Gathering of Eagles NY successfully defends Times Square recruiting station

Dan Maloney, NY Gathering of Eagles Coordinator, has a write-up about their encounter with the anti-war protesters at the Times Square recruiting station. It was a good day for Patriots. In part, he says:

At two minutes to Noon, just as I had collected the last stragglers I saw, the skies opened with a torrential downpour just as the moonbats were beginning their rally. Conveniently, the area our folks were situated in had a nice wide overhang where we could stay mostly dry. The poor moonbats had no such cover and the wails and anguish that could be heard over their close encounter with that foreign substance H2O was almost pitiful to hear.

When the rain abated we rendezvoused with the rest of the Patriots just as a truck giving out free Monster Power Drinks pulled up and supplied us all with free refreshments! So by the time we were allowed to move in close proximity to the moonbats we were fired up! It should come across in some of the video but we were belting out our chants with extra relish today!

After describing what happened during the rally, Dan ended by saying:

All in all it was an absolutely great day for the Patriots! We had passersby thanking us for being there, active duty personnel stopping by (in one case posing with one of our service branch flags to commemorate their visit), even one lady shouting at the police that she had seen the Islamist starting the whole incident that was partially captured on film.

Go here to read all his report and for photos. Thanks to Dan and all the Gathering of Eagles Patriots for standing up for the rest of us when we couldn't be there.

Watch LIVE: NY Gathering of Eagles supporting the troops

Times Square recruiting station to be protested by anti-war "peace"niks

[Dan Maloney, NY Coordinator of the Gathering of Eagles, sent this latest information for today's Support the Troops rally against the anti-war protesters at the Time Square (NY) military recruiting station. Please keep these freedom warriors in your thoughts and prayers today.]

From Dan Maloney....

I've learned that the Evangelical concert at Times Square today is going to be broadcast list on the web. This link should be live between 10am and 1pm EST. The link is here.

In addition there are the standard Times Square webcams which are here.

Cam 2 shows the W. 44th St. area where the Arab group Adalah is supposed to congregate at 11:30 am before marching down Broadway to join the rest of the moonbats at 42nd St.

Cam 4 shows the southeast corner of W.44 St. and 7th Ave.

Cam 7 shows the recruiting station at the bottom center of the screen. (It has a video screen on it's roof). You can see the sound stage for today's concert just in front of it. The view is south down 7th Avenue. Broadway branches to the left.

So folks at home around the country may still get a chance to view some of the action.

America should show public support for the troops

A letter to the editor on the 4th of July appeared in the Staunton Newsleader from Seth Lovell questioning why people have "Support the Troops" bumper stickers and "Win the War" signs, suggesting they have done nothing else for the troops.

Here is my response....

To the Editor:

The letter to the editor on July 4 from Seth Lovell chastising those who display "Win the War" signs or "Support the Troops" bumper stickers was interesting.

As one of the people who helped distribute "Win the War" signs and bumper stickers, I feel he missed something in the message and has missed the good deeds many in this community have done for the military. Mixing politics and support for the troops? They are inseparable.

As a child of the Vietnam War era, I well remember when this nation did NOT support our troops. Young men would put on the uniform only to be ridiculed by those who did not agree with the war. The silent majority remained silent ... and thus the troops felt unappreciated. When they returned home from service in far-off lands they were not welcomed home as the heroes they were but were, instead, spit upon and insulted. Superiors cautioned them that it was too dangerous to travel in uniform ... in America. There is something terribly wrong with that.

When the war in Afghanistan and Iraq began six years ago, the anti-war protesters came out in force. Democrat and Republican elected officials together voted to go to war to protect a nation that had been viciously attacked, losing almost 3,000 innocents who were killed by terrorists. That is politics ... that is the military.

Should America have sat at home and let our men and women in uniform halfway around the world see only dissent coming from America? Or was it better to stand up for them and let them know we supported them and were grateful that they were willing to sacrifice and put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we enjoyed?

Just because someone has a "Win the War" bumper sticker or yard sign does not mean they have not done more to support the troops. We have sent care packages by the hundreds, written letters and cards, helped families while their loved ones are away at war. We have been at the Staunton Armory to support them when they left for war ... and we have been there to joyously welcome them home when they returned. We have stood up to the anti-war protesters on the streets of Staunton, Augusta County, Richmond, DC, and beyond ... we have grieved with families who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

On the 4th of July, National Guardsmen stopped by the Republican booth in Gypsy Hill Park to thank us for our support and to ask where to find "Win the War" signs. They left with the signs and our eternal gratitude for their service to our country.

