Kerfuffles

Three years ago I wrote “(Canada’s Remembrance Day 2005)” in which I mentioned Canadian military forces serving in Vietnam during the era of America’s Vietnam War and the Nobel Peace Prize they were awarded for their service. I never realized the rancor that revelation would come to garner. It began when I was called a LIAR by a Canadian commenter to my own blog:

“The Canadian Armed Forces won a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in Vietnam.” What year was that? I used Google to save myself from Liberal bias, and discovered that this was a total blatant lie. (October 12, 2006)

To this day I am still being called a “LIAR” for writing facts that I found from my own research.

Political Forum Commenter: “but here is a link to the list of nobel peace prize winners. So far I do not see the Canadians on the list which leads me to believe that this blogger is a liar. They could have only made that up so if they made that up God knows what else.
Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize“

Apparently, for Canadians, the truth hurts. For Canada’s military to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for its war efforts is so discomforting to many Canadians that they refuse to believe the facts, and instead, label innocent researchers, such as myself, as LIARS! In 2005, Kerfuffles wrote in “Canada’s Remembrance Day 2005:”

In 1973, the International Commission of Control and Supervision Vietnam (ICCS) was responsible for securing the armistice that lasted two years from 1973 to 1975, known as Operation Gallant. Canada, a member of the commission, contributed Canadian Forces whose role was to monitor the cease-fire in South Vietnam, according to the Paris Peace Conference, and to arrange the release and exchange of more than 32,000 prisoners of war. **The Canadian Armed Forces won a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in Vietnam.

**The Nobel Peace Prize referenced was awarded in 1988, when United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces were awarded THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for all peace-keeping duties up to December 1988.

On October 26, 2006 Kerfuffles wrote:

“In 1988, Canada and our peace-keeping forces shared in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. (Proceedings of the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, OTTAWA, Tuesday, February 3, 1998.” (See Canadian Peacekeepers and THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 1988.)

In 1988, the Nobel Committee recognized the good work that UN Peacekeepers had accomplished by awarding them the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was awarded for United Nations-service/Korea service up until 10 December 1988, when the Nobel Peace Prize Award was granted. Therefore, these UN Peacekeepers included the Canadian peacekeeping troops of Operation Gallant, 1973, the military operation associated with the International Commission of Control and Supervision(ICCS) Vietnam whose role it was to monitor the cease-fire in South Vietnam as per the Paris Peace Accords.

Even though it offends the “peace-loving” sensitivities of many Canadians, I stand by my statement: “The Canadian Armed Forces won a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in Vietnam.” My information came from Canada’s own Canadian Veterans Affairs and Canada’s own Canadian Parliament.

Canadian Parliament, 12 March 1997
Mr. Jack Frazer: I think you will all have received a letter from the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association. In it, in the fourth paragraph, they point out that Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said in 1988, when announcing the award:

This Nobel Peace Prize is to be shared by every member of the UN Peacekeeping Force since its inception. That meant that Nobel Peace Prize was shared equally amongst the people who qualified for it at that time.

The Government of Canada has built a peacekeeping monument here in Ottawa, but there is no way for any individual, regardless of what medals he is wearing, to indicate he or she was a valid recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize when it was given to the then peacekeepers. That is what the people in the Peacekeeping Veterans Association are keen to have: recognition that they were part of the peacekeepers who won that recognition for Canada. It could be said that others since that time have done basically the same thing, but the truth is, of course, that the Nobel Peace Prize has not been awarded since 1988, so the people before that time do qualify, the ones post that time do not qualify.

My question for Canadians is why do you diminish the sacrifice and service of your own country’s military forces just because they happened to do their peacekeeping service in Vietnam?

The Hidden Dangers of John McCain

That renowned military expert and former commander in chief of all United States Military Forces, BILL CLINTON, has surreptitiously warned us, while speaking at Aspen Colorado, that electing JOHN MCCAIN as president could be very dangerous. CLINTON implies that because JOHN MCCAIN was a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for many years, he could snap at any moment in the future and lose his temper.

HORRORS of all HORRORS! Even worse, JOHN MCCAIN could go berserk while hosting a state dinner, or even while wagging his finger at the nation on national TV. JOHN MCCAIN could become a full blown psychopath leading a nation with nukes. IMAGINE THAT? Well at least JOHN McCAIN will have an honorable excuse for his mental disturbances - he was serving his country as a young man in wartime. So what is former President BILL CLINTON’s excuse is for being a psychopath with a fiery temper? He was never anywhere near a military uniform, much less a war zone, in his youth.

