Naval War in South China Sea

War is being waged in the South China Sea, as Communist China has made aggressive moves in recent months to grab the disputed Paracel and Spratley Islands. In fact, China has laid claim to the entire South China Sea, stepping on the toes of all it's neighbors. China released an edict in November of 2013 stating that a new East China Sea Air and Sea Identification Zone was being enacted and required any aircraft flying through previously international airspace over international waters to presubmit flight plans to the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and abide by other new restrictions. As is their policy, China steamrolled it's neighbors.

Paracel Islands

In 1974, as Vietnam was being taken over by communist North Vietnam, China sent a flotilla from their South Seas Fleet to sieze the Paracel Islands. A Vietnamese frigate was sunk and another was damaged. Several Vietnamese sailors were killed. Again in 1988, Chinese Naval forces met and sunk a Vietnamese warship and damaging a second ship.

On May 1 of this year, Vietnamese protests spilled into the streets of the capital Hanoi amid reports that China had moved a state-run drilling rig into the Paracel area. Outraged, Vietnamese loyalists burned and looted local Chinese factories and businesses, forcing Chinese nationals to flee for their lives.

Pictured at left: Chinese Coast guard. Above: Vietnamese fishermen are run off of water they've fished for generations.






Spratly Island Chain

The Spratly Island group is another example of Chinese aggression, where this disputed chain is claimed by Phillipines. They've lodged a complaint as has Vietnam with regards to China's aggressive actions. Pictured below, Chinese and Vietnamese fishing boats wage battles at sea, occasionally ending up with a Vietnamese boat being damaged (a Vietnamese fisherman makes repairs from a collision with a Chinese fishing boat).




Last year the Chinese propaganda outlet Global Times published an unprecedented report that revealed a nuclear strike on the western United States with JL-2 missiles launched from ballistic missile submarines could kill 12 million Americans. In a previous report by the National Air and Space Intelligence, analysts said the new Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile, JL-2 "will, for the first time, allow Chinese SSBN (nuclear missile submarines), to target portions of the US from operating areas located near the Chinese coast".

The unsettling reports keep coming: The congressional US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated in a report several years ago, that China is planning to deploy an anti-satellite missile on its SSBN fleet. Anti satellite missiles are key elements of China's anti-access, area denial capabilities designed to drive the US Navy out of Asia. China has been working on anti-satellite technology for decades. The lastest of which is reportedly onboard their Jin-class submarines. There was even a successful test on an aging satellite years ago. For now, though, China will continue to utilize a vast infrastructure of underground facilities, covered roads and bridges, weapons facilities, missile handling barns and other means to conduct secret testing of ballistic missiles and other armaments. Their anti-information control is as tight as it has ever been.

In this picture(top) released to a weapons enthusiast website, China shows off its newest strategic capability: Three nuclear powered missile submarines, or boomers.
Nuclear warheads are reportedly still housed in a central facility. It's not known if Chinese boomers carry live nuclear tipped missiles, though they certainly have the capability.

The US has a permanent attack sub base at its Guam base in the Phillipines. These state of the art boomers are on station to monitor China's rise in naval prominence, and its aggressive expansion in the South China Sea.

In my humble opinion, China will continue to act as an aggressor as long as the US allows it. In recent years, China has become emboldened while the US has shrunk it's influence in the world. China's robust growth and economy have allowed it to buy US debt, and is now our largest credit-holder. China has the upper-hand in economic strategic positioning at this time, and is producing worrysom accomplishments to add to it, such as a monster deal with Russia to import LNG for their fast-growing domestic consumption.

But as the "Bridge to Nowhere" theory progresses, China will reach the end of their economic boom, and their fragile economy will collapse in on itself, bringing the need to liquidate those strategic economic holdings. Our debt will be sold back to us for substantially less.

If China is allowed to expand unchecked though, they would secure enough territory, and with it power in their region to force it's widening position whether the US, Japan, Vietnam and Phillipines like it or not. Once again, the world is a safer place when the US is the strongest force on the planet. China is challenging us for that title.

-katykarter

Snooping isn't only an American pastime

I'm reading from a DRUDGE linked article at the Guardian, a UK news organization, an article about Britain's equal to the US' NSA, called GCHQ. Britain's spooks are as busy rounding up as much bulk information as the NSA, with the same innocent public individuals being spied on in the governments' attempts to track criminals, terrorists, or anything they might wish.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo

This time it's Yahoo's users who are getting surveilled, through their own webcams!

 I've had a piece of black tape on my laptops' camera lens for years now. Sad but true. Watch out for the tracking software in your smartphones too, don't be naïve enough to believe you're all alone. Ever.

It's almost election day in Houston, Tx and several races are getting high profile media coverage. These races and battles have garnered the attention of national conservative talk radio because they are hotly contested on the Republican side. These primary elections are so we can choose who'll run against an incumbent for a legislature seat that is up for grabs. As you all should know, it's very difficult to defeat an incumbent. In the modern political cycle, re-election strategy begins the day after one is elected.

We have a decision to make here in the Republican party: are we going to continue to go along with the "establishment" lawmakers, read the old school, or are we going to take up political 'arms' with the TEA party and enact sweeping changes by electing constitutional-conservatives to these legislatures.