If someone is not able to help in other ways but is able to "slap a sticker on a car," as Mr. Lovell put it, to show support then we welcome it. At least our soldiers can see it and know they are thought of and loved.

We are grateful to our community for being willing to publicly show support because we remember the days of Vietnam when that support was not shown. My Vietnam era Air Force husband would have been happy to see a "Support the Troops" rally or "Win the War" bumper sticker.

We thank Mr. Lovell for his service to our country, and encourage him to contact us if he has suggestions on other ways we can help the military in our community.

With best regards,

Lynn Mitchell
Vice Chairman/Augusta County Republican Committee
Support the Troops Coordinator

Bob Goodlatte's visit to Iraq

Imagine my surprise when I opened the Waynesboro News-Virginian this morning and saw the headline:

Rep. Goodlatte visits Iraq

On his third trip to visit with the American military who continue to bring peace to that nation, Bob Goodlatte is encouraged with what has been accomplished. A strong supporter of President Bush and the war, he was able to see first-hand the stability of Iraq when he talked about terrorist and homicide attacks that had decreased from 150 to about 30 a day:

"The number of attacks is the lowest in several years," he said.

Since his arrival on Sunday, the Congressman has visited with soldiers and military leaders in Baghdad.

Rep. Goodlatte will leave Iraq and arrive back in Virginia in time to celebrate July 4th and America's independence after witnessing firsthand the Iraqi's celebrating it every day. He will be in the Staunton 4th of July parade in Gypsy Hill Park at 10:00 Friday morning. We wish him safe travels.

Other coverage is available here and here.

Care package telethon raises over $1 million

World Net Daily reports on Thursday's historic effort to help U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan:

A fundraiser organized to collect sponsorships for care packages for the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for this 4th of July has generated more than $1 million – the final total could even reach $1.2 million, according to organizers.

WND columnist Melanie Morgan and commentator Michelle Malkin of Move America Forward, the nation's largest grassroots pro-troop organization, assembled the sponsorship campaign and aired a "From the Front Lines" Web-a-thon at Ustream.tv this week.

On her website, Morgan confirmed, "The telethon exceeded my wildest expectations. I thought that if we were really lucky, really good, caught some major breaks – we might raise $400,000 – tops.

"Instead, the final tally on the electronic tote board was $1,055,719," she wrote.

"The response was so overwhelming that our website could not keep up with the orders. When all is said and done, I am guessing that Move America Forward will have collected about $1.2 million. People are still donating because UStream.tv re-broadcast the stream, and radio stations across the country were broadcasting or re-broadcasting in various markets," she said.

"Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham personally donated $15,000 each, and Rush Limbaugh pledged a personal check, Mark Levin donated, Michelle Malkin and Coulter cash flowed into our account. Mark Williams from WROR in Albany, New York, flew into California to be our 'relief pitcher' and his wife Holly ran the sound board and produced while we were on-the-air," Morgan wrote.

"Thank you America, and the good Lord above. Thank you Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura, Monica Crowley and so many more, including the awesome John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, and the fabulous comedian and serious patriot Jackie Mason," she wrote. "Thank you to the entire blogging community and folks at HotAir.com, Michelle Malkin.com, the Media Research Center, Human Events, WorldNetDaily, NewsMax and all the others in the on-line publishing world," she said.

Of course, the real story is that hundreds of thousands of generous Americans participated in a New Media venture that has never before been done. They did it for one reason: love and support for the United States military, our troops and our heroes," she said.
...
The care packages are including cookies, coffee, Gatorade, beef jerky and other items in the on-going effort also supported by Nancy Reagan, Gen. Petraeus, Lt. Col. Oliver North and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

Read the rest of the article here.

Move America Forward Thursday ... HUGE telethon for troops

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, 2008 ... tune in for Move America Forward's eight-hour telethon. The nation's largest pro-troop organization, their goal is to ship the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S. history to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ... half a million dollars' worth of care packages for our Armed Forces.

