Independence Day is more than just an expression of an historic American desire to be independent from England. It is more than a separation of a colony from the home country. Independence from England was declared to end the abuse of government on the governed. It was a declaration of independence from an over-arching structure of feudal treatment. It was a radical idea in its time - a large “benevolent” government usurps the individual, God-given rights of men.

Our founding fathers did not espouse a large central government, they rejected one. Our founding fathers did not hold to the idea that government was a charitable organization dedicated to ensuring that everyone was happy. They presumed, correctly, that most would be happy if they were given equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness, in the equal administration of liberty, and a right to live without undue interference from government.

As we celebrate our God-given rights this day, let us not forget what our statement of Independence in 1776 was meant to reject. While times may have changed since then, the basis upon which we declared independence should not. If you keep that in mind, it will serve you well for the rest of your life.

Happy Independence Day and God bless you all.

As the Obama Change Frenzy - which America will know as the Chicago Express Pain Train if he is elected - spins up in the emotionally charged liberal psyche, a few things are sticking out of the liberal media zig-zag paper.

Zachary Roth is exemplifying one of them - when the media dictates the definitions of the words used to describe things, it is very difficult to discuss the issues without playing into their game.

Presidential races generally hinge on character issues - as Republicans understand. That’s why, the last two times out, the GOP has won the White House by hammering into voters’ minds the idea that the Democratic candidate embodies a particular negative quality. In 2000, Al Gore was depicted (with the help of a lazy and compliant press corps) as a serial exaggerator. Four years later, John Kerry was portrayed as a weak-willed flip-flopper. Ultimately, it was these personal caricatures, far more than any specific policy prescriptions, that doomed the Democrats.

Take the term “swiftboating” as an example. The media has coined this to define when someone is maligned unfairly. However, that was not what the Swift Boat Veterans did. They exposed the nature of John Kerry to exaggerate his role as a military leader based upon their eye-witness accounts of service with him. They refuted some of his tall tales and portrayals of himself as a strong leader.

So, now that the world is scrutinizing Senator Obama and Senator McCain, along comes Zachary Roth with a claim that the Republican Party is “swiftboating” Barak Obama. Let’s look at this on a couple of levels:

1) Just Senator Obama?

Assuming the liberal media definition for a moment, how could a journalist see only the “swiftboating” of Senator Obama? Have not democratic party operatives “swiftboated” John McCain with rumors of inappropriate behavior with a business contact? Have not democratic operatives recently attacked John McCain’s military service as insignificant and his being shot down as poor proficiency, and his being held prisoner as much ado about not much at all?

2) Criticism isn’t “Swiftboating”

By any definition, simply identifying concerning issues - especially when all indications point to their veracity -  about a person or his policy stances is not “swiftboating”. I know liberals like to put a label on everything, but your candidate has a total of 3 1/2 years of national political experience. He came from a background of political ultra-activist parents, political ultra-activist affiliations in youth, and is known for legislation which is considered by all respected sources as very liberal. He is running for the presidency of the United States of America - arguably the most powerful position on earth. People are going to criticize and scrutinize everything about him. If something troubling comes up, he has the option of addressing it or not - the fact that someone asked the question or posed the issue is not “maligning”. It is called vetting - something Senator Obama is doing to find a VP candidate.

3) “Swiftboating” or Vetting

The Swift Boat Veterans - who put their reputations and livelihoods on the line to do so - provided Americans with a view of John Kerry the nation would otherwise not have gotten. Many Americans who are sucked in by the Kumbaya Vision Thing of liberal policy were still forced to reject Senator Kerry because there was reasonable doubt about his veracity. You might not like a guy, but you have to feel that he is what he says he is. I understand that this is difficult in politics because politicians tend to believe they must boil the ocean to be accepted by everyone they need to get elected.

John McCain is going to have to work hard in this regard as well. I have been a vocal critic of Senator McCain’s policy stances on several issues. However, with McCain you have 20-odd years of track record. You know what his tendency is on a given policy. Barak Obama has 3 1/2 years of national political experience and has only been a member of a quorum at the state level. So, what do we have to go on with him? What he claims and what we have seen from his limited political record.

Bringing up Barak Obama’s inconsistencies in policy statements is vetting. Addressing the differences between who he says he is and who he’s affiliated himself with is vetting. Criticizing him for portions of his policies with disagree with is vetting.

To me, given the truth of what the Swift Boat Veterans were about, vetting and “swiftboating” are the same. The difference here is, the only person who has “swiftboated” Barak Obama is Reverend Jeremiah Wright. You see, Rev Wright knows Barak Obama and knows why Barak Obama spent 20 years in his church. You may not see this for what it is, but Revered Wright gave America a good look at the character of Barak Obama and even Revered Wright found that character wanting.

