Sean Linnane

LONDON MACHETE ATTACK - AN ANALYSIS

2013-05-25T04:04:00.000+01:00

A friend texted me:

R.W.: So what is the scoop with the Muslim mother f*cker who beheaded the Brit soldier?

S.L.: Its the equivalent of the Fort Hood shooter only in London it's harder to get your hands on guns. I'm surprised the gun control people aren't embracing this thing like they did the Sandy Hook school shooting.

R.W.: But he used a machete.

S.L.: Exactly.

R.W.: This is outrageous that a loyal soldier can't even defend himself.

S.L.: Not much anyone can do if you get bushwhacked like that - doubtful he could have effectively defended himself even if he was armed.

R.W.: You could have defended yourself.

S.L.: We used to do a drill on the flat range with the Pro-timer. One guy is at the ready, pistol holstered ... the other guy is facing the other direction ... when the Pro-timer beeps the shooter draws & shoots at a target 5-7 meters away ... meanwhile the other guy goes running as fast as he can (in a safe direction) ...

R.W.: Remember that they tried to run him down with a car first.

S.L.: ... end result: the runner always made about 25 meters in the 2-3 seconds it took the shooter to draw & fire ... the point is a guy with a knife can close the distances & kill a guy packing heat ...

R.W.: Meat ...

S.L.: ... before the guy packing heat heat can draw & fire ... look at that Chechin punk who jumped the FBI guy - stabbed him several times before the FBI guy could draw & fire ...

R.W.: Maybe I need to learn to use a knife.

S.L.: Adds a whole new meaning to the phrase "bring a knife to a gunfight" ... tell me the bit about them running the guy down with a car ...

R.W.: Wifie saw it on tv. They charged at him with a car. He dodged it but then they came after him on foot 5 minutes later.

S.L.: Hard to make a judgment call on that hearing it 2d & 3d hand ...

R.W.: Google it.

S.L.: I did - not a lot of detail - on things for sure this guy sure as hell didn't expect what he got. Who would?

I'm not making light of what took place the other day in Woolwich; it is a human tragedy, an atrocity visited upon us by the Al Qaeda enemy - this time in the form of yet another self-recruited fanatic.

"I wasn't scared. Better me than a child."

A selfless act of heroism has emerged from this horrific event: incredible courage of the woman Cub Scout leader who confronted knife-wielding Islamic fanatic moments after he had slaughtered soldier in London street.

The mother-of-two described tonight how she put her own life on the line by trying to persuade the soldier's murderers to hand over their weapons. Cub Scout Leader Ingrid Loyau-Kennett selflessly engaged the terrorists in conversation and kept her nerve as one of them told her: "We want to start a war in London tonight." Mrs. Loyau-Kennett, 48, from Cornwall, was one of the first people on the scene after the two Islamic extremists butchered a soldier in Woolwich, south east London.

She was photographed by onlookers confronting one of the attackers who was holding a bloodied knife.
Mrs. Loyau-Kennett was a passenger on a number 53 bus which was travelling past the scene, and jumped off to check the soldier's pulse. "Being a Cub Leader I have my first aid so when I saw this guy on the floor I thought it was an accident then I saw the guy was dead and I could not feel any pulse.

"And then when I went up there was this black guy with a revolver and a kitchen knife, he had what looked like butcher's tools and he had a little axe, to cut the bones, and two large knives and he said 'move off the body'. "So I thought 'OK, I don't know what is going on here' and he was covered with blood. I thought I had better start talking to him before he starts attacking somebody else. I thought these people usually have a message so I said 'what do you want?'

"I asked him if he did it and he said yes and I said why? And he said because he has killed Muslim people in Muslim countries, he said he was a British soldier and I said really and he said 'I killed him because he killed Muslims and I am fed up with people killing Muslims in Afghanistan they have nothing to do there."

"It is only you versus many people. You are going to lose," Mrs. Loyau-Kennett coolly replied.

Moments earlier, the killers had hacked at the soldier "like a piece of meat"; when Mrs. Loyau-Kennett arrived on the scene they were roaming John Wilson Street waiting for police to arrive so they could stage a final confrontation with them.

* * *

What happened in Woolwich, and before that in Boston, and before that in Fort Hood and elsewhere - the Underwear Bomber, the Times Square Bomber, the Shoe Bomber, the 7/7 London Bombings, the Madrid Railway Bombing, and of course 9/11 - speaks volumes for what they want; the Woolwich 'beheading' is straight out of al-Qaeda's terror manual.

It is the aim of Al Qaeda to either convert or kill each and every one of us, perhaps sparing a number of our women and children to use as slaves and breeders.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

MEMORIAL DAY 2013

2013-05-24T13:38:00.001+01:00

I'm posting this stuff up front to remind ourselves as we enjoy our long weekend of fun in the sun, what its really all about and who paid for it - S.L.

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

2013-05-23T13:30:00.000+01:00

FBI agent shoots, kills Orlando man questioned in Boston bombing probe

A Chechen immigrant who was being questioned in Orlando, Fla. about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot to death early Wednesday after he lunged at an FBI agent with a knife, officials said.

The man shot dead by an FBI agent in Orlando, Florida early today was "about to sign a statement" admitting to a role, along with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in an unsolved triple murder in Massachusetts in 2011, two people with direct knowledge of the case told ABC News.

Ibragim Todashev "just went crazy," and pulled a knife during his interview with the FBI, said state and federal law enforcement officials briefed on the latest strange twist in the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing.

One official said an FBI agent was stabbed several times, although his injuries were described by the FBI as "non-life threatening."

London: 'You and your children will be next' Islamic fanatics wielding meat cleavers butcher and behead a British soldier, taking their war on the West to a new level of horror

Clutching a bloodied meat cleaver, the man suspected of executing a soldier on a crowded London street declared: 'you and your kids will be next'.

In a chilling rant captured on camera, the knife-wielding man declared: 'The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers.'

The man who launched the terrifying diatribe in Woolwich, south-east London, is believed to be Michael Adebolajo, identified on Twitter and web forums as one of the two people arrested.

'We want to start a war in London tonight'

The suspect believed to be Michael Adebolajo, brandishing a weapon, points at the dead soldier with his blood-covered hand as he launches a terrifying rant.