The grand finale to this effort will be a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon ("From the Frontlines") on June 26th (from 4:00pm - Midnight - Eastern). This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan & Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event. We are also deeply honored that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has also signed on to support the "Candy Diplomacy" portion of this effort! CLICK HERE for complete details regarding the "From the Frontlines" 8-hour telethon that takes place on June 26th.

Many well-known conservatives have joined in the effort and are promoting it. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Lt. Colonel Oliver North (Ret.), Monica Crowley, Michelle Malkin, and Melanie Morgan are all part of this historic broadcast.

- On Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated radio show.
- The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it.
- The Sacramento Union has printed two stories about the broader effort.
- Also check out Wake Up America.
- Another article is avaiable at DigitalJournal.com.

Contribute, tune in, help our men and women in uniform who do so much to preserve our freedoms. God bless them all!

Military wife responds to MoveOn.org's anti-military ad

Ania Egland, who grew up under communism and who is now the mother of two boys and the wife of Major Eric Egland, responds to MoveOn.org's recent anti-military (and nonsensical) ad in this YouTube clip.


H/T WTW

Vets for Freedom....

"You want to know who wants you to come home more than anybody? Al Qaeda because you're kicking their ass."

--Sen. Lindsay Graham to Vets for Freedom on Capitol Hill
April 10, 2008

Marine considers suing Murtha over Haditha accusation

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, USMC: American hero, devout Christian, husband, and dad of six home schooled children

American Marines. Doing their jobs ... or cold-blooded killers? Democrat Rep. John Murtha and some media outlets were too quick to declare wrong-doing when they charged that the men had killed "in cold blood."

World Net Daily reported:

With most of the eight Marines charged in the Haditha, Iraq, incident now exonerated, the highest-ranking officer among the accused is considering a lawsuit against Democratic Rep. John Murtha, who fueled the case by declaring the men cold-blooded killers.

Their names have been dragged through the mud in a country that declares criminals are "innocent until proven guilty." Yet the same consideration was not given our Marines fighting to protect our freedoms ... their own freedoms were compromised.

World Net Daily goes on to write:

In an interview with nationally syndicated radio talk host Michael Savage, the lead attorney for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani said he and his client will look into suing Murtha and the Time magazine reporter, Tim McGuirk, who first published the accusations by Iraqi insurgents.

But the attorney, Brian Rooney, said nothing will happen immediately because he wants Chessani, described as a devout Christian and the father of six home schooled children, completely "out of the woods" legally before any action is taken. The government, through Lt. Col. S.M. Sullivan, today filed a notice that it would appeal the case to the next judicial level.

Not only has the case been hard on the Marines involved but on the entire Marine Corps:

... the Haditha case has taken a toll on the Marine Corps.

"There's no doubt it's affected recruiting," he told Savage. "How could you have your sons or daughters join the Marine Corps when you're not sure the government will protect them?"

Rooney was asked by Savage why he thought Murtha, a former Marine himself, accused the officers and enlisted men.

"In my opinion, it's clear it was done during the election cycle, it was done to bolster himself in the party," the attorney said. "He was vying for a leadership position, and if he had to throw some Marines under the bus to do so, that was the cost of power for him."

He hopes soon politicians will weigh in on the case in support of Chessani and the others. "I would think all politicians, especially politicians that have military records, should say something about this case," he said.

"In a horrible and very complex environment, when you have an enemy that's using women and children as shields, you should always give the benefit of the doubt to the Marine or soldier," said Rooney. "You should never bring him back and put him in front of a court martial."

That should be emphasized: You should always give the benefit of the doubt to the Marine or soldier.

God bless the peacemakers

Jason Bibeau relays a story we heard Saturday that bears repeating all around the internet. In his post over at the Augusta Water Cooler titled, "They just don't get it," he concludes with, "God bless the peacemakers." Amen.

Kilo alerts that another Haditha Marine has been acquitted

Carl Kilo alerts us that a court martial on Wednesday acquitted yet another Marine in the Haditha, Iraq, debacle from 2005. Of the eight originally charged with murder and covering up the facts, six have been exonerated. Semper Fi.

"If I die before you wake...."

"If I Die Before You Wake" ... another powerful reminder of our Armed Forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan ... around the world and here on the homefront ... keeping us safe from terrorism. Thank you to them all ... and God bless.

