BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) - The father of a soldier listed as missing-captured in Iraq since 2004 said Sunday that the military had informed him that his son’s remains were found in Iraq.

Keith Maupin said at a news conference in suburban Cincinnati that an Army general told him DNA testing had identified the remains of his son, Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, or “Matt” as he was commonly known.

Lt. Lee Packnett, an Army public affairs officer in Washington, confirmed that the Maupins were notified Sunday that their son’s remains had been identified. Packnett said an official statement about the identification would be released Monday.

Matt Maupin was a 20-year-old private first class when he was captured April 9, 2004, after his fuel convoy, part of the 724th Transportation Company, was ambushed west of Baghdad.

A week later, the Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.

That June, Al-Jazeera aired another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark and grainy tape showed only the back of the victim’s head and not the actual shooting.

Full Story Here:
Remains ID’d As Missing Ohio Soldier’s

Rest in Peace Matt, you served bravely and you did your duty, you’re coming home now, and your Mom and Dad can have some peace in just knowing your fate, I hate the word closure, but for lack of a better word, maybe they can finally have some closure.

All our love and sympathy to the Maupin family, and to ALL the families of our brave troops that have given their lives in the line of duty.

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A special thanks to these wonderful folks, they all either commented, blogged or did both regarding Matt Maupin, you folks are the very best!! If I have missed anyone, I DO apologize, drop me an email and let me know, I will gladly include you in this list of GREAT bloggers!!

The Ranando Report, Bloviating Zeppelin, RTaylor, Right Truth, Marilyn, Chicago Ray, The BoBo Files, Patrick Sperry, GM Roper, GuyK, ablur, Jenn of the Jungle, An Ol’ Broad’s Ramblings, Driving Out The Snakes , I’m Thinking of the “O” Word, Southern Sass on Crime, ARRA News Service

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian lawmakers are demanding their government cuts ties with the Netherlands in protest of a Dutch film that portrays Islam as a ticking time bomb aimed at the West.

Forty-eight lawmakers in the 110-seat parliament say the film entitled “Fitna,” or “ordeal” in Arabic, insults Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and hurts Muslim feelings. The film was made by Dutch anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders.

The deputies outlined their views in a letter delivered to their government during a meeting Sunday. It called for the government to cut diplomatic relations with the Netherlands and dismiss the Dutch envoy.

There was no immediate response from the Jordanian government.

SOURCE HERE:
Jordan Says Anti-Islam Film Threatens Ties With Dutch

Islam IS a ticking time bomb and even though most Muslims aren’t radicals, they certainly aren’t making any effort to speak out against their radical brethren, and in MY opinion, if you don’t have the balls to speak out against evil, then you’re as much a part OF that evil as are the evildoers themselves.

Europe is overrun with Muslims and is a continent on the verge of Muslim domination, or perhaps another war to keep that full domination to coming to fruition, and according to this report Muslims now outnumber Catholics, and I find that comparison by the Vatican to be interesting considering the recent brouhaha between Muslims and the Vatican over statements made by the Pope, is the Catholic church concerned that they may be in for a battle over the control of the many 3rd world nations they have dominated for centuries?

Islam IS our enemy, the enemy of ALL free people, the enemy of anyone that isn’t Muslim, the world over. I wonder how the EU would handle an all out attack by radical Islam? I wonder if they have the will to fight or would they submit to Islam and cry because the USA didn’t run in and save them?

And I also wonder, would we run in and save them? And if we did, how would we do it, considering the supposedly stretched military we have, is saving Europe again even a doable task?

If there are Muslims that disagree with my views, prove me wrong, take a stand against radical Islamics, do YOUR part to make them go away and leave the rest of the world in peace, renounce the dominance that IS Islam, and the mindset that says ‘Convert or die’, until then, ALL Muslims are the enemy and as far as I’m concerned we’re in a state of WAR with Islam, and Islam started it on 9-11-2001.

Now all we have to do is convince The Bush that it’s not Iraq, well, it’s not just Iraq, it’s Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and a lot more, and the Islamic threat IS real.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Sunday that he was pulling his fighters off the streets nationwide and called on the government to stop raids against his followers and free them from prison.

