MBVD: EAGLES UP ALERT! A Soldier's Perspective Has Been Closed Down

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

EAGLES UP ALERT! A Soldier's Perspective Has Been Closed Down

~Snooper~

[UPDATE(S)] (another Milblogger has just shut down...From My Position...Chuck...

I received an email with the following attached:

Apparently, either a Moonbat lodged a complaint or some libtard in the military lodged a complaint. I have been reading their blog for quite some time and haven't seen anything on there that shouldn't have been. They were an absolutely trustworthy source of data and this is a travesty. So much for freedom of expression, eh? The following are some of the posts with the cease and desist orders...thank God for RSS feeds, eh? I will include he links just in case the can come back up...

It's the Berkeley type of being under attack. It's more like a political one that is delaying the best equipment from getting into the hands of the troops. Where are the candidates on this issue? [...]

This is in regards to equipment not getting to the troops...remember the air-to-air refueling issues? Boeing got PO'd because they lost out and CONgress Critters got involved...democrat politicians with panties in wads...

I got this in my email and since I can't find a link to the story, I'm going to reprint it here in its entirety. It's a bit long, but what a great story. Here's the teaser, with the story below the fold: [...]

This is in regards to a story about now Chief Warrant Officer Fred White who was wounded in action as a Cavalry Scout in the Persian Gulf War, losing some fingers and eventually became a Warrant Officer and returned to duty flying Black Hawks...

This next one will be in its entirety...posted on 3/28/2008,

Cease and Desist

I've always found it interesting when told to cease and desist. I mean, the word desist means to cease. So, aren't they really saying "cease and cease". Seems redundant to me.
1SG Grisham,

After receiving numerous complaints to the Pentagon's OPSEC Coordinating Authority on Nontraditional Media (I didn't even know they existed), we have been directed to open an inquiry to your "military blog", A Soldier's Perspective (http://www.soldiersperspective.us). A cursory review of our database shows that you have not formally registered your site with our office. In view of this and the necessity to open an active review into the content on your site, you are hereby ordered to CEASE and DESIST all blogging until your review is complete.

Within the next 24 hours, you should receive information relating to the facts that have contributed to this decision. If you have any questions, you can contact our office at [contact information deleted - but confirmed as authentic].
I only reprinted the money part. The rest is standard "this is my mandate" crap. I spoke with Marcus about this and he received the same letter as a co-author. However, his directed that we have no contact with each other via email or other communication means until this is complete. I wonder why mine didn't say that. Ladies and Gentlemen, this isn't new. We've been threatened like this before. Rest assured that I will not back down while I still have the means to resist. We have done nothing wrong, violated no regulations, and spoke the truth at all times. Whoever is making this complaint will probably end up looking bad in the end. I guess we'll know Monday or Tuesday what is going on. Since I got this late in the afternoon on Friday, I doubt they're doing anything over the weekend. No one in my chain of command has ordered me to stop blogging and until they do, I won't stop. I haven't violated the new Army Regulation 530-1 and neither has any other blogger on this site. I guess no one was listening when General Caldwell was trying to convince the Army about the value of milbloggers. Don't go writing your Congressman yet. Let's see how this plays out and I promise that if things get ugly, I'll be leading the charge to the halls of Congress. However, feel free to link to this post to raise awareness.

Consider it linked and the eFax Deluxe is ready and primed. Next up...

It's Contagious I was reading 1SG Troy's Military and Afghanistan Blog and found this little gem: Read more...or Read more right here...
Ucs News reports that Osama bin bin Laden is blocking access to millions of blogs on the grounds that they aren't legitimate sources of news and information. Bin Laden is also clamping down on the numerous blogs posted be current and former Al-Qaeda members.

Ayman al-Zawahiri reports on the Official Al-Qaeda web site that the military intelligence wing of the terrorist organization is blocking "just about any site with the word 'blog' in its web address." and shooting Al-Qaeda personnel that have their own blogs.

The issue of Al-Qaeda blogs has troubled bin laden and his organization for some time. With most Al-Qaeda members is faraway deployments facing stressful working conditions it's no surprise that many have turned to blog posting to stay in touch with friends and family.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq, decimated by suicide attacks and the loss of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suffered many security leaks due to My spaces pages. According to a search of My Space in 2005 over 125 Al-Qaeda in Iraq members maintained My Space pages and regularly blogged about ongoing operations.
I thought it was funny.