Stockholm, Sweden Riots: Unrest, Violence Continues into Fourth Night

A Husby school and a cultural centre were set alight while bins burned across other suburbs. A school was set on fire in Skaerholmen and a police station and buildings in central Jakobsberg were vandalised. The average age of people arrested on Tuesday was about 20, police said. Unemployment is higher among immigrants in Stockholm than residents born in Sweden.

Among immigrants from countries outside the European Union, the percentage of people out of work or in job programs was 16.5 per cent in 2011, compared with 5.7 per cent for ethnic Swedes, according to Statistics Sweden. Last year, 23 per cent of municipal Stockholm’s 881,235 inhabitants came from outside Sweden, the same percentage as in Gothenburg.

Take a wild guess at the demographics of the immigrants doing the rioting in Sweden. Just a little over a month since the Boston bombing; it's going to be a long, hot summer, people.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

WOMAN FINDS DOG AFTER TORNADO

2013-05-22T13:54:00.000+01:00

The images of the absolute devastation in Moore, Oklahoma are impossible to fully comprehend even on a large screen TV.
In the aftermath of all the terrible death & destruction, an incredible moment that connects. I love dogs. This brought a tear to my eye - S.L.

HOUSE MEASURE HONORS WWII SPECIAL FORCES

2013-05-22T13:46:00.001+01:00

'Devil's Brigade' would be awarded Congressional medal.

The Devil's Brigade (officially the 1st Special Service Force), was an elite, joint World War II American-Canadian commando unit organized and trained in 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in the United States. The Brigade fought in the Aleutian Islands, Italy, and southern France before being disbanded in December 1944. Modern American and Canadian special operations forces trace their heritage to this unit.

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Tuesday that would award the congressional gold medal to the First Special Service Force, an elite strike force that started in Montana during World War II.

“The bravery and valor of the Army special forces — more commonly known as the Green Berets — are well known to most Americans. But many don’t realize that this unit was born out of the First Special Service Force and the courageous soldiers who fought for it during World War II,” Rep. Tom Cotton of Arkansas told his colleagues on the House floor in introducing the bill for consideration.

Cotton, a Republican, said the congressional gold medal would both recognize the men who served for their “heroic service” and also “ensure that this unit attains the historic recognition that it deserves.”

Only a couple hundred veterans remain of the 3,300 who made up the joint American-Canadian commando unit, created in 1942 to take on the most dangerous military missions. The unit, memorialized in the 1968 movie “The Devil’s Brigade,” trained at Fort Harrison near Helena.

The bill, which passed the House on a unanimous 415-0 vote, would provide for two gold medals to be awarded on behalf of the men who served. One would go to the Smithsonian Institution to be displayed; the other would go to the First Special Services Force Association, based in Helena.

Read the rest of it HERE

1st Special Service Force soldiers recieving a briefing prior to patrol at Anzio

1stSSF "Kill Card" - an effective psychological tactic; the cards were left on dead enemy soldiers - Das Dicke Ende Kommt Noch "The Worst Is Yet To Come"

The 1st Special Service Force a.k.a. 'Devil's Brigade' is a part of the heritage of today's modern 1st Special Forces Regiment. Their heroic deeds are the stuff of legend.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

AMERICAN SOLDIER, HELL YEAH ! ! !

2013-05-22T12:37:00.001+01:00

Look at the license plates on this McLaren F1:

God Bless America!!!

- STORMBRINGER

WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER

2013-05-21T21:25:00.001+01:00

Soldier to be Buried 70 Years After Death in WWII

An American soldier whose remains were recovered seven decades after he died during World War II will be buried with family in Pennsylvania, officials say.

U.S. Army Pvt. William Yawney had been missing since July 1944 when he was killed during the Battle of Saipan, The Express-Times of Easton, Penn., reported Monday.

Military officials told Yawney's family he had been buried in a military cemetery in Saipan, but when the graves were exhumed and relocated after the war, his grave was not found.

His remains were deemed unrecoverable by a military review board in 1948.

A private archaeological company working in Saipan in 2011 found human remains the Defense Department later identified as those of Yawney.

All but two of Yawney's seven siblings have since died.

Yawney, who was 23 at the time of his death, was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

A full military burial is scheduled for Saturday.

He was among more than 900 members of the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division who died during the three-week battle.

Honor him.

STORMBRINGER SENDS

LONE WOLF IN OHIO

2013-05-20T02:37:00.001+01:00

Shooting took place in March in Middlefield, Ohio; bad guy was pulled over for running a stop sign. He bailed out of his car with an AK and opened up, firing 37 rounds at the two police officers who weren't even out of the squad car yet.

It says a lot for the training and capabilities of the cops; they got out, faced down the threat and outgunned a madman with an AK. The female officer lost her left index finger (a rookie with a month on the department). Male officer had slight injuries, and is back on the job. Bad guy fired 37 rounds from an AK-47 and died at the scene. In the car police found another 8 mags for the AK with 40 rounds each, extremist literature, DVD's on improvised explosives, etc. Apparently a loner, the man was a self-indoctrinated ultra-anti-government extremist nutjob. He had no criminal record. STORMBRINGER SENDS

WEEKEND PROJECT

2013-05-19T16:53:00.000+01:00

The wind blew my willow tree into the shape of a question mark. This is what I did about it - S.L.

The letter "L" in Keyword S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L stands for "Learn Basic Skills"

Bamboo is quite possibly the most versatile wood. It is found on six continents, and has almost unlimited uses; I've cooked rice in it, built shelters, rafts, weapons, traps and snares. You can eat bamboo, make medicine, cloth, paper and musical instruments from it. In Southeast Asia I've seen it used for scaffoldings on high-rise construction projects. In a pinch it can even be used as reinforcing bar in concrete if you don't have any steel.

Wherever I go I carry parachute cord and a roll of electrical tape, and of course a BFK. Big F*cking Knife.

The cloven hoof on my kukri signifies that this is a Hindu blade and it cannot be used to kill a cow.

I received this kukri as a gift from the 10th Gurkha Rifles in 1989, when I worked with them in Hong Kong. It was made in Nepal from Land Rover leaf spring steel and it is razor sharp.

Cutting the bamboo to length and notching it out.

I cheated here and used a hacksaw and chisel. I could have done this task using my multi-tool.

Gut the internal strands out of the 550 cord.

Parachute line is called "550 cord" because it has five hundred and fifty known uses. It's tensile breaking strength just so happens to be 550lbs, but this is a coincidence.