The whole country should take notice of Texas, we are burning a path towards the goal of smaller, less intrusive, less regulating, less taxing federal government.

-katykarter

The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group is the official name for America's most elite warriors, commonly known as the Navy Seals.

These are the best of the best, America's finest, most highly trained, well equipped and most solidly supported soldiers. They are an ultra effective combat asset capable of infiltrating and nuetralizing a threat of almost any description, recently used to kill Osama bin Laden in his villa in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Seals are used in many ways by the military, but now it seems that these prized warriors have been sold out, betrayed and murdered- albeit not directly murdered- all by their own government.

On May 3 2011, celebrating the successful raid that killed OBL, Vice President Joe Biden publicly revealed the identity of the special operations unit responsible for the raid. This reckless release of classified information by the 2^nd in command of this nation was akin to putting a bullseye on the backs of the members of SEAL Team 6. This breach of protocol regarding secrets and sensitive activities is unforgivable from our leaders. Within hours, Team members were phoning home to advise their families to delete online information. Their fear was that jihadists now had more information then ever before regarding this clandestine unit's existence.

They and their families were at risk of repraisal attacks because of a political speech by a sitting American Vice President. No one had ever heard the term “SEAL Team 6” until Biden gushed it.

 

 

 

August 6, 2011, Tangeen Valley, Afghanistan. The mission, termed Extortion 17 began as a call for help from an elite unit of Army Rangers. The flight from the FOB to get on station was less than 5 minutes. The Rangers were on a seek and destroy mission for terrorists and a specific target who was known to be in the area. They had breached a building nestled in a tight valley, and suspects were escaping out of the back of the building, known to military as “squirters”. While the Rangers were still engaging strong numbers of enemy, they couldn't pursue the squirters and called in for backup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the sky above, Apache gunships swirled, AC 130 gunships were circling and a Predator drone was onstation following the squirters. A hasty order was given to activate the assets at that forward base, and 17 members of Seal Team 6 and 21 other people flew towards a battle that had been originally begun 3 hours earlier. The preferred aircraft for this type of 'hot' insertion ,an MH-47 or MH-60 Blackhawk were unavailable,. Instead they piled aboard an 1960's era twin rotor behemoth CH-47 and went towards the battle.

 

 

 

 

 

Inexplicably, seconds before liftoff seven members of the Afghan soldiers aboard were pulled off the chopper and their places were taken by seven different Afghans, an action expressly forbidden in all forms of Air transportation: Whatever or whomever is on the manifest is who will fly. The manifest was not changed and the Chinook took off.

 

 

 

An investigation done by the US Military revealed these highly irregular and questionable facts:

• the black box from the aircraft has never been recovered, even though the area was swarmed with US forces immediately following the crash. A reported flash flood swept the box away.
• The elite Navy SEAL team was used as a reactionary force for a highly questionable reason (to chase down Taliban fighters fleeing a battle)
• 7 members of the manifest switched at takeoff, a blatant breach of protocol.
• No Apache escorts
• No Suppressive fire at the LZ
• The bodies of the slain servicemen were desecrated by an islamic imam who “damned their souls to hell” as “infidels”. The US Government  supplied videos of this atrocity to the soldier's families.
• The slain warriors were cremated before returning to the US, against their expressed wishes
• Rules of engagement stated at the time, that if fire is taken, a soldier must verify the combatant has a weapon before returning fire. As the squirters left the back of the building, the Apaches overhead and the Predator drone had the additional task of verifying these men actually had weapons on them before engaging them.

An operations officer was quoted off the record as saying,

“In this case, the CH-47 was used in a completely inappropriate manner given it's design and the result was the deaths of everyone aboard. Tier 1 personnel must be employed with careful planning. The cost and time to train them means that using them is such a haphazard manner as a reaction force in this context place critical personnel at too great a risk, especially in this concentration on such a noncritical mission”

 

 

Team members and their families think they were set up to be killed, by someone leaking information to an Afghan Government perforated by Taliban sympathizers. The Afghan National Army, National Police and Security Ministry all have operational planning and specs on all missions against Taliban targets-even the secret application of Seal Teams.  The unspoken theme seeming to be that individuals inside the Afghanistan Government were on the side of the Taliban and frequently passed on information to Taliban war planners, including the presence of an elite unit and a large number of Taliban fighters with minutes' notice the Seals were inbound.

 

 

 

 

What the hell was this high number of elite team-members doing on the same flight, anyway?

Given this information, several lawsuits are pending for the release of information, and a formal Congressional investigation, led by Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz are in progress.

 

 

As Griff says, “I cant believe Chaffetz is still alive”.

 

 

 

Some have said and I believe they're right: Forget NSA, forget Fast and Furious, forget the IRS targeting political groups, forget the worst this administration has committed, ommitted and sinned by buffoonish decision: this has reached a new low.

This has gone too far.

 

 

 

Our finest warriors; brothers and sons were treated so recklessly the unthinkable happened. And there has been no acknowledgment. And lets not kid ourselves: there will be no full disclosure on this or on the facts surrounding another egregious episode of the Obama administration's horrible handling of a fluid wartime situation: Benghazi, Lybia, 9-11-12, where among others, an American Ambassador, Chris Stevens was slain.