Move America Forward: Rush Limbaugh, Monica Crawley join all-star lineup

"From the Frontlines" Web-a-thon
Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 4 pm-Midnight Eastern

Move America Forward has launched a drive to send the largest single shipment of care packages to U.S. troops - in history!

Simply sponsor care packs to our troops - pick from the packages listed on the website - and they will be sent to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The items will be personally labeled, indicating who the sponsor of the package was and how you can be reached, and will include a special personalized message to our troops that you can choose to include.

Talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh, and television & radio personality Monica Crowley, have both joined the all-star lineup to support this drive and will be appearing on the June 26th eight-hour web-a-thon, "From the Frontlines."

Hosted by Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin, others taking part are Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, News Max's Christopher Ruddy, Human Events' Jeb Babbin, World Net Daily's Joseph Farah, Soldiers' Angels founder (and America's Mother of the Year) Patti Patton-Bader, Gathering of Eagles' Larry Bailey, and Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee.

This event will be broadcast via live streaming video online at Ustream.TV. Kithbridge, Inc. will set up a blog feed as the blogosphere is enabled to help drive this historic effort to support our military men and women.

Help our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan by sending a care package from home. Check the Move America Forward website for the list of packages.

Protesting the anti-war protesters

There is a heart-warming article in the Wall Street Journal about a man protesting the anti-war protesters as part of a pro-victory group in Pennsylvania. They meet every Saturday for an hour to publicly stand up in support of American troops.

As reported by the WSJ:

[Rich] Davis, 54, is a pro-military protester who makes a public stand each week in support of the troops and their mission.

Mr. Davis grew up during Vietnam ... same as me.

At first he hoped someone would challenge the protesters, speak up for the troops, and defend their mission. On Sept. 8, 2007 he decided that someone had to be him.

That was me six years ago when the first anti-war protesters showed up on the streets of downtown Staunton. They were going to be there everyday that week from 12-1 pm. I hoped someone else would get up a "Support the Troops" rally and, finally, did it myself because I couldn't stand the thought of no one standing up against those people.

"We're not silent anymore," Mr. Davis told me. "We refuse to let antiwar protesters have the stage to themselves."

Exactly! And that is why we must PUBLICLY stand up for our troops. Thank God for people like Rich Davis. His stand did not go unnoticed; he was joined by members of the Gathering of Eagles.

The article is definitely worth the read.

H/T to Ron at Isophorone Blog

"America's Favorite Mom:" Military mom Patti Patton-Bader

From Move America Forward: We sent out a notice to all Move America Forward members and supporters asking them to cast their ballots for Patti Patton-Bader, the founder of the pro-troop charity, Soldiers' Angels.

We were hopeful Patti could win the category of America's Favorite Military Mom.

But we were pleasantly stunned when so many of you responded (along with members of Soldiers' Angels, Gathering of Eagles, Free Republic, et. al) and Patti was voted America's Favorite Mother - period. No category win for Patti; she won the entire package!

NBC even had a live video feed from Iraq where her son who is in the Army was able to congratulate her, wish her a Happy Mothers Day, and let her know how much he loved her.

Way to go, everyone!

Kilo: "ODBA blogger in Army now"

Carl Kilo at Spark It Up!!! reminds us that ODBA blogger Roci is fighting for freedom. Roci blogs about his Army training preparing for deployment.

Roci writes:

"Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Ok. Everything so far has been preliminary. I have been in the Army for 45 days and I am just now starting my training for my mission. That training will take 60 days before I deploy. Then I will get another 30 days of training in theater (Kuwait and Iraq) before I start DOING my mission."

It is interesting to read the entries in his blog journal ... a reminder of how far the military has come.

Thanks, Roci, for what you're doing....

"Ramadi is peaceful...."

When leaving Texas Steakhouse in Staunton tonight with Alex and SWAC Daughter, Alex saw a friend from high school walking across the parking lot. He lowered his voice and said, "That's a friend from school. He just returned from Iraq."

The young man was in jeans and T-shirt ... tanned, in shape, with a Marine haircut ... and was with his girlfriend. He and Alex brightened up as they saw each other and they shook hands and hugged. I laughed and joked, "I take it you two know each other?"

Alex introduced us and said, again, that his friend had just returned from Iraq. I shook hands with the young man and thanked him for his service and that we truly appreciated it.

