Hark the Herald

I discovered an interesting article while reading the Muslims Against Sharia Blog.

Keep the Muslims Out?

Art Hall
Cape May County Herald

The internal-external threat is like no other we have ever faced. It is from Islam. While Christianity preaches peace, the Quran preaches conquest by force of arms.

In order to chart a course for the future, we must first remember who we were, review who we are now, and consider the national structure we want to bequeath to our children and grandchildren. We were and are both a democratic and Christian nation in our fundamental structure. If we desire for America to remain thus, we must first recognize the current threats, and then develop the will to stand against those who are undermining them, those who detest what we cherish.

The publisher quoted Douglas Feith and Geert Wilders. This has upset the enemy, so that CAIR is calling for his job. They have urged the hordes to besiege the paper with letters of complaint. Now is the time to read that excellent editorial and the numerous reader comments, then add your own, as I have done. Lets show them that Americans will still stand up to defend our freedom of expression.

Every Day Heroes

Major James Gant
Photo by Sgt. Nicole Kojetin, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
May 02, 2007

Maj. James �Jim� Gant recalls the events of a fierce fire fight that occurred Dec. 11 between Balad and Baghdad during an interview at Camp Liberty, Iraq April 30. Maj. Gant, the Chief of the Iraqi National Police Quick Reaction Force Battalion Transition Team, earned the Silver Star for his heroism during that fight… (here)

Meet Major Jim Gant:

‘I need to be where the most danger is’

Silver Star

earned

12.11.06

while serving with

3rd Special Forces Group

The convoy had been taking fire for a while by the time it came across the first roadside bomb.

Maj. Jim Gant knew he could not wait for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians to show up.

So he decided that his up-armored vehicle would have to eat the roadside bomb. He also made sure that it would explode on his side.

Gant, 41 explained that was his job as a leader.

“I need to be where the most danger is,” said Gant, team leader for the Iraqi National Police Quick Reaction Force Transition Team.

On Dec. 11, 2006, Gant was leading a convoy of Iraqi police commandos from Balad to Taji.

Iraqi police had been making regular trips to Balad, and there had been heavy fighting along the route for the past six weeks, said Gant, of Fort Bragg, N.C.

This day would be worse.

And the two F-16s that were supposed to support the convoy had been diverted, Gant said.

About 15 miles from Balad, the convoy started taking heavy enemy fire.

Two Iraqi police commandos were wounded — one, shot in the face.

Gant said he treated the Iraqi who was hit in the face and got them evacuated.

By the time the convoy got to the first roadside bomb, about 30 minutes later, it was taking fire from both sides of the road, Gant said. He knew they had to push on.

“If we would have stopped, they would have tore us up,” he said.

He also knew that if one of the police commandos’ vehicles ran over the roadside bomb, the results would be catastrophic and would tie down the rest of the convoy.

“If that IED is going to hit one of my vehicles, I want it to be mine,” Gant decided.

Gant said he had his gunner drop into the Humvee and he positioned the rest of the convoy away from the roadside bomb.

Then they drove forward until the bomb went off. The blast “absolutely rocked” the Humvee, Gant said, but everyone was OK, so they kept driving.

About two minutes later, the convoy found a second roadside bomb.

Again, Gant positioned the rest of the convoy away from the bomb as his Humvee drove toward it.

They got closer and closer to the roadside bomb, but nothing happened.

When they got between 15 and 20 feet away, the bomb finally went off.

Once again, the blast rocked everyone in the vehicle, but otherwise, the occupants were unhurt.

As soon as the bomb went off, a machine gun opened up on Gant’s vehicle with bullets hitting the windshield.

The fight was not over….

And there is more. Go here to read the rest of these incredible events on that fateful day.