The Iraqi government quickly welcomed al-Sadr’s apparent move to resolve a widening conflict with his movement, sparked Tuesday by operations against his backers in the oil-rich southern city of Basra.

Al-Sadr’s nine-point statement was issued by his headquarters in the holy city of Najaf and broadcast through loudspeakers on Shiite mosques. It said the first point was: “taking gunmen off the streets in Basra and elsewhere.”

He also demanded that the Iraqi government stop “haphazard raids” and release security detainees who haven’t been charged, two issues cited by his movement as reasons for fighting the government.

Full Story Here:
Al-Sadr Pulls Fighters Off Iraq Streets

al-Sadr blinked. And you can bet it wasn’t from fear of the Iraqi army or police, it was because of the raids being conducted by U.S. aircraft, ground support being provided by the U.S. military and artillery barrages being provided by British forces, had it not been for those 3 factors, Iraqi forces, such as they are, would be locked in a bloody struggle right now, or, should I say, more of a struggle than they already are?

This is the question I asked in a post on Tuesday, “Will al-Sadr and his cohorts blink 1st? Will al-Maliki have to return the balls he appears to have found once this is over? Is there going to be a massive push into Sadr City and Basra to oust these radical vermin?”, al-Maliki and al-Sadr both rattle their sabres and now I wonder, is al-Sadr truly a man of his word, will he be capable of controlling the actions of his Mahdi army thugs?

We shall see I suppose, time will tell, but I am reasonably sure this will not be the last we hear from al-Sadr and his Mahdi army, they will continue to be a thorn in the side of the Iraqi government as they try to establish a working democracy in Iraq.

I also wonder, has al-Maliki got the balls to actually pull this off? Does he have the power to stop his police from surrendering to the Mahdi army and turning their weapons over to them? “We can’t fight our brothers in the Mahdi Army, so we came here to submit our weapons,” one policeman said on condition of anonymity for security reasons.”, Shiite Leader Al-Sadr Defies Iraq Gov’t

I am, quite frankly, a bit surprised that al-Maliki is still alive, given the preferred methods of removal from office incorporated by the Iraqi insurgents, maybe the man has more to him than has been seen so far, maybe it’s because American forces and some really sharp private security forces have protected him that well.

Or maybe the puppeteer is pulling the right strings.

All I know for certain is this, I am very tired of hearing that even more American troops have died for this cause, I am tired of hearing how many BILLIONS of our tax dollars are being poured into a nation that will, in all likelihood, never return a penny of that cost to us, I am tired of hearing how we are fighting to help establish a true democracy in an Islamic nation, a nation consumed by a religion that will never allow democracy to live, they can’t allow it to live and remain an Islamic nation, Islam and democracy are in direct opposition to each other.

And another thing I am tired of is this, I am tired of being told that this Debacle in Iraq is making us safer here in the USA.

If our shores, ports and borders were actually secure, if our immigration laws, as well as the issuance of travel and student visas were well regulated and policed, there would be no way that any of the insurgents in Iraq could possibly make their way into this nation and do us harm.

As retired U.S. Navy Commander Jeff Huber of Pen and Sword said a while back, and I loosely quote, “How are they going to threaten us if our borders are secure? Attack us with their air force? Sail their navy over here with an invasion force? An air force and navy they don’t have?”

Cmdr. Huber has also points out some of the same facts that I have, on numerous occasions, we don’t have to worry about an invasion by radical Islamic terrorists and/or insurgents that would come here from Iraq or other places, they’re already here, they are living right here in the USA, right now, and it’s only a matter of time until they strike the American people.

I am only guessing with this statement, but I am of the opinion, so far, the reason we haven’t seen terrorist attacks in the USA is because of the ARMED citizenry of America, the radical insurgent factions of Islam, those that would conduct terrorist attacks on our shores, are FULLY aware that if they were do so, something like HALF of the population of this nation would rise in anger and strike out against ALL Muslims in America, with NO concern as to whether they were striking radical terrorists or innocent bystanders, it would simply be the fact that they were Muslims, and that my friends is a cold hard truth.

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Anti-American Shiite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers Saturday to defy government orders to surrender their weapons, as U.S. jets struck Shiite extremists near Basra to bolster a faltering Iraqi offensive against gunmen in the city.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki acknowledged he may have miscalculated by failing to foresee the strong backlash that his offensive, which began Tuesday, provoked in areas of Baghdad and other cities where Shiite militias wield power.