 

 

 

 

Post Script

Please visit Extortion17.com and contribute whatever you can

 

 

 

-katykarter

 

 

SEAL Team 6 and Homeland Surveillance

SEAL Team 6

The US Navy's elite counter-terrorism unit are the Sea, Air and Land teams or  SEALS. This unit trains the hardest and it's induction process is notoriously brutal. But it turns out the finest warriors known to the world, assets during combat with no equal. Their most high-profile operation happened last year when a team of the SEAL's best dropped in on Osama Bin Laden, killing him and siezing valuable intelligence on computer and in operational planning.

Breach of Security

The fact that it was revealed who was involved in this infamous raid is a breach in the security of this elite group. The acknowledgement by our civilian leadership of the existence of this group puts them in danger additional to the natural by-product of their job and it's dangerous commission. To further put them at risk ran counter to the overall success of this incredible wartime asset's chances of survival.

It is impossible to know if these admissions by the current administrations media mouthpiece led to advanced warning or possibly a set-up of the SEALS mere weeks later in Afghanistan when the chopper they were riding in was hit by rocket propelled grenade fire, downing the chopper and killing over thirty servicemembers onboard which included 20 of the elite unit SEAL Team 6 although US sources said no part of the bin Laden raid team was onboard. Among the dead were  17 SEALS, 5 Navy Special Ops who support the SEALS, 3 Air Force troops, a 5-member Army air crew and a Military dog.




Marine General John Allen, in a press conference declined to answer questions about the decision to have so many elite troops aboard a single aircraft, and why SEALs were sent to help Rangers. These are pertinent questions, as an extremely valuable asset was lost in a costly, avoidable action.

Lucky Shot or Specifically Placed Shooter?

The close proximity to steep hillsides gave the slow taking-off Chinook helicopter an extreme disadvantage during the raid. The team flew in and assisted the Ranger contingent, but when they flew out, the large twin-rotor helicopter is exerting it's maximum power and exhaust, an unmissable target for a heat seeking surface to air missile, or  a barrage of RPG fire. The Russians found this extremely costly when engaging the mujahedeen in the steep valleys and tight canyons during their war in the 80's.




It was reported the senior Taliban operative who fired the RPG that brought down the chopper was killed several days later in the same area as the chopper crash.











This tit for tat is no coincidence. When a valuable target is taken out, the person responsible for the mission itself is suddenly sought out and targeted by the opposition partially for propaganda purposes. I know it offered the Taliban a moral victory when this team of elite warriors were killed in one motion, specifically because they were part of the unit which had just killed bin Laden.

At a minimum, the commanders that night were acting strangely by assisting a prime combat unit like the Rangers. If a distress call came out, it was the duty to answer it. Perhaps the situation at times of war is hard to call at that moment, but to load that chopper and offer it to a thankful Taliban leaves me sick inside and burning with desire for an explanation and indepth investigation. My gut instinct is it was no coincidence that chopper was brought down. Intelligence is anything but robust in that region and we are being decimated because of it and other counter-productive situations such as local Taliban-friendly governments and limited rules-of-engagement policies.







Prove me wrong...go ahead...make my day.

 

"You take a mortal man, and put him in control"

Homeland Surveillance

Thanks to an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer's searches, it was revealed through documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act that a device known as StingRay is routinely used to 'scoop' data from cellphones and other wireless devices to track criminal suspects. Moreover, it is disclosed that the probes didn't utilize a judges' signature in every case. This is because the target of the probe is sought by combing through a "dragnet" of electronic information. This puts people who are nearby, neighbors and passersby within the range of the Cell Site Simulator, or StingRay.

"Cell Site Simulators" simulates a cellphone tower and enables agents to collect the serial numbers of individual cellphones and then locate them. The main issues with this practice according to the judges and activists who've sounded the alarm about the use of a system so invasive, are two-fold: Whether federal agents are informing courts when seeking permission to monitor suspects and whether they are providing enough evidence to justify the use of this tool. The device sweeps data not only from a suspects' wireless device, (sometimes through the walls of the suspect's home), but also from those of bystanders in the vacinity.

 

"Watch him become a God, watch people's heads roll"



This past year, in an article dated September 2012, a FOIA search showed the use of these and other phone tapping procedures have dramatically increased in the last two years.

The use of procedures and methods of surveillance such as pen register and trap and trace devices, which the ACLU acknowledges are "powerfully invasive surveillance tools" is being ramped up by the American government and the rampant use of these spy programs targeting more and more US citizens on American soil has increased to an exponential level: In 2000 there were just over 5,000 requests for surveillance orders signed by courts. In 2011 there were 37, 616 requests.


“It is important to Americans' privacy and their ability to feel secure when availing themselves of new communications technologies that they understand the degree to which these technologies are subject to government surveillance.” ACLU

FISA is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which enables US intelligence services to act quickly to gather intelligence on foreigners acting as combatants against the United States. When I say 'act quickly' its code speech for circumvent the usual rules of surveillance of a suspect according to US law, (You need a court order, or a judge to sign off on this proposed surveillance). Of course by extension the US spies will act against any enemy of our allies as well. But remember, this law was put into effect to fight the “War On Terrorism” after the 9-11 attacks which brought us to the forefront of the battle against radicalized Islamic Jihadists bent on destroying the West. It was never intended to spy on American citizens on American soil.