Always burn the ends of your 550 cord to prevent unraveling.

The electrical tape is simply to give the 550 cord a gripping surface; the green bamboo is too slippery for the nylon cord.

All knots and lashings here are in accordance with US Army Field Manual 3-97-61 MILITARY MOUNTAINEERING and the Boy Scout Handbook.

FIELDCRAFT 101: Tie Twelve Basic Knots

Viola.

"COEXIST"

2013-05-18T15:33:00.000+01:00

Everybody's seen them - typically its a Subaru tooling down the road with the word "COEXIST" annoyingly made up of various religious symbols. I say annoying because it's typical Liberal condescension - like, how can anyone argue with this? If we accept God and the message of religion, then we should be tolerant of all religions - for are they not all the message of God?

How can anyone argue with that and not label themselves as intolerant? What this bumpersticker transmits on a subliminal level is that we Conservatives are uptight bigots. The bearers of this piece of Liberal propaganda are essentially saying that they are open-minded and accepting of all - better, if you will - and that if everybody thought as they did, there would be peace and understanding aomng the peoples of the world.

OK "COEXIST" crowd, brace yourselves because this is where you fall flat on your (collective) faces.

It is telling that the Liberals - who normally shun anything to do with religion like Dracula from the cross - here attempt to own religion. Of course, what they're really doing with this message is embracing a NON-religion, represented by the symbols of ALL religions. They champion a form of chaos and confusion, which of course are the tools of Lucifer, or perhaps Loki of the Viking religion.

Anybody who knows me or who has follows my blog knows that I was born and raised overseas - in Southeast Asia - and that I was taught by my parents to be tolerant of all religions. Having said that, we now find ourselves in a global conflict against a stateless enemy that cloaks itself in Fundamentalist Islam. My dilemma in this great world war has been how to remain tolerant of Islam - indeed, I owe my life to a Muslim - and yet recognize that that the most sinister, evil enemy the Western World has ever faced brandishes the symbology of Islam, claims ownership of the word and revelations of the Muslim prophet?

“Extract the most violent revenge . . . Cut off all relations with [the Americans, Christians, and Jews], tear them to pieces, destroy their economies, burn their corporations, destroy their peace, sink their ships, shoot down their planes, and kill them on air, sea, and land. And kill them wherever you may find them, ambush them, take them hostage, and destroy their observatories. Kill these infidels.” - Last Will & Testament of “Blind Sheik” Omar Abdel Rahman

Co-exist with THAT??? That's like living with a festering, infected sore on your body and doing nothing about it to "co-exist" with the microbes and bacteria of the infestation. These people hate us. They hate each and every one of us - no matter how much we do on their behalf - and given their way they would kill each and every one of us; possibly spare a few of our women of child-bearing age to keep as slaves and breeders, in accordance to their doctrine.

When the hijacked jets slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001, the Palestinian danced in the streets - despite the fact that everything they'd ever achieved toward Palestinian statehood came about because of the United States.

At least 33 threats, plots and strikes have taken place against domestic U.S. since 9/11, to include Fort Hood mass murderer Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. We took in the family of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as refugees, provided them with shelter and the generosity of our society and their friends all we achieved was to transplant their jihad onto our soil. Likewise with Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani-American who confessed to the 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt, which included a pressure cooker bomb.

It is inevitable that it will happen again, and the source that drives this death and destruction is the hatred propagated by a twisted religion. It is not a war on terrorism; terrorism is a tactic, and we do not fight tactics, we fight the enemy. Whether we like to admit it or not, what we are engaged in is a war on Fundamentalist Islam.

"COEXIST" - Yeah, R-I-G-H-T . . . tell it to me again.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

SCANDALGATE

2013-05-17T18:43:00.001+01:00

Do not be fooled by the elaborate ruse of smoke & mirrors being deployed against us - this is a sophisticated deception plan, an attempt to distract from the real scandal that Obama & the HildeBeest fear most of all -S.L.

IRS Intimidation: The Non-News Scandal

When is a scandal not a scandal? When it's a smokescreen:

Democrat press organs grabbed the story of IRS-gate and ran with it like it just broke, but the story has been out there for two years.

Unless you just emerged from a coma, or you live under a rock, everybody knows by now the story: the IRS stalled approval of tax-free status for conservative political groups, but gave speedy approval to left-leaning causes.

It's out of character for the Left-Leaning Lamestream Media to be running so many stories about TEA Party groups being intimidated by the IRS. It doesn't fit the narrative - they practically ignored the Philadelphia "House of Horrors"

We know Team Obama is behind the IRS scandal, on the grounds that when the story broke last week, the first thing they did was insist that this was the actions of a couple of over-zealous, low-level bureaucrats in Cleveland. That story quickly fell apart - it was, in fact, a lie; Team Obama spin doctors lie instinctively. We now know this campaign to suppress Tea Party activists was a high level operation.

Just a thought, however; Lets say I run for, say, sheriff, and I win. Then afterwards it comes out that I used my resources to intimidate my opponents into silence and inactivity. Would I be answerable to charges related to some kind of impropriety? Would this not invalidate the election results?

Don't expect anyone to get burned much less impeached over this mess - least of all the first black President of the United States or the first black Attorney General. While this stinks to high heaven, they did this so carefully that this is probably not illegal.

AP Wiretaps: The Non-Scandal Scandal

Clumsy and heavy handed, but again, probably within the bounds of the law, specifically the Patriot Act. Interesting that the group that howled Holy Hell over the Patriot Act continually throughout the Bush years now finds this security measure useful for their nefarious purposes.

This smarmy little buttplug is a lying sack of sh*t. I'd let it out and tell you how I really feel but this is a family blog - S.L.

The AP wiretaps is a non-story - part of a legitimate investigation into a leak of classified information that exposed a double agent who'd managed to infiltrate Al Qaeda. Observe the faux outrage on the part of the press - I've never seen so much play acting since high school.

Nothing to see here with the AP Wiretap thing. In fact, the irony of it all is that if the Regime had gone directly to them and requested this information, the Quislings at the AP would have willingly handed it over like the good little Statists that they are.

This is Benghazi cover-up Act 2 . . . or are we in Act 3 now?

BenghaziGate:

This is the real scandal; this is absolutely RADIOACTIVE to Obama and Hillary. A lot has been said, and we all know what happened - EXCEPT who exactly came up with the YouTube video story.

