Tuesday, September 29, 2009

NEED A NEW SHERIFF



From NBC's Athena Jones PITTSBURGH - "The leaders of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom today joined together to issue a stern warning to Iran to come clean about its nuclear activities - ahead of talks next week between the so-called P5 plus 1 group of nations and Iranian representatives."

Let me see if I get this straight ... first we "warn them sternly." Next we're going to amp up the "MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE". What's after that? Are we going to be very cross or extremely upset???

How about THIS? Here's your STERN WARNING, IRAN ! ! !




What we need is a new sheriff in town. Warning my ass ... I say we should tell these Iranian bastards the only warning they're going to get is when they see the smoke plumes on the rockets heading straight at 'em ...



















That's Angie Dickinson with the Duke there, by the way. Extra credit if you know the film . . . - Sean Linnane




Today's post by Team STORMBRINGER contributor VA Shepard

Sunday, September 27, 2009

KNOW THYSELF

"Know Thyself" - Inscription at the temple of Apollo at Delphi, an ideal in Latin and Christian philosophy.



Socrates' guiding rule was "Know Thyself." These words are of eternal significance. No better advice has ever been given to man or woman.



"Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there." - Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and Emperor of Rome

It is as important for us to "know ourselves" as a society as it is for us to know ourselves as individuals, for if we lose knowledge of who we are, where we came from and why we are the way we are, then we will lose our culture. If we lose our culture, then all the good things and greatness our ancestors achieved along the way - the freedoms of thought and expression unique to Western Civilization that have brought forth the benefits of creativity and production - will all become meaningless, forgotten to history and our culture will leave as much impression on the future of the human race as does a hand when it is pulled from a bucket of water.


The Apotheosis of Washington, beneath the top of the dome of the US Capitol; Washington is depicted with many Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.

STORMBRINGER is doing our part to save Western Civilization, by bringing awareness of the ancient Greek and Roman roots of our culture. Today's contribution to the collective awareness of our society is a History of the Months.

The names of the months all have meanings - have you ever wondered why, if there are twelve months, the last four months of the year are named for the Roman numbers seven (septum), eight (octo), nine (novem) and ten (decem)?

The original Roman year had 10 named months: Martius (March), Aprilis (April), Maius (May), Junius (June), Quintilis (July), Sextilis (August), September (September), October (October), November (November), December (December), and probably two unnamed months in the dead of winter when not much happened in agriculture.

The year began with Martius. Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome (circa 700 BC) added the two months Januarius (January) and Februarius (February).


Numa Pompilius, King of Rome

He also moved the beginning of the year from Marius to Januarius and changed the number of days in several months to be odd, a lucky number. After Februarius there was occasionally an additional month of Intercalaris (Intercalendar); this was the origin of the leap-year day being in February.

Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar in 46 BC (hence the Julian calendar) changing the number of days in many months and removing Intercalaris.


January: Janus's month, from the Latin Januarius "of Janus". Janus was the Roman god of gates and doorways, and of beginnings and ends.




Janus depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. His festival month is January.







February: From the Latin Februarius "of Februa", Februa was the Roman festival of purification, held on February fifteenth, possibly of Sabine origin.


Modern festivals such as Mardi Gras, Latin American Carnival, and the German Fasching trace their origins to this ancient world tradition.

Februarius had 28 days, until Julius when it had 29 days on every fourth year and 28 days otherwise.


Intercalaris: Intercalaris "inter-calendar" was the old Roman inter-calendar month. Intercalaris had 27 days until the month was abolished by Julius.


March: Latin Martius "of Mars".








Mars was the Roman god of war; he was identified with the Greek god Aries.






March was the original beginning of the year, and the time for the resumption of war - a tradition that continues today in modern warfare (i.e. the "Spring offensive"). Martius has always had 31 days.


April: Latin Aprilis, Etruscan Apru, Greek Aphro, short for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Aprilis had 30 days, until Numa when it had 29 days, until Julius when it became 30 days long.

Aphrodite was identified with the Roman goddess Venus.



May: Latin Maius "of Maya". Maius has always had 31 days.

Maya was the Italic goddess of spring, the daughter of Faunus, and wife of Vulcan.


June: Latin Junius "of Juno". Junius originally had 30 days, until Numa changed it to 29 days. Julius reverted it to 30 days long.




Juno was the principle goddess of the Roman Pantheon, goddess of marriage and the well-being of women. She was the wife and sister of Jupiter; identified with the Greek goddess Hera.






July: Latin Julius "Julius", Julius Caesar's month. Originally the fifth month of the old Roman calendar (quintilis mensis is Latin for "fifth month"), Julius has always had 31 days. When Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar in 46 BC, he renamed this month after himself.