-katykarter

"Just like the pied piper, who led rats through the streets
We dance like marionettes, swaying to the symphony of destruction"  -mustaine

(web credits: washingtonpost.com, russiatoday.com, foxnews.com, latimes.com, wikipedia, ilovedogs.com, dave mustaine[symphony of destruction lyrics])

Romancing the Drones

Predator Drones are reportedly patrolling in civilian skies more and more and Americans had better educate themselves about the use of these machines in law enforcement and the potential for their use to shatter our conceptions of freedom and what is private.





Suppose you are walking down a street. You've just left a bar and it's nighttime, late. The streets are deserted but just then a police cruiser pulls up in a driveway blocking your way, and another pulls up quickly from behind. With guns drawn, they demand you drop your weapon and get on the ground. You just came from a bar and no one saw or knew you had the small pistol in your boot. You're working out of town and feel more comfortable with the backup of the .380 should you need it. How did they know you had a gun?  You didn't know it, but you're in a jurisdiction that outlaws the posession of firearms. They knew your name, and not only you had a gun, but where you're hiding it...right now! Impossible? Of course since you don't carry a gun or work out of town! But this scenario is actually happening with the technological aid of the UAV high above the scene. It is far from impossible.

New UAV's are being produced, at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security, that possess the capability to, among other things, detect a weapon on a person on the ground, and through high-res video can match an identity through facial recognition software. These new features include being able to detect, home in and track a cell phone user, as well as monitor the conversation.

The use of this technology on civilians on United States soil is disconcerting. Those of us who pay attention to this see it for what it is: a further ability of the Government to strip away our privacy. We have another common belief...that you can't trust the Government. This type of technology on their hands will most assuredly be used against us...as needed. So it's time to aquiant ourselves first with the military's UAV's, then with the civilian versions of the original eye in the sky, the Predator Drone.

The Predator is 27' long and has a wingspan of 49'. It was built by General Atomics from San Diego, Ca, whose Tier II platform first flew in '94, first entered production in 97, although early versions were put into service immediately during the Bosnian War in the mid-90's.

The RQ-1 was a long endurance, medium altitude UAV providing surveillance imagery from synthetic aperture radar, video cameras and forward looking infrared or FLIR. Data can be distributed in real time to both the front line soldier and the operations command or worldwide in real time via satellite. New Updates and Upgrades are MQ-1 and  MQ-9 Reaper UAV which has seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The system operates at an altitude of 25,000 ft and at a range of 400nm. Cruising speed is over 70kt. The vehicle is equipped with uhf and vhf radio relay links, a C-band line-of-sight data link which has a range of 150nm and uhf and Ku-band satellite data links.

On the Civilian Version, surveillance and reconnaissance payload capacity is 450 lbs. including electro-optical and infrared cameras, and synthetic aperture radar. DLTV television is equipped with a variable zoom and 955mm spotter. High resolution FLIR has six fields of view, from 19mm to 560mm.

Senator Rand Paul has stood up for us and our rights, including that of due process and privacy by staging a filibuster to block the nomination of the new head of the CIA, John Brennan. As Sen. Paul says, Mr. Brennan appears to be a man who has no problem with the use of predator drones on civilians...and thats a problem!

We should send a letter to our local and state representatives and explain our opposition to being spied upon and having our privacy shrunk even further from complete privacy- which we haven't had , sadly, for a very long time.

-katykarter

Clash of Civilizations- Arab Civilizations

With the recent Arab protests over an anti-Islam film, I’m weighing the critical aspects of this. The protests were bloody at times, and fed an assault by Islamic fighters on the American consulate  in Benghazi, Libya last week that killed four americans including the first ambassador killed in service since 1979, another time of severe unrest and Arab uprising. In a familiar message, insulting the prophet must be met with public outcry, and that translates into, "lets kill americans".

Slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens and a photo of the burning consulate buildings during the battle-ap photo

 

In an article in the Denver post, ap writer Brian Murphy  quotes an Imam in Qatar, Egyptian-born cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, who calls for ‘sense and reason ‘ in their protests. But he’s up against a powerful popular force that feels passionately that denigration of the prophet is punishable by death.

"Yes, we understand the First Amendment and all of this stuff," wrote Khalid Amayreh, a prominent Islamist commentator and blogger in Hebron on the West Bank. "But you must also understand that the Prophet (for us) is a million times more sacred than the American Constitution."

Read more: Muslim protests have political, social, economic origins - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_21558392/muslim-protests-have-political-social-economic-origins?source=pkg#ixzz26jG8wzHe
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

 

I have never thought of our constitution as a secular document. It is written with the spirit of God, and written by men dedicated to God and to passing His word on to their countrymen.  Our forefathers’ ambition was to create a country where one’s religion was not attacked, no matter what religion it was, though they hoped all would have some kind of strong religious convictions. Yes, even then it was a balancing act to not let organized religion overpower the people’s government in its decisions and such.

In its essence, the Constitution they created says that all men, being equal, must account for their individual actions as well, and be responsible for propelling our country into a prosperous nation.  The doctrine of Islam, as interpreted by extremists, is a much different assessment of human character and it’s need for guidance.

