After the Wedding of the Century yesterday, Blackfive suggested we go public with part of something that we are working on. Short version for now, but there is a chance to send one of us on embed for at least three months, and to maybe do some good things for the troops while that is being done. What we need are advertisers/sponsors who would like to have their organization thanked, linked, and possibly even their logo displayed on every post that goes up here (and maybe even at another well read site). To sweeten the pot, in addition to Sole, Prime, and Choice advertising/sponsorship opportunities, there is a way to obtain some tax advantages as well. Finally, above the embed, is the chance to sponsor some special events during that period of time. If you are interested in the possibility of being an advertiser/sponsor, drop me a line at wolf1 at laughingwolf dot goes here net and I can send full details including marketing demographics. LW

Guess the AP meant it when they said they aren't playing along with the fraud:Days after the U.S. officially ended combat operations and touted Iraq's ability to defend itself, American troops found themselves battling heavily armed militants assaulting an Iraqi military headquarters in the center of Baghdad on Sunday.Not sure what the seven "militants" hoped to achieve. They're all dead and they "made the papers" - if that was their goal they succeeded. But they wouldn't have without a White...

These guys are nuts.

BAGHDAD — Days after the U.S. officially ended combat operations and touted Iraq's ability to defend itself, American troops found themselves battling heavily armed militants assaulting an Iraqi military headquarters in the center of Baghdad on Sunday. The fighting killed 12 people and wounded dozens.(link) Don't you hate it, just hate it, when you go and declare an end to combat operations

Seems to me it is past time to re-clench the fist – this time with a big hammer in it: Iran is paying Taliban fighters $1,000 for each U.S. soldier they kill in Afghanistan, according to a report in a British newspaper. The Sunday Times described how a man it said was a "Taliban treasurer" had gone to collect $18,000 from an Iranian firm in Kabul, a reward it said was for an attack in July which killed several Afghan government troops and destroyed an American armored vehicle. […] In addition to the $1,000 bounty on U.S. troops, the unnamed man said Iran paid $6,000 for the destruction of a U.S. military vehicle. Full story here.

Stephen Hawking is a pretty smart guy, but when he starts running his computerized lips saying that God did not create the universe he chafes my cones. He has no earthly way of knowing that and he ought to stick to noodling about how things he can actually comprehend work. That got me thinking about the whole concept and so here is my view from between the believers and the unbelievers. I think the most arrogant thing a human can do is to state categorically that God either does or does not exist. The very idea that you could know with certainty that there is no Prime Mover or that you know exactly who that Prime Mover is should lead you to pause for a moment of self doubt. Recently there have been a spate of high profile atheists mouthing off about how religion is the refuge of small-minded fools who are simply trying to find meaning in their otherwise dismal lives. You would be hard-pressed to find a more annoying collection of overly-confident jackasses around. How in the Hell could anyone state with metaphysical certitude that there is no God. How can you prove that? And if you can’t prove it shouldn’t you speak with at least a caveat or two, maybe “I have seen no evidence that a God the Creator exists” that is a fair statement that pretty much encapsulates my beliefs. But to stand and ridicule believers when the only real basis for doing so is “I don’t believe your belief” well that’s horse crap. In the end they have no answer at all about where all that exists came from. A touch of humility would go a long way for these folks. Well it took less than a paragraph to dismiss the atheist argument. That said, I don’t think believers are in much stronger a position. Even if you only take the major religions, there are hundreds of millions of people who have completely irreconcilable positions as to who God really is. Muslims have Allah, Jews have the Old Testament God, Christians have Jesus- a God become man returned to God, Buddhists have, well Buddha- a man become a self aware God, and Hindus have a panoply of amazing God creatures. If any of these groups is right about who God really is then all the others are wrong. The question I have is why any of these Gods would have created so many unbelievers and the chaos and violence that has wrought. The rest at UJ.com