When you are the Big Guy, you get to name a month after yourself.










August: Latin Augustus - Caesar Augustus' month. Originally the sixth month of the old Roman ten-month calendar, (sextilis mensis means "sixth month" in Latin), Sextilis had 30 days, until Numa changed it to 29 days. Under Julius' calendar reform it became 31 days long.







First Emperor of Rome following the assassination of his uncle Julius Caesar, Augustus clarified and completed the Julian calendar reform. In the process, he renamed this month after himself.






When the Julian Calendar Reform was finished, they failed to rename September, October, November and December, and so these months retained their old Roman names as the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months of the old ten-month calendar year.




September: The seventh month of the old Roman calendar, (in Latin septem means "seven").

September originally had 30 days, until Numa changed it to 29 days. After the Julian calendar reform it became 30 days long.


October: The eighth month, of the old Roman calendar, (octo is the Latin number "eight" - e.g. 'octopus').


October has always had 31 days.



November: The ninth month of the old Roman calendar, (Latin Novembris).

November originally had 30 days; Numa changed it to 29 days, after Julius it reverted to 30 days long.



December: The tenth month of the old Roman calendar, (Latin decem "ten"). December had 30 days until Numa changed it to 29 days.


Under the Julian calendar reform it became 31 days long.







Some may sense a certain irony at Viking (i.e. 'barbarian) -inspired phenomena STORMBRINGER promoting the cause of the Roman Empire; there is no irony here. The Vikings converted to Christianity - a Roman religion - and later served as bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors - in this role they symbolically assumed the lineage of the Roman Praetorian Guard.

Varangian Guardsmen, an illumination from the 11th century chronicle of John Skylitzes.

- Sean Linnane, September 2009

Saturday, September 26, 2009

WE ARE UNDER ATTACK

USS Virginia, Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941


The week's headlines, as of Friday, 25 September 2009:






FBI Arrests Jordanian for Downtown Dallas Bomb Plot








Illinois Man Charged in Plot to Bomb Federal Offices



THIS story keeps growing legs, of course:

Zazi Indicted For Conspiring To Detonate WMD


Najibullah Zazi, 24, arrives at the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building on Sept. 17, 2009, in Denver, Colo. Mohammed Zazi, father of Najibullah Zazi, was arrested along with his son and a third man from New York City for possible ties to terrorists.


. . . and from my home station down there in North Cackallacky where the possums and raccoons are haut cuisine, a team of Billy Bobs decided to get their Jihad on:

U.S. Terror Suspects Accused of Targeting Marine Base

These guys live in Holly Springs, just up the road from where I live. I swear I've bought gas from them at the no-name gas station just off Ten-Ten Road on Hwy 1 up to Raleigh.

The common thread to all of the above is that these guys were nabbed going into the OPERATIONAL PHASE of their terrorist attacks.

If that doesn't shake your cage, then there's THIS disturbing development:





Men Sought After Taking Pictures Along SEPTA's Broad Street Line








. . . with all these amateurs we're rolling up, this begs the question: are these the ones they WANT us to catch?


"Deception and diversion are essential elements of any and all plans of attack." - The Philosophy of STORMBRINGER


We are under attack, just as surely as we were under attack in the days, weeks and months leading up to September 11th, 2001.

Landscape of Manhatten permanently altered, 12 September 2001.

The Global War on Terror, or G-WOT, is not a good description of what is taking place. "Terror" in and of itself is not the enemy. Terror is a tactic. What we are at war with is Islamic Fundamentalism.


Dwell on this, and then consider this final disturbing story:

Pakistan Discovers Village of White German al-Qaeda Insurgents



We have had traitors in every war we've ever been in. There are Americans in al Qaeda, of course, American Taliban fighters. The Germans - stupidest people in the world when it comes to politics - have got their own village up there in Durga-DurgaLand.

The village, in Taliban-controlled Waziristan, is run by the notorious al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which plots raids on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

- Sean Linnane

Friday, September 25, 2009

CLARIFICATION

When I blast the Europeans in the rant below, I do not include the UK in that set. What I meant was, Continentals.

Here at STORMBRINGER we love all things British. When I was young, the maps used to say 'GREAT BRITAIN' - as far as I'm concerned, they should keep it that way.




Rule Britainnia.




And yes, my name, my heritage is Irish. Long story; I still love all things British. - Sean Linnane

HEADS UP

Blog STORMBRINGER is about many things - military themes, history, national security, philosophy & Old Testament prophecy; ordinarily this is not a political blog. Part of the reason is because there are so many political sites out there and I want to stand out in the crowd, and part of the reason is that politics generates Dark Energy within me. You are about to find out what this means.