Me too when I first read it...The Charges up next...

The Charges I got the MFR (memorandum for record) on the reasons for why I have been told to stop blogging. Before I get started, let me state that I am no longer blogging. Instead, ASP is now an online eZine and write articles in a journalistic capacity. Read more...or Read more right here...The "complaints" registered against me as potentially violating military regulations as well "good order and discipline within the Army" are as follows "in no particular order of merit":
* failure of an active duty Soldier to register any and all online communications with his commanding officer and forwarded to this office for tracking.

* wearing the uniform of a United States Army Soldier at unofficial military functions giving the appearance of acceptance and support by such (did a lawyer write this?).

* speaking on behalf of the United States Army while conducting telephonic, radio, and online interviews with various traditional and nontraditional media outlets without proper authorization or credentials.

* disrespect to military officers, military civilians, and duly elected members of the Congress of the United States.

* interfering in ongoing joint investigations into international fraud by the Departments of State and Justice.

* publicly threatening civilians and citizens of friendly nations with whom the United States is an ally as a member of the United States Army.
There were a few others, but these were the meat and bones accusations. Naturally, this is a very skewed view of the realities of what we do here at ASP. Either someone is looking to pin on a second star or we have some really big morons in places of power. Oh, wait, this isn't a blog - it's a journalistic endeavor. Let me do this correctly...
Mr. Grisham minimized the impact of threats against him by saying that "someone is looking to pin on a second star or we have some really big morons in places of power."

"I'm just waiting to see where this is going," Grisham added. "I'm 100% positive that I will come out of this on top and a lot of people in high places will owe me coins of achievement for having proven them wrong. That is the only apology from the Pentagon I will accept. And they need to be in those nice plastic cases, too!"

A Soldier's Perspective will definitely be following this story closely since it impacts us directly. Stay tuned.

Just say the word...HOOAH??

Don't Panic

I want to thank everyone for their support as we negotiate our issues with Big Brother. However, I want to ask that people be level headed for now. We're still in the preliminary stages trying to figure out what's going on. I'm communicating personally with the office and trying to get them to be specific about what rules I've specifically violated on which specific posts.

I would also ask that no one cast stones yet. I don't believe that a particular group is responsible for this. I'm quite certain that people like CF and others are innocent and I ask that you please don't blame them (unless we find out otherwise). Liberals are people too. They just have their head screwed on wrong when it comes to military and national defense issues. ;o)

I will tell you that the conversations are heated and I won't back down until I'm even partially convinced I've done something wrong. There are a couple of sayings we have in the military: "Pick your battles" and "Do what your rank can handle". I've never been good at that first one. To me, there are no degrees of wrong - there is just wrong. But, I know what my rank can handle and I won't do anything to jeopardize that. Thanks again for the support. I'm hanging in there.

And then, the last post before the "MEMO"...

My Two Cents

Well, you've all heard what is going on from CJ. I got a letter very similar to the one he received, and I've followed the instructions in it..so far. I haven't contacted CJ directly so I'm following the demands made upon me...kinda.

I'm not real sure what drew the attention to CJ and I. I've been kinda quiet for a few months for some personal reasons so I know I didn't do anything to get the guy looking to pin on the 3rd star mad. Unless he is mad I haven't been writing. I really don't know.

Since I can't talk to CJ directly, I need someone to tell him to keep his head up. I'm not sweating this whole thing so neither should he. I'm sure we'll pull through this just fine. I do pay attention to the posts and I haven't seen him post anything that he shouldn't have. Well, except for the LOLcats that aren't even close to the funniest ones out there. Not posting the funniest is a crime in and of itself, by the way.

Back to the topic. Yes, I am okay. No, I haven't been busted down. And yes, we will find out the real reason we are being targeted.

All we need now is the rest of the story...

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SOLDIER"S ANGELS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Veterans Hospital in Tucson needs our help!!! They have contacted Soldiers' Angels with a list of needs for their patients. Soldiers Angels needs your help in making some of these come true.

Below you will find just a small portion of needs that are immediate. You can also find this list posted on the Soldiers Angels Forum at www.soldiersangelsforum.com you will be able to find lots of great information there for our deployed and vets.

If you are sending a monetary donation please follow the link and indicate the State you are in.