Most unfortunately, the nation did not have the expertise and guidance of BILL CLINTON to keep it from electing a former POW back in the days of President “OLD HICKORY.” Without the “insane” leadership of the man who had fought for his country in two wars, including a stint where both he and his brother were taken as prisoners of war, our nation would undoubtedly be a better one today. It was President OLD HICKORY who did indeed go berserk and create “The Democrat Party.”

Bill Clinton Warns of Mental Problems of Former POWs

The First POW President

If John McCain becomes the next President of the United States, he will make history as the first veteran of the Viet Nam War to be elected. That is a big hurdle for him, as the country has already elected two Presidents from the Viet Nam War era, who never went to war at all. One President, Bill Clinton, managed to avoid even serving in the military during a time of the universal draft.

However, if John McCain is elected to the presidentcy, he will NOT be the first Prisoner of War to hold that office. We are a warrior nation, and we have already chosen a former POW to be our leader. Have you forgotten your history? If so, here’s the answer at Blogging the Revolution.

A Canada that no longer welcomes military deserters from the United States? What’s Up?

At the start of the Iraq War Canada was welcoming with open arms deserters from the United States military forces. “Message from Canada: War Resisters Welcome Here!” Because Canada euphemistically labeled them as “War Resisters” a number of misguided American soldiers took the bait. One of those DESERTERS turned “War Resister” was National Guard Sergeant Corey Glass.

So how fares War Resister Sergeant Glass in his newly adopted homeland? Well … Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board has just denied Glass’s application for refugee status and the Canadian Border Services Agency has issued him a June 12 deportation order to a country, the U.S. of A., where he is considered, not a “war resister,” but a wartime deserter.

Canada to Deport U.S. Deserter
Sergeant Glass, of Fairmont, Indiana, says he attempted to walk away from the U.S. Army but was told that would be desertion, which was punishable by death. Therefore, he welcomed Canada’s most gracious invitation, as anyplace would be better than facing a firing squad. But now the Sergeant DESERTER is on his way back to the land, people and messmates that he deserted a few short years ago.

Now how fair is that Canada?
To create a national folk hero out of an invited refugee because he spit in the eye of the United States military, and then to turn around and send that “invited refugee hero” back to his native land to face those same military mad dogs and wild wolves seems a bit inhumane, don’t you think, Canada? Sergeant Glass should take his case to the United Nations, as this is surely an international violation of human rights by Canada. If you are an American deserter or “war resister” BEWARE of Canada’s Open Arms. You cannot be guaranteed that you will receive that glorious welcome that awaited the Vietnam War deserters and draft dodgers of another era.

“I don’t think it is fair that I should be returned to the United States to face unjust punishment for doing what I felt morally obligated to do. I appeal to the Canadian people and the Canadian government to honor their tradition of respect for human rights and support my decision not to participate in this unjust war.” (Corey Glass Begs Canada to Rescind Deportation Order)

YouTube Clip - Canada Has Failed Corey Glass

NBC to the Troops - “We HATE You!”

We hate you because we hate President George Bush. We hate you because we hate Bush’s policies. We hate you because we hate war. We hate you for defending the First Amendment. We hate you because we are suffering from BDS. We have to hate you because we hate America so much. We hate you because our owner General Electric, hates you.

Now that our owner and parent company, GE, is making most of its money outside of the United States, we are free to hate America and the troops as much as we like. We no longer need to rely upon United States government contracts. You troops and your families, friends and supporters no longer need to purchase our consumer products nor watch our television shows, nor purchase products from companies that advertise on NBC, because we don’t depend upon American money for our profits. We believe that all of our GE shareholders probably hate you too.

YES, it’s true Troops, we HATE you. Read about it here: NBC rejects ad thanking troops.

What kind of people would claim to “Support Our Troops” while at the same time describing the Commanding Officer of those troops as “General Betray US?” The kind of people who would do that are “Liberal Democrats.”

What kind of “Americans” would portray one of America’s finest military men as worse than Benedict Arnold? What kind of people would describe a military leader who has devoted his life in service to his nation as a “Sniveling Liar?” (”General Petraeus is a military man constantly at war with the facts.”) The “so-called” Americans who do that are “Liberal Democrats.”

What kind of citizens are so wanton with hubris as to claim to know more about war strategy than an experienced Army General? (”General Petraeus will not admit what everyone knows: Iraq is mired in an unwinnable religious civil war. General Petraeus has actually said American troops will need to stay in Iraq for as long as ten years.“)

The kind of people who think they know more than anyone else in the country about what is best for our country are “Liberal Democrats.”