He smiled and thanked me, and then, as the five of us stood together, he told us about Iraq ... they delivered water and food throughout Ramadi ... they trained Iraqi police and military ... it was peaceful. That last part particularly struck me: "It was peaceful."

Do we ever hear about it being "peaceful" in Iraq through the mainstream media? This young 22-year-old man had just completed his second deployment and was very optimistic about the future of Iraq ... and said it was peaceful.

His unit had lost one Marine while there. A shadow of sadness cross his face as he spoke of it.

And then he brightened again and spoke more about all the good in Iraq. And then he and Alex shook hands to say their farewells ... and the young Marine walked over and hugged me.

I was honored.

May God bless that young man. Semper Fi.

Iraqi al Qaeda leader arrested in Mosul

Bet you won't read this in the mainstream media....

The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been captured, according to news sources. Abu Ayyub al-Masri was captured in Mosul which has been a hotbed of terrorist activity since Operation Iraq Freedom began.

News reports said:

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said that Mosul police "arrested one of al Qaeda's leaders at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he is Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir." ...

If confirmed, the arrest would represent a major blow to al Qaeda in Iraq, which has been on the run for the past year following a shift in alliances by Sunni tribesmen in western Anbar province, and elsewhere, and an influx of thousands of U.S. troops.

The surge by Americans and the tenacity of the Iraqi army have combined to make such captures possible.

FBI investigating violence against military recruiting stations

It's about dang time! The FBI is finally investigating the rash of violent incidents that have occurred nationwide with military recruiting stations. Move America Forward reports:

The Move America Forward Daily File Blog is reporting on the news that the Department of Justice has asked the FBI to review the incidents of violence against military recruiting centers and recruiters themselves that are being committed by anti-war activists.

The Department of Justice acknowledged Move America Forward’s request for such action in a letter dated April 29, 2008 and sent to the pro-troop organization’s legal counsel. Excerpt from the Department of Justice letter follows:

This is in response to your letter to the Criminal Division dated April 3, 2008, on behalf of your client, Move America Forward, Inc., recounting a number of incidences of vandalism and other activities at military recruiting stations.”

This action is seen as a serious step forward in the fight against groups like Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, New SDS and other socialist and anarchist groups that have been actively conspiring to attack recruiting stations all over the country.

On March 14, 2008, Move America Forward published The Sedition Report which catalogued many of these attacks, drawing from sources such as police reports, news stories, numerous blogs (most noticeably MichelleMalkin.com), forums such as Free Republic and action reports from groups such as Gathering of Eagles, Blue Star Mothers of America and many others. The Sedition Report, copies of which were given to the FBI and members of Congress, should provide a road map which investigators can use to examine the conspiracy of anti-war radicals to conduct campaigns of violence ("counter-recruitment") against military recruiting centers and our military men and women who serve here on the home front.

These attacks coincide with the activities of Code Pink, which provided $600,000 for terrorists families in Fallujah, as well as organized visits to Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and other nations where American anti-war radicals met with and pledged support to dictators who conspire against America’s interests.

Just as many of the far-left groups from the 60s, such as the Weather Underground, Vietnam Vets Against War, and the Black Liberation Army had ties to communist sympathizers and organizers in other countries, Move America Forward suspects that once a full investigation of these groups is conducted they will find links to foreign dictators, terrorist organizations, or organizations that work to fund or funnel support to terrorist organizations.

- MAF Blogger Danny

Augusta's Cpl John Fulton, USMC ... welcome back from Iraq!

American flag welcomes home Cpl. John Fulton, USMC, from Iraq.


American flag and Win the War sign along the drive to Fulton farm.

When Cpl. John Fulton returned from Iraq in March to his home in Weyers Cave, he was greeted with dozens of American flags lining the driveway. The March homecoming was planned by Heidi Salatin whose brother, Nate, is also in the Marine Corps.

Heidi, 16, a member of the Augusta 4-H Honors Club led by Jennifer Mercer, who happens to be John's stepmom, decided the welcome home flags would be a perfect way to honor Jennifer and John and all Marine and soldiers serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Cpl. Fulton was on his second deployment to Iraq, serving as the lead scout gunner on convoys supplying FOBs in and around Falluja.

Welcome home, John! Thank you for your service to our country.
Semper Fi.

Photos by Heidi Salatin