JAWS - Movie Posters reimagined

If you've been paying attention to things on Cape Cod, you might know that summers there are now more shark infested than ever.  The seals are thriving due to protection as marine mammals and that in turn brings the Great White Sharks in for the summer.

That got me thinking about what would it be like if JAWS was made today, instead of 38 years ago...Just hope the sharks focus on the seals only.

Here's a couple updated copies of posters for JAWS, the quintessential summer movie.

 

 

LV Journal Editorial - Benghazi blunder: Obama unworthy commander-in-chief

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL editorial lays it out bare.  Good Men DIED, and OBAMA LIED.

There can be no more damning failure than to leave good men w/o proper security and failing to respond when they call for help - not once but THREE TIMES.

All Obama's other failures are explainable as he was never the right person to be President, this failure to protect our people is due to cowardice and making decisions based on polling/politics. Let's not forget all in the MEDIA who have tried to assist Obama and his ilk in covering this story up/trying to make it go away.  They are guilty of being accessories after the fact.

Let's remember that Obama went to bed when the attack was going on, got up the next morning, made a speech that was not unlike someone reading a menu and then flew off to LAS VEGAS for a fundraiser - Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot ??????

LIBS can try to spin this away but there is no defense for his actions.  He is responsible and needs to be voted out of office, then investigated and ultimately prosecuted for failure of his responsibilities as CIC and lying to the American people.

He is liable for the deaths of 4 good men, an Ambassador and three support staff including 2 NAVY SEALs.  There is no defense for this failure.

EDITORIAL

Benghazi blunder: Obama unworthy commander-in-chief

Posted: Nov. 1, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in a well-planned military assault on their diplomatic mission in Benghazi seven weeks ago, the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So why are details surfacing, piecemeal, only now?

The Obama administration sat by doing nothing for seven hours that night, ignoring calls to dispatch help from our bases in Italy, less than two hours away. It has spent the past seven weeks stretching the story out, engaging in misdirection and deception involving supposed indigenous outrage over an obscure anti-Muslim video, confident that with the aid of a docile press corps this infamous climax to four years of misguided foreign policy can be swept under the rug, at least until after Tuesday's election.

Charles Woods, father of former Navy SEAL and Henderson resident Tyrone Woods, 41, says his son died slumped over his machine gun after he and fellow ex-SEAL Glen Doherty - not the two locals who were the only bodyguards Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration would authorize - held off the enemy for seven hours.

The Obama administration was warned. They received an embassy cable June 25 expressing concern over rising Islamic extremism in Benghazi, noting the black flag of al-Qaida "has been spotted several times flying over government buildings and training facilities." The Obama administration removed a well-armed, 16-member security detail from Libya in August, The Wall Street Journal reported last month, replacing it with a couple of locals. Mr. Stevens sent a cable Aug. 2 requesting 11 additional body guards, noting "Host nation security support is lacking and cannot be depended on," reports Peter Ferrara at Forbes.com. But these requests were denied, officials testified before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month.

Based on documents released by the committee, on the day of the attack the Pentagon dispatched a drone with a video camera so everyone in Washington could see what was happening in real time. The drone documented no crowds protesting any video. But around 4 p.m. Washington received an email from the Benghazi mission saying it was under a military-style attack. The White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the CIA were able to watch the live video feed. An email sent later that day reported "Ansar al-Sharia claims responsibility for Benghazi attack."

Not only did the White House do nothing, there are now reports that a counterterrorism team ready to launch a rescue mission was ordered to stand down.

The official explanation for the inadequate security? This administration didn't want to "offend the sensibilities" of the new radical Islamic regime which American and British arms had so recently helped install in Libya.

The official explanation for why Obama administration officials watched the attack unfold for seven hours, refusing repeated requests to send the air support and relief forces that sat less than two hours away in Italy? Silence.

An open discussion of these issues, of course, would lead to difficult questions about the wisdom of underwriting and celebrating the so-called Arab Spring revolts in the first place. While the removal of tyrants can be laudable, the results show a disturbing pattern of merely installing new tyrannies - theocracies of medieval mullahs who immediately start savaging the rights of women (including the basic right to education) and who are openly hostile to American interests.

When Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney promptly criticized the security failures in Benghazi, the White House and its lapdog media jumped all over him for another "gaffe," for speaking out too promptly and too strongly. Prompt and strong action from the White House on Sept. 11 might have saved American lives, as well as America's reputation as a nation not to be messed with. Weakness and dithering and flying to Las Vegas the next day for celebrity fund-raising parties are somehow better?

This administration is an embarrassment on foreign policy and incompetent at best on the economy - though a more careful analysis shows what can only be a perverse and willful attempt to destroy our prosperity. Back in January 2008, Barack Obama told the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle that under his cap-and-trade plan, "If somebody wants to build a coal-fired power plant, they can. It's just that it will bankrupt them." He added, "Under my plan ... electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." It was also in 2008 that Mr. Obama's future Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, famously said it would be necessary to "figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe" - $9 a gallon.

Yet the president now claims he's in favor of oil development and pipelines, taking credit for increased oil production on private lands where he's powerless to block it, after he halted the Keystone XL Pipeline and oversaw a 50 percent reduction in oil leases on public lands.
These behaviors go far beyond "spin." They amount to a pack of lies. To return to office a narcissistic amateur who seeks to ride this nation's economy and international esteem to oblivion, like Slim Pickens riding the nuclear bomb to its target at the end of the movie "Dr. Strangelove," would be disastrous.

Candidate Obama said if he couldn't fix the economy in four years, his would be a one-term presidency.

Mitt Romney is moral, capable and responsible man. Just this once, it's time to hold Barack Obama to his word. Maybe we can all do something about that, come Tuesday

The Gateway Pundit - Obama Honored Fallen SEALs By Sending Their Parents a Form Letter Signed By Electric Pen

When members of the miltary pass away in the service of our country, it is SOP that they get a letter from the President to ensure they know that the sacrifice is something important to the country and our Commander-In-Chief.

The link enclosed shows that on August 6, 2011, when our country lost 30 US service members in a Chinook that was ambushed and shot down by the enemy in Wardak Afghanistan, the families all got the same form letter signed by an autopen from the President.

What's worse, the letters were all the same. The article states it plainly:

" After the deadliest single loss of US forces in Afghanistan, Barack Obama sent out form letters to the parents."

Our Warriors and there families deserve better and our country deserves better than a failed former community activist who has no place being our leader as he doesn't know what the word " LEADERSHIP" means.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/08/obama-honored-fallen-seals-by-sending-their-parents-a-form-letter-signed-by-electric-pen/

Read the article and then make sure to vote this pathetic excuse of a failed politician out of office. Do it for our country, and do it for our servicemen & women.

Great White Sharks return to Cape Cod

They're back.......It's summer on Cape Cod and they have returned.....NO, not the tourists.

The Great White Sharks....

They know there are seals in the waters off Chatham and seals are their favorite food.  Of course, this makes others who want to be in the water nervous as you could be mistaken for a nice fat seal by Mr. Sharky......

The scene in Jaws where Hoope tries to explain this to Mayor Vaughn is a classic.....

Hooper:Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at this sign.

[refers to the graffitied billboard]

 

Hooper:Those proportions are correct.

 

Mayor Vaughn:Love to prove that, wouldn't ya? Get your name into the National Geographic.

 

I hope the Sharks don't find the wrong "seal" when they go looking for a quick snack.....

Act of Valor - Starring US Navy SEALs

Go see this movie and honor the sacrifice made by America's Jedi Knights - The US Navy SEALs

OPSEC & Protecting our Warriors - Something lost on the President

Those who go in harm's way learn and understand the first lesson of how to stay safe - OPSEC. This is short for " Operational Security ". The need to keep all info about mission, operations and tactics secure and by doing so, not allow the enemy to gain intelligence.

Too bad this simple concept doesn't extend to the President or the Vice President who have been using the SEALs exploits for political gain. They are " users ' and use people like the SEALs for their own benefit. By doing so, they put these warriors at risk.

Don't take my word for it, read the enclosed written by a Navy SEAL who feels pretty upset by what the idiot in the White House has been doing.


Obama Exploits the Navy SEALs
There may be political value in detailing how our special forces hunted bin Laden, but doing so threatens troop safety and future missions
By LEIF BABIN - Wall Street Journal

America's premier Special Operations force is once again in the headlines after a team of Navy SEALs rescued two hostages from captivity in Somalia last week. Elite U.S. forces have carried out such operations periodically over the past decade, always with skill and bravery. The difference in recent months is that the details of their work haven't remained secret. On the contrary, government officials have revealed them for political gain—endangering our forces in the process.

