F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets of the US Air Force 64th Aggressor Squadron soar over Nevada. Find the Aggressor tee-shirt at The Military Chest.

Coalition air forces in Iraq unleashed a new precision guided weapon against anti-Iraqi forces Aug. 12 when two F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots with the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Balad (Iraq) executed the first-ever combat employment a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition against a moving enemy vehicle in Diyala Province. 

The GBU-54 is the U.S. Air Force's newest 500-pound precision weapon, equipped with a special targeting system that uses a combination of GPS and laser guidance to accurately engage and destroy moving targets. 

"This employment first represents a great step in our Air Force's ability to deliver precise effects across the spectrum of combat," said Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central and U.S. Central Command Combined Force Air Component Commander. "The first combat employment of this weapon is the validation of the exacting hard work of an entire team of professionals who developed, tested and fielded this weapon on an extremely short timeline, based on an urgent needs request we established in the combat zone." 

"We have consistently used precision-guided weapons to engage stationary threats with superb combat effects," said Brig. Gen. Brian Bishop, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "This weapon allows our combat pilots to engage a broad range of moving targets with dramatically increased capabilities and it increases our ability to strike the enemy throughout a much, much broader engagement envelope." 

The joint terminal attack controller who called in the airstrike is part of a military transition team supporting Iraqi army operations in Diyala, said Marine Maj. Robert Washington, 1st Iraqi Army Division MiTT fires adviser. 

"From my perspective as an artilleryman, being able to hit a moving ground target is a great advantage -- especially with insurgents using vehicles to escape quickly once they're identified," said Major Washington, who manages all aspects of fire support for the 1st IA Division MiTT, including artillery, mortars and air support. "Any improvement we can get is a big one." 

The pilots who employed the GBU-54 are captains deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. They have flown a combined 1,360 hours in F-16s with more than 400 combined combat hours. Their identities were withheld for operational security reasons. 

Both pilots have to work together closely to successfully employ the GBU-54.
"It's a complicated weapon to employ: it takes two people backing each other up and making sure the weapon is employed properly," one of the pilots said. 

Both considered the historic significance of their successful mission. 

"I thought it was a really rewarding part of being history, in a sense, when you consider the evolution of precision guided weapons," the second pilot said. 

That evolution has allowed the Air Force to employ weapons proportionately to the enemy threat, said Col. Michael Fantini, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group commander. 

"Precision's a big deal," he said. "In World War II, it took a lot of bombs to take out a target due to (low) accuracy. If I don't have accuracy, I need more bombs. 

"Now, the fact that we can nearly always put one weapon against one target means we need less ordnance to destroy a target and less air power to put against a threat to achieve a desired effect," he said. "That translates to less exposure to the threat environment and a higher probability of killing targets." It also minimizes collateral damage, a critical consideration in winning the peace. 

Teamwork in all aspects from development to the actual weapon employment was crucial, General North said. 

"Teamwork was the name of the game to accomplish this," he said. "From the experts in our Air Force Materiel Command who shaped our requirements, then developed, tested and fielded the weapon, to our aircraft maintainers, our munitions Airmen, and weapons loaders ... and everyone in between ... they made the operational employment of this weapon possible. 

"At endgame, on Aug. 12, the team of the U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controller, alongside his ground unit commander in this event, ensured all criteria were met for the first combat delivery of the LJDAM. And finally, our F-16 pilot accurately and precisely delivered and guided the weapon to desired weapons effects, the disabling and destruction of an enemy vehicle and personnel," he said. 

Development of the weapon began in January 2007 as an urgent operational need request, said Lt. Col. David Lujan, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group deputy commander. Colonel Lujan was the program management officer for the GBU-54's development while commanding the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla. The 86th FWS tests precision guided munitions for the Air Force. 

"Around 2006, warfighters started to ask us for better capabilities against movers," said Colonel Lujan, who is deployed from Luke AFB, Ariz. "Boeing came up with the idea of putting the laser kit on the GBU-38, and we pitched it to the Air Force under an urgent operational need request." 

