Happy St George's Day!

A very happy St George's day to all the lands that celebrate it, especially that land of my lucky birth: England. A very special St George's day to all my fellow veterans, soldiers and other members of our allied military forces and of course my brother Crusaders.
In Hoc Signo Vinces....ἐν τούτῳ νίκα
May the day be bright and strong and full of hope and glory.
May God bless you and Christ's love find you, on this St George's Day!

The Oppenheimers of archaeology?

"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night."
E.A. Poe, Masque of The Red Death.


The news is filled with stories about archaeological digs.
All over the world researchers and scientists examine the remains of old settlements, fortresses, dwellings, and even graves for answers to questions about our past. By piecing this centuries long study together we get a better picture of our history. Combined with the narratives of the period - the stories told by people at the time and recorded for us to read - the archaeology fills out the picture. Often adding details thought unimportant or not understood by the people of the time. Sometimes these researchers are left with more questions than answers, and at others mysteries are solved.
Archaeology has given us much insight into the human condition.
Archaeology, like history, is a passion of mine.
Archaeology, like all forms of inquiry, can be hijacked and abused.
There are many ways the physical evidence of our history can be manipulated in order to benefit some group or ideology.
Perhaps the most nefarious is one we see at play right now, under the streets of London.

In London, currently, there is a team of specialists working with a dig team to unearth a plague pit. It is thought victims of the back death were buried in this pit, and the 'mystery' of what exactly that pathogen was and how it worked, along with questions about immunity, are all said to be the reasons for exhuming these human remains. These remains are, after all, graves - even if very old ones. As in all archaeological digs, the act of opening a potential (or literal) grave is weighed. The justification in this case is the 'black death'.

If we, my humble readers, were to assume that all men where good, and that all efforts where honest, and that a pathogen like the 'black death' would be off no use to anyone but the people who fight diseases and design medicines to save us from them.... well then we can stop reading here, and head back to our daily tasks without so much as another thought. We are in safe hands.

If, on the other hand, we are to be even the slightest bit sceptical of the motives of the people with the influence to arrange the opening of a plague pit in London then  we must consider some darker possibilities. Possibilities of a decidedly more Faustian order. What if some of the people funding this dig are not interested in cures, but in something else entirely?

The black death was a brutal killer. It destroyed entire nations, cause religious panic, and lefts entire settlements empty.
It killed hundreds of millions in Europe alone.
A huge fraction of mankind was killed by this plague like disease.
The dead piled up so high, they were buried in lime pits or burned in pyres.
It was a hellish pandemic. Literally the stuff of mediaeval nightmares.
The exact nature of the pandemic is still unknown.
The disease itself remains somewhat of a mystery and a controversy.
Could modern science cope with the black death? This is the question we are told is at hand. But is there another one?
Yes. Indeed, there is.
Could the black death be improved upon and weaponized? Now this question is a scary one.
Let's honestly hope and pray the answer is a resounding 'Hell, no'.
But, if there is any chance the black death can be weaponized,  the people digging this pit have considered this.
That like some modern day Oppenheimer they knowingly open Pandora's box. They hope what they find is used for good, and to prevent death - but at the same time they  must understand what could happen if this kind of discovery was to fall into the wrong hands. They know that what they find could possibly be (mis)used to kill millions, maybe even billions.
If this is the potential price for the answers they seek to the questions they find most interesting, we must ask ourselves: Is that a gamble we are all willing to take?
If I were in there shoes, I would like to think I would not do it. But, I would refuse knowing someone else would, and perhaps that is worse.
Well, willing or not - the dice have been thrown. We must now hope the 'black death' proves to be useless to the bioweapons industry.
Let's hope the madmen are disappointed.

FULL STORY HERE

Red sky at Dawn....

For years the military in the West warned of an Islamic revival and new coalition of burgeoning Asian military powers - nobody listened. We were called nuts, extremists, and paranoid. Then 9/11 hit and suddenly we were all heroes. Today we see a Nuclear North Korea and an Iran about to join that club of non aligned (enemy) nations with Nuclear weaponry.... but we were 'paranoid'?
Now another warning bell is sounding - this one about a threat very close to home.
Will be we 'crazy paranoids' again?

An extremely disturbing article from the daily caller by M-Gen Jerry Curry, United States Army Ret.
I, for one, hope he is paranoid.... but if so - why the deafening silence on the subject in the media and by the administration in Washington?

 
Who Does The Government Intend To Shoot?

By Major General Jerry Curry, USA (Ret.)   9:40 AM 08/17/2012

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By Major General Jerry Curry, USA (Ret.) 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) confirms that it is purchasing 174 thousand rounds of hollow point bullets to be delivered to 41 locations in major cities across the U.S.  No one has yet said what the purpose of these purchases is, though we are led to believe that they will be used only in an emergency to counteract and control civil unrest. Those against whom the hollow point bullets are to be used — those causing the civil unrest — must be American citizens; since the SSA has never been used overseas to help foreign countries maintain control of their citizens.