As Barak Obama executes an Olympic quality flip-flop on his Iraq policy should he become president, he is also planning his second ever trip to Iraq. I am sure my leftist friends and neighbors will be encouraged to know that even though the Obama website clearly states:

Judgment You Can Trust

As a candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, Obama put his political career on the line to oppose going to war in Iraq, and warned of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.” Obama has been a consistent, principled and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.

• In 2003 and 2004, he spoke out against the war on the campaign trail;
• In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops;
• In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq’s neighbors;
• In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.
• In September 2007, he laid out a detailed plan for how he will end the war as president.

Bringing Our Troops Home

Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

the good Senator is now making talk about withdrawing troops more slowly than he originally planned. However, that turns out and for whatever reason, it is curious to me that Senator Obama has thought of those troops so little that he has only visited once, in 2006, during his entire tenure in the Senate. In the mean time, Senator McCain has made more than 12 trips to Iraq.

Now, who do you think has seen more, and heard more, from those who are actually prosecuting the war?

In a recent book by al Qaeda’s chief theoretician, Sheik Abu-Bakar Naji, a new strategy needs to be applied in order to bring everyone into the submission of Islam. The basis of the change in strategy is simple - highly disparate terrorist acts by groups, cells, and individuals who are looking for a global change toward Islam. Jihad must be the means by which the operatives live without nationalist goals.

Amir Taheri writes:

NO one should feel safe without submitting to Islam, and those who refuse to submit must pay a high price. The Islam ist movement must aim to turn the world into a series of “wildernesses” where only those under jihadi rule enjoy security.

These are some of the ideas developed by al Qaeda’s chief theoretician, Sheik Abu-Bakar Naji, in his new book “Governance in the Wilderness” (Edarat al-Wahsh).

Middle East analysts think that the book may indicate a major change of strategy by the disparate groups that use al Qaeda as a brand name.

Taheri notes the psuedo-literary style used to convey Naji’s message and the chaos in the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire coincidental with the end of WWI.

NAJI claims that the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the abolition of the Islamic Caliphate in 1924 marked the start of “the most dangerous phase in history.” Those events put all Arab countries, the heartland of Islam, under domination by the “infidel”- who later continued to rule via native proxies.

This style of writing was popular for conveying the Islamic, pan-nationalist message in the 1940s-1960’s across the middle east - and while Egypt was seen as the preeminent master of Islamic jihad (which is no longer the case).

What Naji, presumably, will fail to mention in his book is that the fall of the Ottoman Empire was not precipitated by “Crusaders” or “Infidels”, but by Jihad. The nationalist and pan-nationalist aspirations of the various rulers within the Ottoman Empire and their willingness to embrace the infidel to acquire a modern army in order to project power in the region was the means for the destruction of the Ottoman Empire. Sounds a bit like AQ - or Iran for that matter - doesn’t it?

Jihad failed 100 years ago and it will fail again. The difference today is the Jihadi is not relegated to his own backyard.

Katrina vanden Heuvel writes for The Nation:

Mon Jun 30, 11:12 AM ET

The Nation — The essential and not surprising reality of 2008: The Republicans are desperate for a national security threat to rally their base. How else to explain McCain’s uber-adviser/ lobbyist/ Charlie Black’s “slip” about how a terrorist attack will help his candidate’s failing fortunes.

Now we have Sy Hersh, the reporter who has done more, singlehandedly, to expose the Administration’s drive to war–with Iran–than any congressional committee.

First of all, Charlie Black did not “slip” anything. He is quoted in a Fortune Magazine article as responding to a question from his interviewers if a terror attack would be advantageous to McCain and his response was a candid, “Certainly, it would be a big advantage to him.” It is disingenuous to pose this as a “slip”. It was an honest response to a dumb question. What Katrina vanden Drivel fails to manetion is John McCain’s response on the topic, quoted in none other than HuffPo.

What really inserts the drivel here is not the twisted truth, but the idea that Republicans need to create a security risk to secure the base. The Republican base is firmly aware of the security risk to the United States by Iran and North Korea. There is an historical basis for the concern about Iran that dates back to Jimmy Carter, if not before. There is an historical basis for concern about North Korea that dates back to 1953, where we still only have a truce - with no formal peace agreement - ending the hostilities of the Korean war. The DPRK is still firmly entrenched in the belief that they are at war with the US - most Americans don’t understand this, but the Republican base does.