The Air Force made the 86th FWS' request a top priority, moving the GBU-54 through the development and testing cycle in less than 17 months, fielding the bombs aboard 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing F-16s in May.

Don Branum

It was 2am when the aerial bombardment started. Ahmed described to me, in an interview in the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) office in Kandahar, how he and has family huddled together behind a wall. “We said that if we were going to die, we would die together.” The bombing by ISAF troops continued for two hours. Nine of Ahmed’s neighbors died and eleven civilians were injured, including three of Ahmed’s family members: his mother and his two brothers.

When the bombing finally ended, Ahmed grabbed his family members, found a bus and sent them to Kandahar city. He and his neighbors then tried to get the badly injured and dying to a hospital. In one of the houses, five family members were dead. The head of this household pulled his son from the rubble. His son was crying, saying “I’m cold, I’m so cold.” Ahmed found a blanket and put it over the boy, but he died not long afterwards.

The coalition troops had been told that the Taliban were hiding in Ahmed’s village. This is why the bombing had targeted near these civilian homes. But Ahmed told me that when the land troops came after the air strike, they found no Taliban and only civilians. The foreign troops therefore promised to compensate Ahmed and his neighbors. But they said that they would pay only for the dead and not for the livestock and land that had been lost.

In this case, the ISAF troops did compensate the civilians who were injured and who had lost family members. They also officially apologized for their mistake. Ahmed, however, does not feel that enough has been done to help the civilians who were wrongfully targeted, particularly because no compensation was given for the loss of land and livestock. He told me that many of the villagers were forced to come to Kandahar City to try to find work because “they don’t have the money to rebuild their homes after all the destruction that happened in the air strike. Now they are in Kandahar City and they cannot find work. So they are starving. And these people – and my own family – we cannot find help from anyone.”

Ahmed’s family is only managing to survive because his son went to work in Iran and sends money home to the family. Ahmed wishes he could return to his village to start farming his land again. But the security situation is too risky. So he and his neighbors remain trapped in Kandahar, too scared to return home but barely able to survive in a city where jobs are scarce and the cost of living is high.

This will change not only the length of Powerful Peace postings, but also the frequency. (It's amazing what one can learn just from scanning good blogs.) I will intend to provide more entries, more often.

It's up to the reader to determine whether that's a positive or a negative.

In our SEAL training, a common phrase heard was, "The only easy day was yesterday". If you know anything about the incredible rigors of the course that turns sailors into SEALs, you understand that this phrase is an example of grim humor.

(Brief aside, here, for entertainment purposes: I called my family when I finished Hell Week, the period of five days during which we run, jump, swim, and carry heavy things around - do pretty much anything active, in fact...except sleep. Apparently I should have waited a couple of days to call. The sound of the tattered remnants of my voice - more like a death rattle - was very upsetting to those of a more sensitive nature.)

"The only easy day was yesterday" is not just funny in SEAL training, it's true - relatively speaking. Each day we'd rise, knowing how very difficult the day before had been...and that it had in fact been easy, compared to what today would bring.

Powerful Peace is similar. As Sheri wrote in a comment after the last piece, "In my book the soft road takes A LOT more courage and strength...." I agree. Mother Teresa springs to mind. (That was a link, by the way - P2's going high-tech.) She demonstrated unbreakable conviction to caring for people in need. She probably suffered incredible hardship over her decades of service in the stench of the trench. Her "soft road" was hard.

On the other hand, I believe that the hard road can be soft. I have witnessed very self-satisfied individuals who display no sense of caring for strangers, and who appear to possess a general disregard for others' feelings. Life with this sense of entitlement seems to be quite comfortable, and fairly trouble-free.

As soon as I lean toward this criticism, however, I am reminded of my own tendency to judge those who differ from me. Maybe one is self-interested because he learned it and cannot know otherwise. Maybe he is bigoted and insecure because his father was bigoted and insecure. Who knows which moments, out of the millions of moments in each person's life, carry the greatest weight and most influence his worldview?