So, al-Maliki thinks he may have miscalculated the strong backlash by the insurgents? I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but, I told you so, the Iraqis have NO idea of what to do or how to do it, even after over 5 years of American and British leadership and training, if the Americans and the Brits don’t win this battle against the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi forces will get their asses handed to them on a platter.

And that’s the way this Debacle in Iraq will continue to go for as long as ANY kind of insurgency can be maintained, we’ll do the biggest part of the fighting and dying and the Iraqis will keep on doing what Iraqis do best, just enough to get by.

Despite the mounting crisis, al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, vowed to remain in Basra until government forces wrest control from militias, including al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. He called the fight for control of Basra “a decisive and final battle.”

British ground troops, who controlled the city until handing it over to the Iraqis last December, also joined the battle for Basra, firing artillery Saturday for the first time in support of Iraqi forces.

2 days ago I made a blog post that asked, “Would that push be led, in force, by the Iraqis, of is this another U.S. mission that will bear a striking resemblance to missions in Vietnam, missions where U.S. troops fought and died to take positions and then turned them over to ARVN troops only to see them give it back to the NVA/VC and then U.S. troops have to go back, fight and die once again, all to re-take that very same useless position, and do it over and over, all within a very short period of time?”, al-Maliki and al-Sadr both rattle their sabres and I am even more convinced that this is exactly the scenario we will be seeing as the Debacle in Iraq heats up once again, and as of right now it’s the Brits that are having to save the Iraqis in Basra, after they, the Brits, had secured Basra and then turned it over to the Iraqis, and the Iraqis failed to hold a secure position.

I don’t know about my younger readers, but to me, and many of the older readers, those of us that can and do remember Vietnam, in vivid, full color memories, what we are seeing right now is exactly the same drive and determination to win from the Iraqi Army as we saw from the ARVN troops during that war, we’d take it, hand it over to the ARVN’s and they would promptly hand it right back to the NVA and/or VC, and in the process, surrendering weapons and munitions to those that would turn them on American troops.

Oh, but the Bush Bots say that just can’t be happening in Iraq, Bush and the American military are loved by all in Iraq, and to the Bots I say, loud and clear, BULL SHIT! The Iraqis are Muslims, they are loyal to their religion, their sects, and even that has warring factions, the Iraqis, for the most part, don’t give a damn for us or what Bush claims to be doing for their benefit.

The growing turmoil threatens to undermine White House efforts to convince a skeptical Congress and the American public that the Iraqis are making progress toward managing their own security without the presence of U.S. troops.With the Shiite militiamen defiant, a group of police in the Mahdi Army’s Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City abandoned their posts and handed over their weapons to al-Sadr’s local office. Police forces in Baghdad are believed to be heavily influenced or infiltrated by Mahdi militiamen.

“We can’t fight our brothers in the Mahdi Army, so we came here to submit our weapons,” one policeman said on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

He said about 40 policemen had defected to the Mahdi Army. The figure could not be confirmed, but AP Television News footage showed about a dozen uniformed police, their faces covered with masks to shield their identity, being met by Sheik Salman al-Feraiji, al-Sadr’s chief representative in Sadr City.

When I began writing this commentary I started it off by saying “I hate to say I told you so“, but you know, I really DON’T, because I, and a few other Conservative bloggers have been trying to tell folks that this was how it was going to be, we’ve been trying to get it across to the Bush Bots for a long time, and all we got for our efforts was the label ‘TRAITOR‘ and Bush Hater, but ya know, I just can’t argue with the Bush Hater thing, at least that part IS true.

Here’s the bottom line folks, if U.S. and British forces don’t pursue this offensive through to a definitive solution, it will not happen, the Iraqis are basically a useless lot when it comes to warfighting and in my not so humble opinion, the entire nation of Iraq is not worth the death or wounding of so much as one more U.S. soldier, sailor or airman.

WHY should we have to defend these gutless backstabbers that can’t wait to get an American in their sights?? If the Iraqis can’t stand on their own, after several years of intense training, an unlimited supply of weapons, munitions and logistics, not to mention some fantastic support from American and British forces, if it can’t happen NOW, if they can’t defeat a rag-tag bunch like the Mahdi army, I have to ask, WHEN??