Let's do a quick review in the "5-Ws-and-How-Many" format:

Who: Al Qaeda

What: Attacks US Consulate

Where: Benghazi

When: September 11th, 2012

Why: General Purpose Terrorism - Anniversary of 9/11 - Revenge for killing of Osama bin Laden - take your pick.

How Many: Hundreds of terrorists armed with rifles, RPGs and mortars. Four dead Americans.

Immediately, Team Obama began transmitting their Party Line; the assault on the Consulate in Benghazi was a mob of enraged Muslims, fired up over an obscure anti-Mohammed video that had less than 300 hits on it in the entire two years it had been up on YouTube.

It was a lie then and its a lie now. The President of the United States lied to the American people and he lied to the United Nations, repeating the YouTube video story.

Hillary lied to the families of the slain; OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES - literally - at the planeside memorial at Dover Air Base; "We're going after that film maker, we're going to make him pay for this."

Then they trotted out Susan Rice to go on the Sunday talk show circuit; she repeated the YouTube video lie six times in the course of a day. This was actually her audition for Secretary of State; unfortunately for her she got the Gong Show treatment when the lie blew up in her face.

Hillary got the kid glove treatment during her hearing in front of Congress; allowed to step down from Secretary of State in order to prep for her 2016 Presidential run.

So let's go through this thing by the numbers: 1) The enemy we are in a state of war against attacked a US diplomatic outpost, killing an ambassador and three others, and laid siege to another US facility, the Annex. 2) The Obama Administration concocted and propagated a cover story and deliberately refused to identify the culprits as Al Qaeda despite the fact that they knew. 3) The Al Qaeda terrorists who attacked out facilities and killed our people in Benghazi ARE STILL AT LARGE - enjoying the good life in Benghazi or wherever they are now, and 4) THE UNITED STATES IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT.

How is this not "aiding and abetting the enemy in time of war"? How is this not treason - the only crime worse than murder?

Hence, the sudden spate of scandals blasting out in all directions;

ObamaCare Nightmare

Ammunition Grab

Fast & Furious still out there

Gitmo Hunger Strike

It's-The-Economy-Stupid

DroneGate

BostonGate

and now the latest:

Two Missing Terrorists

Smoke and mirrors, people; all to obscure the 20,000 lb gorilla in the room, called 'Benghazi'. The Clintonistas will do anything to get Hillary elected . . . up to and including putting Obama on the sacrificial altar.

Nobody died during Watergate, Mrs. Clinton.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

17 MAY 1943: LAST COMBAT MISSION FOR THE MEMPHIS BELLE

2013-05-17T11:58:00.001+01:00

On May 17, 1943, Capt. Robert K. Morgan flew the Memphis Belle against a target in Lorient, France, on his 25th officially credited mission (it was the Belle's 24th combat mission). Two days later, on May 19, 1943, Lt. C. Anderson and his crew flew the Memphis Belle on its 25th officially credited mission to Keil, Germany.

WarBirds Resource Group Crew & Missions Summary

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

A SET OF PIPES

2013-05-17T11:56:00.000+01:00

Back when I posted This Girl Can Wail somebody reminded me of one of my favorite sirens; here's Christina X3 doing her 40's-themed Candyman. Enjoy - S.L.

THE WAR REPORTER

2013-05-16T13:16:00.000+01:00

Alex Quade is a remarkable person, whom I had the honor to meet this time last year. Her mission is to tell the story of our men and women in uniform - their hardships, success and failures - as they put their lives on the line everyday for America. In her latest film release, Alex tells her story in her own words. God Bless you Alex, and "Charlie Mike." - S.L.

This week I posted on another intrepid war correspondent, Peter Worthington. His story is even more incredible in his own words:

"If you are reading this, I am dead."

I encourage you to read what Peter wrote - his own epitaph - in the newspaper he helped found. Few people live lives of such unparalleled adventure.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

A BRIT NAMED NIGEL

2013-05-16T06:08:00.000+01:00

This is an absolute must see - Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) rips the EU Parliament a new one - its good to see there are still right-minded folks over there across the puddle; we need a few like this over here - S.L.

This is a compilation of the UKIP's Nigel Farage's best speeches at the European Union, some of these are 3 years old. UKIP just cleaned up in local elections in the UK and got a seat in Parliament - which is the equivalent of the TEA Party running as a stand-alone organization and getting a Representative into Congress. Of course the way things are going around here that day is not far off. -S.L.

THE LAST TOAST FOR THE DOOLITTLE RAIDERS

2013-05-15T05:15:00.000+01:00

Lt. Col. James Doolittle leans over a bomb on the USS Hornet deck just before his "Raiders" began the bombing raid on Tokyo.

On April 18, 1942 80 men in 16 B-25 medium bombers launched from the USS Hornet and bombed Tokyo in death-defying mission, in retaliation for Pearl Harbor.

This past April, the last few remaining Doolittle Raiders met at Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Their custom is to bring a case of 80 goblets to their annual reunions. When a Raider dies a cup is upended.

This year, there are four left. They toasted the Raiders with aged cognac. It's the cup of brandy that no one wants to drink. For this years reunion, the surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time. They once were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States. In April 1942, they carried out one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation's history. The mere mention of their unit's name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.

Now only four survive.

After Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, with the United States reeling and wounded, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around. Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to launch a retaliation, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen B-25s were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried - sending such big, heavy bombers from a carrier. The 16 five-man crews, under the command of Lt. Col. James Doolittle, who himself flew the lead plane off the USS Hornet, knew that they would not be able to return to the carrier. They would have to hit Japan and then hope to make it to China for a safe landing.

On the day of the raid, the USS Hornet encountered a Japanese fishing craft. Assuming that the Japanese military would be informed of their presence, the Raiders were told that they would have to take off from much farther out in the Pacific Ocean than planned. They were told that because of this they would not have enough fuel to make it to safety.

Those men went anyway.

They bombed Tokyo, then flew as far as they could. Four planes crash-landed; 11 more crews bailed out, and three of the Raiders died. Eight more were captured; three were executed. Another died of starvation in a Japanese prison camp. One crew made it to Russia.

The Doolittle Raid sent a message from the United States to its enemies, and to the rest of the world:

We will fight. And, no matter what it takes, we will win.

