When I was 11 or so we were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. There wasn't much to do on the base we lived on - not many other kids my age. School hadn't begun yet, so the long summer days stretched out before me. To a young girl used to cool [...]
When I was 11 or so we were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. There wasn't much to do on the base we lived on - not many other kids my age. School hadn't begun yet, so the long summer days stretched out before me. To a young girl used to cool [...]
The blog princess may have posted videos of the USMC Silent Drill team a time or twelve over the years. But they appear to have some real competition from the United States Navy:
Speaking of competition....
Greta sent round the final totals from this year's Valour IT fundraiser. I apologize for taking [...]
Do you believe in a miracle?
Or just the things that you heard
Do you believe in a lover
Or just the curve of the world
Another chance every morning
To make sense of it all
Now you can go home
To nothing at all
There will always be something to [...]
This is so bizarre that it's almost impossible to mock sufficiently. But since I care more than any of you people will ever know, allow me to attempt to scale Mt. Ignorance on your behalf:
This is only the second time in its nearly ten-year history that the Dish has' [...]The photo of Sarah Palin on the cover of Newsweak seems to be generating quite the controversy. Even the notoriously Lefty Media Matters is outraged... outraged I tell you... about Teh Sexism of it all:
... this photograph may have been completely appropriate for the cover of the magazine [...]
For Cricket, because I care:
Yeah, it's been around a while but it's still funny.
Update: As the Editorial Staff hath been known to say from time to time, sometimes the comedy just writes itself:
Obama Lied to the Europeans
Barack Obama cast himself as a "citizen of the world" when he [...]
After months of assuring us that guilt by association is just about the most reprehensible political ploy on the planet, a desperation tactic employed only by pathetic, bottom feeding losers.... the Left discovers 2nd degree guilt by association! Which naturally makes them... ummm.... yeah.
I'm trying to follow the' [...]
Why I Don't Read Paul Krugman:
"International travel by world leaders is mainly about making symbolic gestures. Nobody expects President Obama to come back from China with major new agreements, on economic policy or anything else."Hmmm. Let's see...
Double digit unemployment.
Root causes of last year's banking crisis still not addressed and' [...]
The leaflet carries the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and" [...]
I was counting the seconds until Deb piled on. Just scroll down to the woodland setting. Someone needs to create a downloadable BowBama graphic. I'd do it but I don't have the right software.
[...]Look what I found while cleaning out the basement. Amazing how a song can make you feel 15 again.
Don't remember Kenny Rogers looking that scruffy though :p
Here's another one. Could only find a cover, but it's not half bad:
Christmas music!
I used to play this album while decorating the tree. What' [...]
Guys:
I love you all dearly, but I just need to walk away for a few days. I don't have anything left right now to give you. Check back Monday. I should be rested up by then.
' [...]I think I'm in love with Tom Maguire.
My guess is that when it came right down to it none of his war options were palatable there, either. Of course this just bears out what I said earlier. Obama is the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt: he speaks loudly and carries' [...]
OK, peoples. I have not made anyone angry for a few weeks so it's time to poke the ant hill :p
Behold the unacknowledged elephant in the GOP room:
... maybe Conor is having trouble grasping this, but the reason so many conservatives are hacked off at moderates is because [...]
Via KJ, this look at the Army during WWII is well worth reading in its own right. But I found an excerpt at the end especially moving. Some of you may have seen it before, but it's journalist Ernie Pyle's account of the retrieval of Captain Waskow:
“I was [...]In a press release published at their website, key Obama ally Code Pink – a group co-founded [...]
Keith Olbermann. But then you already knew that, didn't you?
And shame on MSNBC for continuing to give this pitiful excuse for a journalist air space.
On the other hand, full marks for Tommy Christopher for having the guts to call him out. A class act, all the way. I've been [...]
Check out Blackfive for more Veterans Day posts than you can shake a stick at! And while you're there, don't forget to donate to the Army team in memory of all those who serve on this Veterans Day:
... not all sacrifices are made on the field of battle. [...]- description of Eowyn, JRR Tolkein
I've spent a lot of time gazing' [...]
Veterans' Day is for the living. Memorial Day is for the fallen.
That said, for those in 1st LAR, Veterans' Day 2004 is when the unit lost Holder and Burns in the second battle of Fallujah. Today is the 5th anniversary of their deaths.
Paul at CrashFistFight was their platoon leader. [...]
... a Villainous Company-lanch!
