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March 31, 2005

Once A Coward Always A Coward

Some of you may remember Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar. If you don't know who this dirt bag is take a second and read this first.

OK, remember this waste of flesh now?

Akbar killed two officers in his chain of command and injured several other soldiers while in Kuwait in preparation for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

According to the Tennesseean:

Akbar tries to overpower guard at Fort Bragg

By LEON ALLIGOOD
Staff Writer

A former Fort Campbell soldier accused of killing two officers in a Kuwait grenade attack tried to overpower a guard in an apparent escape attempt today at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Army said.

Sgt. Hasan Akbar, who served with an engineering unit of the 101st Airborne Division, tried to overpower one of the military police officers escorting him to a courtroom for a pre-trial motion.

Army spokeswoman Ellen A. Hart said Akbar was quickly subdued by other guards. During the incident, however, Akbar and one of the guards suffered injuries requiring medical attention.

The hearing was postponed until Friday. Jury selection in the capital case begins on April 6.

Akbar will be tried on charges that he killed two officers and wounded several others in a grenade attack that occurred as troops of the 101st were about to enter Iraq in January 2003.

For more on this story, pick up tomorrow's Tennessean or visit Tennessean.com.

Leon Alligood can be reached at lalligood@tennessean.com or 259-8279.

The sad part about this whole situation is even after Akbar is convicted he will continue to live. The two officers who died in that tent in Kuwait won't have that luxury.

The military needs to crack down on this sort of behavior. Akbar is a murderer and he killed his own brethren. He needs to be put in front of a firing squad and save the taxpayers money!

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 09:44 AM | Comments (3)

March 30, 2005

The Schiavo Situation

Given recent comments and other inputs in the news I thought I'd say a little more about Mrs. Schiavo's situation.

I agree that her husband should have the final say. I agree that when her Father gave her away on her wedding day he gave those rights to her husband. I agree that her family is being selfish and trying to hold on to her when the whole world knows she will never function on any normal level. I also agree that a feeding tube is essentially life support, not just because the courts say so but because she can't live without it.

Here is my biggest issue with this situation. They are starving this woman to death. Just like I wrote in the Future Inmate Post could you imagine if we starved death row inmates to death.

I think that if the decision was made to let her die they should have simply given her a lethal injection and been done with it. Instead she has to suffer through dehydration.

What if she has all sense of feeling but cannot express it. Think about it like that for a minute. What if you took a perfectly healthy adult and tied them down and sealed their mouth and then forced them to suffer through starvation.

It just isn't humane.

So that is what I think about this.

So, go ahead all you libs and say that lethal injection is murder; I don't want to hear it. So is starving her to death. At least an injection is humane.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2005

Good Journalism Gone AWOL. Harpers Magazine Deserts Real Journalism All Together

The St. Petersburg Times has a story about some of their local heroes improperly pictured in an article about desertion.

The few, the proud - but surely not AWOL

St. Petersburg Marines are featured on Harper's magazine for a story on deserters, but they're not AWOL.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published March 26, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Marine recruits so new that their hair hasn't been cut don't sound like the best models for a story about soldiers going AWOL - particularly since none in the group is a deserter.

But there they are, pictured on the March cover of Harper's magazine along with a headline that reads, "AWOL in America: When Desertion Is the Only Option."

Lance Cpl. Kyle Bridge of St. Petersburg is one of them. When the 19-year-old Marine reservist first heard he was on the cover of a national magazine, he thought it sounded cool. A friend teased him about being famous.

Then he realized the story was about soldiers who desert from the U.S. Army.

"It's kind of frustrating," Bridge said. "Most people that see me, if they know me, they know I wouldn't go AWOL."

The cover photo, taken at Parris Island, S.C., shows seven Marines lined up in their T-shirts, shorts and socks. They are not identified in photo credits or in the article. In fact, Harper's says the Marines are not meant to depict people in the article.

"We are decorating pages," said Giulia Melucci, the magazine's vice president for public relations. "We are not saying the soldiers are AWOL. Our covers are not necessarily representative."

A media observer said using real people as "decorations" for a story about deserters might go too far.

"Going AWOL is not a favorable or positive thing," said Kenny Irby, visual journalism group leader at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which owns the St. Petersburg Times.

Another issue is that the photograph was altered. One recruit's image appears lighter than the others, as if he were disappearing.

Getty Images, the agency that sold the photograph to Harper's, did not know it would be manipulated. The agency prohibits tampering with an image.

"It's clear to me the customer has broken the rules," said Michael Sargent, Getty's vice president in charge of editorial.

And what of the soldier in the fading image?

Lance Cpl. Britian Kinder, an active Marine who asked that his base not be identified, is upset.

