Turboguy wrote: TheWalkinDude wrote: Ships readying for war.Ships guarding our front and back doors.If we attack Iran I expect the draft to quickly follow along with our Prez declaring martial law. Look to those you know in the armed forces for real information as the news only gives half truths and misinformation.   There's never going to be a draft again, don't be ridiculous.   I'm in the military and I don't ever want to have to rely on people that might not want to be there. There's a reason that we've got the best, most professional, smartest military the world has ever known: We don't have any dumbass conscripts to screw it all up! The military even is totally against conscription as it's not like we're getting the best and brightest through these programs. The US military can stand toe to toe with any other country's military and come out on top. I like that situation, and you should too. I'm getting sent to Iraq in September, they didn't give me a specific date until four days ago. They don't tell me anything more than what you could figure out from looking at the internet or watching television.

________________________________________

Turbo- you are preaching to the veteran choir here. In 'Nam we had people in platoons who were plucked right off the street and in less than 6 weeks out of Basic Training and maybe some had special forces training some of us got sent straight into combat; all of a sudden some kid from wherever is lighting up a cigarette in the night, or won't walk point and you wind up with your nose to the ground under heavy fire,  as a buddy steps on a trip wire sets off a bomb,  ambushed.

Those of us who have been in the military know that your buddies in your company or squad or platoon (whether you like some of them or not or whether some of them are totally zoned or don't want to be there) especially, is all you have except for air back up, artillery sometimes,  and a radio between you and a lot of very hostile people who want you dead.

It takes courage Turbo, especially to go into one of the most dangerous types of combat and dangerous areas on the planet. My prayers are with you and we know other soldiers over there in some pretty rough places. Take it a day at time, watch your back in case someone isn't and understand few back home really will ever understand exactly what it is like - except those who have been there.

Trained and seasoned fighters make all the difference on the planet.  From the time I hit basic until I left honorably after my service, we were always a team, thought and worked as a team, and we didn't do it to be nice guys. We did it to stay alive and survive to return to our loved ones. We were 101st. Take it a day at a time.

You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed. These things must take place, but the end hasn't come yet   Matthew 24:6

Medclinician

The US government dose not need a draft. There is a executive order that in case of a national emergency all veterans to 55 years old can be called back to active service. There are a lot of us vets out there, they could even call me back, a 13 year vet at 53 years old.

Turboguy, because of you we enjoy freedom that no other people in the world have, I thank you from my heart. God Bless you and keep you under His protection.

I also agree with you that a draft will never happen unless someone directly attacks the U.S. I also agree with you that you do not want some person who does not want to be there fighting next to you.

Take care and as soon as you get back get on AFT and tell us you are home! God Bless you Turboguy!

FluMom

http://www.metimes.com/International/2008/08/11/special_report_kuwait_readying_for_war_in_gulf/7724/

Congressional Initiative

The naval blockade against Iran, which is tantamount to a declaration of war, is a bipartisan project, which has tacitly been endorsed by the Democrats. In May 2008, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives (H.CON. RES 362) that called for the enforcement of an all out economic blockade, including the encroachment of trade and the freeze of monetary transactions with the Islamic Republic:

"The President [shall] initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran .... prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program."

"[H. CON. RES. 362] urges the President, in the strongest of terms, to immediately use his existing authority to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, ... international banks which continue to conduct financial transactions with proscribed Iranian banks; ... energy companies that have invested $20,000,000 or more in the Iranian petroleum or natural gas sector in any given year since the enactment of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; and all companies which continue to do business with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." (See full text of H.CON RES 362) (emphasis added)

Meanwhile, H CON RES 362 has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A similar procedure has taken place in the Senate.

MC

Everything old is new again.

WRITING HOME

THINK! Where does the enemy get his information -- information that can put you, and has put your comrades, adrift on an open sea: information that has lost battles and can lose more, unless you personally, vigilantly, perform your duty in SAFEGUARDING MILITARY INFORMATION?

THERE ARE TEN PROHIBITED SUBJECTS

1. Don't write military information of military units -- their location, strength, material, or equipment.

2. Don't write of military installations.

3. Don't write of transportation facilities.

4. Don't write of convoys, their routes, ports (including ports of embarkation and disembarkation), time en route, naval protection, or war incidents occurring en route.

