Deadline Set for Withdrawal From Iraq

Hey-
A news story just broke on cnn.com concerning the war in Iraq. The Senate has voted by a narrow margin (52 to 48) to establish a timeline for ending combat missions in Iraq and withdrawing troops from the war-torn country. The bill sets a deadline of March 31, 2008 for all combat missions by U.S. forces to cease and troops to be rotated out of Iraq. The House passed a similar bill setting a deadline of August 31, 2008. The Bush Administration threatened a veto on the Senate bill because of the deadline, something Democrats may not be able to override.
I believe that setting a deadline is a mistake. Yes, this war has dragged on for far too long, but setting a withdrawal date only serves to encourage stronger resistance. It will encourage the terrorists to attempt to push us out of Iraq earlier than our deadlines for propaganda reasons. I do, however, like that the Senate bill includes training goals and suggestions for the New Iraqi Army and other security forces.

The Iraq War began in March of 2003 and has cost the lives of over 3,200 U.S. servicemen.

A New Low

Hey all-
This story was posted today on cnn.com. It indicates a new tactic being used by terrorist forces in Iraq. In this instance, the terrorists in question used children in the backseat of a vehicle to lower suspicion of soldiers at a checkpoint. The soldiers waved them through, believing that the people in the car were merely a family going about their normal routine. Sadly, this proved not to be the case. Soon after passing the checkpoint, the adults parked the car and jumped out, leaving the children inside. the car then exploded, killing the children and three bystanders.

This attack represents a new low for a group that attacks the innocent as well as armed opponents. I did not think that it was possible to go much lower in honor than attacking women and children, but apparently I was wrong. Those two children were used as pawns and then were disposed of like yesterday's garbage. Surely, they were not jihadists giving their lives in a struggle against evil. No, these were children who probably did not know the sinister purpose of their final road trip. The terrorists who used these children effectively as human shields should not go to Paradise when they meet their end, but instead should burn eternally in Hell for this action. I do not know of any religion that condones the murder of children, or the use of children to murder others.

Russia Delivers an Ultimatum

Hey all-
This story comes from today's New York Times. Russia has threatened to cut off nuclear fuel for Iran's nearly-completed nuclear reactor if Iran does not comply with U.N. orders to cease enrichment of uranium. Iran has sent shock waves through the international community by enriching uranium, one of the early steps in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The United States has been the loudest voice in calling for a halt to Iranian uranium enrichment. These calls have been ignored by the Iranian government. The Bush Administration has been talking to the Russians for many years, attempting to convince the government in Moscow to join the opposition to the actions of Iran. Hopefully, this action by the Russians will stop the Iranians from continuing their weapons program.

Marine Under Fire: The Verbal Assault on General Peter Pace

Hey All-

This news story just broke within the past 24 hours about the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace. The buzz surrounds remarks that he made during an interview with the Chicago Tribune regarding the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military. The general called homosexual behavior an "immoral act," and goes on to say that "we [the military] should not condone immoral acts. He did not single out homosexuality as the only immoral act a soldier can commit, however. These were, according to the general, his "personal, moral views." For the record, the general supports the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual views private. Lawmakers and advocacy groups are calling upon General Pace to apologize for his comments, something that the general has, rightly in my opinion, refused to do.

I believe that the media has once again taken something of minute importance and blown it out of proportion. One man's opinion of homosexuality, even a man as senior as General Pace, is not the basis of policy, and thus nothing to get worked up about. I believe that General Pace has served his country long enough and with enough distinction to be allowed the same freedom of opinion that we take for granted. I agree with his views on the policy of the military not to allow open homosexuality because it is a divisive issue. We do not need this kind of division within the military, as it can lead to unrest from within, something that we do not need right now. The policy also, in theory, prevents anti-gay hate crimes from becoming a common occurrence. Furthermore, open homosexuality creates an unwanted and unneccessary source of differentiation within the military, something that is contrary to the ethos of the military, an ethos of order and discipline.

The quotes in this post were taken from CNN.com.

Walter Reed Update

Hello again!-

A small update on the controversy at Walter Reed. Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the Surgeon General of the Army, has resigned. Kiley was the commanding officer of Walter Reed Army Medical Center from 2000-2004 and had been placed in temporary command of the facility after the ousting of Major General George Weightman, the hospital's most recent commander. It has been said that Kiley had knowledge of the conditions of the outpatient faclilties during his tenure as hospital commander. I think that this is the truth, because these things do not happen overnight. Major General Gale Pollock will take over Kiley's duties as Army Surgeon General until a replacement is appointed.

