President Bush, dedicated the new National Museum of the Marine Corps, which I reported on in April, located on a 135-acre site next to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico.
The Commander In Chief expressed optimism that the U.S. will succeed in its drive to sow democracy in the Middle East. "Years from now when America looks out on a democratic Middle East, growing in freedom and prosperity, Americans will speak of the battles like Fallujah with the same awe and reverence that we now give to Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima", he said.
The design of the museum's building, which slants rightward toward the clouds, reflects the highest peak on the island of Iwo Jima where the image of five Marines and one sailor raising the American flag was immortalized in a Pulitzer Prize-winning picture taken by the late Joe Rosenthal. It is the centerpiece of the Marine Corps Heritage Center, which will include a memorial park, parade grounds, artifact restoration facilities and an onsite hotel and conference center. The museum, which opens to the public Monday, will focus on the Marines' contributions throughout the nation's history, immersing visitors in the sights and sounds of Marines in action.
The museum “captures the spirit that every Marine has,” outgoing Commandant General M.W. Hagee said during the ceremony, just before Bush spoke.
“For too long, the only people to have the direct experience of the Marine Corps have been Marines themselves and the enemy who made the mistake of taking them on,” said the President, who called the museum the most modern to date.
Bush said visitors will experience life from a Marine's perspective — what it's like to make an amphibious landing under fire, deploy from a helicopter in Vietnam or endure a grueling boot camp. "No thanks," he joked.
Sources: Fox News, Marine Corps Times
5 comments:
Greetings Colonel.
I haven't posted here for a while, since our interests are not coincident.
My reasons for making this message is not to steal your thunder.
I am sure you are aware of all the crap going down in the middle-east, and the build up of massive US air, naval, and land forces, and seaborn forces provided by other nations both in the Eastern Med and in the Persian gulf. It looks like everybody is ready for a fire fight, and the forest is snuff-dry.
I am also sure that you are as confused as I am at the seemingly illogical responses to developing situations made by all parties, particularly Tony Blair in his latest attempts to engage Syria and Iran as "partners for peace", when it is obvious to the world that they are both, together with North Korea, part of the problem, but it goes deeper than that.
A disturbing piece of US intelligence was due to be laid before the US president George W. Bush’s strategy review conference with the Iraq Study Group and talks with the visiting Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in Washington. It was bound to colour the two events which both took place Monday, Nov. 13:
Twelve days before North Korea’s first nuclear test on Oct.10, a secret Iranian military delegation of nuclear and missile experts was present in Pyongyang. The visitors were taken round North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor and the Punggye-ri testing site in the far north amid the preparations for the coming North Korean test.
Some US officials received the impression that the Iranians were briefed on some of North Korea’s secret preparations for the test. If true, this would point to three developments in North Korean-Iranian relations:
First, China was in on the Iranian visit, but ignored it, preferring Pyongyang to carry the can as Iran’s nuclear partner rather than Beijing.
Second, China must also have known about the coming North Korean nuclear weapons test and only pretended to have been taken unawares by Pyongyang’s ten-minute advance notice.
Third, North Korea not only agreed to open its most secret nuclear installations to Iranian scrutiny, but is also willing to instruct Iranian scientists and technicians in Pyongyang or on their home ground on how to set up and execute a nuclear weapons test.
This was news to me until yesterday when I struggled to assess the relevance of the Blair pantomime. I am equally sure that you have read the text of Manningham Butlers speech, (head if MI5) on the home grown terrorism facing the UK, and the recumbent attitude of the political elite.
Nothing seems to fit. Everything seemed to be a monstrous disconnect. The EU was funding the palestinian authority, and millions was syphoned anually into arms procurement. Every structure, road, drain etc, etc, in palestine was funded by the EU, or to a smaller extent, the US, yet conditions never improved, terrorism, gun and drugs running and currency counterfeiting were the only industries. Other Arab states would not accept their brothers into their own states. Every Arab state is prepared to fight to the last Palestinian.
I have found the reasons for all these disconnects, and it affects every European, and their children and grandchildren. It is the most amoral crime I have ever witnessed, and we are walking blindfold like sheep, into it. It involves the enrichment of a host of power mad, un-elected non accountable officials, in the biggest sell-out of western populations and values EVER.
You may be aware of these articles, if not PLEASE take the time to read them and explore the links.
here
here
here
and here
As I said, a lie of immense proportions is being played out amid wholesale murder, terrorism, millions syphoned into offshore accounts, while the major actors dance in the spotlight making misleading statements and hide their true intentions from the people who elected them.
I tell you this, as I tell everyone I possible can, because I regard you as a friend. Each must plan their own course of action. What I can say is that emmigration from the UK is increasing rapidly, and as in WW11, the first to get out prospered, before the door slamed shut.
Or, to put it in your terms, As Mr Miyagi said to his young pupil in the film, Karate Kid, - Best defence, -not be there! <:-)
ENJOY.
I am aware indeed old-friend Seeker. Unfortunatly I've been unable to provide support myself as I'm terproarilly relieved of Rank and Command for my court-martial.
I did take the time out to look at the first of your links, but I broke down laughing before the end and had to stop as I thought I was going to soil myself with laughter. I've never read such an ill-conseived, amateurish school book-report in my life (and I wrote reports on Star Trek Novels when I was 12).
I particularly liked a quote from the book being referred to: "describes Europe’s evolution from a Judeo-Christian civilization, with important post-Enlightenment secular elements, into a post-Judeo-Christian civilization that is subservient to the ideology of jihad and the Islamic powers.”