"It does make me pretty angry that they would do something like this. I'm pretty much upset that they would do this without my consent."

Kinder's father believes the magazine should correct the impression it has made of his son.

"People recognize this picture," said Mickey Kinder of Pinch, W.Va. "Put another picture of him in the magazine and do a retraction. He's not AWOL."

The idea of deserting fellow troops is painful for some in the military.

Bridge thought back to his days in boot camp. "You are getting yelled at all the time. You don't have any contact with anybody except for writing letters. No computer, no TV, no phone."

The isolation brings recruits together, he said. "You make best friends within two weeks. It is really neat to see. Then you read about these guys who desert everyone: fellow soldiers, fellow Marines, their country. It is tough to read about."

Philip Hennosy, another St. Petersburg recruit in the photo, said, "It was cool to be on a magazine cover, but weird that it was about being AWOL."

The Marine Corps allows photo agencies onto Parris Island to take photographs of recruit training, said Lt. Scott Miller, deputy public affairs officer. Agencies then have stock photographs they can sell to newspapers and magazines.

"Once they leave here," Miller said, "we can't really monitor who uses the photographs."

Times staff writer Mary Jane Park and Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story.

Again, we have another fine example of piss poor journalism. Let's take new Marine recruits and put their photo on the cover of a magazine and make the topic desertion. What do you suppose that does to people's impression of these young men?

Lance Cpl. Britian Kinder's father said he "believes the magazine should correct the impression it has made of his son."

I agree 110%, Harpers should print another magazine and feature these young men as they are now (on the cover) and explain how there slanted views misrepresented these young heroes!

I guarantee this, Harpers won't be purchased by me or my family (not that I'd read there garbage in the first place).

So, to do my part here is a picture of Lance Cpl. Kyle Bridge:

This is a picture of an American hero. A young man who chose to serve this great nation, not a deserter, not a coward gone AWOL, a HERO!

I encourage each of you to contact Harper's Magazine and "encourage" them to print a retraction story and a new cover photo of America's finest, not misrepresenting them as deserters or AWOL.

And people wonder why so many have a negative image of our military. The so called Main Stream outlets can't even get the facts right. Cut these kids some slack!

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 03:43 AM | Comments (1)

March 27, 2005

Hillary Demands Respect - and Gets It? Well, sort of . (The Things They Make Us Do Against Our Will, LOL)

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, well this one is worth a million:

H/T to the Chief for the picture and to the Soldier who so wisely chose to cross his fingers.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:11 AM | Comments (3)

March 26, 2005

Welcome A New Comrade In Arms

I'd like to welcome the Radio Active Chief to my blogroll. The Chief was a Chief Radioman, USN. He is retired with 26 years of service to this great nation.

Hop on over to his site and have a look. Make sure you tell him, SlagleRock sent you!

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:02 AM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2005

Another Inmate Starved To Death (Fiction or Future)

Newscaster A: "Today the Texas Dept of Corrections locked inmate John Smith in the starvation cell."

Newscaster B: "Mr. Smith’s family held out to the last possible second before entering the viewing room adjacent to the starvation chamber in hopes that the Governor would grant a stay of starvation."

Newscaster A: "Exactly B, but the stay was not granted and Mr. Smith received his last meal at 6 p.m. Thursday. The ACLU, American Red Cross, and several other human rights groups staged protests throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The prison doctors estimate that it will take Mr. Smith 10-12 days to die without food and water based on his apparently great health."

Newscaster B: "So the question we'd like to ask our viewers is, is it really worth it to save $50 per injection and simply starve death row inmates? Check back tomorrow on the channel 10 at 10 news to see what the poll results are and for an inside look into the 'Starvation of America'; does starving inmates and other 'less productive' members of society benefit our nation? Many say we are regressing to a less favorable period in the world’s history similar to a time when the Nazi's of Germany were exterminating those people with physical and mental handicaps as well as incurable diseases. More tomorrow on the 10 O'clock news.

Is this where we are headed?

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

Terri Schiavo Not Human?

Ok, I promised to weigh in on this so here I go. First, the more I watch the news and the more I hear about this woman’s situation the more it pains me.

First, in the beginning I think it should have been left to her husband. If it was a matter of life support and she didn't want machines to keep her alive then that should have been the end of it. The husband not the parents should have been able to make that call.

However, a feeding tube is not life support; we all need food and water. Life support is when a machine has to breathe for a person or when their blood has to be circulated by an outside source. The feeding tube would be necessary regardless of her mental state due to a prior tracheotomy.

Then there is the argument that she is in a completely vegetative state and will not recover, I tend to agree with this. She has been like this for 15 years. I'd say the odds are severely stacked against Mrs. Schiavo recovering. However, she is still a living being and she is not on life support. She breaths, her heart beats.