What would be the target of these 174, 000 rounds of hollow point bullets? It can’t simply be to control demonstrators or rioters. Hollow point bullets are so lethal that the Geneva Convention does not allow their use on the battle field in time of war. Hollow point bullets don’t just stop or hurt people, they penetrate the body, spread out, fragment and cause maximum damage to the body’s organs. Death often follows.

Potentially each hollow nose bullet represents a dead American. If so, why would the U.S. government want the SSA to kill 174,000 of our citizens, even during a time of civil unrest? Or is the purpose to kill 174,000 of the nation’s military and replace them with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) special security forces, forces loyal to the Administration, not to the Constitution?

All my life I’ve handled firearms. When a young boy growing up on my father’s farm in Pennsylvania Dad’s first rule of firearms training was, “Never point a gun at someone, in fun or otherwise, unless you intend to shoot them. If you shoot someone, shoot to kill.” I’ve never forgotten his admonition. It stayed with me through my Boy Scout training, when I enlisted in the army as a Private to fight in the Korea
War, during my days as a Ranger and Paratrooper and throughout my thirty-four year military career.

If this were only a one time order of ammunition, it could easily be dismissed. But there is a pattern here. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ordered 46,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition. Notice that all of these purchases are for the lethal hollow nose bullets.  These bullets are not being purchased and stored for squirrel or coyote hunting. This is serious ammunition manufactured to be used for serious purposes.

In the war in Iraq, our military forces expended approximately 70 million rounds per year. In March DHS ordered 750 million rounds of hollow point ammunition. It then turned around and ordered an additional 750 million rounds of miscellaneous bullets including some that are capable of penetrating walls. This is enough ammunition to empty five rounds into the body of every living American citizen. Is this something we and the Congress should be concerned about? What’s the plan that requires so many dead Americans, even during times of civil unrest? Has Congress and the Administration vetted the plan in public.

I fear that Congress won’t take these ammunition purchases seriously until they are all led from Capitol Hill in handcuffs. Why buy all this ammunition unless you plan to use it. Unknown to Congress, Does DHS plan to declare war on some country? Shouldn’t Congress hold hearings on why the Administration is stockpiling this ammunition all across the nation? How will it be used; what are the Administration’s plans?

Obama is a deadly serious, persistent man. Once he focuses on an object, he pursues it to the end. What is his focus here? All of these rounds of ammunition can only be used to kill American citizens, though there is enough ammunition being ordered to kill, in addition to every American citizen, also every Iranian, Syrian or Mexican. There is simply too much of it. And this much ammunition can’t be just for training, there aren’t that many weapons and “shooters” in the U.S. to fire it. Perhaps it is to be used to arm illegal immigrants?

We have enough military forces to maintain law and order in the U.S. even during times of civil unrest.

We have local police, backed up by each state’s National Guard, backed up by the Department of Defense. So in addition to all these forces why does DHS need its own private army? Why do the SSA, NOAA and other government agencies need to create their own civilian security forces armed with hollow nose bullets?

Were I the JCS, and if I wasn’t already fully briefed on this matter, I’d stop the purchase of hollow point bullets, ask the secretary of Defense why all this ammunition is being purchased and spread around the country? If I got answers like the ones Congress got during the investigation of Operation Fast and Furious – I’d start tracking all ammunition deliveries nationwide to find out what organizations and units are using them, for what purpose and, if it is not constitutional, prepare to counteract whatever it is that they are doing.

This is a deadly serious business. I hope I’m wrong, but something smells rotten. And If the Congress isn’t going to do its duty and investigate this matter fully, the military will have to protect the Constitution, the nation, and our citizens.

Jerry Curry is a decorated combat veteran, Army Aviator, Paratrooper, and Ranger, who for nearly forty years has served his country both in the military and as a Presidential political appointee.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/17/who-does-the-government-intend-to-shoot/#ixzz24qEONDCp

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Below you will find a video that supports giving the police these rounds, but that clearly shows the lethality of them.
Obviously I stand with M-Gen Curry on this issue. My view is that police are civil servants, not soldiers to be deployed against a civilian population - and so do not agree with the premise of this propaganda video... but the demonstration of the difference is perfect for our purposes here on this blog.
Does a US Law enforcement agency, and environmental agency, and a transportation security agency (all fairly new) need 750 MILLION of these rounds? If so, to use on WHO and what for?

Know what day it is?

