Excerpt from the LA times
The White House late Sunday condemned the leaking of what appear to be about 90,000 U.S. military records, as a handful of international media organizations that received access to the documents began to disclose their account of the war in Afghanistan.
National Security Advisor James Jones says the disclosure could endanger lives and U.S. security. The N.Y. Times, which received early access, says the documents point to Pakistan-Taliban collusion.
In a statement, President Obama's national security adviser, Marine Gen. James L. Jones, deplored the "disclosure of classified information" that he said could put the lives of Americans and U.S. partners at risk and threaten the nation's security.
The website WikiLeaks, which posted the documents late Sunday, provided them ahead of time to the New York Times, the Guardian newspaper in London and the German magazine Der Spiegel, and journalists from those organizations asked the White House for comment. The Los Angeles Times and other Tribune newspapers have not thoroughly reviewed the documents nor verified their authenticity.
According to the New York Times, the documents, which it received several weeks ago, refer to previously unreported incidents of Afghan civilian deaths in the NATO military operations.
The documents also appear to include classified cables and other communications among military leaders, and describe in detail long-reported U.S. fears that some intelligence officials in Pakistan were actually helping the Taliban in Afghanistan, even as the U.S. poured foreign aid into both countries.
According to the New York Times, the documents as a whole suggest that Pakistan has let representatives of its intelligence agency strategize with the Taliban and even plot to assassinate Afghan leaders.
Of particular note is that the documents reportedly say the Taliban has acquired surface-to-air missiles. If true, that could help explain recent crashes of NATO and U.S. helicopters in Afghanistan and could have a significant effect on ground operations.
The documents posted by WikiLeaks reportedly cover the period from January 2004 to December 2009, shortly before Obama announced a strategy of focusing on Al Qaeda and Taliban havens in the semiautonomous region of Pakistan along the Afghan border.
"Some of the disconcerting things reported are exactly why the president ordered a three-month policy review and a change in strategy," said one administration official, who couldn't confirm that the documents were authentic but said that at least some accounts align with information given Obama and his staff last summer.
For more check out wikileaks here
and start reading, this will be news for a long time.Add to Technorati Favorites
PFC King and Westboro Baptist Church Unite Tallahassee Bikers
And others. Fortunately the threat of the Westboro Baptist Church Protesters arriving in Tallahassee to disrupt the service of KIA PFC Brandon King was just that, a threat.
But the threat galvanized Tallahassee Bikers and Residents to turn in one of the largest showings of support for our returning soldiers to date.
Many People need to be thanked for their efforts. We will miss many as almost every motorcycle organization in the area was represented. Any person who stood the flag line for hours in the Florida inland July sun, with little chance of a breeze, needs to be commended. A large number of these individuals had never attended a PGR mission before. They did so this time when the threat that a soldier, killed serving his country, ran the risk of being disrespected in their home town. And I beleive the message was sent. NOT HERE!
So many came together so quickly to do so much.
I often, somewhat enviously, tease Ironheart over her many social involvements. But they paid of big time as she printed out the Westboro Church Press Release (see here) and got the word out to so many in record time.
The Banner in the pic is one of two reportedly made by "Eyecatchers designs," with no one asking. They were aware of one of the tactics used by the Patriot Guard Riders to surround protesters with a wall of flags to protect the family. So Eyecatchers made two banners in record time large enough, that if needed, would go a long ways towards putting a wall up between the family and the protesters.
Pockets Pool was afraid we might run out of water, so they sent some over with out being asked.
Riders from two organizations arrived early, patrolled the perimeter, motel parking lots and nearby highways hoping to identify protester before they got to the church and provide an early alert to those at the church ready to go into action to shield the family.
Cowgirl did her best to take pics while having a reaction to medication that finally took her out. Connie and Z pulled double duty passing out water, taking pics, and helping others to break, load and unload over 100 American flags, including BB who has Lupus and isn't supposed to be in the sun. There are other stories of people who showed and worked despite personal hardships, some who lost a days pay due to skipping work, and we are sure their were sacrifices of which we are unaware.