Lt. Col. Dolittle and some of the surviving Raiders in China, following their raid over Tokyo in April, 1942.

Of the 80 Raiders, 62 survived the war. They were celebrated as national heroes, models of bravery. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a motion picture based on the raid; "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson, was a patriotic and emotional box-office hit, and the phrase became part of the national lexicon. In the movie-theater previews for the film, MGM proclaimed that it was presenting the story "with supreme pride."

Beginning in 1946, the surviving Raiders have held a reunion each April, to commemorate the mission. The reunion is in a different city each year. In 1959, the city of Tucson, Arizona, as a gesture of respect and gratitude, presented the Doolittle Raiders with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each goblet was engraved with the name of a Raider.

Every year, a wooden display case bearing all 80 goblets is transported to the reunion city. Each time a Raider passes away, his goblet is turned upside down in the case at the next reunion, as his old friends bear solemn witness.

Also in the wooden case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy Very Special cognac. The year is not happenstance: 1896 was when Jimmy Doolittle was born.

There has always been a plan: When there are only two surviving Raiders, they would open the bottle, at last drink from it, and toast their comrades who preceded them in death.

As 2013 began, there were five living Raiders; then, in February, Tom Griffin passed away at age 96.

What a man he was. After bailing out of his plane over a mountainous Chinese forest after the Tokyo raid, he became ill with malaria, and almost died. When he recovered, he was sent to Europe to fly more combat missions. He was shot down, captured, and spent 22 months in a German prisoner of war camp.

The selflessness of these men, the sheer guts . . . there was a passage in the Cincinnati Enquirer obituary for Mr. Griffin that, on the surface, had nothing to do with the war, but that emblematizes the depth of his sense of duty and devotion:

"When his wife became ill and needed to go into a nursing home, he visited her every day. He walked from his house to the nursing home, fed his wife and at the end of the day brought home her clothes. At night, he washed and ironed her clothes. Then he walked them up to her room the next morning. He did that for three years until her death in 2005."

So now, out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain: Dick Cole (Doolittle's co-pilot on the Tokyo raid), Robert Hite, Edward Saylor and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to continue.

The events in Fort Walton Beach this past April marked the end. It has come full circle; nearby Eglin Field was where the Raiders trained in secrecy for the Tokyo mission.

The town did all they could to honor the men: a six-day celebration of their valor, including luncheons, a dinner and a parade.

The men decided that after this final public reunion they will wait until a later date - some time this year - to get together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is when they will open the bottle of brandy. The years are flowing by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are only two of them.

They will fill the four remaining upturned goblets, and raise them in a toast to those who are gone.

Honor them.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

SOME MEN FEAR WARS . . . SOME WARS FEAR MEN

2013-05-14T05:58:00.000+01:00

Peter Worthington was one such man . . . it was a great honor and a unique privilege to meet him in the last year of his life - S.L.

PETER WORTHINGTON, 1927-2013

Sometime in the midst of a busy and hectic Monday morning I became aware of the passing of a great warrior of North America. Peter Worthington departed this earth on Sunday 12 May, and stepped immediately into the presence of Almighty. Well-known enough in certain circles here in the United States, in his native Canada Peter Worthington was and is legendary.

A veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, from 1956 to 1971 Peter Worthington attended virtually every international crises as they occurred throughout the world – I recently saw a photograph of Peter Worthington in Vietnam, in a US uniform - he was a veteran of the small brushfire wars and the very hot wars of the Cold War era. More recently, Peter was present on the battlefields of Afghanistan - a battlespace environment as lethal to journalists as it is to weapon-toting warriors.

Peter Worthington reporting from the front lines of one of the many wars he covered for the Toronto Telegram, including the civil war in Biafra and the Vietnam War.

Throughout the course of a lifetime total of some 30-40 wars, revolutions, coups and crises, Worthington experienced the hunger, starvation, cruelty and compassion of the Biafran War, the anarchy and chaos and humour of the Congo’s independence, nightly assassinations in Algiers, where the Foreign Legion rebelled against the de Gaulle government. Vietnam, Dutch New Guinea, Baghdad, Zimbabwe.

In the midst of wading through all the gore and mayhem of Third World conflict, Peter Worthington proved himself to be an astute businessman, helping start the Tornoto Sun newspaper that expanded into a chain providing jobs for thousands, defying the odds and proving critics and cynics wrong.

During the Roland-the-Headless-Thompson-Gunner era of African conflict in the 1960's and 70's, Worthington witnessed the civil war in Angola -he was there when the barefoot armies of Jonas Savimbi routed Cuban and Soviet armor.

He was on the spot in Eritrea when rebels, with no aid from anyone, defeated Ethiopia - which had largest Soviet-backed military machine in Black Africa. He witnessed the Chinese invasion of India, ringside.

Pete interviewed such diverse figures as Albert Schweitzer and Joe Louis; Patrice Lumumba and Alexander Kerensky; Jomo Kenyatta and Louis Armstrong; The Dalai Lama and Clifford Olson. The list is long and varied.

Into this mosaic is the assassination of President John Kennedy, and watching Jack Ruby gun down Lee Harvey Oswald - Pete is quite visible in the existing video tape of the era; the trial of Sirhan Sirhan, assassin of Senator Bobby Kennedy – and the trial of Charlie Manson.

Peter Worthington's career as a soldier of fortune began at the age of sixteen, when he joined the Royal Canadian Navy in order to catch the tail-end action of World War II. His dad was a General in the Canadian Army - running off and joining the Army was out of the question; his father would have had him pulled back.

Peter Worthington, seen here as platoon leader of Dog Company during the Korean War in 1952

Later, Pete consolidated his military credentials in the Korean war, as an officer in the Princess Patricia's Light Infantry; Canada's equivalent of the Ranger Regiment. It is what was expected at a time when least 10% of the Canadian population was in uniform; only today, with WWII and Korean veterans dying off, does it seem special. It is not. When your country calls, there is a duty to answer - which Canadians did, and still do.

Peter Worthington in Afghanistan, continuing his war reporting into his 70s.

Peter Worthington in the prime of his life. This photo was taken in 1982 shortly before Peter left for Zimbabwe with $500,000 in a failed attempt to negotiate the release of six tourist hostages held by insurgents.

Peter Worthington's father, Major General F.F. "Fighting Frank" Worthington, founder of the Canadian Armoured Corps.