When will the Iraqis be capable of standing and fighting in defense of their nation? And do so without us being forced into doing the fighting for them as they continue to give up, turn weapons over TO the Mahdi army and slam the door in OUR face?

Is that a people we should be dying for?

Full and Complete Story Here:
Shiite Leader Al-Sadr Defies Iraq Gov’t

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WASHINGTON — For Sen. Jim Webb, it’s a question of fairness: Why don’t veterans of today’s armed services get the same benefits the GI Bill provided “the greatest generation” after World War II?

Actually Senator, the answer is pretty simple, Vets have always been handed the slick end of the stick, and you know that, perhaps PCness keeps you from saying it, I would hope NOT but that statement is nothing but the cold hard fact of the matter, if the government feels it needs a budget cut, Vets are the 1st to feel it.

But the Virginia Democrat’s effort to remedy the perceived slight, which has gained support in Congress, runs afoul of how officials at the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs want to manage the all-volunteer military. Besides being too expensive and more administratively complex than the current GI Bill, they say it would make it more difficult to retain experienced troops beyond their first hitch.

Too expensive?? Too expensive to take care of our Vets and offer them better benefits after they have put their lives on the line in service to this nation?? The DoD and V.A. need to rethink that position and define the word ‘expensive’.

In my opinion expensive is Iraq, and what we are doing there, we are spending BILLIONS of U.S. tax dollars on a gamble that we’re not even certain is going to pay off, but we won’t spend the money to give top shelf benefits to the troops that are working their tails off in an attempt to make this gamble in Iraq and elsewhere work?

And another thing, if the DoD wants to retain experienced troops beyond that 1st hitch, they need to take into consideration exactly what those troops are going through, what their families are sacrificing, the ‘big picture’ if you will, and the DoD needs to address the issue of WHY troops are now on their 3rd, 4th and in some cases, their 5th combat rotation to Iraq, personally I think that ANY troops that has given that much of themselves, to and for this nation, deserve nothing but the very finest educational opportunities available.

“I see the educational benefits in this bill as crucial to a service member’s readjustment to civilian life and as a cost of war that should receive the same priority that funding the war has received the last five years,” Webb said.

The benefit would cover tuition and fees for the most expensive public university in any state where the veteran resides and pay an allowance for books and housing.

I have often said, I don’t support the ‘political party’, I look at the individual and make my decisions based on what I see from that individual and their actions, and in this case I have to say, I support the efforts and statements of Sen. Webb, and of those in office that are supporting him and his effort to obtain more and better benefits for our Veterans.

I read a lot of so-called Conservative and Republican Blogs that are always tooting their own horns about how much they support the troops, several sites come to mind, but they will go unmentioned because I won’t give linkage to hypocrites, and those same sites will call BS on this story simply because Sen. Webb is a Democrat, and that is why I believe certain individuals are the hypocrites I accuse them of being when it comes to REAL troops support.

If you truly support the troops, PROVE IT, support this effort to help increase educational benefits for our Vets, don’t just sit there and say “Oh yeah, I support the troops“, help get this thing moving, call or write your congressman or senator, tell them to support Sen. Webb in this effort, if you can support the war then you can surely support the futures of guys and gals that are doing the work. They deserve it!

Full Story Here:
Boosting GI Bill benefits could hit military roadblock

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama seemed to suggest in an interview aired Friday that his former pastor has acknowledged that his controversial remarks were inappropriate and hurtful, although there are no public accounts of the minister having done so.

Obama discussed his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright on ABC’s “The View,” which was taped Thursday and aired Friday.

“Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn’t have felt comfortable staying there at the church,” Obama said.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the senator’s remarks did not imply that Wright has expressed misgivings about his statements.

Full Story Here:
Obama Suggests Ex-Pastor Is Contrite

What I see here is Barack Hussein Obama making an attempt to cover his ass as he finds out that many Americans, from both sides of the aisle, just aren’t buying into the ‘contrite‘ thing concerning his racist preacher, and somehow, I seem to detect the strong fragrance of bullshit from the Obama camp as it permeates the blogosphere.