I feel uncomfortable, and at times mental anguish when subjects, such as Jesus Christ are portrayed in a denigrating way. I oppose those who slander or seek to diminish Christ and his teachings, but nowhere in the bible does it say to “humiliate and punish those who do not succumb to and voluntarily accept” His religion. Therefore, like most Americans, I walk away when someone does this, I shun them, not silence them. This is the essence of free speech. To sacrifice this basic right, would be to invite obvious further incursions into the state of liberty Americans so cherish.

 

-katykarter

More lost notes

“The Virtuous North and the Sinner South”

The Eurozone is a bit of a mystery to me.

All those countries, with countless years of history, binding themselves together…

I think it’s a lot like the United States. We just came along at a later date. In simplicity in extreme, Europe took our idea of the good of all states through a central government with the same currency.

Europe though, has been inhabited for thousands of years. Each country passed on for generations upon generations, each country, or state, sovereign unto itself. Some rich some poor, all with traditions and culture. The European Union, or Eurozone was created recently, where the rich states (Germany, Netherlands,  Sweden, etc) and the not so rich states (France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, etc) became equals. Their money was now the same. What made it unworkable was that their debt was now the same too. When one country accounted for a percentage of the debt payment, another country accounted for much less. While one country produced and invested, another encurred more and more debt through spending.

Now in 2012, The EU is embroiled in a feud over “austerity measures”. These are painful cutbacks in spending. Austerity is being plain with no sauce. You get what you need but that’s it - until these measures are lifted by the shrinking debt.

 Germany and the Virtuous North are demanding that the failing economies of EU member states such as Greece, Ireland and now Spain (whose credit rating was recently downgraded 2 notches!), must take on these harsh cutbacks. This is looked upon with contempt from the Sinner South, who resent being told what  to do by Germany. In the linked article, France is close to electing  Francois Hollande, an opponent of the EU agreement and of Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he’ll replace as France's new President.

But what do I know, I’m just a hick from the sticks.

-katykarter 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/9234926/Hollandes-Growth-Bloc-spells-end-of-German-hegemony-in-Europe.html

Who's to blame for the death of Trayvon?

(Note: This is the challenge. It will take about ten minutes to read the following. See if you can answer the question at the end. Honestly.)

The Fiber of America is the set of values we were taught and which we incorporate into our lives willingly. Our forefathers were wise enough to recognize the importance of Godly values in a society. Hamilton, Franklin and Washington were emphatic: A person who didn't go to church or didn't have God in their life wasn 't suitable for citizenship in the new nation. Even Jefferson couldn't argue the fact that these values, although rooted in religeous observance and practice, were universal in a just society where the rule of law treated all of the citizens equally.

And it's these values that have gotten diluted in recent generations: the greatest generation was raised with high moral standards as the turn-of-the-century family was a strong unit in the US. During their lives, the Baby Boomers were raised in a prospering nation, and the war years drew the citizens closer for their mutual survival. But subsequent generations weren't raised with as strict demonstrated adherence to these values. The 60's 'free love' movement was destructive to the morality of the nation, and this moral decline continues with significantly less religeosity in the general public.

Right now, a cultural blemish is on our nation. An indifference to suffering and violence, and a kind of paranoid-response mechanism towards adversity. Whenever anyone is offended or disappointed in any way, there seems to be a feeling of reciprocation instead of critical thinking. In other words, you've offended me: how can I get even?

It was clear ten years ago that kids no longer considered it possible to fight without the mortal decision being "a given". Guns were so prevelant and kids were too quick to shoot each other. This is not to be confused with gang violence. True gang violence in mostly commercial: there's money and territory involved. With teens and wanna-be gangstas there's a glorifying of the gangster lifestyle, but there's no real teeth in their actions. These teens want to appear tough to their peers, as teens have always felt the need, but with the ease in aquiring guns, there are many mistakes made. Fatal mistakes.

But guns aren't the cause of the deaths at the hands of a gunman, it's the person holding the gun. It's the choice to use deadly force. Its the path that person has taken to get to this point: How did it come to this?

In the Trayvon Martin case, he was walking, after dark through a residential neighborhood which had been enduring burglaries and vandalism in recent months. So much so, the community association put together a watch program. While on watch, volunteer George Zimmerman shot Trayvon after an altercation which was witnessed by several different people from several different vantage points.

There are many points to be made out of how this story was presented by the media, how it was percieved and how it took off across the nation. Now there are daily protests in the streets of not only the town where the killing took place but across the country. These protests are peaceful, and call for the resignation of the percieved guilty parties, but they foment bad feelings, and it's especially trajic when the facts of the case are bearing out the fact that Trayvon was the aggressor.

The most important point to be made has to do with personal responsiblity and its the crux of the crisis our country's morality is going through. Why would anyone ignore the truth to persue a path they know in their heart is false? They are blinded by pride!

Pride ignores the personal responsibility and seeks out like offenders to deflect blame. Pride seeks elsewhere for the cause of the problem when in the heart, we know we are to blame. Pride refuses to acknowledge the mistakes and bad choices made in the past, and makes us look for someone or something to blame for the trajedies that befall us.

Pride is a powerful force in self-deception so the question is clear: "Can we be honest with ourselves?" , and if so, lets admit our guilt and set a course to repair the problem. Ultimately, we need living examples to fortify our will and resolve. Kids need role models, true, but I think we all need role models.