Then there is this:

Soldier in Heroic Battle to Receive Silver Star May 02, 2007 BY Sgt. Nicole Kojetin, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs BAGHDAD – “Men, you have one second in your life where you can decide if you are going to be a coward or if you are going to fight. The time to decide is now.” That sentence is something that Maj. James “Jim” Gant, who serves as thechief of the Iraqi National Police, Quick Reaction Force Battalion Transition Team, tells his policemen all the time, encouraging them to fight for what they believe in. Though most the time he was talking in generic terms, this time he knew the fight was waiting for them. For six weeks his patrol of three armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles and 23 “soft-shelled” national police pick-up trucks had been getting in fire fights with an organized insurgent force in an area between Balad and Baghdad. On Dec. 11, his patrol was finally on their way back home. Maj. Gant knew there would be a grand finale. “We took frequent trips back and forth in the area and the engagements kept getting bigger,” the Las Cruces, N.M., native said. “They knew that we were going to leave. They are a determined enemy force. They wanted to give us a going away present, and we definitely wanted to receive it.” His actions, during that gift, resulted in him earning the Silver Star, which will be awarded on May 3 at a Iraqi National Police station near Forward Operating Base Prosperity. The Silver Star is the third highest award given for valor in the face of the enemy. It is given to American heroes. Maj. Gant knows four Soldiers who have earned Silver Stars; two died for them. He said heroes are everywhere, it just depends on if they get the chance to show it. “There are a lot of very good Soldiers, very brave Soldiers that have never had the opportunity to show it,” he said. “As good as you are, you don’t control the enemy. I have been blessed since 2001, since our nation has been at war to fight with incredible warriors and heroes.” He was given his change to prove himself on that fateful day in December. The enemy on that stretch of road was well trained and waiting, Maj. Gant said. But he knew his crew was ready. After spending 17 years in the Army, he should know. “I had a really well trained transition team,” he said. That confidence was also extended to his Iraqi brethren as well, with good reason…. “We try to maintain contact with the enemy as long as possible and kill as many as we can,” Maj. Gant said. “We were going to do some serious damage that day. “It is easy to sit in a room in safety and talk about it,” he said. “I came here to fight. I came here to kill the enemy. I knew at the time what a huge engagement it was… I also had a huge concern for my team and my Iraqis, because I love these guys. I wanted to ensure that we didn’t take unnecessary risks or have unnecessary casualties.”… This is when Maj. Gant received word that a woman in the civilian vehicle had been severely injured in the first blast. Still under heavy small arms fire in a hasty perimeter, he got out and tried to perform first aid on her. “She didn’t want me touch her. She was going to die and she didn’t want me to touch her,” Maj. Gant said. His Iraqi counterpart, consoled the woman saying, “It’s OK. He is my brother.” She then allowed him to apply tourniquets to both of her severely wounded legs. There was also a little girl in the vehicle. Gant, a family man with two kids of his own back in North Carolina, Tristen, 9, and Scout, 7, wanted to keep this child safe. “I realized that we might all die today, but this little girl will not,” he said, talking about how he put the child in his up-armored vehicle. “We had some sporadic small arms fire after that, but we had broken their back. They wanted us to stop there. “I later found out that the women lived, and the little girl,” he said with a smile, “was still afraid of U.S. forces, but she was really small… maybe one. She didn’t understand; (she) just knew that someone had grabbed her from her mom and dad. She didn’t know that it was for her own protection. I hope that one day, her parents tell her what happened that day.”… When they finally made it back that day, they were met with a celebration. There were more than 200 Commandos singing and bathing the road with goat’s blood and planting bloody handprints all over there war-torn, bullet-ridden vehicles. There were celebrating. “I will never forget them hugging and kissing us, their brothers in arms,” he said of their return. “They do this in celebration, when they think we gave our lives for them, or could be dead.” Though nearly six months has passed since that battle occurred, Maj. Gant can tell the story of the battle like it was yesterday. Only two Soldiers remain on his crew that were with him that day, most of the American Soldiers have rotated back to the United States, but he remembers all of his team. “On that day, there were no Americans. There were no Iraqis, no whites and no blacks. There were no Sunnis, Shias, Christians. There was just a group of warriors working and fighting together,” he said. “All the men I fought with that day showed incredible courage and bravery. That was one of the highlights of my life; working with those men that day.” [here]

If you read nothing else today, follow the links here, and learn all about Major Gant

and the heroic acts by all involved in that day.