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT:

America is the Greatest Country in the World, bar none. America is the Greatest Country in the entire HISTORY of the World; there has never been anything like her.


This country is the "Shining City on the Hill" - we are the hope & salvation to the world, and we have liberated more countries than I can keep track of.

But our President Barack Obama does not see it this way; instead he has stood before the European Parliament and offered apologies for the Bush era, declaring that America had “shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive” towards its allies.

Let me tell you something: there NOTHING to apologize for or about George W. Bush. He liberated MILLIONS, at a time when it suited the Europeans to look the other way and cut business deals with Saddam Hussein under the table.

To portray America as 'arrogant' in front of a bunch of Europeans is the ultimate irony: we liberated Europe three times in the 20th century - the most recent occasion we had to wade in and stop strong Europeans from ganging up and butchering weaker Europeans was in the former Yugoslavia.


When I was in Bosnia, we had an American flag up on the wall of our team house in Mostar. The locals loved it - we'd get pictures of them standing in front of it, holding it, touching it. When a 500lb car bomb took down an apartment building across from the police station - nobody messed with us. They loved us.

Now I am treated to the image of the President of this beloved United States standing up in front of the UN Star Wars bar scene and apologizing to a bunch of 3d world tin horn dictators & Presidents-for-Life for who we are, for what we stand for:


"I have been in office for just nine months . . . I am well aware of the expectations that accompany my presidency around the world. These expectations are not about me . . .

"I took office at a time when many around the world had come to view America with skepticism and distrust. Part of this was due to misperceptions and misinformation about my country. Part of this was due to opposition to specific policies, and a belief that on certain critical issues, America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others."


This is a liberal political jargon for the liberation of Iraq. This is the current occupier of the Whitehouse badmouthing the USA to the world.

I say: TO HELL WITH THE AMERICA-HATERS OUT THERE AND WHAT THEY THINK! For every one of them, there are a million of the oppressed trying to get over here, because they know this land is the only hope they'll ever have of tasting Freedom and a better life for their children.

The motto of United States Army Special Forces is De Oppresso Liber - "Free the Oppressed"

Furthermore, we didn't act unilaterally on anything. We went in to Iraq after 19 separate votes on the subject in the UN - that last one the French vetoed out didn't count - and we went in with a multinational coalition. Last time I looked the list included Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Portugal, Singapore, the Ukraine and the United Kingdom . . . so much for "unilateral", huh?

It begs credulousness that our President is truly naïve enough to believe what he is saying. No, my friends, the sad truth is that with Barack Obama: WHAT YOU SEE IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET. Like his pastor Jeremiah Wright; like his friends and associates (Van Jones the latest flavor-of-the-month); like his wife "for-the-first-time-in-my-life-I-am-proud-of-my-country" Michelle; Barack Obama hates America.

How can you be an American, look at the American flag, and NOT be proud of it?

Granted this sounds strident, but consider this: the reason he wants to change everything, is because he does not like it the way it is.

I love America. This is the land of unlimited opportunity. I came to this land with a suitcase in my hand at the age of 22, and I owe America for everything I have. I love this country.

Barack Obama owes America for everything he has going for him. America made Barack Obama; Barack Obama did not make America. If America isn't good enough for you, Mr. Obama, see how much you like being President of Kenya.

I am an American Soldier. I am prepared to give my life in her defense. This did not change when I went made the Retirement list. - Sean Linnane



Now you know what I mean when I say Dark Energy. And for those of you who will criticize & decry: "Oh, he is wrapping himself in the flag!" to this I say: DAMN STRAIGHT. This is not about me any more than it is about Barack Obama or anyone else. This is about AMERICA - if you don't like it, pack your shit and ship out.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

WHISKEY REBELLION

Today - September 24th - marks the day in 1794 when President Washington ordered the militia out to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion.


The Whiskey Insurrection was a popular uprising that had its beginnings in 1791 and culminated in an insurrection in 1794 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Monongahela Valley. During George Washington's presidency, the government decided to tax whiskey in order to pay off the national debt. This infuriated the citizenry and led to the Whiskey Rebellion.

The militia force of 12,950 men was organized, roughly the size of the entire army in the Revolutionary War. Under the personal command of Washington, Hamilton, and General Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, the army assembled in Harrisburg and marched to Bedford, Pennsylvania the site of Washington's headquarters, then on to western Pennsylvania (to what is now Monongahela) in October of 1794.