The floodgates opened after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May, and the Obama administration's lack of discretion was on display again at last week's State of the Union address. As President Obama entered the House chamber, in full view of the cameras, he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and exclaimed: "Good job tonight, good job tonight." Clearly something had happened that he wanted the world to know about.

After delivering his speech, which included multiple references to the bin Laden raid, the president again thanked Mr. Panetta. "That was a good thing tonight," he said as if to ensure that the viewing public, if they missed it initially, would get it a second time around.

Sure enough, shortly thereafter, the White House announced the successful rescue of the hostages in Somalia by U.S. Special Operations forces. Vice President Biden appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" to highlight the success the next morning, and Mr. Panetta also publicly praised it. Then came the "anonymous U.S. officials" to provide extensive details of who conducted the raid and how. As with the bin Laden operation, the top-secret unit that carried it out was again front-page news, as were its methods and tactics.

Our special operators do not welcome this publicity. In fact, from conversations I've had in recent days, it's clear they are dismayed by it.

Adm. William H. McRaven, America's top special-operations commander, wrote in his 1996 book "Spec Ops" that there are six key principles of success in special operations. Of paramount importance—especially given the risk and sensitivity of the missions and the small units involved—is what the military calls "operational security," or maintaining secrecy. If the enemy learns details and can anticipate the manner and timing of an attack, the likelihood of success is significantly reduced and the risk to our forces is significantly increased.

This is why much of what our special-operators do is highly classified, and why military personnel cannot legally divulge it to the public. Yet virtually every detail of the bin Laden raid has appeared in news outlets across the globe—from the name of the highly classified unit to how the U.S. gathered intelligence, how many raiders were involved, how they entered the grounds, what aircraft they used, and how they moved through the compound. Such details were highly contained within the military and not shared even through classified channels. Yet now they are available to anyone with the click of a mouse.

It's difficult for military leaders to enforce strict standards of operational security on their personnel while the most senior political leadership is flooding the airwaves with secrets. The release of classified information has also opened a Pandora's box of former and retired SEALs, special operators, and military personnel who have chosen to violate their non-disclosure agreements and discuss intricate details of how such operations are planned and executed.

We've already begun seeing specific examples of strategic harm from the post-bin Laden leaks. In June, Pakistan arrested several individuals who allegedly provided information to the CIA in advance of the raid. One of those charged with treason was a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi. This Sunday, Mr. Panetta confirmed to "60 Minutes" that Dr. Afridi had provided "very helpful" intelligence to the CIA. That may have condemned Dr. Afridi to death or life imprisonment.

Such disclosures are catastrophic to U.S. intelligence networks, which often take years to develop. Recklessness not only puts lives at risk but could set U.S. intelligence-collection efforts back decades. Our ability to carry out future operations is significantly degraded—something not lost on Pakistan.

A week after the bin Laden raid, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed dismay about Washington's loose lips, telling a town hall meeting of U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune: "Frankly, a week ago Sunday, in the Situation Room, we all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden. That all fell apart on Monday—the next day."

Do the president and his top political advisers understand what's at stake for the special-operations forces who carry out these dangerous operations, or the long-term strategic consequences of divulging information about our most highly classified military assets and intelligence capabilities? It is infuriating to see political gain put above the safety and security of our brave warriors and our long-term strategic goals. Loose lips sink ships.

Mr. Babin is a former Navy SEAL officer who served three tours in Iraq, earning a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He left active duty six months ago

Sharks like the " all you can eat buffet" in Chatham, MA

Hooper: Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all. Now, why don't you take a long, close look at this sign.
[refers to the graffitied billboard]

Hooper: Those proportions are correct.

Mayor Vaughn: Love to prove that, wouldn't ya? Get your name into the National Geographic

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, SHARKS gotta eat..... At Least the people in Chatham are more rational than the mayor of Amity in the movie "JAWS"

Big Sharks are having an "all-you-eat" buffet as the population of seals in Chatham has climbed due to laws protecting the Seals.

I am smart enough to know that Mr. Shark can't tell if I'm a Seal until he has already bitten a piece outta me....not interested in giving him the opportunity. While no one has been killed by a Shark in Massachusetts since 1936, you don't want to be the one who helps break that record.