Thank YOU for your service, Major Gant.

*cross-posted from Assoluta Tranquillita*

Every Day Heroes

Major James Gant
Photo by Sgt. Nicole Kojetin, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
May 02, 2007

Maj. James �Jim� Gant recalls the events of a fierce fire fight that occurred Dec. 11 between Balad and Baghdad during an interview at Camp Liberty, Iraq April 30. Maj. Gant, the Chief of the Iraqi National Police Quick Reaction Force Battalion Transition Team, earned the Silver Star for his heroism during that fight… (here)

Meet Major Jim Gant:

‘I need to be where the most danger is’

Silver Star

earned

12.11.06

while serving with

3rd Special Forces Group

The convoy had been taking fire for a while by the time it came across the first roadside bomb.

Maj. Jim Gant knew he could not wait for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians to show up.

So he decided that his up-armored vehicle would have to eat the roadside bomb. He also made sure that it would explode on his side.

Gant, 41 explained that was his job as a leader.

“I need to be where the most danger is,” said Gant, team leader for the Iraqi National Police Quick Reaction Force Transition Team.

On Dec. 11, 2006, Gant was leading a convoy of Iraqi police commandos from Balad to Taji.

Iraqi police had been making regular trips to Balad, and there had been heavy fighting along the route for the past six weeks, said Gant, of Fort Bragg, N.C.

This day would be worse.

And the two F-16s that were supposed to support the convoy had been diverted, Gant said.

About 15 miles from Balad, the convoy started taking heavy enemy fire.

Two Iraqi police commandos were wounded — one, shot in the face.

Gant said he treated the Iraqi who was hit in the face and got them evacuated.

By the time the convoy got to the first roadside bomb, about 30 minutes later, it was taking fire from both sides of the road, Gant said. He knew they had to push on.

“If we would have stopped, they would have tore us up,” he said.

He also knew that if one of the police commandos’ vehicles ran over the roadside bomb, the results would be catastrophic and would tie down the rest of the convoy.

“If that IED is going to hit one of my vehicles, I want it to be mine,” Gant decided.

Gant said he had his gunner drop into the Humvee and he positioned the rest of the convoy away from the roadside bomb.

Then they drove forward until the bomb went off. The blast “absolutely rocked” the Humvee, Gant said, but everyone was OK, so they kept driving.

About two minutes later, the convoy found a second roadside bomb.

Again, Gant positioned the rest of the convoy away from the bomb as his Humvee drove toward it.

They got closer and closer to the roadside bomb, but nothing happened.

When they got between 15 and 20 feet away, the bomb finally went off.

Once again, the blast rocked everyone in the vehicle, but otherwise, the occupants were unhurt.

As soon as the bomb went off, a machine gun opened up on Gant’s vehicle with bullets hitting the windshield.

The fight was not over….

And there is more. Go here to read the rest of these incredible events on that fateful day.

Then there is this:

