December 2009 - BlackFive - The Network of Care

Charges against Blackwater guards dropped

About freakin' time, but a Happy New Year for five guys who never should have been facing charges in the first place. WASHINGTON – A federal judge dismissed all charges Thursday against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing...

Published Thu, Dec 31 2009 5:50 AM by BLACKFIVE

Tribute to the Fallen

Over at Mike Yon's place, Mike has posted a photo essay of a very interesting and appropriate memorial for fallen soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division's 1-17th Infantry.

Published Thu, Dec 31 2009 12:07 AM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Fallen But Never Forgotten

One Year in Office - Political Rhetoric's effect on combat

Must read link of the day: Greyhawk takes a look a political rhetoric and its effects on the combat teams. February, 2009: the newly-sworn in President of the United States - who had run on a pledge to "immediately begin to remove our troops from...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 11:44 PM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Bust Their Chops

TSA: If We Can't Stop Terrorists...

They can and will go after bloggers who expose incompetence put them up for well-deserved ridicule. For daring to publish an unclassified and widely distributed (internationally distributed even) directive put out in the wake of the Christmas bombing...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 8:24 PM by BLACKFIVE

Filed under: Current Affairs

Matt Armstrong on PSYOP for Afghanistan

Our friend Matt Armstrong ("Mountainrunner") has a solid piece on the importance of good works to the mission in Afghanistan. It's about what some of us might call good and evil, really, and letting each one have its honest wages. It is...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 10:39 AM by BLACKFIVE

Juicebox Mafia call to Kill the Filibuster

Well off topic for here, but a fun scrap underway. The Juicebox Mafia is a bunch of young, liberal pundits so-named by Eli Lake of the Wash Times including Ezra Klein, Spencer Ackerman, Matthew Why-Glesias and today's target Tim Fernholz. I know a...

Published Wed, Dec 30 2009 3:00 AM by BLACKFIVE

Yemen lousy with al Qaeda

I interviewed Eric Coulson who used to write the Badgers Forward blog when he was deployed. His unit was not from Wisconsin, but in a pre-deployment training, I think in Utah, he mentioned that the area was lousy with badgers. This cracked me up as badgers...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 11:02 PM by BLACKFIVE

Uncle J & The Obama hanging out

On the long list of interesting things you may not know about me, I maintain very cordial relations w/ the Obama....Seriously.

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 3:14 AM by BLACKFIVE

Time to expand Gitmo in the Hindu Kush

The detention facilities at Bagram AB in Afghanistan have already come under attack as the eastern equivalent of Gitmo, and they are in some respects. We do have a number of bad guys there under ongoing detention, but we and our allies in country are...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 12:49 AM by BLACKFIVE

Insight on Afghanistan, past and present

Mudville Gazette has the CBS 60 Minutes report on an former CIA guy involved with our efforts to topple the Taliban. I have been wondering about this report and I think it sheds some light on what went before, but the web exclusive he posts has some well...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 12:23 AM by BLACKFIVE

Marching to his own drummer

I just got a note about a former troopie doing a pretty cool thing to raise money to help military families and vets. He and his hound are walking across the country to support those who have served. When SPC Troy Yocum came home from Iraq, he had just...

Published Tue, Dec 29 2009 12:17 AM by BLACKFIVE

System worked v. System failed miserably

What a difference a day makes. After beclowning herself yesterday by ridiculously claiming that the airline security systems worked since panty man's bomb didn't take the plane out, utter failure Janet Napolitano admitted what all sentient beings...

Published Mon, Dec 28 2009 12:48 AM by BLACKFIVE

Spirit of America in WSJ

Jim Hake, founder of Spirit of America, has an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal explaining how everyone can help the effort in Afghanistan. That war is a battle for the hearts and minds and his group has a proven method of helping our troops do just that...

Published Mon, Dec 28 2009 12:14 AM by BLACKFIVE

Iran's Ashura Uprising: May God Defend the Right

Trial by combat, once the final appeal to court cases in Europe, asked a miracle of God each time by invoking His aid in bringing about a just settlement to the case. Surely the mullahs would join such a prayer today, would they not? So must we. This...

Published Sun, Dec 27 2009 10:56 AM by BLACKFIVE

12/25 We Got Lucky

If you haven't been following current events, a would-be suicide bomber almost made 12/25 a date on par with 9/11. Bad planning and individuals responded to prevent a cowardly and horrific mass murder. If you really want to learn more about Yemen...

Published Sun, Dec 27 2009 1:24 AM by BLACKFIVE