Donate here;
Ttp://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=veterans-support

COMFORT ITEMS- $350/MO
Dry Skin Cream
Slipper Socks-No skid
Catheter bag covers
Shaving Cream
Hand Lotion
Baby Shampoo
Hand Soap
Roll on/Spray Deodorant
Denture Cleaner
Underwear (men and women (all sizes)
Toothbrushes
Denture Grip
Socks (white)
Talcum Powder
Nail Clippers
Toothpaste
Ladies hand and body lotion
Backpacks
Disposable Razors
Comb/Brushes
Shawls
Shaving Cream/small
Knitted Caps
Travel Alarm Clocks
Ball Caps
Tote Bags
Shower Shoes
Pocket Size Needle and Thread Kit
Heart pillows for cardiac patients
Lap Robes (3x5 or 5x7)

GUEST SERVICES
30 cup coffee makers
Coffee supplies (reg. & decaf)
Music CDs
Stamps
Writing Paper and Envelopes
Prepaid Phone Cards for patients’

RECREATION
Puzzle books
Crossword Puzzles
Pencils
Video tapes & DVDs (movies, educational)
DVD Player

Sports equipment (basketball, tennis rackets &
Tickets for entertainment & sporting events
Balls, badminton set, Frisbees, football)

If you can send just one item that would be great!!! If each person sends one thing we will make a difference! They are also needing those who can volunteer time at the hospital just contact the Voluntary Services Dept. For information.

Mail Items to:

Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Arizona VA Health Care System – Voluntary Services 9-135, 3601 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85723

PLEASE HELP US HELP THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM!

My Favorite Speeches and Other Items of Interest

George Bush's March 28, 2007 Discusses Economy, War on Terror During Remarks to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association;http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070328-2.html
Mitch McConnell's March 15, 2007 Funding For Troops, Not Timelines for Retreat; http://mcconnell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=270747&start=1
Ronald Reagan's June 12, 1987 Tear Down This Wall Speech; http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/wall.asp
Vice President Cheney's March 12, 2007 Remarks at the AIPAC 2007 Policy Conference; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070312.html

Winston Churchill Quotes

A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him.
Although personally I am quite content with existing explosives, I feel we must not stand in the path of improvement.
Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed.
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.
Danger - if you meet it promptly and without flinching - you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!
I always seem to get inspiration and renewed vitality by contact with this great novel land of yours which sticks up out of the Atlantic.
I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
I like a man who grins when he fights.
I was only the servant of my country and had I, at any moment, failed to express her unflinching resolve to fight and conquer, I should at once have been rightly cast aside.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time-a tremendous whack.
In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might.
It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.
Moral of the Work. In war: resolution. In defeat: defiance. In victory: magnanimity. In peace: goodwill.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
Never, never, never give up.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism.
One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
The first quality that is needed is audacity.
The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go.
The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.
There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion.
These are not dark days: these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived.
They are decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.
True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.
War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.
War is mainly a catalogue of blunders.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.
When the eagles are silent the parrots begin to jabber.
When you are winning a war almost everything that happens can be claimed to be right and wise.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Ronald Reagan Quotes

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.
Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let's not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources
Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Double, no triple, our troubles and we'd still be better off than any other people on earth. It is time that we recognized that ours was, in truth, a noble cause.
Facts are stupid things.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.
History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
How can a president not be an actor?
How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
I will stand on, and continue to use, the figures I have used, because I believe they are correct. Now, I'm not going to deny that you don't now and then slip up on something; no one bats a thousand.
In Israel, free men and women are every day demonstrating the power of courage and faith. Back in 1948 when Israel was founded, pundits claimed the new country could never survive. Today, no one questions that. Israel is a land of stability and democracy in a region of tryanny and unrest.
Let us ask ourselves; "What kind of people do we think we are?".
Man is not free unless government is limited.
My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out.
No mother would ever willingly sacrifice her sons for territorial gain, for economic advantage, for ideology.
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.
Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act.
Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing.
Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
The United Sates has much to offer the third world war.
There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I have just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy.
Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong.
We are never defeated unless we give up on God.
We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child.
We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free.
Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.
You know, if I listened to Michael Dukakis long enough, I would be convinced we're in an economic downturn and people are homeless and going without food and medical attention and that we've got to do something about the unemployed.