"I thought I was making a movie about a paralysed guy but I realised I was making a film about women."

Says Julian Schabel, accepting the directing award at Cannes, for his film "The Butterfly and the Diving Bell," which is based on a book that I was just recommending here. I had no idea there was a film.

The subject of the film, Jean-Dominque Bauby, was a fast-living playboy, the toast of the Paris fashion world, until he suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 42.

Schnabel shows him waking up in a seaside hospital after weeks in a coma and suffering from what a neurologist calls "locked-in syndrome" -- he is unable to speak or move any part of his body apart from his left eyelid.

The title refers to Bauby's feeling of being trapped in his body, which has come to resemble the airtight chamber of a diving bell, and his still active mind, still agile as a butterfly.

He writes a beautiful memoir by way of that one eyelid and dies 10 days after it is published. How to make a movie out of that? Schnabel's quote hints.

ADDED: And the Palme d'Or goes to a Romanian film about abortion, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" by Cristian Mungiu:

"Pitch perfect and brilliantly acted, '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' is a stunning achievement, helmed with a purity and honesty that captures not just the illegal abortion story at its core but the constant, unremarked negotiations necessary for survival in the final days of the Soviet bloc," reviewer Jay Weissberg wrote....

Mungiu offers a shocking image of the aborted foetus, but it is the abortionist's graphic description of the process and his chilling exploitation of the women's dilemma that make for particularly excruciating viewing....

"Because of the pressure of the regime, women and families were so much concerned about not being caught for making an illegal abortion that they didn't give one minute of thought about the moral issue," he told reporters.

"It was either you or them getting you for what you did."

He put the foetus on screen to serve as a reminder to audiences. "It makes a point -- people should be aware of the consequences of their decisions," he said.

This sounds as though it will upset those who are both pro- and anti-abortion, which may be a good thing. I support abortion rights but think people should face up to "the consequences of their decisions."

"We believe bottled water has become less about the physical act of hydration and more about being a companion to people."

"They like to walk around with it and hold it."

MSM Protecting the ACLU? Where's the Headlines?

Just when you think the mainstream media cannot be less responsible than already demonstrated, cannot be more liberally biased than already evident, and cannot possibly flaunt their arrogance with any more vigor, another ACLU headline shows up missing.

Here's what I see as irresponsible, liberally biased and completely arrogant:
Charles Rust-Tierney,
** A former Virginia Chapter ACLU Chapter President
** An ACLU Board Member until the day of his arrest
** An employee of the Washington, D.C. Public Defender Service (since 1990) working exclusively with mentally ill clients
** Actively advocated, on behalf of the ACLU, to DISALLOW the use of computer blocking-software to protect children against pornography in Public Libraries.
** An Arlington, VA Youth Coach (President of the Arlington Little League)
** A spouse or ex-spouse of a present ACLU New York attorney, Dian Rust-Tierney
** Expected to plead guilty via a plea agreement on June 1st

...and was investigated by ICE, Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, read it here, arrested and charged for possession of child pornography. Here's what the judge said about Rust-Tierney's charges and the evidence that supported the charges:

U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan was not swayed, saying the images found on Rust-Tierney's computer were "the most perverted and nauseating and sickening type of child pornography" she has seen in 10 years on the bench. Defense attorneys Peter D. Greenspun and Jonathan Shapiro appealed her detention order and will try again today to win their client's release on bond.

This from The Federal News Radio:

Among the items found on Rust-Tierney's computer was a six-minute video that prosecutors described as "a compilation of some of the worst child torture and rape scenes" that police have seen in their various investigations of child exploitation, all set to music by the rock band Nine Inch Nails.

This from ABCnews.com:

The videos described in the complaint depict graphic forcible intercourse with prepubescent females. One if the girls is described in court documents as being "seen and heard crying", another is described as being "bound by rope."

Back to irresponsible, liberally biased and arrogant: there is miniscule reporting on this. ABC.com, Fox News, The Washington Post, some AP. Everyone seems to be reporting the same few details, except O'Reilly, who went ballistic with the lack of coverage - called it A Journalistic Cover-up.

If the argument for lack of press attention is that Rust-Tierney was no longer an ACLU Chapter President, (served 2002-2005), he was an ACLU board member until the day of his arrest (or some reports say he resigned the day before). He actively represented the ACLU AGAINST protections for our children as they use computers in public libraries. His wife, or ex-wife, is employed by the New York City ACLU office,...and these charges are not just ordinary pornography charges. Homeland Security busted him! If I understand correctly, this was a global effort to round-up perverts doing just what Rust-Tierney is alleged to have done.

This is about children - this man worked with children!

There's more. This is the true arrogance of the MSM. You may have read this at Stop the ACLU, or my reporting here and here (including O'Reilly video) or that of numerous other bloggers, but you haven't seen it in the MSM (at least that any of us can find and we've been looking), other than the NJjournal.com. Inset text - my quick summary:

The present and long-time President of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen (also a Professor at the New York Law School), employs as her Chief Aide a man convicted of Child Endangerment. Steven C. Cunningham (Steven Christie Cunningham, I believe), was permanently disbarred in the State of New Jersey for online chats with a supposed 12 year old boy. He retains his license to practice law in the State of New York. I have called Strossen's office numerous times, as well as her attorney, to confirm that Cunningham is still her Chief Aide. The answer is always a no comment, but I have reason to believe he still holds the position. Read the update and details of my last phone call here.

There's ABSOLUTELY NO PRESS ON THIS.
It is a total blackout.

The missing headlines...I cannot help but contrast the easy, loud and constant headlines written about Abu Ghraib - before charges were filed, when it was just a rumor. Here's just three to jog your memory, and really, I'm sorry to do so, because it has all been "so done" before.

If we can have the following written about our military before a court trial, why do we not have the same beating of drums to inform the public of the despicable charges outlined above - regarding a man well-known in Washington D.C. social circles?

The Washington Post.com printed Sworn statements by Abu Ghraib Detainees and warned that the "statements are by alleged victims of sexual assault." January 2004

The New Yorker: Torture at Aub Ghraib: American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. May 2004

Charges from Seymour Hersh at an ACLU EVENT, "Children Raped at Abu Ghraib July 2004. Here's just a few words from that:

Some of the worst things that happened you don't know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib ... The women were passing messages out saying 'Please come and kill me, because of what's happened'...