Won't you please become a role model for your brothers and sisters around you? If you become a leader, your neighbors will look to you for reinforcement in this new, exiting way of personal responsibility. this new way of working and striving with obvious joy will effect the children.

Hope and change will emerge, as will a new day for all of us.

-katykarter

Man Harrassed for anti-Obama message

"Reject Pipeline Jobs and US Energy...then off to Disneyland?"

A Harris County, Tx man was harrassed in his driveway today for this message he'd spray painted onto the rear windshield of his suv.
John G. was coming out of his house this morning and a deputy sheriff's cruiser was idling at the foot of his driveway. As John approached, the deputy driving it rolled his window down and told John to remove the message.
John had no intention of removing it and invited the deputy to take a hike. Soon after a second unit arrived and a verbal exchange ensued.

John G., as you may know, is a strong supporter of individal liberties as well as law enforcement. He is also a CIVCOMP co-creator, my good friend and a believer in justice: the sooner the better!

Since the Obama administration denied the approval of the Keystone Pipeline, and thereby denied thousands of jobs in many states, it is made clear the priorities of this administration in regards to jobs and prosperity against environmental lobbyists and added regulation, increasing the government's influence.

This well known penchant for deciding in favor of lobbyists and additional government spending drags us as a nation and an economy away from our recovery and future prosperity!

And to make matters worse the Obamas have gone on another vacation, this time to Disneyland!

This is a very highly charged election season, and President Obama is trying to secure another 4-year term in office. With the recent downturn in our economy, the reduction in our nation's credit rating and shifty (to put it mildly) dealings in the financial sector- specifically the Federal Reserve Bank and the results of it's recent unprecedented audit, the American people are being stretched further and further from having the means to survive and economic collapse.

Wild spending during this president's term so far has been excessive and unabashed. It's time to put someone with the nation's best interests TRULY first in his or her priority.

And as to whether it's proper for public servants to intimidate a citizen in regards to political free speech, we'll soon see what the official reply is from The Harris County Sheriff's Office. Contact them for comment at 281-492-3500 or Sheriff.garcia@hctx.net

-Katykarter

Our National Anthem deserves special treatment

After this year's Superbowl singing of the National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key, the subject of the song, and it's story gets bandied about and it's great for discovering something new about it.



The song began as a poem, "Defense of Fort McHenry",written in 1814 by Key, a lawyer in Boston, then fitted to the melody of a popular drinking song, it became a popular patriotic song of it's time. It wasn't until 1931 the it was adopted as the national anthem.


As the lyrics describe, there is a fierce battle, which stretches, unrelenting throughout the night until, as first light breaks o'er the smoky scene, the 15 stripes, and 15 stars "yet did wave".

The British battleships hadn't completely extinguished the military garrison there across the Chesapeake from Boston, at Fort McHenry. Key, a young lawyer, was being held captive for the evening; he had overheard British war plans to attack Baltimore, and was being held aboard the HMS Minden when the night-long rocket and artillery barrage took place.


The song is well known now, it's a song I learned at a young age, and like so many things, would probably forget, except it was a song we heard all the time. It was at sports events, at musical and theatre events. It was the last thing you heard when television signed off at about 2:01 a.m.


I know the lyrics, by heart, of the the first stanza, and below are all stanzai!



Also is a link to YouTube to see and hear and appreciate again Whitney Houston's stirring performance along with full symphony accompaniment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE





"The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key, 1862



O say can you see by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?




On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full Glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner, O long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.



And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no more!

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave.

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.




O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!









-Katykarter

Hand of God

God Almighty has played an integral part of the history of this great nation. It is literally in everything that has happened, and everything that is happening now. A fact which makes me shake my head in disbelief when athiests and leftists scorn the presence of the Lord in the early days of our country, and within the hearts of our founding fathers.

These stories are well known, and on the net. I took "Bulletproof" from UnderGodtheBook.com after hearing it on The Michael Medved Show.




From "The French and Indian War: Account of a British Officer, July 9, 1775

An American Indian chief looked scornfully at the soldiers on the field before him. How foolish it was to fight as they did, forming their perfect battle lines out in the open, standing shoulder to shoulder in their bright red uniforms. The British soldiers-trained for European war- did not break rank, even when braves fired at them from under the safe cover of the forest. The slaughter continued for two hours. By then, 1,000 of 1,459 British soldiers were killed or wounded, while only 30 of the French and Indian warriors firing at them were injured.

Not only were the soldiers foolish, but their officers were just as bad. Riding on horseback, fully exposed above the men on the ground, they made perfect targets. One by one, the chief's marksmen shot the mounted British officers.

"Quick, let your aim be certain and he dies," the chief commanded. The warriors leveled their rifles at the young Washington. Round after round was aimed at the one man. Twice his horse was shot out from under him. Twice he grabbed a horse left idle when a fellow officer had been shot down. Ten, twelve, thirteen rounds were fired by the sharpshooters. Still, he remainded unhurt.