Businesses in Chatham are glad for the Sharks as it means many tourists and that is the name of the game this time of year for them.

Shark kill close to beach prompts more restrictions in Chatham
08/16/2011
By Vivian Yee, Boston Globe Correspondent, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Authorities in Chatham have banned swimming on east-facing oceanside beaches after more reports of great white sharks in the vicinity, including sightings of a shark killing a seal close to the beach.

The closures include North Beach, North Beach Island, and South Beach, the town harbormaster’s office said in a statement issued Monday afternoon.

“This updated closure is based on credible sightings over the weekend of shark activity close to the shoreline near the south end of North Beach,” the statement said.

Chatham Parks and Recreation Director Dan Tobin said visitors to North Beach Island and harbormaster staff had seen a great white shark attack and kill a seal close to shore.

“It was eaten by the shark,” he said. He said that although not many shark sightings had been reported over the weekend, “the proximity off the beach” prompted town officials to close the area.

Swimming at Lighthouse Beach is still banned from 5 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. daily and swimming remains banned when seals -- a favorite food of the fearsome great whites -- are within 300 feet. Tobin said Lighthouse Beach, a popular destination, remains open during the day because staff are able to patrol the water during those hours.

“Beach goers, mariners and swimmers should continue to pay close attention to their surroundings, and when swimming at Lighthouse Beach should not venture too far from shore,” the statement said.

Swimming is still allowed on south side beaches in Nantucket Sound and in all other areas, the notice to swimmers said.

Gregory Skomal, a state marine biologist, said he has not seen an increase in shark activity over the past few days, although a spotter plane pilot working for the state reported seeing great whites off Chatham on Aug. 9 and Aug. 12.

Shark sightings so far this summer have topped 35, he said, about the same as the number of sightings reported at this time last summer. But the number of sightings is not a reliable indicator of the number of sharks in the area, since the same shark may be spotted multiple times, he said

You tell'em kid....

The Toughest Job in the NAVY - The FAITH of a NAVY SEAL's WIFE

Over my desk at Bagram is a card that I was given by one of the local chaplains. It says, " Be With Me LORD, When I Am In Trouble, Be With Me LORD. I pray Pslam 91 the Soldiers Psalm."

Psalm 91 is a powerful message to all those in perilous places.

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD,He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers,and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night;nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness;nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side,and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge,even the Most High, thy habitation;

10 there shall no evil befall thee,neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands,lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.


The FAITH it takes to trust your life and all you are to a power higher than yourself is not something everyone shares. I have felt the power of HIS presence and all that he has done to keep me safe while I travel in Afghanistan and other places across the Middle East.

Enclosed are the words of the wife of a Navy Seal. She puts her faith in a powerful message of how she is able to bear up under what we who have been deployed call " The Toughest Job in the Navy". Her message is one of faith and love for her husband and prayers for all who go in harm's way.

My Faith: The uncertainty of a Navy SEAL wife
By Leeana Tankersley, Special to CNN

On Saturday, my husband and I received news of a downed helicopter in Afghanistan with 22 SEALs aboard. I have been a SEAL wife for eight years—our entire relationship taking place during wartime—but we have never experienced this magnitude of loss.

We have been living in the Middle East for three weeks now, recently relocated for our next tour. Here, the fight feels so much closer, the losses more tangible.

I immediately thought of those wives and mothers—a wife and a mother myself—who would be waking up to the tragic news that their loved one was gone. I thought of how many times my husband has stepped onto a helicopter.

Forces in Afghanistan kill militants involved in downing of copter

And I thought back to another tragedy in the SEAL community, the death of Marc Lee in 2006, the first SEAL killed in the Iraq war.

When the news of Marc’s death arrived, my husband—not home two weeks from deployment himself—got on a plane and headed to New York to go meet Marc’s widow, Maya.

The Navy assigned Steve to be her liaison, helping her from the hours after she learned of her husband’s death through the first few weeks of grief, as she navigated innumerable decisions and logistics.

Steve called me a couple times while he was in New York to say things like, “You know I love you, right? You know I really love you.”

And I would say, “I know, honey. I know you do.”

After his trip to New York, he escorted Maya and her mother back to San Diego, where Marc was buried.

Kansas boy wants the world to recognize fallen dad

He sat beside Maya as her official escort on the day she laid her husband to rest. It was the saddest day I can remember.