Perhaps there were videos, arrests made, charges filed, convictions handed-down on the rape of children. I missed them if so. Didn't miss the news on it though. July 2004

Convictions were reported in September 2005.

It seems that the importance given to the ACLU, the credence afforded them by many, and the wide-reach of ACLU power, would demand at least a statement from ACLU President Nadine Strossen.

Cross-posted at Maggie's Notebook

MSM Protecting the ACLU? Where's the Headlines?

Just when you think the mainstream media cannot be less responsible than already demonstrated, cannot be more liberally biased than already evident, and cannot possibly flaunt their arrogance with any more vigor, another ACLU headline shows up missing.

Here's what I see as irresponsible, liberally biased and completely arrogant:
Charles Rust-Tierney,
** A former Virginia Chapter ACLU Chapter President
** An ACLU Board Member until the day of his arrest
** An employee of the Washington, D.C. Public Defender Service (since 1990) working exclusively with mentally ill clients
** Actively advocated, on behalf of the ACLU, to DISALLOW the use of computer blocking-software to protect children against pornography in Public Libraries.
** An Arlington, VA Youth Coach (President of the Arlington Little League)
** A spouse or ex-spouse of a present ACLU New York attorney, Dian Rust-Tierney
** Expected to plead guilty via a plea agreement on June 1st

...and was investigated by ICE, Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, read it here, arrested and charged for possession of child pornography. Here's what the judge said about Rust-Tierney's charges and the evidence that supported the charges:

U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan was not swayed, saying the images found on Rust-Tierney's computer were "the most perverted and nauseating and sickening type of child pornography" she has seen in 10 years on the bench. Defense attorneys Peter D. Greenspun and Jonathan Shapiro appealed her detention order and will try again today to win their client's release on bond.

This from The Federal News Radio:

Among the items found on Rust-Tierney's computer was a six-minute video that prosecutors described as "a compilation of some of the worst child torture and rape scenes" that police have seen in their various investigations of child exploitation, all set to music by the rock band Nine Inch Nails.

This from ABCnews.com:

The videos described in the complaint depict graphic forcible intercourse with prepubescent females. One if the girls is described in court documents as being "seen and heard crying", another is described as being "bound by rope."

Back to irresponsible, liberally biased and arrogant: there is miniscule reporting on this. ABC.com, Fox News, The Washington Post, some AP. Everyone seems to be reporting the same few details, except O'Reilly, who went ballistic with the lack of coverage - called it A Journalistic Cover-up.

If the argument for lack of press attention is that Rust-Tierney was no longer an ACLU Chapter President, (served 2002-2005), he was an ACLU board member until the day of his arrest (or some reports say he resigned the day before). He actively represented the ACLU AGAINST protections for our children as they use computers in public libraries. His wife, or ex-wife, is employed by the New York City ACLU office,...and these charges are not just ordinary pornography charges. Homeland Security busted him! If I understand correctly, this was a global effort to round-up perverts doing just what Rust-Tierney is alleged to have done.

This is about children - this man worked with children!

There's more. This is the true arrogance of the MSM. You may have read this at Stop the ACLU, or my reporting here and here (including O'Reilly video) or that of numerous other bloggers, but you haven't seen it in the MSM (at least that any of us can find and we've been looking), other than the NJjournal.com. Inset text - my quick summary:

The present and long-time President of the ACLU, Nadine Strossen (also a Professor at the New York Law School), employs as her Chief Aide a man convicted of Child Endangerment. Steven C. Cunningham (Steven Christie Cunningham, I believe), was permanently disbarred in the State of New Jersey for online chats with a supposed 12 year old boy. He retains his license to practice law in the State of New York. I have called Strossen's office numerous times, as well as her attorney, to confirm that Cunningham is still her Chief Aide. The answer is always a no comment, but I have reason to believe he still holds the position. Read the update and details of my last phone call here.

There's ABSOLUTELY NO PRESS ON THIS.
It is a total blackout.

The missing headlines...I cannot help but contrast the easy, loud and constant headlines written about Abu Ghraib - before charges were filed, when it was just a rumor. Here's just three to jog your memory, and really, I'm sorry to do so, because it has all been "so done" before.

If we can have the following written about our military before a court trial, why do we not have the same beating of drums to inform the public of the despicable charges outlined above - regarding a man well-known in Washington D.C. social circles?

The Washington Post.com printed Sworn statements by Abu Ghraib Detainees and warned that the "statements are by alleged victims of sexual assault." January 2004

The New Yorker: Torture at Aub Ghraib: American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. May 2004

Charges from Seymour Hersh at an ACLU EVENT, "Children Raped at Abu Ghraib July 2004. Here's just a few words from that:

Some of the worst things that happened you don't know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib ... The women were passing messages out saying 'Please come and kill me, because of what's happened'...

Perhaps there were videos, arrests made, charges filed, convictions handed-down on the rape of children. I missed them if so. Didn't miss the news on it though. July 2004

Convictions were reported in September 2005.

It seems that the importance given to the ACLU, the credence afforded them by many, and the wide-reach of ACLU power, would demand at least a statement from ACLU President Nadine Strossen.

Cross-posted at Maggie's Notebook

Good news.

From Iraq. From Afghanistan.

Leaked Information About Iran from ABC

Yesterday we pointed out a piece done on ABC's "The Blotter" where the reporter wrote about leaked information regarding covert operations in Iran.

We also showed you just a tiny taste of the commenters on the Blotter page ripping into ABC for carelessly reporing leaked information that could get our men and women in the service killed.

Today it seems that it is not only the commenters that speaking to this issue.

Now, for the record, this information could have been deliberately leaked by the administration to fuel Iran's fears, or it could have been simply been a case of irresponsibility on the "leaker and ABC's part.

CBS shows that the commenters are not the only ones worried about this type of reporting.