It's helpful to me, when I begin to indulge in self-righteous condemnation, to keep in mind the factors that might lie behind a person's unpleasant way of behaving. For instance, I know that day is called "day" because I was taught so by people who had learned it from people before them. The same is true in prejudice. Someone may dislike white people because they were taught so by others who were taught so. Where does the chain of blame and judging end?

It ends at another facet of the Jewel of Powerful Peace: Accountability. Since I know that my perspective is somewhat flawed, and I know that my brother's perspective is somewhat flawed, it benefits no one for me to try and force my belief on him. If I truly believe in my way (serving in the slums of India, for example), I simply act in that belief. Maybe my deeds, rather than my demands, will soften a hard spirit and gain an ally.

Two caveats: firstly, I know that it was blatantly self-serving to slip a photo of Jewel into a paragraph that has nothing to do with her. I can't help it. She's my favorite female singer, followed by Sezen Aksu.

Secondly, I should acknowledge that this was in fact not a brief post, but I would argue that the introduction about SEAL things took a lot of space.

I'll try to do better next time.

Just bombs?  Don't tell me bombs don't matter!

By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Militants used rockets and a bomb to attack the family home of a lawmaker in Pakistan's volatile northwest early Monday, killing eight people including the politician's brother, police said.

Meanwhile, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced a ban on the country's umbrella Taliban group, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The militants targeted the Swat Valley residence of provincial lawmaker Waqar Ahmed Khan of the ruling Awami National Party. Khan said his brother, two nephews and several guards died in the attack on the compound, which belongs to him and his extended family.

Pakistan's Taliban movement has claimed responsibility for a handful of devastating suicide bombings in recent days, calling them revenge for military offensives in Swat, once a tourist destination, and the northwest Bajur tribal region.

A peace deal struck between provincial lawmakers and militants in Swat appears to be in tatters amid ongoing fighting.

The military operations come as the country's ruling coalition appears on the brink of collapse, raising concerns in Washington about the government's ability to stay focused on eradicating militants on its borders.

The U.S. worries that pockets of Pakistan's northwest have become safe zones for militants who plan attacks on American and NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Several rockets were used and the militants set on fire the bungalow at the Khan family's sprawling residence in the valley's Shah Dheri area before leaving, police officer Saifur Rehman said. He said eight people were killed.

Rehman Malik, the head of the federal Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press on Monday that the government had decided to ban the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080825/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_
violence;_ylt=As_1dVtmYzeD4Yqlj.2jp4as0NUE

"Sports figures symbolize the possibilities of excellence for all of us - and at the level of the champion, they represent mastery.

"High states of consciousness are also frequently experienced by athletes.... This phenomenon is commonly described in terms of pushing oneself to the point where one suddenly breaks through a performance barrier and the activity becomes effortless; the body then seems to move with grace and ease of its own accord, as though animated by some invisible force.

"It's notable that this transcendence of the personal self and surrender to the very essence or spirit of life often occurs at a point just beyond the apparent limit of the athlete's ability. The seeming barrier is predicated by the paradigm of one's own past accomplishments or of what has been recognized as theoretically possible. Take, for instance, the historic "four-minute mile": Until Roger Bannister tore down that barrier, it was universally accepted that it wasn't humanly possible to run any faster; Bannister's greatness wasn't just in breaking the record, but in breaking through that paradigm to a new model of human possibility. This breakthrough to new levels of potential has correspondences in every field of human endeavor; in many diverse enterprises, those who have achieved greatness have given parallel accounts of the circumstances surrounding their accomplishments."

[P2: Powerful Peace proclaims a higher plane of Understanding upon which we can directly impact human conflict, including terrorism. This requires the "transcendence of the personal self and surrender to the very essence or spirit of life" referenced above.

It is so damn hard to find the willingness to consider our enemy's waywardness instead of his evil; yet until we bite that bullet and embrace that painful obligation, we remain trapped in a spiral of vain belief that destroying the enemy will ultimately result in peace...unless, that is, we recognize that the true enemy is dis-ease of the heart, mind and soul.]