Peter Worthington as a young man, having lied about his age to get into the Canadian navy and get in on the action at the end of World War II

Peter Worthington in the trenches in Korea with US Colonel Joe Stilwell.

Peter Worthington at an air base from which he flew Mosquitos - a fast photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

Peter Worthington is a great hero of Canada, and the Free World. It is my humble honor to be related to him, through marriage on the Canadian side of my family.

Honor him.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

STILL SPINNING BENGHAZI: LATEST LIES

2013-05-13T20:08:00.001+01:00

Ret. CIA Director Gates just tried to dismiss all the Benghazi critics with his take on the limitations of US military capabilities:

Gates: Some Benghazi critics have "cartoonish" view of military capability

Oh R-E-A-L-L-Y-?-?-? How very I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-I-N-G for you to say that. Well I don't have a "cartoonish" view of the military - having spent a quarter of a century wearing the war suit in Special Forces and maintaining a close professional association with Special Operations units to this day . . .

. . . let's go through this by the numbers:

"We don't have a ready force standing by in the Middle East, and so getting somebody there in a timely way would have been very difficult, if not impossible."

Not exactly true - we had the Commander's In Extemis Force (CIF) eight hundred miles away on a training mission in Croatia; less than six hours out by C-130. Perhaps not close enough to respond to the initial assault on the Consulate but they certainly could have made a difference during the follow-on fight at the CIA Annex compound. Closer to the fight, at least four Special Forces operators in Tripoli who were ordered - by somebody - to stand down.

I know about the CIF because that is my old outfit - everywhere we went we were required to bring our go-to-war pallets with full basic load of ammunition. In the event of a terrorist attack on one of the diplomatic missions in our theater, our job was to march to the sound of the guns. To turn off the standing orders requires a direct order from the National Command Authority - i.e the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary of Defense or the Assistant Secretary of Defense. One of those four gave the order to stand down, in other words.

Suggestions that we could have flown a fighter jet over the attackers to "scare them with the noise or something," Gates said, ignored the "number of surface to air missiles that have disappeared from [former Libyan leader] Qaddafi's arsenals."

I'm going to throw out the 15-yard Bullshit Flag here; we know that over 6 hours elapsed from the beginning of the attack to when the CIA operators were killed by mortar fire - from a heavy mortar emplacement they had laser target designators on, and had requested air support hours earlier in neutralizing. They had also given higher HQ 8-digit coordinates on the mortars, as close as it gets in combat targeting. Former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods (who died during the second phase of the attack, on the CIA Annex) were "lazing" enemy mortar position. They weren't doing that for the good of their health - they were doing it because they had reason to believe there were air assets overhead; and they were on the phone speaking to somebody, directing them to laze those targets.

Furthermore, Libya does not have Syria's Anti-Aircraft-Artillery (AAA) defense-in-depth. Sure, there are shoulder-fired man-portable anti-aircraft defense systems (MANPADS) available - but these are inneffective against a couple of fast-movers flying less than 200' off the deck with their afterburners on. By the time the zoomies scream on by causing a couple of sonic booms over the bad guys, Hajii would be saying, "Holy Hookah Pipes, what was THAT???" I have personally seen this tactic defuse an attack on a political target in the Philippines.

"To send some small number of special forces or other troops in without knowing what the environment is, without knowing what the threat is, without having any intelligence in terms of what is actually going on on the ground, would have been very dangerous. It's sort of a cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces," he said. "The one thing that our forces are noted for is planning and preparation before we send people in harm's way, and there just wasn't time to do that."

Again, bullshit. We had actionable intelligence live from the battlefield. Our guys on the ground - to include former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods - were tooling around town between the Consulate and the Annex, and were reporting what they saw. On top of that, we had at least one drone, and various reports mention the presence of an AC-130 gunship - which would explain what Doherty and Woods were doing with the lasers.

The Ultimate Rebuttal:

Gates can say what he wants - one aspect of this entire disgraceful affair that nobody is addressing is the relief-for-cause of General Ham, commander of US Africa Command at Kelly Kaserne in Stuttgart, Germany, the evening of the attack, 11-12 September 2012:

Upon notification the attack in Benghazi was taking place, AFRICOM Commander General Ham immediately notified the CIF unit and communicated to the Pentagon that his forces were ready to deploy.

General Ham then received the order to stand down. His alleged response was screw it, he was going to help anyhow. Within 30 seconds to a minute after making the move to respond, his second-in-command apprehended General Ham and told him that he was now relieved of his command.

On October 18 2012, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced: ”President Barack Obama will nominate Army Gen. David Rodriguez to succeed Gen. Carter Ham as commander of U.S. Africa Command and Marine Lt. Gen. John Paxton to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps.”

It is very intriguing that Ham is immediately reassigned less than eighteen months into a three year tour. Maybe Ham attempted to send a reaction force against orders, or maybe he simply gave his chain-of-command a piece of his mind about hanging Americans to dry. At the very least the CIF and whatever other forces were available could have made those who killed our people pay while they were still on the scene.

Analysis:

What I'm seeing here is somebody trotted out former CIA Director Robert Gates, to assist with the mitigation and spin doctoring of BenghaziGate. Team Obama either has something they're holding over his head, or - get this - they're promising him a nice juicy plum. Say, an ambassadorship in London or Rome or Paris, or maybe even a spot on the ticket with the HildeBeest in 2016. Think about it; nothing could give Hillary more legitimacy in the area of foreign affairs and national security than to have a Republican former Secretary of Defense, former Director of Central Intelligence as her running partner?

The kind of people who rise to the top of organizations such as the Department of Defense and the CIA are raging egomaniacs - if not during their rise to the top, then certainly after breathing the rarified air at the top. Dangle a carrot like that in front of them, and a guy like Gates will sell his mother. Selling out his country is small potatoes, in comparison.

Wnat I'm waiting for is to hear what Petraeus has to say about all this - he testified on Benghazi and spouted the party line, and for his troubles the Obamatrons threw him under the bus. It will be very interesting to hear what he has to say if they bring him out, the second time around.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

SHERRI WANTS A GUN

2013-05-12T14:56:00.000+01:00

The saying goes: "A Liberal is a Conservative who hasn't been mugged yet." This liberal just got her wake-up call - S.L.