Kiley's retirement brings the number of senior Army officials forced out by this scandal to three. An Army commissiion, as well as one working for the Bush Administration, are investigating the conditions at the facility.

This disgrace is a glaring example of what too much bureaucratic red tape leads to. I think that government should be as streamlined as possible to prevent an aberration like this from happening again.

The End (Hopefully) of North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions

Hey all-

On February 13 of this year, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactor and end its nuclear weapons program. In return, the Communist nation would receive 50,000 tons of fuel oil from the U.S. and the other nations in the 6-party talks. This story resurfaced yesterday when North Korea demanded a lifting of sanctions by the U.S.

In the summer of 2006, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon, causing governments around the world to worry about nuclear weapons in the hands of such an unstable man as Kim Jong-Il. Hopefully, this most recent agreement is merely a hiccup in the momentum of these talks. It would serve the interests of not only the U.S., but the world if North Korea did not have nuclear weapons.

Inhospitable Conditions at Walter Reed

Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley (Left) and Major General George Weightman during congressional hearings on the Walter Reed scandal.

Hey all-
This story hit the news sometime last week, and it is disturbing. Witnesses have come forward reporting about "unsanitary" conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. These complaints have mainly involved one of the hospital's outpatient facilities, known as Building 18. In this facility, the witnesses testify, recovering soldiers share the living space with rats, cockroaches, and black mold. These organisms all have the potential to cause serious complications, especially in cases where the immune system is weakened, such as in patients recovering from war wounds.
This disgraceful situation has sent shockwaves through the army's chain of command, prompting the firing of both the hospital's commander, Major General George Weightman, and of the Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey. Congress is now investigating the matter and the Bush Administration has promised a thorough investigation of the matter. These words do not seem hollow, as action is already being taken.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center is slated for closure as part of the military's 2005 round of base-closings. The duties of this facility will be taken up by the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, which will be expanded and renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This expanded and modernized facility is scheduled to be operational by the year 2011.
This entire situation is a disgrace to the military and to our government as a whole. To allow facilities for the wounded to fall into such disrepair and not take action to remedy the situation is an aberration that cannot be ignored any longer. It is an outrage and it shows a lack of honor that should be uncharacteristic of an institution such as the United States Army.

Big John's Last Hurrah

Hey, All!
The Boston waterfront has a historic weekend visitor this weekend. The aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy made port at Boston's Black Falcon Terminal on Friday, attracting the awed and curious gazes of many a Bostonian. Boston is the last stop for the 1,052-foot JFK before she is decommissioned after almost 40 years of service to America.
The JFK was commissioned in 1968 as CVA 67. CVA means that she was designed originally to support only air combat operations. This designation was changed to CV when she began to support antisubmarine operations as well as air combat. She is also one of only two active carriers in the United States Navy to be powered by fossil fuels. The other is U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, scheduled to be decommissioned in 2008.
Big John saw much service with the United States Navy during her 38 years. This includes regular flight operations as well as patrolling off Lebanon during the crisis there in 1983. Later in the decade, in 1989, JFK launched two F-14 Tomcats to respond to two MIG-23's flying near the battle group, which resulted in the second, and last, air-to-air engagement of the F-14's career. Big John also led the Red Sea Battle Force during Operation Desert Storm in 1990. Twelve years later, she would assist in airstrikes against al Qaeda and Taliban positions in Afghanistan. She will be decommissioned on March 23 in her homeport of Mayport, Florida and transferred to Philadelphia to sit in "mothballs", awaiting the day when she will be called back into service, converted as a museum, or sold for scrap metal.
I personally visited this great ship when she was in Boston in 2000, during the Parade of Sail. I had the opportunity to walk around the ship's flight and hangar decks. This was an exhilirating opportunity for a 13 year old boy who was, and still is, interested in the Navy and its ships. I think that this ship should be preserved for posterity as a museum. Like the battleships and older carriers that populate today's naval museums, the John F. Kennedy is a mark of the power of America on the world stage and should be preserved for future generations. I believe that it would be most appropriate to have this ship moored as a museum in Massachusetts, as this was the homestate of the ship's namesake, President John F. Kennedy.