimension of conflict reigns supreme.

Terrorists embrace irregular warfare as a countermeasure to U.S. military supremacy, Mattis explained, noting they are intelligent, persistent and patient.

“This enemy is not going away any time soon,” the general observed.

Anyone who believes the terrorists can be reasoned with are wrong, Mattis said, noting their worldview is totally at odds with that of civilized societies.

The United States, the Soviet Union and China did not want to use their nuclear weapons during the Cold War, Mattis said. However, he said, it’d be different if al Qaida terrorists acquired nuclear or chemical weapons. “I firmly believe that if they got chemical or nuclear weapons they would use them,” he emphasized.

To achieve victory over terrorism the U.S. military must become intellectually focused on understanding the enemy and how he operates, Mattis said. Winning this battle depends on U.S. servicemembers being adaptive and capable of improvisation, he added.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and his troops have severely disrupted al-Qaida in Iraq operations by adapting counterinsurgency doctrine to separate terrorists from the Iraqi populace, Mattis said.

The U.S. military does a good job of destroying or finishing the enemy once he has been “fixed,” or cornered, Mattis said. However, he said, more work needs to be done in areas related to finding the foe.

Mattis told military contractors in the audience that the U.S. military needs to devise a way to blow up improvised explosive devices while they’re still in terrorists’ hands.

“We have to take the IED and turn it against the enemy by pre-detonation,” Mattis said.

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