Presidential candidates are also getting in on the anti-ABC action. As "The Blotter" itself notes, Tom Tancredo and Mitt Romney criticized the report, with Romney saying he was "shocked to see the ABC News report regarding covert action in Iran."

More Mitt: "The reporting has the potential of jeopardizing our national security. To put it quite plainly, it has the potential of affecting human life, we may never know."

Even more troubling is that on the heels of this "leaked" story, we now have the IAEA reporting that Iran, despite two sets of sanctions (albeit weak sanctions), is continuing down the path to Nuclear weapons. (Via Wapo)

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday Iran was stepping up its uranium enrichment program as U.S. warships maneuvered off Iran's coast, highlighting concerns over Iranian nuclear ambitions and involvement in Iraq.

Iran's defiance of another 60-day deadline set by the Council when it imposed a second set of sanctions on March 24 will expose Tehran to tougher penalties over its nuclear work, which the West fears is a front for assembling atom bombs.

"Iran has not agreed to any of the required transparency measures, which are essential for the clarification of certain aspects of the scope and nature of its nuclear program," said a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report obtained by Reuters.

"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities. Iran has continued with the operation of its pilot fuel enrichment plant and with construction of its (planned underground industrial) enrichment plant."

Major powers stand behind U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding Iran suspend all nuclear fuel work in exchange for negotiations on trade incentives, with the threat of escalating sanctions if Tehran keeps refusing.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Iran must decide if it wants to cooperate with the international community or face new sanctions. "I for my part think one should not hesitate to toughen the sanctions," Sarkozy told the German monthly Cicero.

Looks like we may start to see some strength, finally, from France now that Sarkozy has been elected.

That would be good news indeed.

The money quote comes on page #2 of the Wapo story:

"If Iran stops expanding its enrichment capability now, it's no threat. Why keep this dance going until they achieve industrial level enrichment?

That is what we have been saying!!!!!!

Is the international community going to keep imposing sanctions that Iran ignores all the way until they launch their first bomb or is someone going to stop them?

When a madman makes a threat, one should take it seriously, we learned that the hard way with Hitler.

They have threatened Israel and they have stated plainly their next target is the USA.

How much clearer does this little thug from Iran have to get before people start understanding that if this keeps up, Iran will be at the point of no return and THEN will be much harder to deal with.

My personal take on the Wapo article in conjunction with ABC's leaked Covert ops story is this: The President has known what the IAEA report said which is why he signed on to the non-lethal covert operation to avoid having to use a military option and ABC just blew that to hell and back by reporting it.

Whoever leaked it need to be found and ABC needs to be held accountable.

They may have just blown one of our few chances to change regimes without a shot fired, if this proves to be the case, ABC's accountability should rise and whoever leaked it in the first place should be jailed.

Not having all the information, this is just my personal take on the situation.

.

Leaked Information About Iran from ABC

Yesterday we pointed out a piece done on ABC's "The Blotter" where the reporter wrote about leaked information regarding covert operations in Iran.

We also showed you just a tiny taste of the commenters on the Blotter page ripping into ABC for carelessly reporing leaked information that could get our men and women in the service killed.

Today it seems that it is not only the commenters that speaking to this issue.

Now, for the record, this information could have been deliberately leaked by the administration to fuel Iran's fears, or it could have been simply been a case of irresponsibility on the "leaker and ABC's part.

CBS shows that the commenters are not the only ones worried about this type of reporting.

Presidential candidates are also getting in on the anti-ABC action. As "The Blotter" itself notes, Tom Tancredo and Mitt Romney criticized the report, with Romney saying he was "shocked to see the ABC News report regarding covert action in Iran."

More Mitt: "The reporting has the potential of jeopardizing our national security. To put it quite plainly, it has the potential of affecting human life, we may never know."

Even more troubling is that on the heels of this "leaked" story, we now have the IAEA reporting that Iran, despite two sets of sanctions (albeit weak sanctions), is continuing down the path to Nuclear weapons. (Via Wapo)

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday Iran was stepping up its uranium enrichment program as U.S. warships maneuvered off Iran's coast, highlighting concerns over Iranian nuclear ambitions and involvement in Iraq.

Iran's defiance of another 60-day deadline set by the Council when it imposed a second set of sanctions on March 24 will expose Tehran to tougher penalties over its nuclear work, which the West fears is a front for assembling atom bombs.

"Iran has not agreed to any of the required transparency measures, which are essential for the clarification of certain aspects of the scope and nature of its nuclear program," said a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report obtained by Reuters.

"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities. Iran has continued with the operation of its pilot fuel enrichment plant and with construction of its (planned underground industrial) enrichment plant."

Major powers stand behind U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding Iran suspend all nuclear fuel work in exchange for negotiations on trade incentives, with the threat of escalating sanctions if Tehran keeps refusing.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Iran must decide if it wants to cooperate with the international community or face new sanctions. "I for my part think one should not hesitate to toughen the sanctions," Sarkozy told the German monthly Cicero.

Looks like we may start to see some strength, finally, from France now that Sarkozy has been elected.

That would be good news indeed.

The money quote comes on page #2 of the Wapo story:

"If Iran stops expanding its enrichment capability now, it's no threat. Why keep this dance going until they achieve industrial level enrichment?

That is what we have been saying!!!!!!

Is the international community going to keep imposing sanctions that Iran ignores all the way until they launch their first bomb or is someone going to stop them?

When a madman makes a threat, one should take it seriously, we learned that the hard way with Hitler.

They have threatened Israel and they have stated plainly their next target is the USA.

How much clearer does this little thug from Iran have to get before people start understanding that if this keeps up, Iran will be at the point of no return and THEN will be much harder to deal with.

My personal take on the Wapo article in conjunction with ABC's leaked Covert ops story is this: The President has known what the IAEA report said which is why he signed on to the non-lethal covert operation to avoid having to use a military option and ABC just blew that to hell and back by reporting it.

Whoever leaked it need to be found and ABC needs to be held accountable.

They may have just blown one of our few chances to change regimes without a shot fired, if this proves to be the case, ABC's accountability should rise and whoever leaked it in the first place should be jailed.

Not having all the information, this is just my personal take on the situation.

.