I've always thought Baldilocks was one of the greats of the blogosphere. Never afraid to say what needs saying (and pithily, too).
And never afraid to give credit where credit is due.
I've often wondered just who in the heck is advising the Obamas on military [...]
I take my eyes off you people for 20 minutes....
I think y'all broke the meter. I also think someone out there has a very big heart.
I will have more to say once Carrie and I can see our computer screens again.
' [...]Moved to the top.
As you can see by the thermometer, the Marine team has crossed the finish line.
Thank you SO VERY MUCH to all who donated to Valour IT for the Marine team. This worthwhile program can not happen without you.
Thank you SO VERY MUCH to the Marine team [...]
The Valour IT competition is about teamwork.
For the competition, we sweat blood, we work connections, we beg, we plead and we cajole to move our team towards victory. We lob snark at the other teams. Interservice rivalry is the name of the game.
At the end of the day, [...]
Thanks for helping us get the word out.
Thanks to d3ft punk for the correction. Juggling too many bowling balls today :)
[...]Two hundred and thirty four years ago today, the United States Marine Corps was born in - of all places - a tavern in Philadelphia. More than two centuries later, the Marines continue to take the fight to the enemy with dedication, skill, and a fierce commitment to live up [...]
Two days away from the end of the competition, and on the 234th Birthday of the Marine Corps, the Marine team stands about $2000 away from our goal. We've worked hard, but we're coming into the home stretch. I'd like to issue a challenge to all of' [...]
Well now. That's the first believable statement I've heard from this administration in months.
' [...]I remember the day they laid my firstborn son in my arms. It was late September, 1979.
We were very young to be parents; still newly married and in college, poor as church mice. I had married at 19. Suddenly, at the age of 20 after 36 hours of labor [...]
Eloquence or style are no substitutes for leadership. An effective Commander in Chief leads. He doesn’t vote “present”. He doesn’t outsource his job. He doesn’t give it lip service. When those he’s leading are hurting, he’s there immediately. He acts like a leader, he empathizes like a leader and he [...]
John Hawkins has a fantastic, must read interview up with Conor Friedersdorf on the way forward for the Republican party.
In some ways, the conservative movement is in better shape than it has ever been before. We've got a larger media presence, more intellectual firepower, better organization, and' [...]Tomorrow is the Marine Corps Birthday. One of the traditions we keep to in the Corps is the Commandant's Birthday message - it is played at every Marine Corps Ball and at any place where Marines gather all over the world. This is last year's message from the Commandant and [...]
Corporal Robert P. Warns II died when his vehicle struck an IED south of Baghdad.
[...]The epistemology of the natural is homologous with the systemization of agency.
Create your own incomprehensible sentence here.
Pootwattle's critique of the relationship between the project of post-Foucaultian sexuality and the (re)formation of romantic inwardness represents a belated form of intellectual triage.Not since the Chomskybot [...]
How bizarre is it when the number two link on Google for Brian Chontosh, a bona fide war hero and recipient of the Navy Cross, goes to a site devoted to "debunking" urban myths?
Is the idea that a Marine officer could perform acts of heroism so outlandish that it [...]
As of this morning, the Marine team was holding onto the lead by about a $7000 margin. But as you can see, Army is closing fast! We are doing great, but need to keep up the pressure during our sprint to the finish line! Let me remind [...]
Thanks for your patience, guys. Due to the good auspices of my two Mystery Demotivator Judges, the Editorial Staff is pleased to announce the results of last week's contest:
EMBRACING THE SUCK CATEGORY:
First prize:
DL Sly
Second prize:
BEST APPLICATION OF INTER SERVICE SNARK:
First place goes to [...]
And as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you".
And as Your mercy falls,
I raise my' [...]
May their souls, and the souls of all the departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
.
With a big boost from John Hinderaker at Power Line, Matt Sheffield at Newsbusters, Frank J at IMAO and Ace at... well, I don't think I need to tell any of you where Ace lives... , Team Marine is taking the fight to the enemy! Please' [...]
This is a repost of something I wrote back in 2007. It's a great story about Marines using their training and esprit de corps to help one another recover from the wounds of combat. But perhaps just as importantly, I hope it will keep alive the memory of Sergeant [...]
The Lord replied, "Have you" [...]
Heart thunmping
Chest pounding
Get your Marine Corps on
Dig deep and give Uncle Sam's Misguided Children some love. They deserve it.