Check it out for yourself at The Baltimore Sun.

Yes indeed we do. Who are we? Why, we are none other than the Moonbat Kossacks. Although we hate the military, we do indeed LOVE those military regs of theirs.

No contrary voices allowed, as WE ARE PROGRESSIVES!

At the Yearly KOS Convention, during a “progressive” panel about the military, the moderator, John Stoltz, shouted down a young man in uniform when he rose to opine that the surge was indeed working and lowering Iraqi casualties. Mr. John Stoltz went absolutely moonbattingly berserk. Other members of the panel tried to answer the soldier’s question, however the boss KOSSACK ordered them to “stand down.” He then demanded the name, rank and serial number of the American serviceman and threatened to take him outside and whip his camouflaged rear KOSSACK. “Let me make this real clear to you Sergeant. Listen to me. If you use the uniform of our country to say something political … I will see to it that you never again wear the uniform of MY United States!”

To the rescue rode that white-maned progressive Army General, Wesley Clark, who took the reigns and rambled on about General Douglas MacArthur’s ramblings of many years ago about soldiers and politics. “We progressives silenced the soldier for his own good. We saved the sergeant from the long arm of military justice. More importantly, we saved his sorry hide from the wrath of our John the Bouncer-Moderator. To protest the war in his military uniform, as did our hero John Kerry a generation ago, is one thing.” (Picture Reminder) “But to ‘SUPPORT’ the war while in uniform is quite beyond the pale, and cannot be tolerated at our aptly named KOS Convention: “The Military and Progressives: Are They Really That Different?” … because, We Really Are That Different!”

Although it is quite a hoot indeed to have Daily or Yearly Kossacks enforcing DOD policy, Kerfuffles thinks that the Moonbats were probably correct in their interpretation of the military regulations. From them we learn that there is something labeled “DoD Directive 1334.01″ which emphatically states that it is against DoD policy for the wearing of military uniforms at meetings of totalitarian, fascist, communist, or subversive organizations. Case closed, Kossacks. You win!

3.1. The wearing of the uniform by members of the Armed Forces (including retired members and members of Reserve components) is prohibited under any of the following circumstances:

3.1.1. At any meeting or demonstration that is a function of, or sponsored by an organization, association, movement, group, or combination of persons that the Attorney General of the United States has designated, under Executive Order 10450 as amended (reference (c)), as totalitarian, fascist, communist, or subversive, or as having adopted a policy of advocating or approving the commission of acts of force or violence to deny others their rights under the Constitution of the United States, or as seeking to alter the form of Government of the United States by unconstitutional means.

Here is the “official” video from KOS, which turned off the microphone of the Sergeant. Start at the 41:00 mark: Yearly KOS Video.

Where Will You Be On Saint Crispen’s Day?

“From now until the end of the world, we and it shall be remembered. We few, we Band of Brothers. For he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” ~~ William Shakespeare in “King Henry V”
Audio of ‘ Band of Brothers’ Speech

Open your Shakespeare to Henry V, Act IV, Scene 3, where the king, at battle’s eve, rallies his “band of brothers.” The most stirring call to arms in the English language was written in 1599, in that scene when the king inspired his men, his warriors, to fight valiantly as brothers-in-arms. (Link to Audio)

The methods of warfare have evolved somewhat since that time, but the character and brotherhood of soldiers remains much the same as it was 400 years ago, in the time of William Shakespeare. Today’s war is a global war and it is not fought solely on the battlefield. The conflict we face seems different from any that we have fought before. Skills and talents are needed other than the traditional ones possessed by soldiers. In this war, civilians on the home front or abroad can be warriors for the right. We watch with our eyes and write with our computers. We can disseminate local news and we can be creative with the new technologies that are now available. This World War III is a battle where the main weaponry is information and technology and skills and ingenuity are needed in these fields. If you cannot be a soldier in a uniform, your talents are still valued. We can all be citizen soldiers as we contribute our skills toward this terrible war.

The poetry of William Shakespeare is a great legacy handed down to us from our cultural forebears. Cherish it. Read the Bard’s immortal lines about war and understand our warriors, and think about what you can do to contribute to the war effort, instead of relying upon our soldiers to do all of the fighting.

All can be soldiers, in or out of uniform. Those who heed not the call to arms today will rue the victory, as they will not be able to recount to their children and grandchildren that they fought in those long ago days and saved civilization from a dreadful darkness. When they are old men and women, today’s soldiers will say with pride that they fought evil and won a great victory.