Soldier in Heroic Battle to Receive Silver Star May 02, 2007 BY Sgt. Nicole Kojetin, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs BAGHDAD – “Men, you have one second in your life where you can decide if you are going to be a coward or if you are going to fight. The time to decide is now.” That sentence is something that Maj. James “Jim” Gant, who serves as thechief of the Iraqi National Police, Quick Reaction Force Battalion Transition Team, tells his policemen all the time, encouraging them to fight for what they believe in. Though most the time he was talking in generic terms, this time he knew the fight was waiting for them. For six weeks his patrol of three armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles and 23 “soft-shelled” national police pick-up trucks had been getting in fire fights with an organized insurgent force in an area between Balad and Baghdad. On Dec. 11, his patrol was finally on their way back home. Maj. Gant knew there would be a grand finale. “We took frequent trips back and forth in the area and the engagements kept getting bigger,” the Las Cruces, N.M., native said. “They knew that we were going to leave. They are a determined enemy force. They wanted to give us a going away present, and we definitely wanted to receive it.” His actions, during that gift, resulted in him earning the Silver Star, which will be awarded on May 3 at a Iraqi National Police station near Forward Operating Base Prosperity. The Silver Star is the third highest award given for valor in the face of the enemy. It is given to American heroes. Maj. Gant knows four Soldiers who have earned Silver Stars; two died for them. He said heroes are everywhere, it just depends on if they get the chance to show it. “There are a lot of very good Soldiers, very brave Soldiers that have never had the opportunity to show it,” he said. “As good as you are, you don’t control the enemy. I have been blessed since 2001, since our nation has been at war to fight with incredible warriors and heroes.” He was given his change to prove himself on that fateful day in December. The enemy on that stretch of road was well trained and waiting, Maj. Gant said. But he knew his crew was ready. After spending 17 years in the Army, he should know. “I had a really well trained transition team,” he said. That confidence was also extended to his Iraqi brethren as well, with good reason…. “We try to maintain contact with the enemy as long as possible and kill as many as we can,” Maj. Gant said. “We were going to do some serious damage that day. “It is easy to sit in a room in safety and talk about it,” he said. “I came here to fight. I came here to kill the enemy. I knew at the time what a huge engagement it was… I also had a huge concern for my team and my Iraqis, because I love these guys. I wanted to ensure that we didn’t take unnecessary risks or have unnecessary casualties.”… This is when Maj. Gant received word that a woman in the civilian vehicle had been severely injured in the first blast. Still under heavy small arms fire in a hasty perimeter, he got out and tried to perform first aid on her. “She didn’t want me touch her. She was going to die and she didn’t want me to touch her,” Maj. Gant said. His Iraqi counterpart, consoled the woman saying, “It’s OK. He is my brother.” She then allowed him to apply tourniquets to both of her severely wounded legs. There was also a little girl in the vehicle. Gant, a family man with two kids of his own back in North Carolina, Tristen, 9, and Scout, 7, wanted to keep this child safe. “I realized that we might all die today, but this little girl will not,” he said, talking about how he put the child in his up-armored vehicle. “We had some sporadic small arms fire after that, but we had broken their back. They wanted us to stop there. “I later found out that the women lived, and the little girl,” he said with a smile, “was still afraid of U.S. forces, but she was really small… maybe one. She didn’t understand; (she) just knew that someone had grabbed her from her mom and dad. She didn’t know that it was for her own protection. I hope that one day, her parents tell her what happened that day.”… When they finally made it back that day, they were met with a celebration. There were more than 200 Commandos singing and bathing the road with goat’s blood and planting bloody handprints all over there war-torn, bullet-ridden vehicles. There were celebrating. “I will never forget them hugging and kissing us, their brothers in arms,” he said of their return. “They do this in celebration, when they think we gave our lives for them, or could be dead.” Though nearly six months has passed since that battle occurred, Maj. Gant can tell the story of the battle like it was yesterday. Only two Soldiers remain on his crew that were with him that day, most of the American Soldiers have rotated back to the United States, but he remembers all of his team. “On that day, there were no Americans. There were no Iraqis, no whites and no blacks. There were no Sunnis, Shias, Christians. There was just a group of warriors working and fighting together,” he said. “All the men I fought with that day showed incredible courage and bravery. That was one of the highlights of my life; working with those men that day.” [here]

If you read nothing else today, follow the links here, and learn all about Major Gant

and the heroic acts by all involved in that day.

Thank YOU for your service, Major Gant.

*cross-posted from Assoluta Tranquillita*

Operation Cast Lead!

Cross posted by Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

I woke up this morning to a wonderful Chanukah gift. The IAF attacking Gaza. I know I shouldn’t be ecstatic, that I shouldn’t be joyful at the death of my fellow human, but I feel like dancing and singing this day.

It is only fitting that at this time of the year when Jews all over the world are celebrating the Maccabees’s victory over the Greeks (a war in which military expert would have said they couldn’t win) that the murderers of Gaza start feeling the flames of war themselves.