I can't imagine the pain that her parents are going through. I also can't understand how her husband can rationalize starving his wife to death. Even if she truly is in a vegetative state and will never recover how does a person justify starving another human being to death.

Just imagine if to save money all inmates sentenced to die were simply locked in a room without food or water on the day of their execution, left there to die of dehydration and starvation. Can you imagine all of the human rights groups that would crawl out of the woodwork? Hell, I think those protests would likely turn violent. And these people are violent offenders, how do we safeguard murderers, but let an innocent starve?

So what is my overall take on Mrs. Schiavo's situation? First her husband stood in a courtroom and told judge and jury that he is married to his wife for better or worse 'til death do they part. He laid it on thick at a medical malpractice suit and made himself a millionaire. I think he has suffered a tremendous trauma in his life, but now he, his money, and his girlfriends have clearly moved on. That said, he should simply divorce his wife and leave her to the care of the state, or better yet grant her parents custody. I can't understand how he can justify starving the woman to death when there are organizations and other families out there that are willing to assume responsibility for her.

It would be one thing if she were truly on life support and simply pulling the plug would put the end to a life that can truly never be lived, but she is not on life support.

I think stubbornness and greed are the only factors in this case.

Pulling the plug on my own daughter if it ever came to it would truly be the hardest thing I could imagine, but to starve her to death!?!?!?!?!?

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:53 PM | Comments (3)

March 23, 2005

Around The Sphere

As promised here is the post for today (you didn't think I'd count that paltry apology post below did you?).

I'll start with a trip around the sphere as I need it to catch up and let everyone know I am still here.

First (as always), Mamamontezz offers Moments From The Weekend. Her tidbits of info on the Texas Blogfest and the Terry Schiavo situation.

The mighty Delftsman offers the Best Comeback Ever among other things. After reading the comeback click main and check out some of his other "ramblings" as he calls them.

Sir George at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler has one that pissed me off.

Matt at Blackfive has too much to mention in one link, so start here and then click main and check out the rest. As always his is a premier military blog.

Jeff at Backcountry Conservative offers some incite on the Terri Schiavo situation. Mrs. Schiavo is a hot topic that I will come back to in a post later today.

Linda at Something...And Half of Something is still harassing that douche bag John Kerry about signing his FM 180, as she said John, it's 49 days and counting since you said you'd sign it.

Denita 2 Dragons (2D) whom I am ashamed to admit I haven't visited in a while offers her post blogfest recovery.

Mike at Sworn Enemy has a story on a Japanese Sub found off the coast of Oahu. (Interesting story).

Mrs. Greyhawk at the Mudville Gazette takes a look at the Schiavo incident.

Well, that is all the time I have for shameless links. I need to get a little work done and I'll be back later today with my thoughts on Terri Schiavo.

If I missed you in the links let me know as always, if it is worth reading I'll link it in a minute.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:46 AM | Comments (1)

A Promise To Return To My Soapbox

For those of you who visit daily I thank you, for those of you who don’t, START!

Since my temporary duty in Germany began I have been very busy. I had to learn my duties and familiarize myself with the area and the people in my unit.

Well, it's been three weeks now and I am feeling pretty comfortable.

That said, I promise to make every attempt to offer that world renowned SlagleRock perspective to something everyday. I'll do my best to put up (at a minimum) one entry per day.

If you have anything worthy of some linkage or that you think I may want to comment on please feel free to drop me a link in the comments or email me if you have the address.

I have noticed a steady decline in traffic and inbound links, both of which I aim to correct.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 01:13 AM | Comments (2)

March 17, 2005

Math Is Fun (Or At Least Now It Can Be)

They finally found a way to keep a young man's interest in math.

http://fun.tmc.dyn.ee/org-calc.swf

You'll need your speakers for this one. If you are at work I'd recommend that they aren't too loud!

Enjoy!

I got this one from a friend on the DMZ, watch your mirror, crazy N. Koreans. Stay safe.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:34 PM | Comments (2)

March 14, 2005

Seat's Taken

The train was quite crowded, so the U. S. Airman walked the entire length looking for a seat, but the only seat left was taken by a well-dressed, middle-aged, French woman's poodle. The war-weary Airman asked, "Ma'am, may I have that seat?" The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular, "Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat." The Airman walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog. "Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired." She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!" This time the Airman didn't say a word, he just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down. The woman shrieked, "Someone must defend my honor! Put this American in his place!" An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, "Sir, you Americans often seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you've thrown the wrong bitch out the window.

H/T to Jack for the joke.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:55 PM | Comments (1)

March 13, 2005

More Reflection

I thought I'd add a little more info (another example) to this story.