Hillary Clinton NEEDS YOUR HELP

My dear friends.

I know you expect this to be a blog site supporting conservative ideas, conservative values, and conservative candidates.

WE ARE NOT WITHOUT COMPASSION TO THE LIBERALS WHEN THEY ASK FOR HELP.

Hillary Clinton has asked the American people for their help with something.



I think that Wake Up America and it's readers should do our part to help Senator Clinton.

She needs a theme song for her campaign. She's asking for the input of the American people in this to choose one. Bill's theme was "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." Let's show Hillary Clinton how we feel.

I'm asking you for your opinions, here. Leave us a comment with your suggestions for helping Hillary Clinton with JUST the right song that captures "the essence of Hillary."

I know you'll come up with brilliant song suggestions.

And THANK YOU in advance for being the kind, compassionate people you are.

Oh, what's Hawk's suggestion for the Clinton Presidential Theme Song, you ask? Personally, I'm leaning toward "Liar" by Three Dog Night, "The Bitch is Back" by Elton John, or "Double Life" by Styx...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

Hillary Clinton NEEDS YOUR HELP

My dear friends.

I know you expect this to be a blog site supporting conservative ideas, conservative values, and conservative candidates.

WE ARE NOT WITHOUT COMPASSION TO THE LIBERALS WHEN THEY ASK FOR HELP.

Hillary Clinton has asked the American people for their help with something.



I think that Wake Up America and it's readers should do our part to help Senator Clinton.

She needs a theme song for her campaign. She's asking for the input of the American people in this to choose one. Bill's theme was "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow." Let's show Hillary Clinton how we feel.

I'm asking you for your opinions, here. Leave us a comment with your suggestions for helping Hillary Clinton with JUST the right song that captures "the essence of Hillary."

I know you'll come up with brilliant song suggestions.

And THANK YOU in advance for being the kind, compassionate people you are.

Oh, what's Hawk's suggestion for the Clinton Presidential Theme Song, you ask? Personally, I'm leaning toward "Liar" by Three Dog Night, "The Bitch is Back" by Elton John, or "Double Life" by Styx...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

Gathering of Eagles update...20MAY07

I'm going to insert this update at the top rather than the bottom of the page. It ties in with the Moonbats piece found further down in this posting.

It's an amazing thing in my mind how that people can be so damned ungrateful that they are hateful to those who have and do risk their lives to protect them and their rights. What kind of unmitigated GALL does it take to call a soldier a terrorist or a baby-killer?

Kudos to Urban Infidel for her coverage of the GOE gathering in New York where moonbats found their wings clipped. Two thumbs up, darlin, HOOWAA. So much for them torturing good sense and decency with their "torture theater." Maybe if some of these people had ever sworn the oath, fired a weapon, or had to duck and cover from enemy fire they'd have more common sense about them.

Ponderous concept, I know.

Here is a sampling of her pictures from Urban Infidel's site, showing the Eagles doing what the Eagles do best...being a strong, determined presence.

This next one is MY personal favorite on her site...

Again, OUTSTANDING WORK, Eagles, job well done indeed.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog posting...

HCdL

Operation Recruiter Appreciation: Amazing Work by Eagles

Posted: 19 May 2007 11:27 AM CDT

The photos and stories are rolling in after two days of incredible work by GOE volunteers. There were, at last count, over 900 recruiter offices in all fifty states that had Eagles visit them to say thank you. Once again, Eagles rose to the occasion and answered the call of our patriots. Homemade cookies, sandwiches, cakes, pizzas, cards, posters, and love are being taken to recruiters all over the country.

While antiwar anarchists march and protest, the Eagles support and defend. You can view the pictures as they come in by checking out the photos at the top of the GOE site, or by visiting the gallery here.

We will be posting a full after-action report with stories and photos from Eagles nationwide. Stay tuned!




USMC KC130 Researcher Appeals to GOE

Posted: 18 May 2007 10:51 PM CDT

(Excerpt from letter written to GOE, authored by Thomas Nickols; www.KC130.com Webmaster)

“We are documenting the history of a single class of airplane issued to the United States Marine Corps. The KC-130, also known as the Herk. This site is different in that it documents every single KC-130 ever issued to the Marine Corps from 1962 to current. Most of the members are the pioneers of the airplane. They were the first to fly, crew and maintain her.

I am a little behind, as my research took me, in September and October of 2006 to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Taiwan. I am almost caught up, with several projects in the works.

Please pass on to all that any input they have on the 130’s stories, pictures, events, all of this is relevant to the history. Also, operations such as Starlite, Hastings, Etc. Are being covered. I have gathered and now have on the site all of the command chronology’s from 1966 to 1972. The early years are still being worked on. The chronology’s are the actual records kept for the division commanders on the operations of the squadrons.

What your group is doing is very important, and has been needed for a very long time. To many times, hate groups and the like have caused problems, using the wall as some sort of visual aide for their nonsense. I only wish I could have been in Ontario to see them off. Please let me know what you think, stop by my site, and any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated. I am a one man show, working research, content, writing the code for the site, publishing, administrator for email, discussion and such, so I stay pretty busy with it.“

Click here to view the site and learn more about KC130.com


A Soldier’s Letter Home

Posted: 18 May 2007 05:52 PM CDT

(Excerpt from CW4 Jim Funk’s letter Home)


“Hello media, do you know you indirectly kill American soldier’s everyday. You inspire and report the enemy’s objective everyday. You are the enemy’s greatest weapon.
The enemy cannot beat us on the battlefield so all he does is try to wreak enough havoc and have you report it everyday. With you and the enemy using each other, you continually break the will of the American public and American Government. We go out daily and bust and kill the enemy, uncover and destroy weapons caches and continue to establish infrastructure. So daily we put a whoopin on the enemy,but all the enemy has to do is turn on the TV and get re-inspired. He gets to see his daily roadside bomb, truck bomb, suicide bomber or mortar attack. He doesn’t see any accomplishments of the US Military……..”