This just didn’t happen overnight. It has been 8 years in the making. 8 years of Sderot and the Western Negev being attacked on a daily basis. 8 years of death and destruction. Yet Hamas is screaming that they are being attacked without cause.

Over 80 rockets and mortar shells struck areas throughout the western Negev. In Netivot, 58-year-old Beber Vaknin was killed, one person was seriously wounded, and four others sustained light to moderate injuries when their house was hit by a rocket.

All the wounded were evacuated to Soroka hospital in Beersheva.

Later, a rocket hit a house in the community of Mivtahim, seriously wounding one person and lightly wounding another. A Magen David Adom team treated the wounded at the scene.

In Ashkelon, at least 10 rocket strikes were reported, with one hitting an apartment building.

For the first time ever, a Kassam rocket struck Kiryat Gat. The “Color Red” warning siren also sounded in Ashdod, although the location of a rocket strike had yet to be reported.

Full Story

Beber Vaknin had a right to live in his nation in peace and safety. His only crime was being a citizen of Israel and a Jew. To Hamas that is the greatest crime in the world.

While Hamas indiscriminately attacks civilian targets while calling everywhere in Israel a military target. The IAF is selecting true military targets and wiping them out.

The wide-scale offensive on Hamas installations in the Gaza Strip was codenamed ‘Operation Cast Lead,’ after a Hanukkah poem by H.N. Bialik referring to a “dreidel cast from solid lead.”

At least 200 people were reported killed – the majority of them Hamas operatives – and nearly 400 wounded in the attacks. It was not clear if the aerial offensive would be coupled with a ground offensive. Asked if Hamas political leaders might be targeted next, military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said, “Any Hamas target is a target.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a press conference that the IAF had succeeded in eliminating senior Hamas commanders during the offensive. According to witnesses, among the dead was Hamas police chief Maj.-Gen. Tawfik Jaber.

Despite the massive casualties, Hamas remained defiant, vowing revenge and calling on all other Palestinian factions to join in the fight.

“Today we are stronger then we’ve ever been,” one spokesperson for the group said at a press conference. “We won’t raise the white flag, we won’t give anything up, we won’t retreat.”

Minutes after the first wave of air strikes hit areas in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians reported a second wave which targeted installations in the center and the north of the Strip. Channel 2 reported that 60 planes were involved in the attack, and nearly 100 targets were hit. Military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon.

Full Story

If Hamas thinks this is a limited operation like other times, they are in for a rude awakening. For the IDF is amassing on the border, just itching to go.

The IDF was beefing up forces around the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening in preparation of a possible ground operation following a massive air assault earlier in the day.

Defense officials estimated that Hamas was capable of firing 150-200 rockets a day, adding that the operation could last for weeks.

Israel’s goals, officials added, was to end Hamas rocket fire, end smuggling of arms into Gaza and severely disrupt any Hamas military activity.

In a press conference held earlier in Tel Aviv, Barak said the IDF would deepen and widen its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip as much as needed.

“There is a time for cease-fires and a time to fight, and now is the time to fight,” Barak said. “For months the IDF and security forces have been preparing for the operation that began today.”

Barak stated that Israel had not intended to allow Hamas to continue to fire rockets into Israel without responding.

The defense minister warned that tough times lay ahead. “I don’t want to deceive anyone,” he said. “It won’t be easy and won’t be quick. We must be resolute.” Rocket attacks were expected to continue and to increase during the operation, he added.

“For weeks Hamas and its satellite groups have rained [Israel] with rockets…and mortar shells. We did not intend to let this situation continue,” he said.

Full Story

Happy Chanukah Sderot! You and your children are getting the best Chanukah gift possible. And maybe this time the IDF will be able to stop those horrible rockets once and for all.

View at YouTube

AM YISRAEL CHAI!

Operation Cast Lead!

Cross posted by Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

I woke up this morning to a wonderful Chanukah gift. The IAF attacking Gaza. I know I shouldn’t be ecstatic, that I shouldn’t be joyful at the death of my fellow human, but I feel like dancing and singing this day.