Though public support for the troops may not be as wide spread as it was on 9/12/01 it is still out there. On my way here to Germany BWI (Baltimore) served as my port call. We had to process the Air Mobility Command (AMC) terminal to leave the states. For those who have been through BWI you may know the area, for those who do not, the AMC terminal is located at the far end of ticketing. Below it is where military members returning from overseas process through customs and enter the terminal.

While I was standing in line to check my baggage I heard cheering and clapping. I looked over the balcony down to the floor below. There I saw about 75 people who were clapping and cheering for each and every military member who came out of the customs line and back home. There were men and woman from all branches of service returning from all over the world.

I saw a young man (Private First Class, U.S. Army) in a desert uniform, walking on crutches, missing part of his lower leg. He held his head high when the clapping began and he dropped to his knees and kissed the floor of the airport once he crossed through the door. I was touched. I still get a knot in my throat when I think about what that young mans life will be like.

The whole time we were listening to the crowd cheer for those returning, the Girl Scouts of America were working our line. They were handing out calling cards, cookies, and numerous small but very thoughtful and useful items.

As I stood in line I heard the clapping and cheering each time one of our brave men and woman came through the door I got a little choked up. I was also impressed that the clapping barely began to die down before the next person surfaced.

After about an hour of this, the last person came out the door and a customs agent locked the door behind them. I expected, when I looked over the edge to see the crowd had departed, but to my surprise these people weren't the friends and families of the returning troops they were just patriots. They were staying there for the return of the next rotator several hours later. In all there were about 50 people left that weren't there to great any one person, but to show support for all.

My father and I have had many discussions about supporting the troops and patriotism in general. He said that, "Patriotism is a funny thing, it is easier to be patriotic when you support everything your goverment says/does." I agree, there are fairweather patriots out there. The ones who only stand up when they agree. But these people impressed the hell out of me. They had taken hours out of there busy days to say thank you to people they didn't even know. I am sure that these patriots don't agree with all that our government dictates, but that day it didn't matter. They were there for the troops and trust me it was easy to see that it was appreciated.

That is the kind of homecoming that everyone wishes they could experience at one time or another. It is hard leaving your family behind. While I have had the opportunity to see more of the world than most will in their lifetime it doesn't make it any easier to leave my soul mate, my son and my little princess.

I remember hearing stories and seeing news clips from the troops returning from Vietnam and even as a kid it angered me to see people spitting on the troops and calling them names. Now that I have been enlisted for a decade it obviously hits closer to home.

Well, I just thought I'd share. I'd like to say thank you to those great patriots at BWI. And while this TDY I will not be in a combat zone I still had to leave my wife and my babies. It doesn't get any easier, but great patriots help ease the pain.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 11:23 PM | Comments (4)

March 12, 2005

Reflection

Another email story from a friend:

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long , uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well.

I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on "my" issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed.

The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes. The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that "I" was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over "these" folks? I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up. Just get their butts in a seat and lets hit the gas I thought.

The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U. S. Marines returning home from Iraq!!! Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her. The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time.

When we were finally airborne, "I" was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting some, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues. I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life I took for granted others paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" those Heroes going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our hero's were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms......... I felt proud of them. I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say Thank You for a job well done. I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

On a personal note last night we had an American investment banker (here in Germany on business) buy drinks for about 8 of us for hours and hours. I can't imagine what his bill was like. As he sat down at the bar he told the bartender to open his tab to any member of the U.S. military at the bar. It was a nice gesture. Thanks to him.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 03:27 AM | Comments (3)

Damn Dirty Little Monkey

Another joke from a friend in the sand box:

A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey.

He orders a drink and while he's drinking, the monkey starts jumping all over the place. The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them, then grabs some sliced limes and eats them, then jumps up on the pool table, grabs the cue ball, sticks it in his mouth and swallows it whole.

The bartender screams at the guy, "Did you see what your monkey just did?" The guy says, "No, what?" "He just ate the cue ball off my pool table - whole!" says the bartender.

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the patron.
"He eats everything in sight, the little jerk. I'll pay for the cue ball and stuff." He finishes his drink, pays his bill, and leaves.

Two weeks later he's in the bar again, and he has his monkey with him. He orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. While the man is drinking, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out, and eats it.

The bartender is disgusted. "Did you see what your monkey did now?" "Now what?" asks the patron. "Well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, then pulled it out and ate it!" says the barkeeper. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the patron.

"He still eats everything in sight, but ever since he ate that cue ball he measures everything first!"

Thanks brother and keep your head down.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 03:20 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2005

No One To Show It To...

I got this one in an email from a friend in Bosnia..

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France on a tour. Among them was Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83. When he arrived in Paris by plane and took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on at French Customs, the customs officer askedsarcastically, "You have been to France before, monsieur?" Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready." The American replied, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!" The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained.

"Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate
this country, I couldn't find any Frenchmen to show it to."

How quickly people forget.

Thanks Sarge and stay alert.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 12:14 AM | Comments (2)

March 08, 2005

Treating Illegal Aliens With Greater Respect And Trust Than Our Own Citizens

This just makes me sick. The state of Maine issues ID card and drivers licenses to aliens that are valid beyond the expiration of their passports and/or visa's.

My name is Jennifer Pease and I am here to give testimony in favor of LD 501. I work at the bureau of Motor Vehicles, and I have taken vacation time to be here today as a private citizen. I do not represent the Bureau in any way. As a matter of fact, the only endorsement I have from the Bureau is Secretary Dunlap graciously letting me know that he supports my desire as a private citizen to do something about an issue I feel strongly about.

I would like to start by telling you some of what precipitated this proposed legislation.

I've worked for the BMV for 5 years, and until December 29, I understood our policy to be that we not issue licenses or ID cards to illegal aliens. We did issue licenses and ID cards to temporary status aliens, and that fact frequently bothered me, especially when those who were here temporarily would come in to the branch, many times just a day or two before their visas expired, to apply for a license or state ID card.

After September 11, this troubled me more and more, as one of the 9/11 terrorists Mohammed Atta had used our state to set his plan in motion.

Concerned about drawing attention to himself by using his passport, he used his Florida driver license to board the plane at the Portland Jetport, and make his connecting flight in Boston. We all know that he ended up flying that plane into one of the World Trade Center towers.

Most, if not all of the 9/11 hijackers held valid drivers licenses or state ID cards, even though in some cases their visas had expired.

This absolutely makes me sick. So basically a terrorist could come to this country on a visa wait until a day or two before it expires and then go to the state of Maine and get a drivers license or state ID card that would be valid for years beyond the Visa. Why not just give them a "bypass security" card to make their efforts even easier.

I think the outcome could have been different if those licenses had expired when their visas did. If they had not been provided a credential to take the place of their passport with the expired visas, perhaps some wouldn't have been permitted to board a plane.

These thoughts occur frequently when you work in a place where you see the hundreds and hundreds of applications every year, submitted by temporary status aliens and you are required to give them a license or ID card that is valid most times 5 years beyond their approved stay. During the fall of 2004, I heard talk of a policy change. It was rumored that it would require us to ignore the expiration dates on passports and visas, and would result BMV employees knowingly issuing licenses and ID cards to illegal aliens. We were instructed to process transactions as always until we received official notice of the change.

I began inquiring into it and found that, while part of the state was being inundated with temporary status and illegal aliens and had adopted a policy of not issuing licenses or ID cards to illegal aliens, other areas of the state were not even giving it a second thought because they had not yet been affected. Secretary Gwadosky had decided to standardize policy - Great Idea - Except that he decided to standardize by establishing a sanctuary policy, as the only people who would benefit from the policy were the illegal aliens. In late December of last year an incident occurred that was quite troubling to me.

Sounds to me like part of the state had the right idea, but politics beat out common sense.

An Egyptian national came into the Portland branch with his attorney and wanted to transfer his license from New York to Maine. The attorney said his client was a New York resident, had never been a Maine resident, and had no intention of ever moving to or living in Maine, but he wanted a Maine license. He could not renew his New York license because he was an illegal alien. The attorney went on to say he had contacted (at the time Secretary Gwadosky's) office, and was told that we would be able to provide a license for his client.

He gave me a name of a contact person in the Main Office who knew of the situation. For documentation, I was provided with a New York learner permit, (not a license, but a permit), a photocopy of the man's New York driver license, and a photocopy of his Egyptian passport. For clarity sake, you need to know that I would not have been permitted to process a transfer of a license from another state for a US citizen with the documents this man presented me.

I contacted immigration and found that in fact the man was an illegal alien in deportation proceedings, and that he would most probably be deported. Also, the last correspondence INS had received regarding this man just a few weeks prior, was a letter from an attorney in Boston who told them that this individual lived in New Jersey. I then called the Main Office to relay this information to the person the attorney had named as a contact. The end result was that we issued a license to this individual. The license was mailed to a post office box in Portland, so the attorney could forward it to his client, wherever he was. I feel it important to note that not once have I seen the exceptions that were made for this illegal alien made for a US citizen. This is not the only incident, just one of the most egregious ones.

At just about the same time as the visit from the Egyptian man and his attorney, Secretary Gwadosky began implementing his "standardization" by sending out letters to various advocacy groups, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration. We received our official notification of the policy _verbally_. We were instructed to ignore expiration dates of passports and visas, and the implementation date was to be December 29, just two days before the end of Secretary Gwadosky's tenure as Secretary of State.