Hot sun burned my chest red as we sat in the August heat perched atop Point Loma, high above the San Diego harbor, looking out onto the ocean. We sat in rows of wooden folding chairs set up between the graves.

The sight of it all is suffocating, every headstone a father, son, or brother, a mother, sister, or daughter. Each with his or her own story of life and death.

Seated in front of a large picture of Marc and huge sprays of flowers, we waited for the black Suburban to arrive. Fellow SEALs, with quivering chins, brought the casket to the front as bagpipers breathed “Amazing Grace.”

The Suburban arrived, and my handsome husband in his Service Dress Blues emerged, extending his hand for Maya, who stepped out in a black halter dress with a flowing skirt. Dark red rigatoni ringlets framed her large sunglasses.

A widow at 25.

Maya grasped my husband’s arm as they made their way to the front row. An officer knelt down in front of Maya and presented her with the flag from Marc’s casket. “On behalf of a grateful nation,” he began, reciting the words no woman would ever want to hear.

Later, he told me that the SEALs present at the grave took turns pushing a Trident (the SEAL insignia) pin into the side of Marc’s casket. Before it was lowered into the ground, my husband knelt down next to Maya as she said her final words to Marc.

Marc’s death and the death of the 22 SEALs in Saturday’s tragedy speak to the utter lack of assurances life offers us.

No matter how much I believe in and trust God, no matter how spiritual I am, no matter how much I pray on my husband’s behalf, I have no guarantees that God will spare him.

Does my believing make his job any less dangerous? Does it bring back those we’ve lost? Or prevent another devastating loss like Saturday’s from happening?

No. I have to make peace with the fact that even my most fervent prayers may not spare a soul.

So does my believing change anything?

Yes, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he is with us. This is the truth I hold on to, the bit of faith I can cling to. In our greatest pain, he sees us. May that sliver of hope somehow matter to all those who grieving today.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Leeana Tankersley. Editor's Note: Leeana Tankersley is the author of Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places (Zondervan 2009), a spiritual memoir of the year she lived in the Middle East with her Navy SEAL husband.

They are a “high testosterone group,” - Local Community wants to honor US NAVY SEALS who got OBL....

THE US NAVY SEALS......By Sea, Air & Land.....They are the Nation's best.

The enclosed picture shows the scene of the battle.....nice....almost wish they had hit the place with a few GBUs but then we might not have gotten enough proof that we killed the stupid b@stard....

The CIA and all the other forces we marshalled set the stage, the "double-tap" to the head for OBL was done by a member of the SEALS.....awesome....

Looks like the locals in Virginia where these guys call home want to honor the boys for a job well done....that is proving to be more difficult than you would think...

Secretive Virginia SEALs thrill community by taking down bin Laden
By Annys Shin and Annie Gowen, Monday, May 2 - Washington Post

When Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms learned that a Navy SEAL unit based just outside his city had taken out Osama bin Laden, his first thought was to honor them.

The only problem, however, was he had no idea who they were, or how to find them.

The unit that carried out the raid on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan Sunday afternoon is renowned for its secrecy.

But while such discretion is a prerequisite for covert operations, it raises practical hurdles for a mayor who is used to the cheering crowds that welcome home aircraft carriers to the naval base in Norfolk.

“This community is extremely proud. I’d like to come up with a way to have a city celebration of some kind. If we can!” said Sessoms, whose initial thought was to include the SEALs in the city’s “Patriotic Festival” in June. “But it’s challenging.”

Other Virginia politicians were able to overlook such details, satisfied with the knowledge that that men who killed bin Laden had a connection to the Old Dominion state. Former Republican Senator and current candidate George Allen tweeted: “As Virginians were hit at the Pentagon on 9-11 & USS Cole, it is appropriate that a VA-based SEAL team brought justice directly to #Osama.”

The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) -- long known as Seal Team Six -- was formed in 1980 in the wake of the failed attempt to rescue U.S. hostages from Iran.

The elite counter-terrorism unit deploys from a tiny military facility in Dam Neck, Va., just outside of Virginia Beach. There are six other groups within special warfare and a total of 2,300 active duty SEAL officers.

What makes SEALs special are the grueling training process they endure. After basic training, about 200 candidates make it to Basic Underwater Demolition school. By the end of the entire process, only about 30 to 35 remain. Many drop out after “Hell Week,” when they must train around the clock for six days straight.