Click here for the full letter

(UPDATE)

ORA: Mission Accomplished

Posted: 20 May 2007 11:58 AM CDT

ORA: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
May 19th, 2007
Authored by Gabi Pike with additional collaboration from Tania Ciolki

“We are wholly and forever committed to our brothers and sisters in uniform. As veterans, we understand their incredible and noble sacrifices, made of their own accord for a nation they love more than life itself. As family members, we stand by them, and as Americans, we thank God for them.”

This phrase is emblazoned upon the hearts of every Eagle, portrayed within their every action, as Eagles from across the nation reached out to our brothers and sisters in uniform this Armed Forces ‘Weekend.’ This weekend, The Gathering of Eagles, put into action Operation Recruiter Appreciation.

Over 900 military recruiting offices across the country were treated to bagels, cakes, cookies, donuts, homemade baked goods, pizzas, sodas, and a surplus of thank you cards, signs, and words of praise. Recruiters also received ‘faux’ Medals of Honor, deli sandwiches, gift certificates, movie passes and cupcakes.

Eagles from across the U.S. wrote in to share their experiences. Phyllis Pajka from Virginia said, “The recruiters told me that if we had just called each of them and told them that they were appreciated, it would have been enough for them. The baked goods were just an added goodie. They were extremely appreciative and I received many hugs and kisses on the cheek from these good looking young guys.” Pajka went on to say, “I can’t make every day Recruiter Appreciation Day but I sure can make it every now and then and that way they’ll always be surprised. What a wonderful idea this was and I truly enjoyed it.”

Many Eagles expressed how much they enjoyed participating in ORA. Further, many shared with us the gratitude and surprise that overcame the recruiters they encountered. Walt Oster, GOE Kentucky state coordinator, said, “We had a great time doing this and our reception was wonderful and well appreciated by the recruiters.” Oster expressed his gratitude to the recruiters and best summed up the idea which spurred the creation of ORA in his following statement, “We thanked them for all they are doing for our Country and told them they were the real Americans of our Country. We understand that the recruiters are the BACK BONE of our MILITARY.”

Other Eagles were surprised to find themselves overcome with awe and emotion while serving the recruiters. Diana and Peter Sebben shared, “It was a fantastic visit and we met some great and awe-inspiring men. They were so nice to us, lovely people………..”

Cheryl, an Eagle from Michigan, was shocked to find that all of her planning did not include her emotions coming to the forefront. “What was not planned was bawling like a little kid - I was not prepared for how emotional I would get in just thanking these guys for their service and explaining what this mission was about,” Cheryl shared.

Many recruiters were overwhelmed with the show of appreciation and care that Eagles gave them. One recruiter stated to Eagle Chrissie Philips that, “‘just when I thought the world was lost.” Philips said, “This one comment stuck out to me made by one of the recruiters. He said it with a big grin on his face. That alone made it all worth it for me.”

Eagles who participated in ORA thoroughly enjoyed the weekend’s events. Some Eagles even made ORA a family affair such as the Ogata family in Mission Viejo, California. The Ogata family showered recruiters with pizza, cupcakes, sodas and Blockbuster gift cards.

Spending time with the recruiters and showing their appreciation for their hard work impressed upon the Ogata family a happier disposition. Dea Lyn Ogata said, “We all left the offices feeling much happier than we had been before we arrived - and we were happy to have been able to express our sincere gratitude to our local Recruiter heroes.”
Ogata also expressed gratitude to The Gathering of Eagles organization for creating an activity that was such a positive experience for her and her family, “Our most heartfelt thanks to all of the people involved in organizing and helping us to execute this amazing event!”

Operation Recruiter Appreciation ended successfully with thousands of recruiting offices, nationwide, who received thanks and praise from Eagles. Many recruiters were well fed and showered with gratitude, gifts, and love. Eagles held fast and true to the mission of The Gathering of Eagles and, in the words of our present Commander-in-Chief, “”We will not tire, We will not falter, We will not fail.”

This Armed Forces ‘Weekend’ portrayed an enormous outpour of patriotism, support, and good ole-fashioned American values. This Armed Forces ‘Weekend’ the Eagles soared.

Way to go Eagles!




GOE Web Team Expanding, Site Moving Toward Generation 3

Posted: 20 May 2007 11:43 AM CDT

It’s that time again. GOE is looking for two Content Editors, Web Intel Specialist and a Web Visibility Specialist.

Duties for the Content Editor include:

Receiving and posting briefings and after-action reports from state, regional, and national coordinators.
Adding links to supporting websites and military organizations.
You need to be able to use Wordpress, Movable Type, Blogspot, or other similar software. You also would be asked to donate 5-10 hours per week to the site. These are volunteer positions at this time, and you would be reporting to Gabrielle Pike, our Content Manager.

Duties for the Web Visibility Specialist include:

Submitting each post to social bookmarking engines such as Digg, Reddit, del.icio.us, and more.
Actively searching for new venues and ways for GOE to expand their web presence.
You would need to be familiar with these sites and how to submit to them. I need someone who is computer literate, but you don’t need to be a “geek.” Someone who does a lot of surfing and understands the internet would be good. You would be able to basically surf the internet and have fun with it, while helping GOE to grow. You would report to Gabrielle as well.

There is also a position open for someone interested in getting intel. In order to counter these lefties, we need to know where they are. We need to know what they’re doing, and we need people who are willing to wade through the filth and lies to find out. You would be looking for lefty events nationwide and forwarding that information to the state/regional coordinators, for them to decide if the event needs an Eagles presence. You would also report to me.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, email me at kit.jarrell@gatheringofeagles.org. If you applied previously for one of the other web content positions, email and let me know you’re still interested in being considered.

In other news, look for Generation 3 of the Gathering of Eagles website coming soon! While the design should stay the same, the functionality will be much better. Users will be able to use one username/password combination for both the site and the forum, and best of all, the site will be secure from hacking and other attacks. We are working hard to bring you these changes with little to no downtime or inconvenience for all of you. Stay tuned!

EAGLES UP!