Seymour Hersh - with help from CNN - is posing an idiocy. It is not that he might be wrong;it’s possible he’s actually correct. The issue is that this earth-shattering report is a) abnormal behavior and b) that it is somehow unwarranted.

The new article, “Preparing the Battlefield,” is the latest in a series of articles accusing the Bush administration of preparing for war with Iran.

He based the report on accounts from current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. Watch Hersh discuss what he says are the administration’s plans for Iran

“As usual with his quarterly pieces, we’ll decline to comment,” White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told CNN.

“The CIA, as a rule, does not comment on allegations regarding covert operations,” CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said.

Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, denied U.S. raids were being launched from Iraq, where American commanders believe Iran is stoking sectarian warfare and fomenting attacks on U.S. troops.

“I can tell you flatly that U.S. forces are not operating across the Iraqi border into Iran, in the south or anywhere else,” Crocker said.

Hersh said U.S. efforts were staged from Afghanistan, which also shares a border with Iran.

He said the program resulted in “a dramatic increase in kinetic events and chaos” inside Iran, including attacks by Kurdish separatists in the country’s north and a May attack on a mosque in Shiraz that killed 13 people.

The United States has said it is trying to isolate Iran diplomatically in order to get it to come clean about its nuclear ambitions. But Bush has said “all options” are open in dealing with the issue.

This is not rocket surgery being performed here and my take is that Seymour Hersh is proving his worth as an in-flight rocket mechanic.

The United States military establishment - heck ANY military establishment - is operated on a foundation of contingencies.

I am fairly sure we have a contingency plan being dusted off and textured with updated information and ideas for the invasion of Iran. I am also fairly sure we have a contingency plan covered in dust, buried in a safe somewhere, for the invasion of Burma - or China; maybe even Poland. Seymour Hersh probably knows this and also knows that the CIA, US Military, and White House are not going to comment on something like that. If they deny it, people think they are hiding something. If they say no comment, people think they are hiding something. So, the answer is no comment. It is the best the government gets in such a deal.

Additionally, The United States should have special operatives in Iran working with dissidents. We should be doing everything in our power to impact the social uprising that is just around the corner in Iran. Iran is a country with well over half of the population under the age of 40. They have no ingrained memory of the “great satan” years that galvanized the hardliners now running the country after the 1979 revo9lution. They do not remember the repressions of the Shah and his secret police. The need for the hardline government in Iran today is muddled. They want what everyone wants - peace, education for their kids, the ability to make a decent living, a few luxuries.

The idiocy of Seymour Hersh is in trying to appeal using demagoguery - and just whom do you suppose Seymour Hersh is trying to appeal to? Look to see who responds to this post or those like it and find out who they’re going to vote for.

Segment 1 - Monologue Segment

Welcome America to the Joel Gaines Show, where we dissect the issues from a common sense conservative perspective - no boiling the debate down to the bumper sticker rhetoric you get from the main stream media. The number here is 646-378-1249.

I am constantly reading and I am a big fan of historical works of all kinds. My father recently brought me a book about a relative of mine. The book is called: The First Saratoga – Being the Saga of John Young and His Sloop-of-war by William Bell Clark. Now, I have known for a long time, through research, that I had a seafaring great, great etc etc relative. However, the details of his life were not known to me. But get this, during revolutionary war, a ship was commissioned by the continental congress and it became the USS Saratoga. This ship’s captain – her only captain – was John Young and I am descended from John Young. There have been three – I think – USS Saratogas and I have been on the post-WWII one. I think they even sponsored a little league team I was on once. How, odd that is to me.

Ok – what’s up for today?

• John McCain is pushing for new measures on Auto-emission and threatening new sweeping legislation if auto-companies do not comply, while producing tax incentives for companies which do.
• Barak Obama attempts to reintroduce himself to voters (is the makeover happening)
• Who sponsored Barak Obama’s first public speech of the general election cycle?
• Communist Party USA endorses Barak Obama.
• Abrupt climate change history vs anthropologic global warming
• George Carlin

You know, I am one of those angry Republicans who thought John McCain was way too “Mavericky” to actually win the presidential nomination, let alone the white house. Yet, over the past several weeks, I have come to realize two things:

1) John McCain is an old-school politician. He’s an establishment guy with a lot of history in Congress. He is part of the game – part of the club. While I often rail against the political elite in this country, I also understand the reality of why it exists. John McCain is no amateur politician.

2) John McCain is – by far – the best bet this country has to ensure we remain secure from terrorism at home and he is going to make things happen – knowing full well he will piss off either one side or the other, while having it firmly fixed in his mind that he is doing what he does for both sides.