The extreme training has another purpose: to create an intense bond between the men that is critical to success in combat situations. Former Navy SEAL commander Mark Divine said the experience is so unique that it can make it harder to relate to someone who doesn’t spend their days jumping out of planes, or swimming two miles in frigid waters in total darkness. SEALs also work in small close-knit groups and because they can’t openly discuss much of their work, they tend to stick together even when they are off duty. Virginia Beach locals refer to them as “team guys.”

“You don’t hardly know they are there unless they are your neighbor,” explained Sessoms. “What’s unique is the burden it puts on these families. ” Members’ wives and children “don’t know when they are leaving and where they are when they are gone and when they are coming home. It’s all quiet and hidden.”

SEALS are not invisible to everyone, however, especially when they roam among couch-surfing civilians.

“You can kind of tell. They’re extremely fit. They all kind of dress in a similar way, wear the same type of sunglasses and Tevas,” Divine said. “You can start to notice these guys by the way they carry themselves.”

They are a “high testosterone group,” said Alden Mills, who was an active duty SEAL from 1991 to 1998. Their ethos is captured by slogans such as “failure is not an option” and “pain is weakness leaving the body.”

Mills summed up the reaction to bin Laden’s death among his former SEAL buddies as “Hooyah!”

“That’s SEAL speak for ‘fired up,’ ” he said.

“The next feeling as someone who used to be there was, ‘Wish I could have been there too.’”

Staff writer Christian Davenport contributed to this report.

© 2011 The Washington Post Company

SAVE THE SEALS

All I can say is WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT ???? The lawyers in the Pentagon must have their heads up their arses if this is what they feel is worthy of their time and effort.....Abuse of a suspect?? ARE YOU F&*KING KIDDING ME?

I was in Fallujah - These SEALS are worthy of Medals and the fact that that we are doing this to our own people is ridiculous....More like a kick in the balls than a "punch in the gut"

"We have met the enemy and he is us..." Pogo had it right many years ago....

RELEASE THE SEALS and stop this reckless prosecution - we need these men to keep us safe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Save these SEALS: Navy commandos rate honors, not courts-martial, for terror arrest
Sunday, January 3rd 2010, 4:00 AM - NY DAILY NEWS

· Three Navy SEALS are facing what appear to be courts-martial to warm the hearts of terrorists around the globe. Defense Secretary Robert Gates must intervene to prevent an injustice that turns the world on its head.
Actually, the SEALS deserve medals. They were members of a team that captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, suspected mastermind of the barbaric murders of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004.

Their bodies were mutilated, dragged through the streets, burned and suspended from a bridge. The photographs of the charred corpses dangling above the Euphrates River outraged the world.

SEALS Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe were part of a squad that captured Abed on Sept. 1 in a picture-perfect operation. They did not fire a shot, though he was armed with a pistol. But Abed later claimed that one of the SEALS had hit him after he was a prisoner.

Yes, hit him. Not stabbed or shot him; not mutilated his body, not set him on fire, not waterboarded him. Hit him.
"A punch in the gut," is the way a defense lawyer described Abed's accusation.

How can those who opened an official investigation of this trifling matter sleep at night?

McCabe, Huertas and Keefe rejected a proceeding called a captain's mast, where punishment is mild, fearing they would be victimized by politics. Besides, many in the military view the proceedings, conducted under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as tantamount to an admission of guilt.

So instead of being paid honor due, McCabe has been charged with striking a detainee, dereliction of duty and making a false statement to an investigator. Huertas was charged with dereliction of duty, making a false statement and impeding the investigation. Keefe faces charges of dereliction of duty and making a false statement.
All three have been arraigned, and courts-martial are set for McCabe and Huertas this month and for Keefe in April. They face up to a year in jail, demotion and bad-conduct discharges.

It is bad enough that these men have been subjected to the indignity of formal criminal charges. Even an acquittal at trial would be a travesty. Why must they answer the charges of a terrorist?

McCabe's attorney, Neal Puckett, has said the matter could still be handled within the Navy chain of command, without staining the SEALS' permanent records.

More than 96,000 people have joined Facebook pages supporting the SEALS, and dozens of members of Congress have petitioned Gates to stop the proceedings. That's exactly what he should do. A terrorist has already been permitted to inflict too much damage on these American heroes