Sherri Shepherd's Epiphany:

‘The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd revealed that she experienced a frightening home invasion scare that terrified her son Jeffrey and husband Lamar Sally and vowed: “We’re going to get a gun!”

The 46-year-old former stand-up comic had a scary wake-up call at 1 a.m. when her New York City home’s alarm system went off declaring, “Warning! Intruder, get out of the house!”

Here's what Sherri tweeted @SherriEShepherd:

Protecting my family is my priority. I never want to stand in my son's room again and not have something to defend he & I. That was scary - 1:50 PM - 25 Apr 2013

Our home alarm went off. @SalfromtheD went thru the house but as I stood over my crying & scared son, I realized I had nothing to defend us - 1:52 PM - 25 Apr 2013

All I had was a wicker trash basket. A baseball bat can be wrestled from you AND the person has to get close enough for you to swing it - 1:53 PM - 25 Apr 2013

I held Jeffrey and prayed for protection, but it also would've been nice to be holding somethng in my hand in case there was an intruder - 1:54 PM - 25 Apr 2013

Chalk another one up for our side, and God Bless the Second Amendment

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

ON BARBARIANISM and VIKINGISM

2013-05-11T15:18:00.002+01:00

We get some very interesting items come down the pike on the email machine . . . S.L.

Mr. Linnane,

Thank you for your excellent blog. I really enjoy reading your posts. I especially enjoyed your re-post, What is Stormbringer. I found your assertion that the civilization of ancient Rome still exists and prevails intriguing. Whereas I would agree that the classical world of Greece and Rome still have an influence on our civilization I would argue that it is much less than you and others assert.

More influential, although far less recognized, is the cultural inheritance the West received from the Northern Germanic barbarian cultures. For instance, the highly individualistic and democratic cultures of the Saxons and the Scandinavians had far more influence over the common law traditions and parliamentarian development of England, and thus by extension America, than did the Greeks or Romans. Although the Founding Fathers were quite taken with Classical writers such as Cicero, the vast majority of those classical works were not even discovered by Western Europeans until the Renaissance, long after the aforementioned common law and parliamentary traditions had taken root.

You might find the following article and book interesting reading on this subject.

Tolkien, Hitler, and Nordic Heroism

OK I'll go with this and I'll buy this premise. While I am mostly Celtic, there is a significant amount of Anglo-Saxon and even Viking blood coursing through my veins. This certainly explains while I'm drawn to the influences of Ancient Greece and Rome, I have always considered myself a Barbarian from the outlying provinces - S.L.

From Plato To NATO: The Idea of the West and Its Opponents

Excerpt: "The Modern Barbarians: It is ironic that even as Tolkien wrote to immortalize the great synthesis of Northern heroism with Biblical morality, modern barbarians labored to reverse it. The proto-Nazi "Völkisch" movement, born in the blood and humiliation of Napoleon’s conquest of Germany, had for a century agitated against Judaeo-Christian "softness," in favor of pagan ruthlessness."

Thanks again for your excellent blog. It makes being in Afghanistan a little less sucky.

S/F
Major Joel T. Leggett
Deputy Staff Judge Advocate
II MEF (FWD)

Of course there's only one way to conclude this gentleman's awesome contribution; Led Zep's immortal homage to the Norsemen who ranged far and wide during the great Viking & Saxon Era:

A-ah-ahh-ah, ah-ah-ahh-ah

We come from the land of the ice and snow

from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow

The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands

To fight the horde and sing and cry

VALHALLA I AM COMING

On we sweep with, with threshing oar

Our only goal will be the western shore

Ah-ah-ahh-ah, ah-ah-ahh-ah

We come from the land of the ice and snow

from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

How soft your fields, so green

can whisper tales of gore, of how we calmed the tides of war

We are your OVERLORDS!

On we sweep with, with threshing oar

Our only goal will be the western shore

S-so now you better stop and rebuild all your ruins

for peace and trust can winthe day despite of all you're losin'

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

Ahh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

Last I heard I was blocked on the DOD net - I guess somebody high up there likes me enough to lift the blockade.

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

A VETERAN's MEMORIES

2013-05-10T01:36:00.000+01:00

68 years ago today we celebrated the resolve of war in Europe during World War II. It was a day many remember, especially Walter Hughes. World War II paratrooper Walter Hughes was only 18 years old when he jumped behind enemy lines in Holland. Here, Walter shares compelling memories of his life of service HERE.

GUN HOMICIDE RATE DOWN 49% SINCE 1993 PEAK; PUBLIC UNAWARE

2013-05-09T13:35:00.001+01:00

Source: Pew Research Social & Demographic Trends

Recent Pew Research of Gun Violence in America found gun violence has dropped at an incredible level between 1993-2010, however, in spite of these FACTS, 56% of American’s believe gun violence is higher than 20 years ago.

The primary findings of the research center on these salient points:

1. Homicide rates are down 49% using a time-series analysis between the years of 1993 and 2010.

2. Victimization rates for violent crimes with a firearm are down 73% during that same time period.

3. Despite incredible decline of gun-related violence, 56% of those surveyed (which was a scientific representative sample) 56% of American's believe gun crime is higher than 20 years ago.

Gun Homicide Rate Declines By Half Since 1993 Peak:

Gun homicides, violent gun crime and violent crime overall have fallen since the early 1990s. While there is little agreement as to the cause of these declines, the aging of the population, declining crack cocaine usage and rising incarceration rates may have each contributed.

Americans Unaware of Drop in Gun Violence:

Despite the marked drop in gun violence, over half of Americans say gun crime is higher today than it was 20 years ago. Women, non-whites and adults ages 30 and older are the most likely to say that gun crime rates have risen. Women and older adults are among the least likely to be victimized.

Mass Shootings Capture Public Interest:

Public mass shootings are rare crimes that account for less than one percent of gun homicides. They are a matter of great public interest and concern. The mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and Tucson, Ariz., were among the public’s top news stories in recent years.

Men, Young Adults Make Up Majority of Gun Homicide Victims:

Gun homicide was the fifth leading cause of violent death in 2010. The vast majority (84%) of gun homicide victims are male and seven-in-ten are ages 18 to 40. Younger adults account for a disproportionate share of gun homicide victims relative to their share of the population.

Blacks Disproportionately Victimized:

Gun homicides include a disproportionate share of black victims relative to the black share of the population, while whites are proportionally underrepresented. Hispanics were 17% of victims and 16% of the population in 2010.