So some friendly bright looking young guy comes up to me as we stand waiting for a light to change and to cross a main street in town. He says 'know what day it is today?' .
(People always do this to me. Just walk up and have a yak. A blessing? A curse? Both, maybe.)
Anyway....
I assume he means Remembrance Day (often called Armistice Day), so I pointed to my poppy and nodded expecting to hear a 'dad' or 'brother' story (I was wearing an old service jacket). I never tire of them.
But the young guy laughs and says 'No not all THAT stuff, it is 11.11.11'.
I looked in DEAD PAN and said 'Look kid, I don't know you but I am going to be straight with you: Who gives a whore's R***Y C**T?'
He stood there looking shocked, looked up at the crossing  lights which had just changed and muttered, almost to himself: 'numerologists'.
I laughed so hard that when we had all crossed the road I had to call ahead to him my thanks. I REALLY needed a good laugh.
It was nice to see such innocence still alive and well. Very funny stuff. I am glad we crossed paths - that these two worlds collided on this day....
If I see him again, I'll buy him a coffee and apologize for the language. Maybe explain my crass, snarky response.
This is not a big town. Chances are good.
Today is a sombre one for me; usually replete with engagements or talks, and always with parade or what not. This year, I was 'off' to attend a veteran's / civilian morning service, and I was on my way home (via the bank etc) ...so this kid brought it all home.

Tommy by Rudyard Kipling

An all time favourite that seems fitting today:


I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
-- Rudyard Kipling

The Side Effect of War?

Could it be that war causes a change in the form or soul of a man?
Something physical, even. Maybe pathways in the brain?
Whatever the reason, the effects are undeniable.
There are different wars within wars.
Some men fight a fierce, exhausting, grinding war. Others see action in bursts - intense and utterly world shaking. Some see it from the street level; performing critical and necessary functions. Others must see it partially from a position of command and delegation, for that is their burden.
It is to this last category I wander with my musings today. It is a region very close to home.
So, I ask myself: What is the biggest side effect of this experience on ME?
What has this exposure to raw conflict done to my world-view? I am sure there is probably a book's worth of material in there, but in this post I will focus on a single effect.
Since I was young enough to remember I have been exposed to war.
I grew up in a city still recovering from the bombings of the second world war. Although years before my birth, the economic collapse had prevented the removal and repair of the scars of war. Pill boxes lined the beaches I played on. In town ruined hulks of old buildings still stood, silent and aside. Derelict. Waiting for the wreckers ball.
I can remember a strange smell around those places that I would later come to recognize.
In 2001, after the 911 attack I began to notice an effect. Horrifically I first saw it in the actions of the hijackers. In the weaponization of the planes. I stood among shocked and terrified colleagues utterly UN-AMAZED. The attack seemed so obvious to me. So easy. Why had nobody seen it coming?
Sure I was horrified by the target. It struck VERY deep at my core. The cowardly and EVIL nature of the attack hit me like everyone else....but I was NOT surprised.

'Fallen Comrades'

I realized, at that moment, that for many years I had been assessing the weapon potential of almost everything. Large bodied jets loaded with fuel HAD occurred to me.
I had become so attuned to mapping the potential of a given object, series of events, or persons for making war that the attack made a perfect - and totally Evil - kind of sense. Such a realization left me feeling unclean.

For a while, I began to wonder if it was a curse or madness. A spiritual or physical sickness that made me see ghosts and shadows where there was none. But why was I right, time after time? Why did I see it coming?
In 2002 I wrote a paper advising NATO about the potential of corpse bombs, for example. I had to literally FORCE myself to write it. I knew what the reaction would be. People thought me nuts then - but now they know different.
Since then there have been over 300 such bombs used on civilians, NATO, and Allied troops.
This intuition had been correct, AGAIN.
Stranger still, as I began to bounce these ideas on other veterans of conflict (not just my own wars) I found a similar awareness.
A kind of realization was reached when I finally brought this topic up with a man who helped raise me as a boy, my Grandfather. A veteran of WWII - the full conflict - and a decorated NCO in the RAF, I wondered what his take was. He knew exactly what I meant, and listed his own examples.
It was uncanny. What was this intuition? This ability to sniff out the other guy's nasty plots by analysis? Granddad called it 'reality sickness'. People returning from war, he said, could see the real world in ways civilians refused to. The malady is in the mix of the two worlds. It leads to a series of disconnects. There is not 'unified field' theory of civilization. There is the Newtonian life of Civilians, and the Quantum of War.
Could it be, we wondered toghether, that war awakens a part of a man's soul or mind that allows him to instinctively sense, in an almost prescient way, the Evil wishes of his opponent. That the nastiness of the other guy allows me to 'do unto him' as he would 'do unto me'...or at least prevent any 'doing unto' at all? Is this a real metaphysical and appreciable side effect of war? If so, WHY should it be?
This question haunted many pots of tea and the conversations that flowed from them in the last couple of years before Granddad's stroke and eventual passing.
We would ask: Is it a gift, or a curse, or both?
Whatever it is, it is as real as the sense of smell and as old as the art of War itself.
A strange Side Effect of War....


RIP Granddad, I will always miss the chats.
*Salutes the Old Man*

May God bless and keep you all safe from the madness of war.
PsG ad2011