According to Jefferson, the rebels "could never be found," but the militia expended considerable effort rounding up 20 prisoners, clearly demonstrating Federalist authority in the national government. The men were imprisoned, where one died, while two were convicted of treason and sentenced to death by hanging. Washington, however, pardoned them on the grounds that one was a "simpleton," and the other, "insane."

George Washington

This marked the first time under the new United States Constitution that the federal government used military force to exert authority over the nation's citizens. It was also one of only two times that a sitting President personally commanded the military in the field; the other was after President James Madison fled the British occupation of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.

Alexander Hamilton; Banker, Federalist, and second-rate duelist

"Lighthorse Harry" Lee, Revolutionary War hero and father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

MARINE CHARGED WITH FAKING WAR WOUNDS, DECORATIONS FOR GAIN

I'm re-posting this story on STORMBRINGER because it's always good to bust phony war heroes. The way I learned it, it's one thing to be woofing some far-out war stories to some blonde in a bar, but you never lie to a fellow warrior. This douchebag took it above and beyond that, he not only lied to his own Corps, he lied to the kids. The good news is it looks like he will do some hard time for his phony valor. Read on . . . S.L.

Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah, phoney wannabe.

By DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press Writer David Dishneau – Mon Sep 21

SABILLASVILLE, Md. – On a sultry day in July 2008, Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah strode in his battle fatigues to the front of a picnic pavilion to tell three dozen young boys what he did during the war.

With his clear gaze, rigid posture and muscled, tattooed arms, Budwah looked every inch the hero he claimed to be. He said he was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when a homemade grenade exploded, wounding his face and arm when he dove to shield a buddy from the blast.

"We're here to make sure of the freedom you have every day," Budwah told his audience at Camp West Mar, a wooded American Legion compound about 60 miles northwest of Washington.



But the Marines say Budwah is a liar, a fraud and a thief. They are court-martialing the 34-year-old Springhill, La., native, alleging he was never in Afghanistan, wasn't wounded and didn't earn the combat medals he wore — or the many privileges he enjoyed.

Budwah joined the Marines in October 1999 and spent nearly all of the next six years with a radio communications unit in Okinawa, Japan, according to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., where Budwah has been stationed since February 2006.

Phony heroes aren't unusual. Thousands of complaints pour in annually to the FBI and civilian groups about impostors flaunting store-bought medals.

Their very prevalence exposes something else — a nation so eager to embrace its war fighters, especially the wounded, that it sometimes fails to discern between the real heroes and the fakes.

"In every society in history, the warrior is glorified," said phony-hero debunker B.G. "Jug" Burkett of Plano, Texas. "The second you say you're a warrior who has performed heroically in combat, everybody perceives you differently."

Burkett, 65, a Vietnam veteran and author of the 1998 book, "Stolen Valor," said the urge to honor the wounded can cloud a person's judgment.

"I tell reporters that when you've got a guy who's vocal — 'Let me tell you how I won my Silver Star' — your antenna should go up," Burkett said. "The real guys typically don't talk about it."

Budwah's case is remarkable because he is an active-duty Marine facing military justice, not a civilian charged with wearing unearned medals. Of nearly 3,100 courts-martial last year in the four major armed services, only 27 were trials for wearing illegal decorations. Just two involved Marines.

Prosecutors say Budwah wore unauthorized medals and accepted VIP invitations to rock concerts, major-league baseball games, banquets and other events meant to fete wounded warriors.

He faked post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of leaving service early and was sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where he bluffed his way into 33 events from late July through November 2008, according to charges obtained by The Associated Press through an appeal of its Freedom of Information Act request.

Bethesda hospital spokesman Chris Walz said the staff tries to involve as many patients as possible in such activities, which range from free NFL tickets to speaking engagements like Budwah's at Camp West Mar.

The charges include making false official statements, malingering, misconduct and larceny. Budwah faces up to 31 1/2 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted on all eight counts at a trial set for Oct. 20. at Quantico.

Budwah, who declined to enter a plea at his Aug. 5 arraignment, denied wrongdoing in a brief telephone interview in April. "The allegation is not even true," he said, declining to comment further.

Defense attorney Marine Capt. Kelly Repair and prosecutor Marine Capt. Thomas Liu also have declined to comment.

Recent prosecutions of active-duty service members include Dontae L. Tazewell, a Navy hospital corpsman sentenced in January 2008 in Norfolk, Va., to two years in prison for wearing an unearned Purple Heart and other decorations. Tazewell falsely claimed he had rescued six Marines and recovered the bodies of four others in Iraq.

Prosecutors portrayed him as a failing sailor so desperate to remain in service that he fabricated the story.