She issued a drivers license to a man in deportation status?!? Makes me a bit upset to know I was born in that state.

So, where are we now? Current Bureau policy is to ignore the expiration dates on passports and visas, and to knowingly issue licenses and ID cards to illegal aliens.

Annually, in my branch alone I see many hundreds of temporary status and illegal aliens, with the illegal aliens making up about ten percent of that number.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that there are approximately 3000 illegal aliens in Maine, and in the year 2003 alone 38, 447 temporary status aliens came to Maine, of them on 6-month tourist visas or 1-year business visas. This figure doesn't include those admitted as refugees.

In the last couple of years, I have seen a tremendous increase in the number of temporary status and illegal aliens who come to apply for Maine licenses and ID cards because they cannot get a license in the state they live in due to the tightening up of policy or legislation passed since September 11th.

Currently there are 40 states with a legal presence policy or legislation, 24 of those states require the license to expire when the visa does.

To give you an idea of what our neighboring and North Eastern states are doing: NH, CT, & NJ have Legal Presence Laws. MA, VT, NY, & RI have legal presence policies.

In fact, the entire eastern seaboard has some sort of legal presence requirement established. While we in Maine have become the island sanctuary in the sea of states that will not issue a license to an illegal alien.

Under this legislation we would require nonimmigrants to provide proof of their legal presence, and the license or ID would expire when the visa expires. Those with open-ended visas such as students, would receive a two-year license.

Additionally, those who are provided a license with a term less than the standard term for a license would be charged on a sliding scale. All people who are legally in this country would be provided a license or ID for the duration of their stay. This is fair and reasonable legislation. The majority who are responsible law abiding people that we issue licenses or ID cards to only need and want them for the time they are here. And, logically it makes absolutely no sense for us to issue a 6-year credential to a person who is only planning to be here for a few months.

This legislation is consistent with the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and also with the recommendation by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators in September of 2003 that "jurisdictions not grant a photo driver's license or photo ID card to undocumented aliens."

Illegal aliens will be precluded from getting a license under this legislation. Providing a license to an illegal alien is like rolling out the red carpet to them. A license or ID has an added benefit to a person who intends to overstay their visa or is already an illegal alien. They can put their passport away with their expired visa and use the state-issued valid credential in its place. For a minimum of 6 years that illegal alien can remain undetected.

Think about all the times you are asked for a license. A license or ID is required to get a job, open a bank account, write a check, buy a car, register to vote, sign a lease, apply for public benefits, enter a federal building, or board an airplane. An illegal alien should not be needing to do any of these things, except perhaps to board an airplane to go home; and the state of Maine should not be helping them to remain illegally in the United States in violation of law. This defies all logic and common sense in my mind. I also believe that the issuance of a license or ID card to an illegal alien in itself is a violation of federal harboring laws. Though I do believe most people are good, my concern lies with those few who are not. Unfortunately, we have recent evidence that those who are not good do in fact exist.

While you are considering this legislation, I would ask you to think about what we could have done differently. And in retrospect, taking into account what we now know, would you have supported this legislation on September 10th 2001, if you thought that it might have prevented any of the lives from being lost on September 11?

Of course this isn't possible, and can't rewrite history, but we can learn from it. We cannot afford to wait until it's our state that provides the licenses to the next group of terrorists.

This is a non-partisan issue, it's a human issue, and a safety issue. I do not see this as policing, but acting as responsible citizens, our state agency working with our federal government rather than against it, and keeping the best interest and the safety of all of us in mind.

Americans can no longer tolerate power-drunk politicians' support of giving drivers' licenses to illegal aliens. Their reason for support isn't even a principled one; it's only greed for the license fees to offset their state budget deficits.

Have we forgotten that many of the 9/11 hijackers possessed drivers' licenses from Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. Yet certain states still actively pursuing legislation to give drivers' licenses to illegal alien lawbreakers. And yet the US Dept. of Transportation's 2004 report shows that the US STILL lacks sufficient safeguards. The primary lack is from the large number of states that don't require drivers' license applicants to show proof of legal presence in the US.

If you're not concerned about your state's issuance of driver's licenses for illegal aliens, you should be. Americans must continue to oppose any plan to issue drivers' licenses to illegal alien lawbreakers. Giving them the privilege of a drivers' license ID rewards those who have flaunted our laws by illegal entry into the US.

When will our elected officials represent American citizens instead of illegal aliens? Allowing illegal alien invaders to obtain a driver's license is like putting your fist through a window and enjoying it. Simply put, no licenses for lawbreakers!

