H&I* Fires, 05 MAR 2007

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...

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The Coulter story won't go away, so I'll keep playing with it too... Over at The American Mind (on of the "official" bloggers for CPAC) they have an open letter to the CPAC organizers...

Ann Coulter used to serve the movement well. She was telegenic, intelligent, and witty. She was also fearless: saying provocative things to inspire deeper thought and cutting through the haze of competing information has its uses. But Coulter’s fearlessness has become an addiction to shock value. She draws attention to herself, rather than placing the spotlight on conservative ideas.

Read the whole thing here.

Interesting, and a topic of discussion, even 'mongst us here at the Castle. -the Armorer

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Some humor for the morning: Caption this

Then, some great reads that I came across yesterday. One in particular really struck me, the Warden of Falloujah (free registration required - or check excerpts at "things to read").

It's not personal.

The enta (arabic - you) who screams "meesta!" every 10 seconds for 48 hours straight isn't doing it to infuriate you, his captor. What it boils down to is that he can't pronounce "mister," and he was carrying that 155-millimeter round in the back of his pickup, and he was going to try to blow you up, and the reason he was picked by the insurgent leaders to haul the shell is that he's soft in the head, which is why he cannot stop screaming "meesta!"

Other interesting reads here.

And a quick update from Kansas City Soldiers' Angels on upcoming events and projects.

-Kat
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Can we dance in memoriam ninety years later? I give you Private Herbert Peterson, and the unidentified Canadian soldier who died trying to save him:

Here's what McKillip and his team of investigators figure happened. Peterson, of Berry Creek, Alta., was at the leading edge of the raid – "in the thick" – near German trenches when he was grievously wounded.

"We're talking nasty shrapnel wounds to both his legs and his abdomen," McKillip said, citing "obvious" signs of trauma to the remains. A fellow soldier came to Peterson's rescue to evacuate him away from the front lines.

"He was then picked up by the second soldier in sort of a fireman's carry and was being carried back toward the Canadian line when an overhead shell burst over them, killing the both of them and driving them into the ground," McKillip said. "Which is why they weren't found," he said.

...

"The natural inclination of any human being under these circumstances would be to lie down, crawl, keep below ground," he said.

"This soldier chose to pick up Pte. Peterson ... He stood up in the middle of this maelstrom of fire to carry this wounded comrade," he said. "Arguably, that cost him his life."

BZ, and rest in peace gentlemen.

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Damian, of course we can.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance, : In Memoriam, Commonwealth-style. -the Armorer

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