5. Don't disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft.

6. Don't mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess.

7. Don't write about the effect of enemy operations.

8. Don't tell of any casualty until released by proper authority (The Adjutant General) and then only by using the full name of the casualty.

9. Don't attempt to formulate or use a code system, cipher, or shorthand, or any other means to conceal the true meaning of your letter. Violations of this regulation will result in severe punishment.

10. Don't give your location in any way except as authorized by proper authority. Be sure nothing you write about discloses a more specific location than the one authorized.

TALK

SILENCE MEANS SECURITY -- If violation of protective measures is serious within written communications it is disastrous in conversations. Protect your conversation as you do your letters, and be even more careful. A harmful letter can be nullified by censorship; loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy.

If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship.

 

 

"Careless talk costs lives "was the slogan wasn't it?

H2HPrep wrote: TALK SILENCE MEANS SECURITY -- If violation of protective measures is serious within written communications it is disastrous in conversations. Protect your conversation as you do your letters, and be even more careful. A harmful letter can be nullified by censorship; loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy. If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship.

Most here are not in the military. Many are from the U.S. where we have what is called free speech.  This is true of what we consider the free world as well. This has often been used to allow pornography as well as multiple harming activities. Keeping  the American public informed on our actions on the world stage in terms of specific actions and policies which may endanger us as a nation is significant.  Most of the information on this thread is the by product of data released to four major news agencies by the government. That is free press and free speech and according to the SOP of intelligence agencies if something is posted in main stream media and not found to be a danger to national security, it is fair game for posts, discussion, and comment. The very thing we fight for is democracy and to share with other nations of the world who do not have it as well as the rights that come with it. One of the most important of these rights is free speech and the right to express our opinions and thoughts on anything as long as it is without threat to the government.

If by action, we are engaged in a type of brinkmanship,  where extreme actions and policies endanger our citizens, then we have a national need to know to the common citizen. Free press, free speech, and transparent government. This is the foundation of true democracy.

Medclinician

...

US Forces are Not Operating across the IRAQ Border...

...........................................................................................................

 

 

VIDEO (CNN)

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3SayDDObI8&NR=1

 

 

 

Tehran skyline may 2007

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Tehran_skyline_may_2007.jpg

 

 

To avoid confusion on this material my post will be in italics to separate it from the quoted link.

It has been in the media almost a year that preparation for an attack on Iran was in progress. The negotiations and sanctions and diplomatic efforts have failed and these news stories have been released to the press in hundreds of articles.

This is reality. The statement  of what is happening in the Gulf is something that will effect us all globally.

comment: This attack has not happened yet but the sword of Democles still hangs above the worlld.  There was another statement and date - having gone past that date, as many dates have passed i.e. March 2008 - for an attack would signify that someone somewhere is  aware of the gravity of the action and is seeking to avoid it.

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Democles+sword

Israel Pushed To Attack Iran Before Autumn 2008

A Potential World War

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear to Washington that Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped by "all possible means." Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz called war against Iran "unavoidable." Israel will (must) attack because it has no choice as "options are disappearing and sanctions have proven to be ineffective." Likewise former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer wrote in the Israeli daily Haaretz that Bush and Olmert seem to be planning to "End Iran’s nuclear program by military means, rather than by diplomatic." Further, sources reported that the Cheney circles in Washington have been putting tremendous pressure on Tel Aviv to strike Iran, and that Israel must use their nuclear weapons to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities before its too late. To reinforce this Israeli pilots are now covertly training on state-of-the-art U.S. fighter jets at locations in the Nevada desert, in preparation for an Israeli bombing of Natanz and other Iranian sites.

Israel may attack Iran preemptively before August 22 due to suspicions of an attack from Iran on that date. Farid Ghadry, President of the Reform Party of Syria, asserts that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran has chosen August 22 "for a very precise reason". It is known in the Islamic calendar as the Night of the Sira’a and Miira’aj- the night Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven from the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. That night is central to Islam’s claim to Jerusalem as an Islamic holy city. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could very well be planning another "illumination of the night sky over Jerusalem" by nuclear weapons this time, as indicated by his statement that "Israel has pushed the button of its own destruction" (by retaliating against Hizballah). Israel may concur with Farid Ghadry’s words and move to stop Iran before it is too late. If Israel does attack Iran, which could be any day now, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Najjar said that "Iran’s reaction will be overwhelming." and Iran's oil minister warned Wednesday that an attack on his country would provoke an unimaginably fierce response. The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that Tehran would respond to an attack by barraging Israel with missiles and seize control of key oil passageways. If Iran chokes off just the Strait of Hormuz it would stop 40% of oil exports. President Bush has repeatedly said that a military strike on Tehran is possible and ABC News quoted an unnamed senior Pentagon official warning of an "increasing likelihood" that Israel will strike Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of the year.