John McCain is not a “textbook” conservative. But neither was the man many consider a lion of conservatism - Teddy Roosevelt – especially after 1912, when he began the progressive movement in the Republican party while running against Taft. John McCain might equate himself as a Reagan Republican, but he reminds me more of the Bull Moose himself. I don’t know how Teddy Roosevelt would feel about my comparison, but he’s dead, so it really doesn’t matter, does it.

The moral of this story, kids, is simple. John McCain is pound for pound the best choice for America in 2008. He’s at least got a plan for most of the things he talks about and he definitely understands the historical context for some of the policies we have. Compare that to Mr Obama, who could use a subscription to the history channel and has not made a single definitive statement regarding policy in the 2 years he’s been running for President and the choice is pretty clear. So far, the only Change we’ve seen from Barak Obama is how he changes himself.

ON MUSIC – When we come back John McCain talks tough regarding vehicle emissions – what exactly is the deal? We’ll find out – after this.

Segment 2 –

While Barak Obama focuses on the unfairness of a skeptical America, John McCain talks policy. Now, Senator McCain has sipped from the global warming Kool-Aid vat, but it seems to have been just a sip. So, he’s announced that he will propose legislation requiring auto-makers to pursue more “earth-friendly” technologies and will offer incentives to those who do.

Senator McCain says America needs to get away from burning oil in its cars and if legislation is the impetus for that, so be it. I agree that it would be beneficial if we had an inexpensive, alternative fuel to run our cars, heavy construction machinery, military, farm machinery, etc. But let’s take a look at some realities here. Everything – including your wind turbines – require some form of oil to operate. Moving away from petroleum is not going to happen anytime soon. The entire world – including the global warming moguls – operates on fossil fuel. Without oil, everything comes to a complete halt. So, ridding ourselves of oil as a fuel source is not even on the horizon. It’s not on the horizon because there is no other form of energy that the world has come to a consensus on that we could move to. It’s not on the horizon because there is no source of power that is as widely adaptable for use as is oil. Even John McCain’s $350 million battery, if that ever comes to light, will not be able to be used as a lubricant in a tank, or a tractor, or a charging station for your electric car.

So, while we work on developing a technology that produces energy for commercial use, we have to ensure that we still have access to affordable fuel. Fuel directly translates to production. If people can’t get to work or can’t operate machines in manufacturing plants, or can’t harvest crops, everything stops. We get most of our oil from foreign sources – particularly middle-eastern sources, so our foreign policy has to be focused on securing the fuel we need. So the Boycott OPEC bumper sticker mentality has to go away. That solves nothing.

The answer to our short term problems is simple, but the impact is short term as well. We can reduce the price of a gallon of gasoline – depending on what state you live in – anywhere from $0.34 - $0.70 per gallon tomorrow. Believe me when I tell you this is absolutely possible – and we could probably keep these prices reduced for the next 4-5 years. We can cut the prices of gasoline at the pump tomorrow, if we feel so strongly about this issue.

Further we can reduce the per barrel cost of oil starting in about 7-8 years and the price would remain low for the next 25+ years. Now, if we can’t come up with an alternative fuel between NASA, the military, and our genius private sector here in America in 32-35 years, we never will.

So, I hear your minds clicking now – you’re wondering if this is some sort of trick. By what sleight of hand can we reduce the price of fuel tomorrow and then a few years down the road reduce the per barrel price of oil for 25 years? Right?

It’s so easy, you’ll laugh. Regardless of whether the price of gasoline is $1.75 per gallon or $4.75 per gallon, our government collects what they consider to be their just reward. Direct taxes on gasoline represents – after all the different kinds of taxes are considered – as much as $0.70 per gallon of gas. What your government has been telling you up to this point is how concerned they are that the price of fuel is causing you such pain and they are going to do something about that - - as long as they continue to get paid at the pump. The government is only concerned with your pain at the pump, if alleviating that pain does not cause the government any pain. So, cut those taxes out tomorrow and your fuel prices go down tomorrow.

Now, long term – starting about 8 years out – we need to do two things. These are the only two things that are going to bring the cost of fuel down permanently. There is a little place in the wilderness of Alaska and another place out in the ocean off the eastern seaboard that have a lot of oil under the ground. We begin building drilling platforms – and we design these operations, so we have as little impact as possible to the surrounding ecosystems. Not that we won’t impact the systems at all, but we do everything in our power – and government helps with this – to ensure we have as little impact as possible. Simultaneously, we build two new high-capacity refineries. Government does its level best to clear the way of any environmental or legal obstacles so the goal of having two new refineries built can be accomplished rapidly. Several years down the road – 7-10 by our best guess, we open up the taps. The supply of oil is dramatically increased and the growing demand for fuel is more easily met.