And gentlemen in England now abed, Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhood’s cheap whiles any speaks, That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. ~~William Shakespeare “King Henry V”

What a Difference a Century Makes!
George M. Cohan wrote words and music to a patriotic song shortly after the United States had declared war against Germany in August of 1917. Beginning with its first publication in 1917, the popular song “Over There” was performed by the nation’s top musical artists. In 1940, at the eve of another World War, Cohan, who had become nicknamed “The Yankee Doodle Boy”, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor of the United States for his artistic musical creation.

In those bygone days of yesteryear it was “Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,” while today it seems to be “Johnnie, cut and run, cut and run, cut and run“. Yes, what a difference a century has made in the psyche of a nation that was originally birthed by revolutionaries who fearlessly called themselves Sons of Liberty.

• Billy Murray recorded “Over There” in 1917 MP3 format 628kb
• Nora Bayes, recorded it also in 1917 MP3
• Celebrated tenor Enrico Caruso recorded in 1918 MP3 format 421kb

Over There

Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there -
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming
Ev’rywhere.
So prepare, say a pray’r,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We’ll be over, we’re coming over,
And we won’t come back till it’s over
Over there.

Johnnie, get your gun,
Get your gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run,
On the run, on the run.
Hear them calling, you and me,
Every son of liberty.
Hurry right away,
No delay, go today,
Make your daddy glad
To have had such a lad.
Tell your sweetheart not to pine,
To be proud her boy’s in line.
(chorus sung twice)

Johnnie, get your gun,
Get your gun, get your gun,
Johnnie show the Hun
Who’s a son of a gun.
Hoist the flag and let her fly,
Yankee Doodle do or die.
Pack your little kit,
Show your grit, do your bit.
Yankee to the ranks,
From the towns and the tanks.
Make your mother proud of you,
And the old Red, White and Blue.

Unmarked No More … Finally
The son of Cindy Sheehan, Casey Austin Sheehan, was a young American soldier who was serving his country in Iraq when he was killed during an ambush near Sadr City on 4 April 2004. Beginning in August 2005, Mrs. Sheehan, became an anti-war activist and outspoken critic of the Bush administration.

Although the fallen soldier, at his family’s request, was entitled to a tombstone provided by a grateful nation, for two years after his death at his burial site in Vacaville, California, his remains were marked by only a temporary cemetery placard.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker for the grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world. … Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. The style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the place of burial. Niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for internment of cremated remains.”

Various explanations were given for such neglect by the Casey family. Some of those opposed to the antics of Cindy Sheehan have suggested that she was too busy with her political activities to properly honor her fallen soldier son. They cite the time she spent protesting on at least three continents, publicity photographs arranged with Marxists in Venezuela and Jesse Jackson in America, her various arrests for political protests, her vacationing in Hawaii, as some of the reasons that she had not found time to mark her son’s grave. Her critics also remind the public that Cindy Sheehan received a payment of $250,000 from the U.S. Army for her son’s life insurance.

Two years after her son’s death, Cindy Sheehan explained that she was too overwhelmed with grief to acknowledge her son’s death with a tangible symbol. In the same statement she also suggested that part of the reason for the lack of a headstone had to do with a dispute over monies paid to the mortuary that handled Casey Sheehan’s funeral services. She claimed that the Army’s Casualty Officer assigned to the family abandoned them when the mortuary refused to pay the cemetery, saying that the government paid the mortuary, “so now it is your problem,” suggesting they may have to sue the mortuary.

The mortuary’s owner, Steve Nadeau, has another story, claiming that not only did he properly pay the cemetery, but that he subsidized the process with donations from private citizens and himself, as the $5,736 provided by the military did not come close to covering the burial costs. Mr. Nadeau said that he was particularly hurt by Mrs. Sheehans accusations, as he had provided and absorbed additional services to the family, such as a stretch limousine and driver.

Finally, on 25 May 2006, a headstone was erected at Casey Sheehan’s grave site, inscribed “Our Casey, Ever faithful, kind, and gentle, good son, beloved brother, brave soldier, dear friend, you loved your family and lived your life serving others to the end.” On the reverse of the monument are six icons, representing the military, the theater, Eagle Scouts, Van Halen, the World Wrestling Federation and Superman. Asked for comments at the time, Cindy Sheehan wrote that she had paid for the “very expensive” headstone herself and that it was part of a family effort. “I guess the pain of seeing it etched in marble that he is dead is another pain I will have to deal with.” She added that the American government should have paid for it because of its responsibility for her son’s death.

Reference: Snopes.com