Gun Suicides Outnumber Gun Homicides:

Gun suicides were the fourth leading cause of violent death in 2010 after motor vehicle accidents, unintentional poisoning (including drug overdose) and falls. As gun homicides have fallen, gun suicides now account for six-in-ten gun deaths, compared with about half in the mid-90s.

Read the full report: Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware

NRA LIFE OF DUTY FRONTLINES - SPECIAL REPORT: BOSTON

2013-05-08T12:52:00.002+01:00

Sponsored by FNH USA

NRA Life of Duty presented by Brownells, Inc. and FNH USA have teamed to bring you a special report straight from the Frontlines of the Boston Marathon. For those present, it was the most horrific experience of their lives. But one group of men had experienced this sort of thing before, half a world away. It was these men who were seen rushing towards the sound of the blast, putting themselves at risk for the benefit of savings lives.

NRA News: "COLORING THE ISSUE" Featuring COLION NOIR

2013-05-08T12:50:00.001+01:00

In Episode 8 "Coloring the Issue" Colion Noir challenges many of his critics to focus on his message, not his skin color. Tune in every week for a new episode.

WHAT IS STORMBRINGER?

2013-05-07T11:10:00.000+01:00

I'm on the road this week - the following is a re-post of several years back; before the Birds became the phenomenon they are with their own page. If you've only encountered STORMBRINGER in the past few years then you probably haven't seen this. If you have seen it before, consider this refresher training. Cheers, -S.L.

STORMBRINGER is a military blog, primarily dedicated to honoring heroes of the great US / UK / ANZAC / CANADA / ISRAEL Alliance in this conflict forced upon us by the Evildoers of Islamic Fundamentalism. Themes include reports on international security, great battles and notable events of military history, the greatness of Ancient Greece and Rome (and how the civilization of Ancient Rome still exists and prevails), the story of United States Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) and of course from time to time bits of my personal philosophy; inspired by Aristotle, Cicero, Atilla the Hun, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill, Ayn Rand and Rush Limbaugh, to name a few.

An essential ingredient of my personal philosophy - a.k.a. The Philosophy of STORMBRINGERISM - is what Ayn Rand refers to as laizee-faire capitalism. The phrase laissez-faire (pronounced: lah-zay-fair) is French and literally means "let do", but it broadly implies "let it be", or "leave it alone." In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.

Also from Ayn Rand, I embrace the concept of Human Exceptionalism; the belief that human beings have special status in nature based on their unique capacities. This belief is the grounding for some naturalistic concepts of human rights. Taking it a step further, Rush Limbaugh describes the philosophy of American Exceptionalism: the theory that the United States is qualitatively different from other nations. This stems from our emergence from a revolution, and the uniquely American ideology, based on liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism and laissez-faire. This observation is traced to Alexis de Tocqueville, the first writer to describe the United States as "exceptional."

STORMBRINGERISM is also about the Cult of the 1911 and the individuals right to self-defense - up to and including lethal force - is a justifiable defense in a court of law:

The unwritten clause in my life insurance policy.

But, you say, how does this include the Great Alliance; our worthy allies the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel?

Simple: the American experience would not have been if the foundations of Democracy had not been laid in Britain, and before that in Ancient Rome, and before that Ancient Greece. In that, the UK is the Mother Country - has been and always will be - and by default this makes Canada, Australia and New Zealand our brothers and sisters.

But . . . but . . . what about tiny (yet MIGHTY) Israel?

Israel is the oldest country, and at the same time the youngest. The ancient Egyptian Empire and civilization has come and gone . . .

Nobody speaks in hieroglyphics anymore.

. . . and the people who built the pyramids are not the same folks who live in Egypt today. Likewise Babylon . . .

Nobody speaks in cuneiform anymore.

. . . it is gone, ground into the dust, even less of it left than in Egypt. There is still a Syria, but the ancient Assyrian Empire is dead and gone and it's people flung far and wide across the globe in diaspora.

Of these ancient kingdoms and empires of the Old Testament, only Israel remains, the smallest - yet most powerful - of all the countries of the Middle East.

The oldest country in the Middle East is also the only modern democracy in the Middle East.

Modern Israel exists because of Britain and the United States - if it was up to the rest of Europe and the Middle East there wouldn't even be anybody left to occupy a State of Israel. The Islamists - al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Mullah-led theocracy of Iran - view Israel as a Western foothold in their territory, much like the Crusader Kingdoms a thousand years ago. They - the radicals who have hijacked Islam - consider it only a question of time until they drive the Israelis into the sea and get that land back.

As such, Israel is with us, or like the Israeli girls say:

"Don't worry America - ISRAEL IS BEHIND YOU ! ! !"

"VISIT ISRAEL BEFORE ISRAEL VISITS YOU."

While we're on the subject of girls, women, chicks, sheilas, females, and members of the opposite sex - Israeli or otherwise - there was a bit of resistance when I first introduced the BIRDS OF STORMBRINGER; on the grounds that this would affect the way people view STORMBRINGER as a serious literary outlet - to which I replied "When did anybody take STORMBRINGER seriously in the first place?"

Here's the deal with The Birds: my brother is a journalist for an afternoon paper in a large American city in the Northeast. It's a tabloid format; he takes himself seriously so of course I always tease him; "If your paper was on the other side of the Atlantic, there'd be a Page 3 Girl." Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson: NSFW

Bar Refaeli from Israel was the first Bird featured in STORMBRINGER.

When I first signed up, SOLDIER Magazine always had a bikini babe featured on the back cover. Sometime toward the end of my first tour I picked up a copy of SOLDIER and flipped to the back page. Staring back at me was a sergeant; all cami'd up and in full battle rattle - talk about taking a hard dose of reality. The Birds of STORMBRINGER are a throwback to an earlier, simpler time when it was okay for a warrior to tape a pinup girl in his wall locker, or depict one on the nose of his mighty war machine:

Most of the Birds are fully-clothed compared to THIS Bird.

People send me all kinds of stuff to post in STORMBRINGER and I appreciate all the support I get. Most of the material sent is political, Tea Party-themed - which is great, although I usually tend to wave off politics because it's done elsewhere, and I don't have time enough to dedicate the energy & creative juices to do it right.

STORMBRINGER SENDS