Urrahh!!!!
Marine team member, Cassie Fiano, has our Marine of the day and another sweet love story.
It's really a must-read!!!
and, Cassie? It tugged at my heartstings too!!
Wow. Yesterday didn't start off so well - the Army whittled our lead down to a few hundred dollars. But they didn't count on the awesome power of Marine dance moves...
...ummm.... yeah.
This one goes out to my homies in the Air Force:
Well, at least [...]
Because it's only "objective" when you agree with us:
On the air they told me that I was no longer objective. I was too stunned to defend myself effectively. I said something like: "I've always had a point of view. How come you had no trouble with that when I'" [...]
Last Fall, the pitfalls of trying to solve the "problem" of low home ownership by making it easier and cheaper to buy homes on credit were graphically illustrated. The interesting observation is here:
... when banks set margins very low, lending more against a given amount of [...]Little Miss Attila asks:
"Don't they have better things to do in the Army?"
Damn straight! There's important work to be done!
Unbelievable:
RICHMOND — Robert F. McDonnell, a Republican and a former state attorney general, won a decisive victory in Virginia’s governor’s race Tuesday, a stark reversal of fortune for Democrats who have held control in Richmond for the past eight years.
Mr. McDonnell defeated the Democratic candidate, R. Creigh [...]
MaryAnn writes:
Wrt the entry-control-point duty Diana and her fellow Marines at HQ filled in for, I suspect at least some of you know the rest of the story... From the second truck in the convoy, Marine Sergeant Kent Padmore heard a screeching of tires and an explosion, then his [...]Let's hear it for the all those great troop greeters in Maine!!!
I owe a special debt today to the Freeport Flag Ladies. They greeted my son's company as they were making their way to Afghanistan. It took me three runs through the over 10 pages of pictures but I [...]
And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
[...]John Hawkins and his posse of reich wing bloggers call 'em out!
Anyone you think deserved to be on the list, but got stiffed?
' [...]
Cry havoc - Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Despite Shakespeare's famous line, we don't hear much about the dogs of war - those stalwart, four footed warriors who sniff out explosives, stand guard, and - when their battle buddies need them - do' [...]
Stix notes a possible explanation for Stonehenge.
Pundit and Pundette found a wonderful video of one of my alltime favorite Sinatra songs.
Tigerhawk: The Annual Cigar
GunnyPink reminds us to stop and appreciate the simpler things.
[...]
If that didn't wake you up, I'm not sure what will. We need to crank it up today! The Army is breathing hot on our necks, closely followed by the Flyboys:
Let's not get complacent: all three other teams have a far larger base [...]
How many of the following can you name?
1. Marines in politics.
2. Marines in sports.
3. Marines in the entertainment/the arts.
[...]You go to war with the allies you have, not the allies you wish you had:
With the White House’s reluctant embrace on Sunday of Hamid Karzai as the winner of Afghanistan’s suddenly moot presidential runoff, President Obama now faces a new complication: enabling a badly tarnished partner [...]
Sacre bleu! If only les Americans tres stupides could more closely emulate our betters across the pond...
At France Telecom, 25 employees have killed themselves in the last two years. It isn't known how many cases were in response to job strains, partly because it is difficult to determine' [...]
[moved to the top]
Speaking of demotivating...
Sadly, I am consumed with a crisis at work that is keeping me busy day and night. In the meantime I thought that perhaps a game would be fun.
Create your own Military Demotivator poster here. Marine team member Cassy Fiano has gotten us [...]
For some reason in the middle of the night I found myself thinking of a letter from a commander to the son and daughter of a fellow Marine:
Ray and I had a conversation late May in 2004 while we were deployed to Iraq. He spoke of why he [...]... O' Lantern.
I was lucky enough to meet Tigerhawk (after years of being friends online) in DC a few years ago. I mean no disrespect to his lovely wife when I say that he is far better looking than that handsome visage on the pumpkin. But then that runs' [...]
The good news is, we're still holding onto the lead despite valiant efforts from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. I'm going to start tracking all four teams' progress daily:
The Valour IT Video Contest is going strong and the Marine team is dominating the entries. Here's the [...]