Thus ends the government’s part in increased fuel prices. Thus ends the speculation on what oil will cost 3 months from now. Thus ends the blight our economy is experiencing as the price of everything – including the price of the average employer to do business – goes up. This is a simple plan that presupposes one thing.

It presupposes that all Americans and all members of our government have a common goal – that goal being the welfare and success of Americans. If all Americans and all members of government share this goal, this plan I have laid out is not going to stretch by any means our ability to accomplish it.

Stay tuned America – we’ll have more to talk about as the Joel Gaines Show continues, right after this.

Segment 3

The makeover of Barak Obama has begun, America. It began with his very first general election ad. In this ad he purports to have been instrumental in passing legislation to extend health care for the troops. In his 3 ½ years in congress, tell me which piece of legislation Barak Obama passed or took significant part in that extends health care for the troops. The legislation the Obama campaign points to was House Resolution 4966 – which went into law in January 2008 in a 91-3 vote with 6 senators abstaining. Six senators did not vote on this legislation and one of them was Barak Obama – so how did he pass legislation to extend health care to wounded troops when the aforementioned legislation was not acted upon by this Senator? He is creating credentials from whole cloth and I will tell you why. Barak Obama, in 3/12 years as a United States senator, has not crafted a single piece of memorable legislation. He has no record to stand on and is known more for walking in and taking credit for the hard work of other lawmakers without any skin in the game. Barak Obama has nothing upon which to hang his shingle as a prospective president. He has done nothing in congress which anyone could point to to even back up his mantra of change. The extreme makeover – Obama edition is in full gear. He is taking credit for passing legislation that he did not sponsor, cosponsor, amend or even vote on. Is his reasoning that he would have voted on it, if he felt it was important enough to be present in congress for? Then why didn’t he just state in his ad that he believes the troops should get all the care they need – instead of saying he passed legislation? I’ll tell you why. Because when the weak man’s got nothing to offer and has bet everything he’s got, the weak man lies.

While we are on the topic of Barak Obama, Let’s take a look at who put on one of Obama’s very first general election campaign events.

Hat’s off to Gateway Pundit at gatewaypundit.blogspot.com for uncovering this. Barak Obama’s first major campaign speech of the general election was at Occidental College – one of his alma maters. The event was sponsored by an innocuous sounding group called Campaign for Economic Democracy. This group’s principal activists are members of Students for a Democratic Society – which is closely associated with some of the following names – let’s see if you can recognize them. Tom Hayden – an ultraleft activist, Bernadine Dohrn – one of the weatherman underground terrorists, Bill Ayers- another one of the weatherman group, Robert Avakian – the chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA, and a number of other left-wing activists from every era since the 1960s. Tom Hayden was actually the leader of the group that spawned the Weatherman Underground – If you’ll remember; this group organized the 1969 Chicago riots that lasted more than 3 days. 1970 planning to bomb Army officer’s dance at Ft. Dix NJ – a premature explosion in their safe house foiled that plot. In June of 1970, these nutbags bombed a NYPD police station and a womens bathroom in the pentagon. This is the base of Barak Obama- this is his support system.

Going a little further down this path, If you think this is just a coincidental thing. Let’s look at another group that finds Barak Obama quite acceptable. Here is a quote:

When Barack Obama surpassed the 2,118 delegates required for nomination, his unity appeal and outreach to Clinton supporters deeply touched the country and was greeted around the world.
Unity — especially unity of African American, Latino and white voters, women and men — will have to be fought for and forged anew, broadened out and deepened in this new phase of the battle to defeat McCain and the corporate ultra-right in Congress.
The choice is clear — stay with the Bush-McCain race to the bottom or come together and raise up the whole country with a landslide defeat of the Republican ultra-right.

That is from none other than Joelle Fishman –who chairs the Communist Party USA Political Action Commission and is also chair of the Connecticut Communist Party.

I was always taught that you judge a fellow by his actions and by the friends that he keeps. From Rev Wright to Bill Ayers to the Communist Party USA, Barak Obama’s friends are not the kind of people we want influencing the President of the United States.

Next up, America – . Stick around for more of the Joel Gaines Show.

Segment 4

Climate Changes – just like you know what happens – neither is being debated. There are two questions we are trying to answer.

1) Is climate change human caused or simply a part of the natural order of our earth?

2) Regardless of weather it is human caused or not, is there anything we can do about it?