–Kit Jarrell
GOE Web Team Manager




Combating the Moonbats: Times Square, May 19th

Posted: 20 May 2007 09:02 AM CDT

While Eagles nationwide were standing up to support our recruiters yesterday, GOE-NY had a special mission. They were countering antiwar leftists in Times Square. The moonbats were planning to show up and do what they called “Torture Theater,” or a “reenactment” of the “torture” that terrorist detainees are undergoing at Gitmo. Never mind that there IS no torture at Gitmo. Never mind that as we speak, three of our nation’s soldiers are undergoing the most horrific torture imaginable at the hands of the enemy. These antiwar leftists have no couth, no respect, no love for our soldiers in harm’s way.

That’s why GOE-NY had to shut them down.

Eagles representing five states–and from as far away as North Carolina–converged on Times Square yesterday to answer the threat, and Dan Maloney, GOE-NY Coordinator, had a preliminary report on the event.

It was a GREAT day in Times Square!

We performed the ORA portion of our activity on schedule and the recruiters were very interested in hearing about GOE. The Company Commander for the NY area was there and invited us to talk at one of their affairs. Dr. Rauol’s gracious delivery of heros were a big hit and the recruiters came out later to enjoy the spectacle of us facing off against the moonbats saying it was the first time in recent memory when they could venture outside during a demonstration at their location.

Then the REAL fun began!

The Moonbats finally showed up to stage their anti-Gitmo street theater and found that we had secured the ground and would not let them get more than a foothold on it. They had to split their forces between a small group at the narrow point of the traffic island away from the recruiting station and on a street corner a block away.

We totally overwhelmed the small contingent immediately to our front while a small group of ours infiltrated their street theater act and poked fun at their representation of Guantanamo. You will notice our infiltrators in photos wearing orange ‘Club Gitmo’ t-shirts with snarky blurbs on the back.

We had passersby chanting USA! with us, we greeted several Iraq veterans and current duty servicemen as they passed by, we met a lady from Australia and a Lebanese man living in Germany who cheered us on. It was just a wonderful and fun time for every one of us. We handed out hundreds of our flyer describing what we were doing there today and inviting people to New London and West Point.

The point at which the moonbats slunk away was when we chanted “Where’s your flag!” and then deployed a giant American flag while we sang America the Beautiful and Star Spangled Banner before reciting the pledge of allegiance.

In all the action lasted mainly from 11:00am to 4:30pm. Some over achievers (I’m looking at you Jim B.!) staked out the ground at 8am!

The beautiful and resourceful Urban Infidel wrote a report and posted lots of photos on her blog, as well as a slide show.

More photos of Eagles


Photos of the “Torture Theater” and GOE infiltrators (Warning! Righteous fury alert!)

Some of the folks in attendance:

Natl Exec Officer Larry Hoffa and his lovely wife and daughter.
VT State Coordinator and her handsome and protective son (who both served as infiltrators!)
CT State Coordinator and early riser Jim Bancroft.
NY Rockland County Coordinator (which I will make formal in the am) Jim Ferguson (who drives the camo Volvo wagon to annoy moonbats).
NY Queens County Coordinator Sean Delevan and his two young sons.
The NY half of the NJ Rapid Reaction Team, The Great Fernando!
The unsinkable and intrepid Pamela Hall of United American Committee.
The magnificent Dr. Raoul of Free Republic posing as a NY Times Reporter who would Lie for Food(who also sprang for lunch for the recruiters and wouldn’t accept any remuneration)
The Protest Warriors guys who loved mixing it up with the moonbats!
Tom Dolan who masterminded the creative banners which dominated the field.
All the Freepers, Toni, Jennie, Anthony to name just a few.
Desiree ‘The Voice’ who is simply amazing.
And everyone else whose names would be just too many to list in this brief update.

Dan Maloney
New York Coordinator

Stay tuned for Dan’s in-depth report, coming later today!




The Eagle

Posted: 20 May 2007 03:18 AM CDT


(Poem submitted by a supporter of The Gathering of Eagles)

The eagle soars and flies in peace
And casts its shadow wide
Across the land, across the seas
Across the far-flung skies

The foolish think the eagle weak
And easy to bring to heel
The Eagle’s wings are silken
But its claws are made of steel

The eagle stands for freedom
May we never let it die
And give thanks for all our blessings
As we watch the eagle fly

Sidney Sheldon

Gathering of Eagles update...20MAY07

I'm going to insert this update at the top rather than the bottom of the page. It ties in with the Moonbats piece found further down in this posting.

It's an amazing thing in my mind how that people can be so damned ungrateful that they are hateful to those who have and do risk their lives to protect them and their rights. What kind of unmitigated GALL does it take to call a soldier a terrorist or a baby-killer?

Kudos to Urban Infidel for her coverage of the GOE gathering in New York where moonbats found their wings clipped. Two thumbs up, darlin, HOOWAA. So much for them torturing good sense and decency with their "torture theater." Maybe if some of these people had ever sworn the oath, fired a weapon, or had to duck and cover from enemy fire they'd have more common sense about them.

Ponderous concept, I know.

Here is a sampling of her pictures from Urban Infidel's site, showing the Eagles doing what the Eagles do best...being a strong, determined presence.

This next one is MY personal favorite on her site...

Again, OUTSTANDING WORK, Eagles, job well done indeed.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog posting...

HCdL

Operation Recruiter Appreciation: Amazing Work by Eagles

Posted: 19 May 2007 11:27 AM CDT

The photos and stories are rolling in after two days of incredible work by GOE volunteers. There were, at last count, over 900 recruiter offices in all fifty states that had Eagles visit them to say thank you. Once again, Eagles rose to the occasion and answered the call of our patriots. Homemade cookies, sandwiches, cakes, pizzas, cards, posters, and love are being taken to recruiters all over the country.

While antiwar anarchists march and protest, the Eagles support and defend. You can view the pictures as they come in by checking out the photos at the top of the GOE site, or by visiting the gallery here.

We will be posting a full after-action report with stories and photos from Eagles nationwide. Stay tuned!




USMC KC130 Researcher Appeals to GOE

Posted: 18 May 2007 10:51 PM CDT

(Excerpt from letter written to GOE, authored by Thomas Nickols; www.KC130.com Webmaster)

“We are documenting the history of a single class of airplane issued to the United States Marine Corps. The KC-130, also known as the Herk. This site is different in that it documents every single KC-130 ever issued to the Marine Corps from 1962 to current. Most of the members are the pioneers of the airplane. They were the first to fly, crew and maintain her.