Sergeant Major Jiggs, virtually a symbol of the Marine Corps, is ready for a 1924 training flight at Quantico, Virginia. Of decidedly blue-blood background, Jiggs née King Bulwark, was whelped in Philadelphia on 22 May 1922. Upon his enlistment in the Corps on 14 October 1922, he [...] Jules Crittenden offers an inspiring glimpse into a battle waged far from Afghanistan and Iraq:
What does it mean to be a Marine when you are one of the maimed at Walter Reed on Veterans Day?“Everything,” Cpl. Peter Bagarella, 21, of Falmouth said simply.
Theirs is the story of service and [...]
If you find it's me you're missing,
if you're hoping I'll return.
To your thoughts I'll soon be list'ning,
and in the road I'll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing
as my journey nears its end.
And the path I'll be' [...]
No Sheeples here has created a fantastic entry for the Valour IT video contest.
You people continue to astonish me. GO MARINE TEAM!!!
[...][moved to the top]
Speaking of demotivating...
Sadly, I am consumed with a crisis at work that is keeping me busy day and night. In the meantime I thought that perhaps a game would be fun.
Create your own Military Demotivator poster here. Marine team member Cassy Fiano has gotten us [...]
Reading, as they say, is fundamental:
It appears my post yesterday got the teabaggers all riled up.Apparently, their position is that George W. Bush’s refusal to honor fallen Americans as they return to this country for the last time — something his predecessors all did — is proof that a) [...]
Wow. I am just astonished at the generosity of Marine team supporters.
We have another donation challenge: today's mystery challenger will match the first $500 in donations of any amount. Please email your sanitized receipt (I don't want to see your cc number or checking account #) to cassandra.vc at gmail' [...]
As the wife of a deployed career Marine and daughter of a career Naval Officer, I've never understood the ignorant malice of the antiwar Left.
I grew up during the Vietnam era. It was a troubled - and troubling - time. The nation was rocked by protests, riots, and civil' [...]
“There were Northwesterners with straw-colored hair … and delicately spoken chaps with the stamp of the Eastern universities on them. There were large-boned fellows from Pacific-coast lumber camps, and tall, lean Southerners who [...]
- John Milton
No one describes the mingled joy, pride, and terror of being a Marine parent better than' [...]
Miss Ladybug: Remembering and Supporting.
Stop the ACLU: Just in time for Halloween!!
Castra Praetoria is AWOL!!! Blue Hawaiians on us, Marine!
Lorie Byrd: Halloween Weekend. Love that military pumpkin!!
The Daley Gator marks a very important anniversary.
[...]I do love the Corps.
Mike Corrado wrote a song that touches my heart. No..it pulls at my heartstrings.
"I'll keep you safe on my watch tonight."
MaryAnn at Soldiers' Angels Germany is a tireless supporter of our troops. She updates her blog everyday with spotlights on servicemembers, goings on at Landstuhl as well as downrange.
Miss Ladybug has video of the return of LCPL Brandon Lara and the respect the community showed in honor' [...]
In keeping with our practice of interspersing interviews of active duty Marines with inspirational stories, today's Marine of the Day is some random officer who generously agreed (much to my surprise) to be interviewed. We hope the combined format will provide a more rounded view of the Marine perspective:
1. What [...]
I hope the Snarkitudinous amongst you will note that I now have the *correct* camo pattern:
As of 9 am this morning we were leading the Army by about $1300 with 3 slots left on my Dad's $1000 challenge. Huge thanks to our 3 donors! This leaves us [...]
Ever noticed that the more Americans have, the more we can't live without?
If you earn less than 150% of the gummint-defined poverty line, that means those of us who earn more than that are going to buy you a phone *and* pay for your phone use.Soooooo, tell me,' [...]
Every so often the question of gender parity in the blatherosphere pops up like a whack-a-mole. This time, somewhat unusually, the question was raised by a man:
If you spend any time looking at social media demographics, there’s one stat you see over and over: women [...]A few posts down I said that my Dad (a Navy man, no less, but then they are gallant souls) had pledged to match the first 10 donations of $100.
We are at 4 now. Many thanks to these generous supporters of Valour IT. Once the matching funds are in, you [...]
1. Marines have the best uniforms, hands down. And as everyone knows, chicks really dig a guy in uniform.
2. Marines know how to fight. That's why they're called America's 911 force:
In the true spirit of "jointness" I offer the following as "Everything you need to know about differences in'" [...]
I am so proud to be the Marine co-captain for the Valour IT fundraiser!! It's an honor and more importantly, it allows us to thank Soldiers' Angels for all of their support over the past couple of years. (More on that in another post)
I have been thinking about the past' [...]