Recent demonstrations of military power first by Israel and then in response by Iran July 8, 2008 indicate that "push" is probably about to become "shove". John Bolten, (25thUS ambassador to the UN) seems to concur that Israel is being left with no alternative but to act now- especially before Bush leaves office and Israel potentially loses the support of this administration or before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert possibly loses office in September. They can not, and will not, wait and take that chance or of Iran getting nuclear weapons. They have little choice and unfortunately (or fortunately) they still have the element of surprise.

The consequences of Israel attacking Iran are incalculable- nevertheless it seems imminently inevitable. The United States is not going to act therefore they must...and the war itself may not be as devastating as its effect. Even if Israel preemptively initiates the conflict, the US will lose most of their foreign oil as Arab nations are compelled to support Iran. China, Russian and N.Korea will more than likely take the opportunity to join the opposition as well.

The ramifications of our loss of oil could bring overnight catastrophe to this country. Not just due the loss of electrical power, communications, and mobility to employment, but even basic necessities for survival such as food shipments into urban areas. Cities might riot chain-reactively and the capital itself could fall before the national guard would even have time to react.

comment: So far, researching data on the net and in the media, it would appear the situation remains. It is sad that our troop and military must be put in danger in unstable and dangerous parts of the world. Yet, if we are not united in our relationships to rogue countries which seek to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, this presents us with a grave situation.

What is the answer? What will be the consequences of an attack on Iran?  Is there a choice in the simple reality that if Western forces do not intervene, then Israel will attack on its own?

Nations which threaten our military are aware of our presence in terms of military naval fleets. Forces on the ground, both allies and enemy are present in the Gulf. The nations across from the Gulf from Iran are on full alert.

Those of us who report the news did not start the fire, we are only reporting the smoke that is clearly visible.

With the huge political forces in play and the coming elections, the timing of this attack is critical. Given which candidate is elected, it may or may not happen from the U.S. Yet given the Islamic determination to dominate the planet, and the reality of the spread through Europe and especially Africa, slowly force us to action.

Our prayers and support to our fighting forces around the globe. For their safety and courage in facing the forces of other nations. God be with us. With us all, that we may find peace in a dangerous world and the wisdom to negotiate and resolve our differences in whatever way possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRVWpX-Ifu8&NR=1

To the many readers of this site, the author of this post has said many times "Don't Panic, Prepare."  It is no doubt grueling to keep reading of peril and danger with no clear plan of action.  The wisest move for those of us who must "accept what we can and cannot change and have the wisdom to know the difference" is to pray, prep, and mentally brace ourselves for the realities of a very unstable world.

Knowing this, understand the purpose is not to give alarm with no solution, it is to warn so that people might prepare.

M.C.

Mary08 wrote: hi Med, Please give a link for   Israel Pushed To Attack Iran Before Autumn 2008 A Potential World War

http://www.jonathanselby.com/Israel.html

comment: I found this on a search on a special engine I use. I probably should have included the standard disclaimers opinion, needs to be researched, etc. I am not connected to the site nor do I know the individual who posted it. One thing I wanted to do, but have not had time is to research and verify statements quoted by high profile individuals.  Having read the fiery rhetoric coming out of Israel and Iran, also having seen dozens of quotes from U.S. military and officials, I would say the data appears at first read to be fairly credible.  Look at the next article from Fox News.

MC

I liked that article a lot.

Loose lips still sink ships

 

Oct. 12, 2000 - A terrorist bomb damages the destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39.

Aug. 7, 1998 - Terrorist bombs destroy the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In Nairobi, 12 Americans are among the 291 killed, and over 5,000 are wounded, including 6 Americans. In Dar es Salaam, one U.S. citizen is wounded among the 10 killed and 77 injured.