It is only fitting that at this time of the year when Jews all over the world are celebrating the Maccabees’s victory over the Greeks (a war in which military expert would have said they couldn’t win) that the murderers of Gaza start feeling the flames of war themselves.

This just didn’t happen overnight. It has been 8 years in the making. 8 years of Sderot and the Western Negev being attacked on a daily basis. 8 years of death and destruction. Yet Hamas is screaming that they are being attacked without cause.

Over 80 rockets and mortar shells struck areas throughout the western Negev. In Netivot, 58-year-old Beber Vaknin was killed, one person was seriously wounded, and four others sustained light to moderate injuries when their house was hit by a rocket.

All the wounded were evacuated to Soroka hospital in Beersheva.

Later, a rocket hit a house in the community of Mivtahim, seriously wounding one person and lightly wounding another. A Magen David Adom team treated the wounded at the scene.

In Ashkelon, at least 10 rocket strikes were reported, with one hitting an apartment building.

For the first time ever, a Kassam rocket struck Kiryat Gat. The “Color Red” warning siren also sounded in Ashdod, although the location of a rocket strike had yet to be reported.

Full Story

Beber Vaknin had a right to live in his nation in peace and safety. His only crime was being a citizen of Israel and a Jew. To Hamas that is the greatest crime in the world.

While Hamas indiscriminately attacks civilian targets while calling everywhere in Israel a military target. The IAF is selecting true military targets and wiping them out.

The wide-scale offensive on Hamas installations in the Gaza Strip was codenamed ‘Operation Cast Lead,’ after a Hanukkah poem by H.N. Bialik referring to a “dreidel cast from solid lead.”

At least 200 people were reported killed – the majority of them Hamas operatives – and nearly 400 wounded in the attacks. It was not clear if the aerial offensive would be coupled with a ground offensive. Asked if Hamas political leaders might be targeted next, military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said, “Any Hamas target is a target.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a press conference that the IAF had succeeded in eliminating senior Hamas commanders during the offensive. According to witnesses, among the dead was Hamas police chief Maj.-Gen. Tawfik Jaber.

Despite the massive casualties, Hamas remained defiant, vowing revenge and calling on all other Palestinian factions to join in the fight.

“Today we are stronger then we’ve ever been,” one spokesperson for the group said at a press conference. “We won’t raise the white flag, we won’t give anything up, we won’t retreat.”

Minutes after the first wave of air strikes hit areas in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians reported a second wave which targeted installations in the center and the north of the Strip. Channel 2 reported that 60 planes were involved in the attack, and nearly 100 targets were hit. Military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon.

Full Story

If Hamas thinks this is a limited operation like other times, they are in for a rude awakening. For the IDF is amassing on the border, just itching to go.

The IDF was beefing up forces around the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening in preparation of a possible ground operation following a massive air assault earlier in the day.

Defense officials estimated that Hamas was capable of firing 150-200 rockets a day, adding that the operation could last for weeks.

Israel’s goals, officials added, was to end Hamas rocket fire, end smuggling of arms into Gaza and severely disrupt any Hamas military activity.

In a press conference held earlier in Tel Aviv, Barak said the IDF would deepen and widen its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip as much as needed.

“There is a time for cease-fires and a time to fight, and now is the time to fight,” Barak said. “For months the IDF and security forces have been preparing for the operation that began today.”

Barak stated that Israel had not intended to allow Hamas to continue to fire rockets into Israel without responding.

The defense minister warned that tough times lay ahead. “I don’t want to deceive anyone,” he said. “It won’t be easy and won’t be quick. We must be resolute.” Rocket attacks were expected to continue and to increase during the operation, he added.

“For weeks Hamas and its satellite groups have rained [Israel] with rockets…and mortar shells. We did not intend to let this situation continue,” he said.

Full Story

Happy Chanukah Sderot! You and your children are getting the best Chanukah gift possible. And maybe this time the IDF will be able to stop those horrible rockets once and for all.

View at YouTube

AM YISRAEL CHAI!