Imagine you come home from work one day to a notice on your front door that you have 45 days to demolish your house, or the city will do it for you.  Oh, and you’re paying for it. This is happening right now in Montgomery, Ala., and here is how it works: The city decides it doesn’t like your property for one reason or another, so it declares it a “public nuisance.”  It mails you a notice

State Department Squirms On Garand And Carbine Imports A lot of things have changed in the federal government since President Harry S. Truman put his famous "the buck stops here" sign on his desk. This week, Fox News reported that it couldn't get a straight answer from the State Department about its decision in March to disapprove the importation of more than 800,000 M1 Garand rifles and

Take note of these Chinese troops in Kashmir, with Islamabad's apparent permission, securing their route to the western sea with a new highway and -- India fears -- perhaps a railroad. China's railroad made an appearance in the Grand Strategy post. [China has] just built a hugely expensive railroad through their Xinjiang province, in part to be able to access some of those buried resources in Afghanistan. They can't afford for the region to fall into chaos such that they cannot extract resources. They also wish to compete with Pakistan, Iran and especially India for influence. Watch this development, as it is both expected and yet still quite interesting.

Above: My buddy Chuck Ziegenfuss, in People Magazine. (Page 120 of the latest issue, not available online.) A great bit of well-deserved publicity for the Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT program, too. Chuck, we learn, lives in Hawaii and is planning to redeploy later this year. He's been posting some photos from his new home over at his place for his expected company from the magazine world. (Along with an introductory message for potential guests. You can't be too careful these...

One of many idyllic beaches in Hawaii.

Seriously, we take visitors and strays.

Actually, we haven't been speaking of Afghanistan lately - a measure of the success of White House's emphasis on Iraq. But here's the full text of Secretary Gates' speech to the American Legion - one I was privileged to view in person. A quick excerpt:"...beginning a responsible transition to Afghan control next summer is so important. That being said, as the President has frequently noted, we are not turning off the lights next July. As in Iraq, our drawdown will...

That's right! You feminazis have not gotten on my last nerve. Why? Because now you're messing with Taylor Swift! Nobody messes with Taylor Swift and escapes the vile, sarcastic snarkiness of CJ!! Now, before you ask why a suave, sophisticated 30-something is trolling around a site called "Teenagerie", I'm not. I'll give the hattip right [...]

An Iraqi reality television program broadcast during Ramadan has been planting fake bombs in celebrities' cars, having an Iraqi army checkpoint find them and terrifying the celebrities into thinking that they are headed for maximum security prison. The show "Put Him in [Camp] Bucca" has drawn numerous protests but has stayed on air throughout the fasting month, broadcasting its "stings" on well-known Iraqi personalities.The unwitting celebrities are then secretly filmed, Candid-Camera-style, as they reacted with shock, disbelief and anger as...

Saw these figures reported on TV the other day...The few jobs being created in a stagnant economy do not seem to be going to veterans, as the unemployment rate for former service members rose in July to 8.4 percent overall and to 11.8 percent for Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans.The national unemployment rate for July, however, remained steady, at 9.5 percent. Most of the job losses were the result of elimination of temporary government jobs.At a glance that seems to be...

At the Daily Telegraph is a story about an investigation into some missing weapons that are feared to be in the hands of the Taliban: ...Serious questions are being asked about a cover-up by commanders in Helmand after the 59 Minimi machine guns were not reported missing for almost a year. The theft was revealed only when American forces recovered two of the guns following a battle with the Taliban. Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, who was told about the incident this week, is said to be furious that the weapons were allowed to be taken by the insurgents and, potentially, could have been used against British troops... Read the whole report at the DT.

Memo to colleagues from AP standard's editor:To begin with, combat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is, even if they come from senior officials. The situation on the ground in Iraq is no different today than it has been for some months. Iraqi security forces are still fighting Sunni and al-Qaida insurgents. Many Iraqis remain very concerned for their country's future despite a dramatic improvement in security, the economy and living conditions...