I think nowadays you'd be more likely to find people who actually go to church and come away with any spiritual belief whatsoever- never mind feeling so strongly as to go to war over them. LOL
I have little or no intrest or knowledge of religion outside of Catholocism or Jedism but I would wager that as many people practice Islam in the United States as they do in Europe.
Also, I quite like the idea of France falling to Jihadist Muslims because as soon as it happens the yanks will do something they should have done in '42 and blanket bombed the whole fuckin' country. Removing France from the map would have solved many of the worlds subsequent problems as well as the issues discussed in the article.
I wouldn't be worried about Britishland chum, if you step out of line the and look a bit foreign they shoot you. The French are just soft.
Thanks for your answere, Colonel. I had thought your answere might resemble that which it did. Do please take the time to read the other 3 links.
Where we are currently physically situated,we are on the front line as it were, and we see mosques, ghettos, dozens of unemployed men in skirts, etc, etc wherever we drive.
Mosques seem to be multiplying rapidly, and VERY large ones at that. It is obvious that local planning laws are being flouted to facilitate these structures.
Cases abound in the local and national press of Islamic "push" in so many areas of "Human rights", which I'm sure you see in various blogs. All these are orchestrated, (if the MSM could be bothered to investigate) from the centre. The same names/organisations keep appearing.
You may well be on the periphery of the action, and you have a good Catholic base. Thankfully the Pope is making a stand, and one or two of the English Bishops have commenced too. Maybe the "action" will not spread to your area, I hope it doesn't. On the other hand, our universities, colleges, 6th form colleges, (sub colleges), are all proving to be fertile recruiting grounds.
The craven politicians, on the other hand are, for the most part, mute. Oh yes, legislation is threatened, and more new laws are on the statute book than ever, but, following the common thesis, under political control, they are not enforced.
This goes far deeper than "religion", this is a way of life, a culture, with freedoms, rights and obligations, won over centuries, and now taken for granted, that are about to be given away. Non of these freedoms exist under sharia law.
British common law, (and Irish) has the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, and the entire structure and court working methods are built around that assumption, with appeals to constantly higher levels, etc, that ultimately determine case law, - judicial precedent. The Judiciary is independant of the Executive, and in many cases will sit in judgement of the Executive decisions, (judicial revue). Its judgements often go against decisions made by the Executive. On the other hand the EU has as its objective the enactment of Napoleonic law, under which an accused citizen, (accused by the state) is presumed guilty until proven innocent, (by the state). It doesn't take a leap of imagination, given the number of unelected officials in Brussels, or The Haig, or indeed, in the future, any branch of EU jusisprudence, to see where this is going. In brief, the legal system is not seperate to the legislature and executive, it is part of it.
This is a road I would not wish to travel down, as there are no checks and balances against "over use" of Executive power.
It seems the situation is even more dire in France, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Where the spiraling social costs, health, housing, unemployment etc is bankrupting the relevant funds, and causing social friction. Many immigrants from new EU countries have the work ethic, and quckly integrate, and in any event are excluded from the above countries. These immigrants are not excluded from the UK, (and some not from Ireland) so I can speak from experiene. Immigrants from the ME do not. In France as you rightly say, they are getting kicked on the stones. Given demographics, birth rates, current immigration rates, and the propensity to settle in tight communities, failure to integrate, etc, I see this as a prelude to situations elsewhere. Contrary to what you say in the link, the authorities are supine as a result of political correctness, human rights, etc, which are explored in the later links. Where there is a perceived threat to human life, they will act. Where there is a slow, gradual, difficult to perceive threat to rights, freedoms, liberties, caused by the imposition of attitudes and a belief system that is imported and alien, and at the moment consists of less than 3% of the population(UK), then they do nothing. As I said earlier, the attacks are slow, organised, persistant, and effective, and ongoing. The inaction seems to follow rules discussed in the later links
Your comments on the evolution...from secular..subserviant..jihad and Islamic powers. --You may not be witnessing this. We are! Many mistake it as foolish political correctness, but the rapid progress of,and the sheer breadth of the progress of, in so many fields, social, political, and legal, tells a far more serious story.
As I said, please grit your teeth and read the other links, the article moves rapidly away from mere religion, to wider issues.
Many books have been written by respected authors, warning of this situation, Oriana Fallaci, Mark Steyn, Mellanie Phillps, Pat Buchanan, Bruce Bawer, Ian Buruma, Robert Baer, to name a few of the popular ones.
I mentioned WW11 in the previous message. The Jews who exited in 1934/5/6/7 were laughed at, and their reasons ridiculed. The warnings were ignored, and the other nations tried appeasement up to the last minute. The Jews who remained........
Maybe it won't come to that, but my explanation above, of the Napoleonic legal system, together with current seismic shifts going on around me, cause an acceptance of Mr Miyagy's principle, to be executedin MY time.
Take care Colonel, keep up the good work. I've been reading a few of the books by Timothy Good lately. From what I see, you've got your hands full, not to mention your legal ass-aches.
I hope you are right, but for the sake of my family, and grand children, I can't afford chances.
Hope to see you soon, Cheers.
Seeker old bean, you sound like somone who's going to get a shotgun and barricade yourself into your house and "let them come-a-knockin'"
Colonel, "old bean", indeed, Harumph! <:-)
In part you may be correct, but it won't be a tactical retreat, oh no, far from it.
Guerilla tactics old boy. Tie up hundreds of the rag heads with minimum blood and treasure commitment, harumph! Works every time, I say, works every time.
Just waiting for the political bods to get their heads outa their asses, harumph!
Can't trust those desk bound johnies you know, never could, Harumph.
Give me a good military man any day.
Let the desk bound johnies do what they do best, fuck the typists, harumph!
Post a Comment