Terrorist Hero

Whether someone other than Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had a guiding hand in an attack that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas last year remains an open question, as military proceedings against Hasan get under way in Texas.

But that's not stopping AlQa-Duh from turning him into a superhero - worthy of emulation. While not 9/11 in spectacle - it served its purpose - to terrify. Al Qaeda spokesman.

"Hasan has become almost everything they've been hoping … he's legendary now within their movement," says Jarret Brachman, an expert on international terrorist groups and author of "Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice."

Read more....

PS - the Pentagon shooting yesterday was listed as "nothing", just a "random incident" by a guy with mental illness and a gun. Read more on that one...

Maybe we should let our soldiers carry weapons or something so they can shoot back?

French Riots

Rioters Rampage, Protesters Block French Airports
PARIS (AP) - Workers opposed to a higher retirement age blocked access to airports in Paris and around the country on Wednesday as hooded youths smashed store windows amid clouds of tear gas outside the capital.

Riot police in black body armor forced striking workers away from blocked fuel depots in western France, restoring gasoline to areas where pumps were dry after weeks of protests over the government proposal raising the age from 60 to 62.

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60 to 62? Hey France - go to hell. Many workers feel the change would be a first step in eroding France's social benefits - which include long vacations, contracts that make it hard for employers to lay off workers and a state-subsidized health care system - in favor of "American-style capitalism." Really? Well you got the bitching about everything right - that's American. But 62? Really, seriously, go to hell.

UPDATE: Okay, after thinking this over more, and having a discussion with some folks - I think I understand it a little more. There is a breakdown of the social contract the French people made with their government. They pay 50% of their earned income, while they earn, to have the society that supports them past age 60.

USA - Personal taxes ~28-29% France - Personal taxes ~50% source

The government has failed them, and the social contract has been broken. The government needs two more years of labor to support the incredible cost to support the non-earners in their society.

Maybe I'd be more impressed that the workers are standing up for themselves if "Europeans on Strike" wasn't a cliché.

My New Hobby

Tear up whatever junk mail you get and send it back to them in their prepaid envelopes!

Neat!

It's a new hobby - it's environmental - it's passive aggressive - and all the money goes to the US Postal Service! Everybody is a winner!

Found Here - they have a nice FAQ too, like how you shouldn't send underwear or Anthrax.

Constitution Test Failure

Christine O’Donnell ask where in the Constitution it says church should be kept separate from state. (@ 2:37.)

Either she really doesn’t know, which - you know - very bad, or she is quibbling over semantics (it doesn’t actually say “the separation of church and state”) because she doesn’t think church should be separate from state... which is much, much worse.

[tpmdc.]

Soldier Refused to Leave Fallen Fort Hood Comrade

A wounded soldier with a clear path to the exit refused to leave his fallen comrade behind even as a gunman fired off shots near them during last year's deadly rampage at the Fort Hood Army post, a military court heard Thursday.

Spc. Alan Carroll said he had been shot in the arm but that as soon as he realized the chaos unfolding around him wasn't a training exercise he had to concentrate on helping a more seriously wounded fellow soldier.

"The only person I could see from ground was Pfc. [Aaron Thomas] Nemelka," Spc. Carroll said to the Article 32 hearing via a live video link from Kandahar, Afghanistan. "I told him it was not training and to get down."

Spc. Carroll was subsequently shot in the back and leg, but said he could have reached the door. Nevertheless, his training prevented him from escaping the bloodshed without Pfc. Nemelka.

"I'd been told never leave a fallen comrade. That's what was going through my mind. I needed to get out, but I needed to get him out with me," said Spc. Carroll, who was deployed to Afghanistan 10 months ago.

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This is what bravery is. This is what good soldiering is. It's not drones and satellite tech - it's comradeship. He doesn't need a medal - he needs to be teaching our armed forces what it's all about.

All the best to Spc. Carroll!

And to anyone who reads this account still believes it was just a random act of violence, I'd love to hear your explanation.