The native warriors stared at him in disbelief. Their rifles seldom missed their mark. The chief suddenly realized that a mighty power must be shielding Washington.
"Stop firing!", he commanded. "This one is under the special protection of the Great Spirit." A brave standing nearby added, "I had seventeen clear shots at him...and after all could not bring him to the ground. This man was not born to be killed by a bullet"

As the firing slowed, the lieutenant colonel gathered the remaining troops and led the retreat to safety. That evening, as the last of the wounded were being cared for, Washington noticed an odd tear in his coat. It was a bullet hole! He rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arm directly under the hole. There was no mark on his skin. Amazed, he took off his coat and found three more holes where bullets had passed through his coat but stopped before they reached his body.

Nine days after the battle, having heard a rumor of his own death, the young lieutenant colonel wrote his mother to confirm that he was still very much alive.

"As I have heard since my arrival at this place, a circumstantial account of my death and dying speech, I take this early opportunity of contradicting the first and of assuring you that I have not as yet composed the latter. But by the all powerful dispensations of Providence I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectiation, for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!"

This battle, part of the French and Indian War, was fought near Fort Duquense. The twenty-three-year-old Washington went on to become the commander in chief of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States. In all the years that followed in his long career, this man, George washington, was never once wounded in battle.

Fifteen years later, in 1770, George Washington returned to the same Pennsylvania woods. A respected Indian chief, having heard that Washington was in the area, traveled a long way to meet with him.

He sat down with Washington, and face-to-face over a council fire, the chief told Washington the following:

"I am a chief and ruler over my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the great lakes and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forests that I first beheld this chief[Washington].

I called to my young men and said, "Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe- he hath an Indian's wisdom and his warriors fight as we do-himself alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies."

Our rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss- 'twas all in vain, a power mightier far than we shielded you.

Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old and shall soon be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of the shades, but ere I go, there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy:

Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man [pointing at Washington], and guides his destinies- he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle."







"I took you...to be a ruler over my people...I have been with you wherever you have gone...Now I will make your name like the name of the greatest men of the earth."
Chronicles 17: 7-8


-Katykarter

Chinese Aggression and ElectroMagneticPulse

China is a world power, an emerging economy and a massively populated nation. It is a major player in the world political theatre, and has remained active on all fronts in securing it's territory, in most cases by staking a claim to adjacent territory disputed by its neighbors, and not just some neighbors. All of it's neighbors have disputes with China, here's a short list from one page of Google querie:




* An unarmed US oceanographic vessel is harassed. Nothing new, any ships on the South China Sea who come close to the Chinese coastline are picked up and approached in a paranoid policy of interruption. They use private ships and boats, or trawlers, and they stop in the path of suspected vessels, forcing them to stop, and at times ramming them. In this story, the Chinese boat attempted to damage or intercept a towed sensor array.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-03-20/world/us.china/navy1chinese-ships-vessel-civilian-crew?s=PM:WORLD





China has ongoing disputs with all of it's southeast Asia neighbors, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tibet and Vietnam. Vietnam lays claim to several islands close to its recognized peninsula, an archipelago string of islands including the populated islands of Paracel and Spratly. Long disputed, these islands are at the center of development, and Chinese governmental manuvering which undermines it's outward, "good neighbor" posture.

http://www.paracelspratly.com/home/index.php?option=comcontent&task=view&id=45&Itemid=83




While it's common for Chinese registered ships to fish in the disputed waters off the Senkaku Island chain, it's not common for them to ram your boat-until now. Recent aggressive behavior from Chinese trawlers give the multi-national fishing fleet in the area the feeling the Chinese think their you-know-what doesn't stink. When Japanese Coast Guard vessels responded to a collision at sea, Chinese Trawler Captain, Zhan Qixiong was taken into custody for appearently ramming Japanese fishing vessels and then colliding with responding Japanese Coast Guard vessels. Days later, local residents in the fishing villages can't figure out why he was released and the charges dropped.

http://www.japanprobe.com/2010/09/26/okinawan-fishermen-fear-chinese-aggression/




Dateline India: Febuary 25, 2010. India is preparing for war. Along a long contested region in the northeast sector of the country, India has sent military hardware, earthmoving equipment and troops to bolster a remote region adjacent to Tibet, a large rugged area which China, claiming Tibetan territory also claims. But India won't leave without a fight like the Tibetan monks. They have sent Su-30 jet fighters, road building crews, bridgebuilding equipment, as well as anti-missile batteries, two mountain infantry divisions, and nuke-tipped ICBM systems, all pointed east, at China, instead of west, to Pakistan.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20100225.aspx







Did a Russian military satellite detect a Chinese EMP in the Pacific on November 10th of this year, or not? One thing's sure, nobody's saying anything now, although it was reportedly reported that the Russian Space Agency did release a report detailing a series of missile launches in the Eastern Pacific region, coincidentally at the exact same time as a missile launch was witnessed along the California coast and a disabled commercial cruise liner was towed back to it's Southern California port. The most unsettling aspect to this story is that at the time it was photograpically reported to have happened, the one agency with it's ears to the world's missile arsenals...didn't know anything about it! And as of this writing, NORAD has never even partially acknowledged a missile launch from a Chinese submarine off the Mexican coast, and, 11 hours later, a Tomahawk missile launch from an American boomer off the Cali coast...



"Nooooo comment"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19GNuW4-JTY

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/09/national/main7036716.shtml



-Katykarter

The Stuxnet Worm and Iran

Several weeks ago, news about an "impressive" computer worm came out, one that had showed up and wrought havoc on the computer systems of the Iranian Bushehr Nuclear Plant.

