THE REASONS WHY . . .

When your friends cannot explain why they voted Democrat, give them this list. They can then pick their reasons from this "TOP 12" . . .


1. I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4%on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.


2. I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.


3. I voted Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.


4. I voted Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.


5. I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.


6. I voted Democrat because I'm not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.


7. I voted Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits.


8. I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the Democrats see fit.


9. I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.


10. I voted Democrat because I think that it's better to pay billions to people who hate us for their oil, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle or gopher.


11. I voted Democrat because while we live in the greatest, most wonderful country in the world, I was promised "HOPE AND CHANGE".


12. I voted Democrat because my head is so firmly planted up my butt, it's unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view.

Today's Bird HERE

SCRAPPED IN FAVOR OF THE OSPREY?

Today's Bird HERE

IRON DOME REPELLS GAZA ROCKET ATTACKS ON BEERSHEBA

140 rockets fired onto Beersheba and surrounding area in 48 hours - approximately three every 60 minutes - Iron Dome missile defense system successful in downing 75% of rockets.

Iron Dome (כיפת ברזל‎) is a mobile air defense system by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells.

FATHER OF SPECIAL FORCES UNDERWATER OPERATIONS

The Office of Strategic Services - OSS - was the World War II-era precursor to todays CIA and Army Special Forces. The author of this article keeps refering to "marinetime" but I think he means "maritime" - S.L.

The late Christian J. Lambertsen demonstrates the first re-breather system, which he invented and later coined the acronym SCUBA for the already existing basic diving system.


DIVING ICON's ASHES SPREAD HERE TODAY

Inventions touched all uses of scuba, re-breathers

BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff

The ashes of the man responsible for developing what evolved into the most advanced scuba systems used by today's Special Operations Forces, as well as leading marine researchers and explorers, will be spread this morning in the waters off Key West.

Christian J. Lambertsen was a medical student in 1939 when he invented his Lambertsen Amphibious Respirator Unit (LARU), a forerunner of modern dive re-breathers used today by the Army Green Berets, Navy SEALs and deep-sea explorers. Lambertsen died on Feb. 11 at his home in Newtown Square, Pa., at the age of 93.

His family, colleges and Special Operations Forces members will gather this morning at the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Fleming Key to say goodbye to the medical doctor, veteran of the CIA forerunner Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and commander of that clandestine organizations's Marinetime Unit.

Back of the original LARU unit - both photos courtesy of the Lambertsen collection.


The inventor helped coin the phrase "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus," or SCUBA, and is considered the father of modern combat swimming, as he trained the Navy's underwater demolition teams, the precursor of the modern SEAL Teams and other Special Operations Forces.

Read the rest HERE

STORMBRINGER SENDS

ADOPT A TERRORIST

A Canadian female libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the Canadian government, complaining about the treatment of captive insurgents (terrorists) being held in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities. She demanded a response to her letter correspondence.


She received back the following reply:


National Defense Headquarters

M Gen George R. Pearkes Bldg., 15 NT

101 Colonel By Drive

Ottawa , ON K1A 0K2

Canada


Dear Concerned Citizen,

Thank you for your recent letter expressing your profound concern of treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists captured by Canadian Forces who were subsequently transferred to the Afghanistan Government and are currently being held by Afghan officials in Afghanistan National Correctional System facilities.

Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinions were heard loud and clear here in Ottawa. You will be pleased to learn, thanks to the concerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new department here at the Department of National Defense, to be called 'Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers' program, or L.A.R.K. for short.

In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to divert one terrorist and place him in your personal care. Your personal detainee has been selected and is scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence in Toronto next Monday.

Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint!

It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers. We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter.

Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his 'attitudinal problem' will help him overcome these character flaws. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences.

We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skills at your next yoga group. Please advise any Jewish friends, neighbors or relatives about your house guest, as he might get agitated or even violent, but we are sure you can reason with him. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offend him.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property thereby having no rights, including refusal of his sexual demands. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him and he has been known to show violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the new dress code that he will "recommend" as more appropriate attire.

I'm sure you will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka over time. Just remember that it is all part of 'respecting his culture and religious beliefs' as described in your letter.

Thanks again for your concern. We truly appreciate it when folks like you keep us informed of the proper way to do our job and care for our fellow man. You take good care of Ahmed and remember we'll be watching.

Good luck and God bless you.


Cordially,

Gordon O'Connor
Minister of National Defense


Today's Bird HERE

VETERAN FIRED FOR CALLING OUT A PHONEY

Last week the Supreme Court heard the case of United States vs Alvarez - whether a federal law that makes it a crime to lie about receiving military medals or honors violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of the right to free speech - as far as I know they haven't voted on the thing yet. What follows is the story that led up to this case. - S.L.

Exposer in Stolen Valor case fired

Xavier Alvarez claimed to be a Marine veteran and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Remarkably, her is seen here wearing a US Army uniform with Special Forces acoutrements. Typical phony wannabe can't keep his story straight. -S.L.


On a tour bus trip to Southern California Edison’s Big Creek power plant, event planner Melissa Campbell was passing out snacks to dignitaries when one of them asked her a question that would change both of their lives and make U.S. judicial history.

“Do you know who I am?” asked Xavier Alvarez, an elected member of a local water board, not waiting for an answer.

“I am a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.”

Nearly five years later, Mr. Alvarez, who never served in the military, stands among dozens who have been convicted under the federal Stolen Valor Act, a misdemeanor crime that carries a sentence of up to one year of imprisonment for lying about receiving military honors. After Mr. Alvarez’s appeal, his widely publicized case recently went before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Less attention has been paid to the fate of the woman who helped expose Mr. Alvarez and who brought him to the attention of the FBI. Ms. Campbell, the event planner serving Mr. Alvarez snacks on June 27, 2007, was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served her country for 10 years.

But after exposing Mr. Alvarez’s medal claim as a hoax — later reporting to the FBI what she viewed as a crime in progress — Ms. Campbell said she wasn’t thanked by her employer.

Instead, she said, she was fired.


This is utterly shameful - read the whole thing HERE


STORMBRINGER SENDS

.

Arlington Burial for SF Soldier Who Died in Fire

RIP Warrior . . .

"To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour."

- Winston Churchill



.