BlackFive

...Charming Europeans? Hhhmm, charming Europeans...

*crickets chirping*

You know, this is an area that I have absolutely no experience in - especially, where French General Officers are concerned.

However, I have discovered the secret to charm Europeans (well, a lot of European politicians).

Murder a few hundred innocent people, sponsor terrorism, squash human rights. That's the secret. Yep.

If you want to charm Europe, you have to be more like this guy.

That's what ol' Koffi says, anyway, in defense of the UN (and his son) about the Oil-For-Food contract scandal.

UN chief hits at oil-for-food claims
By Mark Turner at the United Nations

Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, took the offensive yesterday against continuing allegations of corruption in Iraq's oil-for-food programme, saying the UN was being blamed for areas over which it had no control and that national governments shared responsibility for any lack of oversight.

"Some of the comments that I have read have been rather outrageous and exaggerated," he said.

"When you read the reports, it looks as if the Saddam regime had nothing to do with it: [that] it was all the UN." But Mr Annan said there was "no way" the UN could have stopped illegal oil smuggling, which accounted for $5.7bn (€4.8bn, £3.2bn) of an estimated $10.1bn in illegal revenues acquired by the Iraq regime.

National governments, through a committee of UN Security Council officials, had had a significant role in approving contracts, through which Iraq diverted an estimated $4.1bn in illegal surcharges and kickbacks.

"We had no mandate to stop oil smuggling," Mr Annan said. "There was a maritime taskforce that was supposed to do that. They were driving the trucks through northern Iraq to Turkey. The US and the British had planes in the air. We were not there. Why is all this being dumped on the UN?"...

If you want to learn more about the scandal, here's a blog solely dedicated to this topic and Roger Simon has a lot about it, too.

Joanie - DaGoddess - posts why we bloggers and friends are supporting the Spirit of America. My words at her site will never sum up what I feel when I see this:

...if I went to Senator Kerry's House and threw my ribbons over his fence or I threw my medals over his fence. Medals or Ribbons?

There isn't any difference. Whether they were his Purple Hearts or his Service Ribbon makes no difference.

Does it matter if he threw a few ribbons or nine medals? Not a bit.

What does matter is that he threw his AWARDS over the fence and he is having a devil of a time explaining it consistently. For someone who wants to be the President of the United States, being able to clearly explain something as simple as throwing something over a fence should be relatively easy to do. Shouldn't it?

To me, what the throwing of his (insert one here - medals or ribbons) symbolizes is that he must believe that his actions to earn those (insert one here - medals or ribbons) were not warranted or were not valued. Read the citations he received. And ask yourself this:

If you did the things that John Kerry did in order to save his men in battle, would you throw those momentos in protest?

What does that say about what he thinks he was doing in Viet Nam?

If you were one of his men, how would that make you feel to see your commander throw his awards away in disregard?

Well?

America's Favorite First Sergeant is celebrating his fortieth birthday in Afghanistan.

You can go here to sign the birthday blog-card (put your message in the comments).

Sergeant Hook is the top Sergeant of a Company of Chinook Helicopters.

First, Smash is auctioning off a Hugh Hewitt guest segment (any topic) on his nationally syndicated radio program to the person who pledges to donate the most money to Spirit of America in the comments section of his post - here. How cool is that?!

There's still much to do and lots to donate. And, BTW, the Fighting Fusileers (led by John Donovan who is Fusileer Six) are crushing the other alliances.

You can get updates at the Donovan's site - Castle Argghhh! - where you can still sign up to help us support the Marines.

You may have noticed that I remained silent on the blog over the death of Pat Tillman.  I was at a wedding rehearsal when we found out.  At the dinner we toasted and roasted (about medium-well) the groom and enjoyed the night.  I think Specialist Tillman was fighting so that we could do those things without being worried about an attack.

We moved back to our hotel bar where we sang our Division fight songs, we raised our glasses to "Absent Companions", and toasted the Rangers and the sacrifice of Specialist Pat Tillman. 

Most of us know soldiers who have fallen.  All of us wept.

Hugh Hewitt mentions these two blogs - Bill Hobbs and Jackalope Purifuiuant - that have a great idea - perhaps a BRILLIANT idea.

Rename the Arizona Cardinals - "The Arizona Rangers".

They would have one more fan in Chicago.

If it's one thing I know, it's that you shouldn't loot when tankers are around.

God bless, Staff Sergeant Gonzales and his 3rd Infantry Division Tank (Frontline video footage).

Ahhh, to be young and insane again...and not just insane.

It's time to end the cease fire around Fallujah. It's time to cut bait and move out.

It's time to get the CPA Button-Downs the hell out of the way and let the Marines take the fight to the enemy. This cease fire has served no one except Al Jazeera, Al Qaeda, and the rest of the Arab world wanting to see an Arab victory over the Americans. The CPA is being duped and the cost will be high.

The longer this goes on, the harder the fight will be.

To move into Fallujah in force will result in the loss of Marines. They know this to be true, just as the men who fought at the Chosen Reservoir, the Belleau Wood, and Tarawa knew this to be true. They will go willingly with determination.

But the loss will not be as significant as it will be if we keep waiting. The insurgents will attrit the force there and continue to prep positions - continue to plot ambush after ambush.

There has not been compliance with the cease fire agreement. There has only been mockery of our attempts at a peaceful resolution.

It's time to take the fight to them. It's time for the civilians to let the generals do their job and lead the fight. It's time for the Button-Downs to get out of the way.

It's time.

Showdown (Marines in Fallujah) Parts One, Two, Three and Four

US Marines seek to equip seven (7) television stations serving local communities within Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Province includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. These stations will offer information that is more accurate and balanced than existing alternatives. The goal is to improve understanding between Americans and Iraqis, build trust and reduce tensions. Current TV news in Iraq often carries negative, highly-biased accounts of the U.S. presence. Unanswered, its effect is to stoke resentment and encourage conflict. The Marines seek to ensure the Iraqi people have access to better, more balanced information. By equipping local television stations and providing the ability to generate news and programming, the Marines will create a viable news alternative - one owned and operated by local Iraqi citizens. Please donate now!

Here is what some bloggers are auctioning off:

Sondra is offering up a genuine Baath Party Notecard

The Ghost of a Flea offers up fancy cologne!

e-Claire has two items up for bid - her Freakin' Fallujah Taunt Contest and those exquisite photos on the top of her site!

Aaron has patriotic stuff on offer!

At Cool Blue - the X-Files!

Misty has collectable books available!

Tritcale offers The Honorverse! Sci-Fi fans of Dame Harrington, take note! (Yes, it's legal)

She Who Will Be Obeyed has another airline ticket available! (Does she travel too much, or what?)

Joanie is still offering genuine Da Goddess lingerie!

So get in on an auction or donate a few dollars (or couple hundred)! The Marines need your help!