I am a little behind, as my research took me, in September and October of 2006 to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Taiwan. I am almost caught up, with several projects in the works.

Please pass on to all that any input they have on the 130’s stories, pictures, events, all of this is relevant to the history. Also, operations such as Starlite, Hastings, Etc. Are being covered. I have gathered and now have on the site all of the command chronology’s from 1966 to 1972. The early years are still being worked on. The chronology’s are the actual records kept for the division commanders on the operations of the squadrons.

What your group is doing is very important, and has been needed for a very long time. To many times, hate groups and the like have caused problems, using the wall as some sort of visual aide for their nonsense. I only wish I could have been in Ontario to see them off. Please let me know what you think, stop by my site, and any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated. I am a one man show, working research, content, writing the code for the site, publishing, administrator for email, discussion and such, so I stay pretty busy with it.“

Click here to view the site and learn more about KC130.com


A Soldier’s Letter Home

Posted: 18 May 2007 05:52 PM CDT

(Excerpt from CW4 Jim Funk’s letter Home)


“Hello media, do you know you indirectly kill American soldier’s everyday. You inspire and report the enemy’s objective everyday. You are the enemy’s greatest weapon.
The enemy cannot beat us on the battlefield so all he does is try to wreak enough havoc and have you report it everyday. With you and the enemy using each other, you continually break the will of the American public and American Government. We go out daily and bust and kill the enemy, uncover and destroy weapons caches and continue to establish infrastructure. So daily we put a whoopin on the enemy,but all the enemy has to do is turn on the TV and get re-inspired. He gets to see his daily roadside bomb, truck bomb, suicide bomber or mortar attack. He doesn’t see any accomplishments of the US Military……..”

Click here for the full letter

(UPDATE)

ORA: Mission Accomplished

Posted: 20 May 2007 11:58 AM CDT

ORA: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
May 19th, 2007
Authored by Gabi Pike with additional collaboration from Tania Ciolki

“We are wholly and forever committed to our brothers and sisters in uniform. As veterans, we understand their incredible and noble sacrifices, made of their own accord for a nation they love more than life itself. As family members, we stand by them, and as Americans, we thank God for them.”

This phrase is emblazoned upon the hearts of every Eagle, portrayed within their every action, as Eagles from across the nation reached out to our brothers and sisters in uniform this Armed Forces ‘Weekend.’ This weekend, The Gathering of Eagles, put into action Operation Recruiter Appreciation.

Over 900 military recruiting offices across the country were treated to bagels, cakes, cookies, donuts, homemade baked goods, pizzas, sodas, and a surplus of thank you cards, signs, and words of praise. Recruiters also received ‘faux’ Medals of Honor, deli sandwiches, gift certificates, movie passes and cupcakes.

Eagles from across the U.S. wrote in to share their experiences. Phyllis Pajka from Virginia said, “The recruiters told me that if we had just called each of them and told them that they were appreciated, it would have been enough for them. The baked goods were just an added goodie. They were extremely appreciative and I received many hugs and kisses on the cheek from these good looking young guys.” Pajka went on to say, “I can’t make every day Recruiter Appreciation Day but I sure can make it every now and then and that way they’ll always be surprised. What a wonderful idea this was and I truly enjoyed it.”

Many Eagles expressed how much they enjoyed participating in ORA. Further, many shared with us the gratitude and surprise that overcame the recruiters they encountered. Walt Oster, GOE Kentucky state coordinator, said, “We had a great time doing this and our reception was wonderful and well appreciated by the recruiters.” Oster expressed his gratitude to the recruiters and best summed up the idea which spurred the creation of ORA in his following statement, “We thanked them for all they are doing for our Country and told them they were the real Americans of our Country. We understand that the recruiters are the BACK BONE of our MILITARY.”

Other Eagles were surprised to find themselves overcome with awe and emotion while serving the recruiters. Diana and Peter Sebben shared, “It was a fantastic visit and we met some great and awe-inspiring men. They were so nice to us, lovely people………..”

Cheryl, an Eagle from Michigan, was shocked to find that all of her planning did not include her emotions coming to the forefront. “What was not planned was bawling like a little kid - I was not prepared for how emotional I would get in just thanking these guys for their service and explaining what this mission was about,” Cheryl shared.

Many recruiters were overwhelmed with the show of appreciation and care that Eagles gave them. One recruiter stated to Eagle Chrissie Philips that, “‘just when I thought the world was lost.” Philips said, “This one comment stuck out to me made by one of the recruiters. He said it with a big grin on his face. That alone made it all worth it for me.”

Eagles who participated in ORA thoroughly enjoyed the weekend’s events. Some Eagles even made ORA a family affair such as the Ogata family in Mission Viejo, California. The Ogata family showered recruiters with pizza, cupcakes, sodas and Blockbuster gift cards.

Spending time with the recruiters and showing their appreciation for their hard work impressed upon the Ogata family a happier disposition. Dea Lyn Ogata said, “We all left the offices feeling much happier than we had been before we arrived - and we were happy to have been able to express our sincere gratitude to our local Recruiter heroes.”
Ogata also expressed gratitude to The Gathering of Eagles organization for creating an activity that was such a positive experience for her and her family, “Our most heartfelt thanks to all of the people involved in organizing and helping us to execute this amazing event!”

Operation Recruiter Appreciation ended successfully with thousands of recruiting offices, nationwide, who received thanks and praise from Eagles. Many recruiters were well fed and showered with gratitude, gifts, and love. Eagles held fast and true to the mission of The Gathering of Eagles and, in the words of our present Commander-in-Chief, “”We will not tire, We will not falter, We will not fail.”

This Armed Forces ‘Weekend’ portrayed an enormous outpour of patriotism, support, and good ole-fashioned American values. This Armed Forces ‘Weekend’ the Eagles soared.

Way to go Eagles!