In response, on August 20 the United States attacked targets in Afghanistan and Sudan with over 75 cruise missiles fired from Navy ships in the Arabian and Red seas. About 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from warships in the Arabian Sea. Most struck six separate targets in a camp near Khost, Afghanistan. Simultaneously, about 20 cruise missiles were fired from U.S. ships in the Red Sea striking a factory in Khartoum, Sudan, which was suspected of producing components for making chemical weapons.

June 21, 1998 - Rocket-propelled grenades explode near the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

July 27, 1996 - A pipe bomb explodes during the Olympic games in Atlanta, killing one person and wounding 111.

June 25, 1996 - A bomb aboard a fuel truck explodes outside a U.S. air force installation in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. 19 U.S. military personnel are killed in the Khubar Towers housing facility, and 515 are wounded, including 240 Americans.

Nov. 13, 1995 - A car-bomb in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia kills seven people, five of them American military and civilian advisers for National Guard training. The "Tigers of the Gulf," "Islamist Movement for Change," and "Fighting Advocates of God" claim responsibility.

April 19, 1995 - A car bomb destroys the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and wounding over 600.

February 1993 - A bomb in a van explodes in the underground parking garage in New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and wounding 1,042.

Dec. 21, 1988 - A bomb destroys Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. All 259 people aboard the Boeing 747 are killed including 189 Americans, as are 11 people on the ground.

April 1986 - An explosion damages a TWA flight as it prepares to land in Athens, Greece. Four people are killed when they are sucked out of the aircraft.

April 5, 1986 - A bomb destroys the LaBelle discotheque in West Berlin. The disco was known to be frequented by U.S. servicemen. The attack kills one American and one German woman and wounds 150, including 44 Americans

In response, on April 15 the United States retaliated in an operation dubbed ‘El Dorado Canyon.’ Approximately 100 aircraft were launched in direct support of the raid. It was an attack against military targets involving land-based bombers from Great Britain together with carrier-based air strikes from ships in the Gulf of Sidra.

December 1985 - Simultaneous suicide attacks are carried out against U.S. and Israeli check-in desks at Rome and Vienna international airports. 20 people are killed in the two attacks, including four terrorists.

November 1985 - Hijackers aboard an Egyptair flight kill one American. Egyptian commandos later storm the aircraft on the isle of Malta, and 60 people are killed.

October 1985 - Palestinian terrorists hijack the cruise liner Achille Lauro (in response to the Israeli attack on PLO headquarters in Tunisia) Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly, wheelchair-bound American, is killed and thrown overboard.

August 1985 - A car bomb at a U.S. military base in Frankfurt, Germany kills two and injures 20. A U.S. soldier murdered for his identity papers is found a day after the explosion.

June 1985 - A TWA airliner is hijacked over the Mediterranean, the start of a two-week hostage ordeal. The last 39 passengers are eventually released in Damascus after being held in various locations in Beirut.

June 1985 - In San Salvador, El Salvador, 13 people are killed in a machine gun attack at an outdoor café, including four U.S. Marines and two American businessmen.

April 1985 - A bomb explodes in a restaurant near a U.S. air base in Madrid, Spain, killing 18, all Spaniards, and wounding 82, including 15 Americans.

November 1984 - A bomb attack on the U.S. embassy in Bogota, Colombia kills a passer-by. The attack was preceded by death threats against U.S. officials by drug traffickers.

October 1983 - A suicide car bomb attack against the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut kills 241 servicemen. A simultaneous attack on a French base kills 58 paratroopers.

April 1983 - A suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Beirut kills 63, including 17 Americans.

 

Back on track -

While quickly snuffed out, the protests demonstrated Sebastopol's emergence as a flashpoint for tensions between Moscow and its former Soviet satellites in the wake of the Georgian conflict.

Mirage, the missile corvette that returned to Sebastopol, was involved in the only reported maritime action of the campaign. It sank a Georgian fast patrol boat that had probed within range of its guns.

Ukraine's president, Victor Yushchenko, condemned the use of vessels based in the Russian concession to provide back-up for its assault on Georgia over the disputed enclave of South Ossetia.

While Ukraine is powerless to stop Russian movements in Sebastopol, there was a brief stand-off as one of its ships moved to accompany the Mirage through the harbour.

Russia retained a strategic advantage on land as well as sea. Sebastopol and the wider Crimean peninsula are virtual Russian enclaves in Ukraine. The protest erupted at a point were tanned holidaymakers normally descend though an arch to the harbour boardwalk. But the strength of the pro-Russian forces, mobilised to show support for the Mirage, was hardly put to the test by the demonstrators.