Navy corpsman Robert White, got 45 days in the brig after pleading guilty in December at Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill., to wearing a Purple Heart he bought. A former girlfriend testified White obtained the medal after he was shunned by his peers for assaulting her, the Navy Times reported.

People fabricate military injuries for many reasons, including laziness, greed, sympathy and psychosis, said Loren Pankratz of Oregon Health & Science University, who wrote about PTSD impostors in his book, "Patients Who Deceive."

"A more common theme would be somebody who would represent sort of the antihero — the guy who's given his all and yet been abused and misunderstood," Pankratz said. Burkett said others are simply con men.

Walter E. Boomer, who served as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps from 1992 to 1994, vaguely remembers meeting Budwah in November when they were guests at a Grand National Waterfowl Association benefit on Maryland's Eastern Shore. They shot at ducks, drank and dined with other VIPs and shotgun manufacturing executives.

"I accepted his story at face value," Boomer said. "Nothing that I recall would have set off alarm bells."

Budwah again managed his way to the center of attention at a September 2008 boxing event in Glen Burnie, Md. Organizer Scott Wagner said the highlight of the night was when he brought Budwah and dozens of other military hospital patients into the ring for a standing ovation.

"Were they injured or not? I don't know and I really don't care. If half of them were injured, I still feel good about it," he said.



A year after Budwah's speech to the youngsters at the American Legion camp, Spencer Shoemaker sat stunned in the family's kitchen as he read the charges against his Marine idol for the first time.

Shoemaker, then 10, was so impressed he had his picture taken with Budwah and kept a treasured newspaper clipping about the visit. He said Budwah's talk made him want to join the Marines.

"Well, it's better that I know," the boy said after a long silence. "It did tear me down, but I'll still join the Marines."

His father Michael, a construction worker, seethed at the news about Budwah.

"He scammed America," Shoemaker said. "He scammed a kid."

Monday, September 21, 2009

PEOPLE WE DON'T LOVE . . .



We were yukking it up about the Beatles and their great new rock star Wii Rock Band game thingie, and somehow politics crept into the mix, and the next thing you know THIS thing grew out of it
. . . "With A Little Help From My Friends" . . . heh . . . always room for some irreverent humor here at Blog STORMBRINGER . . . =D

Sunday, September 20, 2009

THE CASPIAN SEA MONSTER

"What... ...IS... ...it?"


"The Caspian Sea Monster" was what U.S. Intelligence analysts dubbed the Ekranoplan - the largest of a class of maritime vehicles that is neither airplane nor hovercraft, but somewhere in-between - soon after they viewed the first satellite imagery in the 1970's.



Ekranoplan is Russian for 'screen craft' or 'skimmer'. These beasts are known as Ground Effect Vehicles (GEV's) because they attain level flight near the surface of the Earth due to a cushion of high-pressure air created by the aerodynamic interaction between the wings and the surface known as 'Ground Effect'. The International Maritime Organization classifies the GEV as a ship. A GEV differs from an aircraft in that it cannot operate without ground effect, therefore its operational ceiling is limited relative to its wingspan.



These craft were originally developed by the Soviet Union as very high-speed military transports, and were based mostly on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The largest had max take-off weight over 540 tons with speeds of up to 500 knots. Because they operate 3 to 20 meters above the surface, these craft are capable of zooming across the ocean beneath the radar, relatively undetected.

About 120 Ekranoplans (A-90 Orlyonok class) were initially planned to enter military service in the Soviet Navy. The figure was later reduced to fewer than thirty vehicles, planned to be deployed mainly for the Black and the Baltic Soviet navies. Ultimately eight Ekranoplans were built with different specifications.

Ekranoplans are capable of making landfall.



The 125-ton A-90 Orlyonok - smaller than it's big brother, the 540-ton Caspian Sea Monster.


A Soviet-era Ekranoplan disgorges a BTR-80 Armored Personnel Carrier


These babies are HUGE.








Here's a modern American prototype relative to a Boeing 747.













The Soviets even had Ekranoplans configured as fast-moving seaborne missile launchpads:





Judging by the tubes relative to the size of the vehicle, I'd say those are capable of launching R-11FM (SS-N-1 Scud-A), SA-10 GRUMBLE, or maybe even SS-12 SCALEBOARD missiles - impressive.



There is no doubt a fleet of these things, so equipped, zooming across the Atlantic toward New York and Washington DC, would have seriously tipped the balance of power represented by our carrier battle groups.

There is a ton of Russian footage of the Caspian Sea Monster on YouTube. It's amazing - have a look.

Here's the Beast comin' at ya armed and loaded for bear:



STORMBRINGER SENDS