But then that's what being a Patriot Guard Rider is all about. Riding long hours to stand long hours in hot sun, rain and cold. To try and insure that the mistakes of Vietnam are lessons learned and not repeated. To try and insure that no soldier arrives home to no welcome, no respect, a stranger in his own home. To be there, just in case. To sacrifice just a little for those who will, have, and continue to sacrifice so much more. It is not about the right or wrong of any particular war. Those are questions that will be forever debated. It is about protecting those who protect us. For if we can not do that, we will surely lose the little freedom we have left.
And today was no different as a number of Riders helped to escort the body Pfc Brandon King to his final resting place at the Jacksonville National Cemetery where he was buried with honors.
We hope that more will become involved in this effort. All are needed for there are some back stories to these events that we will mention in the next couple of posts. They are the very reason we need to honor those who have sworn an oath defend our Freedom.
And of course we have probably failed to mention many who deserve mentioning. And some who deserve mentioning in a different light will be mentioned. But in the next couple posts as their attendance may have been for a different agenda.
As to the Westboro Church. This is not the first time they have threatened but not shown. But it doesn't mean that they won't. Whatever else they may be they are not dumb.
But the threat galvanized Tallahassee Bikers and Residents to turn in one of the largest showings of support for our returning soldiers to date.
Many People need to be thanked for their efforts. We will miss many as almost every motorcycle organization in the area was represented. Any person who stood the flag line for hours in the Florida inland July sun, with little chance of a breeze, needs to be commended. A large number of these individuals had never attended a PGR mission before. They did so this time when the threat that a soldier, killed serving his country, ran the risk of being disrespected in their home town. And I beleive the message was sent. NOT HERE!
So many came together so quickly to do so much.
I often, somewhat enviously, tease Ironheart over her many social involvements. But they paid of big time as she printed out the Westboro Church Press Release (see here) and got the word out to so many in record time.
Pockets Pool was afraid we might run out of water, so they sent some over with out being asked.
Riders from two organizations arrived early, patrolled the perimeter, motel parking lots and nearby highways hoping to identify protester before they got to the church and provide an early alert to those at the church ready to go into action to shield the family.
Cowgirl did her best to take pics while having a reaction to medication that finally took her out. Connie and Z pulled double duty passing out water, taking pics, and helping others to break, load and unload over 100 American flags, including BB who has Lupus and isn't supposed to be in the sun. There are other stories of people who showed and worked despite personal hardships, some who lost a days pay due to skipping work, and we are sure their were sacrifices of which we are unaware.
But then that's what being a Patriot Guard Rider is all about. Riding long hours to stand long hours in hot sun, rain and cold. To try and insure that the mistakes of Vietnam are lessons learned and not repeated. To try and insure that no soldier arrives home to no welcome, no respect, a stranger in his own home. To be there, just in case. To sacrifice just a little for those who will, have, and continue to sacrifice so much more. It is not about the right or wrong of any particular war. Those are questions that will be forever debated. It is about protecting those who protect us. For if we can not do that, we will surely lose the little freedom we have left.
And today was no different as a number of Riders helped to escort the body Pfc Brandon King to his final resting place at the Jacksonville National Cemetery where he was buried with honors.
We hope that more will become involved in this effort. All are needed for there are some back stories to these events that we will mention in the next couple of posts. They are the very reason we need to honor those who have sworn an oath defend our Freedom.
And of course we have probably failed to mention many who deserve mentioning. And some who deserve mentioning in a different light will be mentioned. But in the next couple posts as their attendance may have been for a different agenda.
As to the Westboro Church. This is not the first time they have threatened but not shown. But it doesn't mean that they won't. Whatever else they may be they are not dumb.
As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air - however slight - lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. Justice William O. DouglasClick here, here and here for picsAdd to Technorati Favorites
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