It would have been easy for Jennifer Pease to keep silent; she had to have been concerned that she might jeopardize her employment. It would have been easy for her to ignore the "monkey business" in her department, as well as its implication the country's security. Instead she stepped forward to hold Maine's elected legislators publicly accountable for their actions--they can't claim they didn't know.

There are millions more brave Americans like Jennifer Pease, each doing their part. How can you help?

This whole situation just makes my blood boil. A person with a valid ID or drivers license is rarely asked for any other type of identification and in the mind of most screeners would automatically be viewed as a legal resident of the state that issued the ID or license. The implications are mind boggling. It is like handing the bomb and the access to a terrorist.

I am grateful that there are people like Jennifer Pease who are willing to stand up for what is right. Wake up America, if we keep handing them access it is only going to get worse.

H/T to Mamamontezz for the link.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 12:30 AM | Comments (8)

March 07, 2005

Black Five's Call To Help

Take a trip around the milblogs (Gutter on the Right, hint, hint) and you will see that there are several ways to support the troops. Just like the Slaughterhouse's own Letter Project, Matt at Blackfive has started a campaign to support tankers in the Middle East. If you are interested in helping out go here for more information.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2005

Drawing A Blank

Well, since my travel to Germany started a week or so ago I haven't really followed the news much. I know the Pope is in ill health and has a tracheotomy in. Poor old man, they need to allow him to step down and replace him. It's not doing anyone any good for him to be forced to sit in a window and wave. I also heard that Martha Stewart has been release from "prison". Lock your doors and bar your windows that wild and nasty Martha Stewart is loose again. Other than that, I haven't really been "in the know" so to speak.

So I decided to surf the sphere a little, see what has everyone else’s panties in a bunch surprisingly most of what I found was helpful or upbeat. Still some have there drawers in a bunch, here is what I found:

Mamamontezz is looking for creative submissions for "a small piece of sensual fiction" to be included in a book which all proceeds will go to charity. She also has a link to donate funds for the medical transition of one of America's heroes, CPL. Ryan Autery.

The one and only Delftsman has a whole host of interesting things to read, go here, here and here or just check the main page.

Linda at Something.... And Half of Something has a look back 35 years ago at a failed attempt on the lives of American Service men and woman.

Jack at the Conservative Insurgent has another look at "Comrade Kerry".

The Grumpy Old Warrior has Been dry for about a month. Stop by and motivate him to write!

Stop by and tell SPC Ron at Suspension of Disbelief good luck as he ventures out to the NCO academy.

As usual Queenie at Inblognito offers some interesting incite on a myriad of things.

Murdock at Blogging at 20,000 feet tells the FEC and the rest of the moonbats what he thinks about attempts to regulate bloggers.

Obviously those are just a few. Some of my regular reads, Blackfive, The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Back Country Conservative, Acidman and others also have many great things to read as usual.

Like I always say, stop by and let 'em know SlagleRock sent you!

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 11:54 PM | Comments (2)

March 03, 2005

Hit By A Pick Pocket

Yup, you guessed it (or the title gave it away) I was hit by a pick pocket last night. Of all the things I want to experience in my life that wasn't on the list.

One of the troops I am replacing showed me the easiest way to get downtown last night. We took a bus from just outside the base gate to a nearby train station. Then we took the train into central Frankfurt.

We walked around for a few hours. It is a beautiful part of the city. It is surrounded by large brick buildings and amazing cathedrals. There is even one cathedral that is being renovated due to the damage caused to it by the Second World War.

Anyway, back to the point of the story. Once it was time to leave we again hopped the train back to the bus station. When the train arrived we hopped on the escalator to take us back up to the surface. Like in many places those who wanted to "ride" the escalator stood to the right as those in a hurry walked up the left. My friend and I were as far right as we could get. About halfway up the escalator I got a shoulder in the middle of my back and the individual pressed against me and around the left side of my body. This person clearly wasn't a smooth as she (yes it turned out to be a woman) thought. I felt her hand slip into my left jacket pocket as the liner of my leather jacket was pulled taught. Once she passed she sped up and off the escalator and out the door.

I immediately had to laugh. I called ahead to my friend to give him the heads up as she passed him.

So, now you are wondering what I had stolen. Not a damn thing. My wallet is on a chain and I keep all of my other belongings in the inside pocket of my jacket. I also keep it buttoned shut. I don't know if it is the countless briefings I attended while working law enforcement or just good old common sense. All I know is I don't intend on losing valuable information and money.

So in a nutshell:

Bus ride to train station - 3 Euro
Train ride down town - 1.25 Euro
Not losing anything to an amateur pick pocket - Priceless

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 10:41 PM | Comments (1)

"Operation BLOGFEST"

I know I am late on this one, but as I have been flying around the globe I haven't had any time to get current so to speak.