Now, I want to look at this as a purely abstract thing for a second. Looking back through history, humans have not had a lot of luck controlling nature. There was that whole 40-days and 40 nights things a while back. More recently, we’ve seen a tsunami or two, some hurricanes which overwhelmed our ability to prevent damage to a city down south. More recently, there is this big flood that apparently nobody anticipated and that has caused a lot of problems for the people along the Mississippi river. I probably missed a couple of things over the past 5,000 years or so, but the idea I am posing here is that maybe our approach to this whole thing is a bit arrogant. Perhaps everything that happens TO the earth is not necessarily because of something happening ON the earth. Whether you are a Druid or a Christian, there is something to be said about a bit of reflection in this direction. Maybe, we have gotten a little too big for our britches.

The debate about whether warming causes CO2 or CO2 causes warming is inconclusive. The debate about the state of polar ice and its impact on warming or cooling is inconclusive. The climate models stink and the investigation of climate change – at least as far as those who are claiming to be a part of this grand scientific consensus – is presupposed that our global warming or global cooling trend on any given 10 year cycle of your choice is un-natural. Then we take it a step further to suppose we can actually DO something about it.

I think 99% of the people screaming about climate change are crooks or morons. I think most of them are arrogant knuckleheads trying to remove you from your money. I’ll bet there are a lot of guys from my side of the aisle who feel the same way. We’re tired of the hand wringing, fear mongering ploys to remove us from more of our hard-earned cash. It’s like a lot of animal activists and I know a couple – they would save a drowning puppy before a drowning kid. These climate activists think they can save the earth at the expense of the human inhabitants – and this is simply a means of extending their socialist worldview into enough fear to become an impetus for their otherwise pathetic cause.

I look at Al Gore – a guy who HAD to be the President to have any meaning in his life. He talks about it even today – he was robbed he says. Well, he has found his place. He has found a means to be – in some ways – even more powerful that the President. Do you think for a minute I am going to believe a guy who has 300 million tied up in “Green” industry? Do you think for a minute that I trust him any more than a communist trusts a big oil CEO? Especially when one of his espoused ploys is a carbon offset? Carbon Offsets are a stupid tax. If you are stupid enough to buy a carbon offset for your car, house or website – and especially if you listen to this show – I want to know about it. Because that, my friends, is going right into my media kit for potential advertisers. There will be a line in there in bold lettering that says, “These people buy carbon offsets – they are certain to buy whatever you are selling.” If you have recently bought a carbon credit, you need to email me at joel-gaines-@-aol-.-com because I have an anti-carbon credit that I can sell you to bring you back into balance. You can pay me via paypal or starbucks gift cards. Here is how I do this. I will put every dollar you send me – or the equivalent in the case you send me a starbucks gift – into the tank of my Dodge 3500 V10 Dually and I will drive the appropriate number of miles to buy a cappuccino. I don’t drive this truck very often because it is primarily a towing vehicle for my toys. However, it does need to be run from time to time and this is a chance to get yourself right with the world again.

Listen, fear is the greatest marketing tool known to man. If you can be made afraid of something you can’t see – something lurking out there in the minds of a few scientists and entrepreneurs – and be made to fear it enough to part with your dough, there is always someone who will use that against you – In this country, the only thing you need to be afraid of, is those who want you to give them something for nothing – I don’t think the listeners of this show are that gullible - so it is with that in mind that I say to you. God bless you and God bless America.

I don’t know Dan Caine, but God Bless him, he’s on his way home from Iraq. I am inspired by his words and encouraged that he will bring home experience and a mindset that our future depends on.

God Bless all of you who are serving to protect our nation.