Oleh Yatshenko, the organiser of the anti-Russian protest, displayed two small cuts on his arm, inflicted by pro-Moscow forces, who pushed their opponents away from the shore and ripped away banners. "What Russia did in Georgia was illegal," he said. "We are standing up for our country because they are doing the same thing here."

Most of Yatshenko's supporters had arrived from the Western Ukraine. The group carried banners reading, "Shame" and "Out of here!" Last week a Ukrainian presidential decree imposed new reporting restrictions for Russian naval craft moving through Ukrainian waters. The Ukrainian government has reiterated its determination not to renew Moscow's lease on the port when it is due for renewal in 2017.

Kiev has shown no signs of backing down despite a furious Russian reaction with Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko telling the Izvestia newspaper that its preparations for a withdrawal should have already started.

He said: "Russia should already now be preparing for the withdrawal of the fleet, which will take place in 2017. Such things do not happen in a day."

Russia criticised the dispatch of Nato vessels to the Black Sea to distribute humanitarian aid to Georgia. The deputy chief of the Russian military's general staff expressed doubts whether it is necessary to have NATO vessels in the Black Sea delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia.

"Now that the conflict is exhausted, there are NATO vessels," said Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said. "What for and with what aim?"

MC

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219913194872&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Israel will not allow Iran to attain nuclear capability and if time begins to run out, Jerusalem will not hesitate to take whatever means necessary to prevent Iran from achieving its nuclear goals, the government has recently decided in a special discussion.

So far, Israel has not received American authorization to use US-controlled Iraqi airspace, nor has the defense establishment been successful in securing the purchase of advanced US-made warplanes which could facilitate an Israeli strike.

The Americans have offered Israel permission to use a global early warning radar system, implying that the US is pushing Israel to settle for defensive measures only.

Meanwhile, the pan-Arabic Al Kuds al Arabi reported Friday that Iran had equipped Hizbullah with longer range missiles than those it possessed before the Second Lebanon War and had also improved the guerrilla group's targeting capabilities.

According to the report, which The Jerusalem Post could not verify independently, Hizbullah was planning a massive rocket onslaught on targets reaching deep into Israel's civilian underbelly in case Israel launches an attack on Iran.

AP contributed to this report

Medclinician

http://www.debka.com/index1.php

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219913200406&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219913194872&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8706091130

 

 

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is ready to share its nuclear technology with Nigeria to help the energy-starved west African powerhouse boost electricity generation, a senior Iranian official said.

LONDON, August 31 (IranMania) - The Dutch AIVD secret service has had an ultra-secret operation underway in Iran in recent years that was halted in connection with plans for a US attack on Iran, PressTV reported. 

The respected newspaper De Telegraaf reported Friday the "ultra-secret operation" had as its aim infiltration and sabotage of the weapons industry in the Islamic Republic.

"The operation, described as extremely successful, was halted recently in connection with plans for an impending US air attack on Iran. Along with this, targets would also be bombed which were connected with the Dutch espionage action," writes the Netherlands' biggest newspaper.

"One of the agents involved, who was able to infiltrate the Iranian industry under the supervision of the AIVD, was recently recalled because the US was thought to be making a decision within weeks to attack Iran with unmanned aircraft.

Among the potential targets were said to be not only nuclear plants, but also military installations that have been brought to light partly by the agency of the AIVD," according to the newspaper.

"Information from the AIVD operation has in recent years been shared with the American CIA secret service," the paper continued. "Various supplies could also be sabotaged and stopped. These were parts for missiles and launching equipment."

The article was written by Joost de Haas, known for his good contacts in the intelligence world. Earlier, he got hold of an AIVD report which suggested that corrupt powers within Dutch police corps supplied weapons to criminals to liquidate other criminals.

note: anything  that is posted Albert, that is too  security sensitive please delete.  This was on open  net.

Medclinician

source media for data

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Telegraaf

...........................

New Hizballah-Hamas pact extends anti-Israel missile range from Gaza

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

September 1, 2008, 10:28 AM (GMT+02:00)

The Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, Hizballah, has contracted to partner Hamas’ ongoing crash program using the month-old ceasefire with Israel to intensify combat training and arms procurement in preparation for war.