I wanted to say congratulations to Mamamontezz on the completion of her first fiction novel, "Operation Blogfest".

I can tell you it is an interesting tale that involves many interesting people. She should be commended for her freshman effort.

Hop on over to Mamamontezz's and tell her congrats.

If you are interested in ordering a copy, either because you or a friend may be in the novel, or because I am one of the heroes follow this link.

Great job Mama!

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 07:11 AM | Comments (0)

Installment 2 (My first few days in Germany)

Ok, so by now you all know that I made it to Germany. I arrived here on the 28th of Feb. If you haven't already read the post before this one scroll down and you'll be all caught up.

Ok, now you know about the travel here is how my first few days went.

I arrived at 1000 on Monday. This according to my body was 0100. Needless to say I was starting to get tired. The two people I replaced met me at the terminal and picked me up. I arrived too early to check into billeting so they gave me the nickel tour of the base, or at lease what was left of it. Boy has this place changed. After a quick view of a bunch of closed buildings it was off to the shop. I am part of a detachment that is made up of people from several different specialties. I am the only Security Forces/Combat Arms person in the unit so this should be a pretty good gig. We are a pretty small detachment and while I can't say exactly what we do, I'll say that it sure as hell beats another trip to the sandbox. Life is somehow less stressful when there are no rockets flying.

So I am getting settled in and should get back to full "blog" mode soon.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 05:10 AM | Comments (2)

March 01, 2005

I'm Bbbaaaaaaaaaccccckkkkk

Well, as you can tell from the title I have access to my site!!! I can write from work when/if I get free time. I have a minute before a meeting so I thought I'd tell you about my trip.

First, like a smart kid I went on Priceline.com to search for a hotel for my layover in Baltimore. Boy did I pick the right place. I entered the max amount that the Air Force will pay for a room in Baltimore and Priceline came back with a ton of 3 star hotels that would accept my "bid". As I started through the pages I found a couple of 4 star hotels. On about the 4th or 5th page it listed a 5 star hotel that would accept the amount I entered. So I took a look and booked it, I mean what the hell if their hotel would accept the paltry amount that the AF was willing to pay, why not.

So, the hotel was booked, the bags were packed and as of last Saturday I was on my way. I flew into Atlanta first and then Baltimore. The leg to Atlanta wasn't bad. I slept 3 of the 4 hours so it went fast. The leg from Atlanta to Baltimore was little more than an hour so a little music from the MP3 player kept me entertained.

After I arrived in Baltimore I called a cab to take me to my hotel. The trip from BWI to my hotel took about 15 minutes. When I arrived I was amazed at the hotel. It was originally a "luxury" apartment complex built in the late 1800's. In 1929 the complex was purchased and renovated into the luxury hotel that it is today. The first floor was a massive foyer with the check in desk and an antique library filled with more than a thousand antique books. The second floor was a restaurant and a ballroom. The rooms themselves were on floors 3-12. Everything in the hotel was either antique furniture or marble. It was truly exquisite. After I checked in the bell hop asked for my room number, then told me to "head on up" and he'd be there shortly. I took the elevator to my room on the 7th floor. I opened the door and was I amazed. The amenities were near endless. The room had 7 windows, a king sized bed, hot tub, Jacuzzi style bathtub, heated towel racks and like the rest of the hotel it was embellished with fine linens, antique furniture and the bathroom was floor to ceiling marble. Needless to say I had a very nice stay. The morning I was to leave I called down to the desk and the bell hop came up to pick up my bags. After turning in my room key I was led out curbside where a complimentary limousine was waiting to take me to the airport.

That was where the niceties ended and the "hurry up and wait" of the military began. I took my bags into the airport and headed for the AMC terminal. I approached the counter at about 1230 and the person at the counter informed me that I couldn't check my baggage until 1430. So I went to the USO to store my luggage and then headed out into the airport to get a bite to eat. At 1430 I headed back to get my bags and then back up to the AMC counter. I stood in line for nearly two hours before I finally got to check my bags. After I checked in I went through security to my gate. I arrived at my gate at about 1630 and had to wait until 1930 to board. I got on the plane at about 1945 and we didn't take off until nearly 2100. Like most things in the military there desire to avoid any delay leads to doing most things way to early. Anyway, the flight from Baltimore to Frankfurt was a little over 7 hours. As much as could be expected it wasn't too bad for a 7 hour flight. I had the laptop, DVD's and the MP3 player to keep me entertained. I arrived in Frankfurt at 1030 Monday the 28th.

So, now you know I am here and safe. Next time I get a second I'll tell you about how things have been for the past 24 hours or so.

Check back soon.

SlagleRock Out!

Posted by SlagleRock at 07:14 AM | Comments (3)