Final pool report / Climbing out of Balad - Southbound.
It is surreal as I sit on an airplane headed for the United States and home,
writing and thinking about what to say in this final OIF pool report… we
just flew over Baquba Iraq where we had some big fights… and some bigger
losses… I’m looking forward to no dust for awhile.  I’m drinking a
beer.  It’s a Bud, and it tastes great.    As I reflect on the last months,
in some ways time has gone very fast… and
in other ways time has stood still… I am amazed at the work we did.  There
is a reason we have “shorter” deployments – our pace is incredible.  That
said, I am very thankful that I’m not here for 15 months and I have
tremendous respect and appreciation for those folks that are here for the
long haul.
My departure was somewhat hasty and quick as they almost always are.  When
you finally push home, your final hours are filled with cleaning weapons,
equipment, packing, closing out targets, and saying goodbye to those
teammates who have become part of the fabric of your life.. As always, I
made some life long friends and met people who I have endless respect for.
I first want to thank each and every one of you for your support.  There are
not enough words to express what it has meant to me personally and to my
teammates… From Mom’s cookies, tons of care packages, the writing project
from a school in NY, letters, emails, videos, cards, support from total
strangers who cared enough about us to take the time to write or send a
package or simply to tell us that you care about us and support us - they
have all been amazing.  You all have been there for us and there are not
enough words to say thank you.  We are all extraordinarily humbled.
Many of you have asked me “what’s it like”.  There is nothing in the world
like combat, on the air or ground.  You feel a mix of excitement, anxiety,
fear, anticipation, and for me a sense of  appreciation for the opportunity
to be be here.  For most of us there will always be a feeling that if there
is a fight, we want to be there, at the door, on the objective, on the
mission -  especially when fighting an enemy as brutal as this one.  When
you are amongst these quiet professionals, there is no place in the world
you would rather be then sitting right beside your team -  in a loud,
completely jam packed, pitch black helicopter or in the cockpit of a fighter
alongside these great human beings.  It is an incredible honor to serve in
any capacity here.. It is also one of the most intense adrenaline rushes you
will ever experience,  I assure you.  When you are on the target you are hyper
focused.  You catch a thousand
little things that you never would have noticed otherwise had you not been
where you are.. A plastic bag by the wall, a pile of trash that looks
suspicious, a dog that is barking just a little different then the others, a
disturbance in the dirt in front of you…  you miss nothing… every one of
your senses is in overdrive and unfortunately no matter how careful we are
sometimes things still don’t go our way.  What consistently awed me was the
power of the human and the warrior spirit.  A person can overcome most
anything if they have the will and drive to push through it.  The most vivid
example is the strength of the young men who are first through the door…
They have no idea of what waits on the other side, and more often then not
it was the enemy… armed… ready… and still without a moment of hesitation
they assault.  That’s the American Spirit.
This was an incredibly costly trip.  In the end we lost 12 great men during
my time there.  They all died fighting for what they believed to their core
- that every human being deserves Freedom and a life free from the threat of
terrorism.  Our Nation and our closest allies have always paid an incredible
price for Freedom and we do so willingly… we do it so that the Iraqi people
will have a chance at something that often citizens in America take for
granted - the right to choose… to have a vote… to participate… to
contribute.  My sincere hope is that the Iraqi people realize what
incredible sacrifices our Nation and our allies have made for them.  I
especially hope someday the Iraqi people appreciate those that have given
everything and the families and loved ones who have been left behind and
have lost so much.   And just in case you were wondering… we are crushing
the enemy and we are winning in Iraq.
You learn a lot while deployed… about yourself, about others.  Some of
these lessons, anecdotes, and experiences are mine; the others I had the
honor to observe first hand.  Some are just funny stories. 

* Nothing can match a positive attitude.  Every day you walk out your
“hooch” door, remember that those around you will feed off your attitude
about things.  Be positive. 

* American and our allies are the greatest warriors on earth.  We never give
up, and if you hurt us, watch out.  We will find you no matter how long it
takes, or where you hide.

* Young soldiers are still just young kids… but.. for Christ’s sake… they
need to sleep more.. for themselves.. and for me!!!  How these guys can stay
up all night, then go to the gym, then “hang out” or go to the pool is
beyond me. (Apparently there was a pool)

* The Mail Factor – nothing would make my teammates or me happier then when
we got an email, letter or package from home – especially if it was a
package big enough to share, and they all were.  It made everyone’s day and
my package ratio was off the scale compared to everyone else.   * Red Bull is
a combat enabler.  It can literally change in minutes a young
persons outlook on an entire day or night.  One note of caution - do not
allow 19yr olds to drink two in a row.  They will quickly resemble a well
hit golf ball in a tile bathroom.

* When a child laughs there is no language barrier.  Nor is there one when a
Mother wails.  * Peanut and plain M&M’s can prevent the spread of terrorism. 
Nothing makes a child smile more like M&M’s that melt in your mouth but not in
your hand.  Sometimes they really needed a smile while we were there.

* The “slinky” is an amazing piece of gear.  A human being cannot walk past
a “slinky” with out picking it up and playing with it.  It was a great
conversation starter that inevitably helped me understand how the guys were
doing.

* Accept the fact that others may not share our values or culture.  Strive
to understand where the other person is coming from.  While you cannot force
someone to think as you do, climb in their mind and understand what and how
they think.   You will be twice as effective.

* Combat Medics are extraordinary human beings.  In one person, you have a
Mom, Dad and Doc and brother all rolled into one, who often looks as if he
is 50.  Watch them closely if your team takes a hit.  It will hit them the
hardest when they loose someone.

* The eyes tell all.  When someone is dying, there is no doubt about it.