GOE Web Team Expanding, Site Moving Toward Generation 3

Posted: 20 May 2007 11:43 AM CDT

It’s that time again. GOE is looking for two Content Editors, Web Intel Specialist and a Web Visibility Specialist.

Duties for the Content Editor include:

Receiving and posting briefings and after-action reports from state, regional, and national coordinators.
Adding links to supporting websites and military organizations.
You need to be able to use Wordpress, Movable Type, Blogspot, or other similar software. You also would be asked to donate 5-10 hours per week to the site. These are volunteer positions at this time, and you would be reporting to Gabrielle Pike, our Content Manager.

Duties for the Web Visibility Specialist include:

Submitting each post to social bookmarking engines such as Digg, Reddit, del.icio.us, and more.
Actively searching for new venues and ways for GOE to expand their web presence.
You would need to be familiar with these sites and how to submit to them. I need someone who is computer literate, but you don’t need to be a “geek.” Someone who does a lot of surfing and understands the internet would be good. You would be able to basically surf the internet and have fun with it, while helping GOE to grow. You would report to Gabrielle as well.

There is also a position open for someone interested in getting intel. In order to counter these lefties, we need to know where they are. We need to know what they’re doing, and we need people who are willing to wade through the filth and lies to find out. You would be looking for lefty events nationwide and forwarding that information to the state/regional coordinators, for them to decide if the event needs an Eagles presence. You would also report to me.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, email me at kit.jarrell@gatheringofeagles.org. If you applied previously for one of the other web content positions, email and let me know you’re still interested in being considered.

In other news, look for Generation 3 of the Gathering of Eagles website coming soon! While the design should stay the same, the functionality will be much better. Users will be able to use one username/password combination for both the site and the forum, and best of all, the site will be secure from hacking and other attacks. We are working hard to bring you these changes with little to no downtime or inconvenience for all of you. Stay tuned!

EAGLES UP!

–Kit Jarrell
GOE Web Team Manager




Combating the Moonbats: Times Square, May 19th

Posted: 20 May 2007 09:02 AM CDT

While Eagles nationwide were standing up to support our recruiters yesterday, GOE-NY had a special mission. They were countering antiwar leftists in Times Square. The moonbats were planning to show up and do what they called “Torture Theater,” or a “reenactment” of the “torture” that terrorist detainees are undergoing at Gitmo. Never mind that there IS no torture at Gitmo. Never mind that as we speak, three of our nation’s soldiers are undergoing the most horrific torture imaginable at the hands of the enemy. These antiwar leftists have no couth, no respect, no love for our soldiers in harm’s way.

That’s why GOE-NY had to shut them down.

Eagles representing five states–and from as far away as North Carolina–converged on Times Square yesterday to answer the threat, and Dan Maloney, GOE-NY Coordinator, had a preliminary report on the event.

It was a GREAT day in Times Square!

We performed the ORA portion of our activity on schedule and the recruiters were very interested in hearing about GOE. The Company Commander for the NY area was there and invited us to talk at one of their affairs. Dr. Rauol’s gracious delivery of heros were a big hit and the recruiters came out later to enjoy the spectacle of us facing off against the moonbats saying it was the first time in recent memory when they could venture outside during a demonstration at their location.

Then the REAL fun began!

The Moonbats finally showed up to stage their anti-Gitmo street theater and found that we had secured the ground and would not let them get more than a foothold on it. They had to split their forces between a small group at the narrow point of the traffic island away from the recruiting station and on a street corner a block away.

We totally overwhelmed the small contingent immediately to our front while a small group of ours infiltrated their street theater act and poked fun at their representation of Guantanamo. You will notice our infiltrators in photos wearing orange ‘Club Gitmo’ t-shirts with snarky blurbs on the back.

We had passersby chanting USA! with us, we greeted several Iraq veterans and current duty servicemen as they passed by, we met a lady from Australia and a Lebanese man living in Germany who cheered us on. It was just a wonderful and fun time for every one of us. We handed out hundreds of our flyer describing what we were doing there today and inviting people to New London and West Point.

The point at which the moonbats slunk away was when we chanted “Where’s your flag!” and then deployed a giant American flag while we sang America the Beautiful and Star Spangled Banner before reciting the pledge of allegiance.

In all the action lasted mainly from 11:00am to 4:30pm. Some over achievers (I’m looking at you Jim B.!) staked out the ground at 8am!

The beautiful and resourceful Urban Infidel wrote a report and posted lots of photos on her blog, as well as a slide show.

More photos of Eagles


Photos of the “Torture Theater” and GOE infiltrators (Warning! Righteous fury alert!)

Some of the folks in attendance:

Natl Exec Officer Larry Hoffa and his lovely wife and daughter.
VT State Coordinator and her handsome and protective son (who both served as infiltrators!)
CT State Coordinator and early riser Jim Bancroft.
NY Rockland County Coordinator (which I will make formal in the am) Jim Ferguson (who drives the camo Volvo wagon to annoy moonbats).
NY Queens County Coordinator Sean Delevan and his two young sons.
The NY half of the NJ Rapid Reaction Team, The Great Fernando!
The unsinkable and intrepid Pamela Hall of United American Committee.
The magnificent Dr. Raoul of Free Republic posing as a NY Times Reporter who would Lie for Food(who also sprang for lunch for the recruiters and wouldn’t accept any remuneration)
The Protest Warriors guys who loved mixing it up with the moonbats!
Tom Dolan who masterminded the creative banners which dominated the field.
All the Freepers, Toni, Jennie, Anthony to name just a few.
Desiree ‘The Voice’ who is simply amazing.
And everyone else whose names would be just too many to list in this brief update.

Dan Maloney
New York Coordinator

Stay tuned for Dan’s in-depth report, coming later today!




The Eagle

Posted: 20 May 2007 03:18 AM CDT


(Poem submitted by a supporter of The Gathering of Eagles)

The eagle soars and flies in peace
And casts its shadow wide
Across the land, across the seas
Across the far-flung skies

The foolish think the eagle weak
And easy to bring to heel
The Eagle’s wings are silken
But its claws are made of steel

The eagle stands for freedom
May we never let it die
And give thanks for all our blessings
As we watch the eagle fly

Sidney Sheldon