One of it's important files is named 'Myrtl' which, as pointed out by my friend Griff, is a not-so-vague reference to the ancient story of Esther in Persia, who thwarted a Persian attack on the Jews.

The Stuxnet worm has been called by leading malware researchers and US cyber security experts an achievement on the level of a "state funded project", the malware is essentially a precision, military-grade cyber missile aimed at destroying one specific real world target: the computer system at the Iranian Nuclear Power Plant.

http://www.scheier.com/blog/archives/2010/09/the_stuxnet_wor.html

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/09/26/worm-affects-computers-irans-nuclear-power-station/

Election Day, Lifelong Democrats and the meaning of Liberty

There are certain Democrat institutions who continue to survive, even in the midst of the upheaval across the liberal landscape

Charles Rangel of Harlem, NYC continues to defy the pundits. While awaiting a day in court to defend himself of ethics violations, his constituents voted him another term, calling the charges against him, 'typical mud slinging' that will persist no matter who they elect. Incredibly, Charlie knows it's true, and didn't waste any time asking what his congressional peers would do once re-elected: "welcome you back home, Charlie"

http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2010/11/03/charles-rangel-celebrates-re-election-weeks-ethics-trial

Sheila Jackson Lee has held the 18th District here in Houston since 1994 and has espoused everything Republicans ,conservatives and libertarians see as whats wrong with today's politico: lifelong liberal democrats.

With the swing in popular opinion, a strong grassroots movement has surfaced. It's the strongest one yet, with the promise of staying power and growth. It is the Tea Party movement, and it rolled into the house and senate Tuesday according to the peoples' warrant. And if you don't think the dems would accuse us of the very thing they do, check out this article from Politico, bringing the continuing infamy of Shiela Jackson Lee to the nation.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44331.html

Finally, voters in Arizona ratified their Governor's Illegal-Immigration agenda Tuesday, re-electing Republican Jan Brewer, and setting the tone for the next two years: it's time to reign-in senseless spending and have accountability restored to Congress. I tell you what this system still needs: term limits. Think of the money that will no longer fuel the two houses, all that re-election and campaign finance. Poof.

-Katykarter

CIV COMP NET

"Your Ass Is Gonna Mind"



Here at CivComp we are always of a mind that much is wrong with the world, and it's not rocket science: A simple dose of old school values and character would go a long way in this society.



November 4



The 'mid term' elections are turning nasty on the Democrats. A huge change of the guard is imminent, and although there are still 6 days till the actual election and public ballot-casting, many early ballots and polls show double digit leads going into this last week ushering in another Republican revolution. This time around the Repubs are buoyed by the popularity of the Tea Party candidates. Seems like the old school values have a place in society after all!



In Harris County, inwhich Houston is crammed, voter machines had been deliberately destroyed by an arson fire about six weeks ago. It was surmised that it would open the door for massive vote and result challenges because now the paper ballots would have to be used. We'll be watching come election night for the Democrats accusing the Repubs of voter fraud and tampering. It's what the liberals do-Olinsky 101: accuse your opponent of what you are guilty of before he can accuse you!



Juan Williams is a name in the news lately, prominent because of his popular opinion, one inwhich he shared on NPR until last week when he was fired for being politically incorrect. Let us just cut to the chase: NPR is a publicly funded news and opinion outlet, and when the liberal and leftist lean gets too steep, it's board of directors should be reviewed and public-powered change should be introduced!



Political Correctness is a scourge on our society. When Affirmitive Action came about in the 80's, everyone knew it was wrong. It may have made some people feel better, buperficial fixes to an ingrained problem do make for hopeful feelings, but this fix was flawed. It gave to those who don't deserve what some who do deserve don't get. It was backwards and 'wrong-headed' and led to a new expression to describe the fact that it wasn't to be spoken of. This new 'fix' had a problem and it wasn't polite or even accepted to speak of it. It was "Politically Incorrect".



Taken to an extreme, anything can be toxic, and it's the same for political correctness, or just pc. Obama's "fundamental change" needs pc to survive.



Future Topics:



The Pigford Files. Andrew Brietbart has exposed a crazy scheme. It got a lot of black farmers paid for percieved racial inequality as regards to farm loans the government failed to offer to black farmers. Red flags popped up when 3 times the total number of black farmers filed claims and were cut a check. Corruption in it's essence, this scheme was glazed over by congress several years ago, and it resurfaced for another round.



The Hand of God in the formation of The United States. Taken from Michael Medved's audio tapes, these two stories are both true and absolutely unbelievable. First is a young warrior during the Indian wars before the formation of the new government. An old wise Chief and a future General meet on a battlefield, and the Chief has a vision: this young warrior would become a pivotal part of the new country, and the future empire's first president.



Also, the early days of California's statehood are golden. Would the hand of God be evident in the discovery of gold before the Mexican Government's sale of the land? Mere hours made the difference.



It's time for us to show our patriotism. It's ELECTION DAY!!!(almost).



Go out and vote the bums out!





-Katykarter

Churchill on Mohammedism

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live... The fact that in Mohammeden law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife , or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities... but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa...and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."

-Sir Winston Churchill

The above quotation was provided by my friend Griff. Here's a pic of his son's Buller kart coming along nicely.

-Katykarter