* When a person washes from his hands the blood of a friend for the last
time it is an incredibly hard, painful, and very personal experience… you
linger with your hands in the hot water, watching the blood thin, fall from
your hands, and then wash down the drain… you just keep washing your hands
for much longer then you normally would.. focusing.. and remembering…  *
There is always time.  Grabbing a cup of coffee only takes a few minutes,
and the return on the investment you make in a friend or teammate is
immeasurable.  * If you make the decision to attack, hit hard and hold nothing
back.   Don’t save ammo… there is plenty of that.

* Don’t freak out and dwell on it but remember not to take life for granted.
Those words or moments you share with a person may be your last.  Be
gracious.

* No plan survives first contact with the enemy.  The other side has a vote
– plan for backups and backups to your backups.   Success is all about
covering down on contingencies.

* Getting shot at stinks.  Getting shot in something you are not flying in
stinks more. Getting shot at and not being able to shoot back is an
incredibly frustrating experience.

* Keep your mouth closed… especially when exiting or waiting to board a
helicopter in the middle of a desert.  This applies to life as well.  Keep
your mouth shut and listen first, and when you do listen, listen to
understand, not just hear.

* Never underestimate the power of good leadership.  Have confidence in
those below you.  Dynamic leadership is having the ability, even in combat,
to sit back and let the “real” talent lead.  Get out of the way and be
amazed by the results your team will have.   That said, set your personal
limits, and when they are exceeded get in there and lead.  Lives will depend
on it.

* Always think big - inspire

* Don’t wait -  do it now.

* The words “HI DADDY, WHATCHADOING?” yelled by a 2yr old little girl who
thinks she needs to shout all the way to Iraq so you can hear her on the
phone does miracles for one’s spirits on a crappy day.

* Variety really is the spice of life.  I wish KBR food services knew or
understood this timeless proverb.     * Don’t chinch on gear.  Buy the best
especially if your life depends on
it.  * I don’t like gravel

* Carry more “weapons” then your adversary.  This applies in combat,
leadership, and business.

* The power of laughter is amazing.  It can ease stress, heal wounds, and
change lives. Laugh at yourself in front of others.  It will always make
them feel better and be more comfortable around you as a leader.  At the
same time, don’t be a jackass.  Your team has to respect you and when it’s
time to be serious, be very serious.

* Calm and composure under fire is not optional.  Always take a moment,
pause, and remember that your teammates need you to lead under fire.  Always
be a pure act.

* Results is all that matters in combat, and in business.  Everything else
is rubbish.  If things go bad, figure out why and fix it – now.

* Lastly, never ever forget.. Mike, Nate, Chris, Miguel, John, Tim, Luis,
Nick, Dave, Chris, Tom, and B.  The oldest was 33, the youngest a 21 year
old newlywed.

As I close this final pool report it is 8:15PM in Iraq.  Throughout the
sweltering daylight hours hard working dedicated analysts, staff, and
mechanics have worked to develop targets, load jets, fix helicopters and get
equipment ready for that nights missions…  As the sun descends below the
horizon, a dedicated group of professionals begin to don their gear, load
and ready their weapons, climb into jets, or move to the helo’s for that
night’s targets.  They are from all over our country, and some of our
closest allies… some are old, most middle aged, and some so incredibly young
and inexperienced that they cannot even legally drink… Yet every night they
dig deep, time and time again to go back out there into the pitch-black
night to find the terrorists before they can attack us here at home or the
innocent Iraqi people.  The courage and conviction of our Nation and the
hope of the Iraqi people rests on their shoulders…  and they never let them
down.  I will think of them often when I see the sun set.. and I will always
say a quick prayer for their safety…  I hope you will occasionally take a
moment and join me.
On behalf of all of us, and in particular me, thank you all again for the
unbelievable and thoughtful support.  You all are the best.
With sincere appreciation,
Dan

Wake up - stop complaining about the war and start helping those who are fighting it.

Today, Move America Forward is hosting a huge drive to send more than $500,000 worth of care packages to the troops overseas. You can help with this effort.A lot of things are going to be happening today.

There will be a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon (”From the Frontlines”) on June 26th (from 4:00pm - Midnight - Eastern). This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan & Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event. We are also deeply honored that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has also signed on to support the “Candy Diplomacy” portion of this effort!

CLICK HERE for complete details regarding the “From the Frontlines” 8-hour telethon that takes place on June 26th.

If you have been paying attention, I told you this was going to happen. Hillary dropped out of the race after having made a deal with Barak Obama. Her being the VP was not on the table, but there is no way Hillary is going to stand for a 12+ million dollar personal debt on behalf of her campaign.

The deal was for Barak Obama to support Hillary in recouping her loss - monetary that is - in exchange for her graceful exit from the race and campaigning with him.

Check it out.