"The most highly developed martial arts clearly demonstrate how motive and principle are of ultimate importance in extraordinary athletic achievement.... Schools devoted to these arts produce masters whose overriding concern is victory of the higher self over the lower through control, training, and commitment to goals aligned with true power.

"Athletes in the traditional martial arts employ specific exercises to overcome any tendency toward egotism. The dedication of one's skill, performance, or career to a higher principle provides the only absolute protection."

[P2: I'm called "jujutsu-ka", because I practice traditional Japanese jujutsu. My black belt is in this destructive art, characterized by its "gentle" redirection of energy and non-linear movements. I have also studied aikido, and my spirit recognizes the profound validity of that art.

The founder of aikido, honored as O-Sensei (Great Teacher) by practitioners of many different martial arts systems, became a great jujutsu-ka during the first few decades of his life. In the wisdom of his later years, he developed (or evolved) aikido from this foundation. He would explain that the highest goal of the art was to protect against the aggression of an attacker...to protect the attacker from the aggression of the attacker.]

"True athletic power is characterized by grace, sensitivity, inner quiet, and paradoxically, gentleness in the noncompetitive lives of even fierce competitors.

"The Olympic spirit resides within the heart of every man and woman.... The nurturing of excellence and recognition of its value in any area of human endeavor inspires us all toward the actualization of every form of man's yet unrealized greatness."

[P2: We can begin to explore additional routes to undermine terrorism (such as growing and practicing Powerful Peace) while engaged with all the current means (bullets, rockets, and spy satellites) at our disposal. Our race will not be free from hate and fighting while we sit on this rock together, but it is possible to sit together better.

At one point in America, when the Civil Rights movement was in its heyday, the idea was rejected by some who would lose their privilege, and by others who simply thought it unrealistic. At one point, the idea of an integrated society seemed like fantasy.

Today, the concept of fighting terrorism with compassion and an intense desire to understand seems like a fantasy to many....

There is a terrific story by one of O-Sensei's first Western students that sums up the "paradigm shift" of discovering an enemy's motives as human pain and fear. Remind me to tell that story one day.]

Tomahawk Blue

"Tomahawk Blue" is an artist enhanced image of a Tomahawk cruise missile destroying a missile range ground target. You can own "Tomahawk Blue" and other spectacular military aviation images as calendar prints, posters, and framed art prints. Visit our PatriArt Gallery for details.

An MQ-9 Reaper dropped a 500-pound bomb against an anti-Iraqi target Aug. 16 in one of the first weapons engagements for the unmanned aircraft system.

The Reaper began flying combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom July 18 and joined the MQ-1 Predator as another UAS patrolling the sky to protect coalition forces.
 
The successful airstrike, which destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, demonstrates the persistent strike capability that the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing provides commanders on the ground, said Brig. Gen. Brian T. Bishop, the 332nd AEW commander.

"We are here to integrate airpower into joint operations in Iraq, and ensuring we make the most of our unmanned-aerial-system capabilities is just one of many ways we do that," General Bishop said. "With our ability to provide persistent stare and persistent strike, we provide a clear battlefield assessment and quick responses to commanders when they need it."

During an overwatch mission over southeast Iraq, Reaper operators from the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron at Joint Base Balad discovered a suspicious vehicle. The Airmen immediately relayed the information to personnel in a local ground unit, said Lt. Col. Micah Morgan, the 46th ERAS commander. After the suspicious vehicle was confirmed to be a VBIED -- a variant of the No. 1 killer of Americans on the battlefield -- a joint terminal attack controller cleared the Reaper to employ a GBU-12 laser-guided weapon against the vehicle.

"This was a great example of the Reaper's unique capabilities," Colonel Morgan said. "We searched for, found, fixed, targeted and destroyed a target with just one aircraft."

Unmanned aircraft system aircrews' fusion of the warfighting domains of air, space and cyberspace enables them uniquely to share critical information with JTACs and other command and control elements, ensuring that they hit the right target, Colonel Morgan said.

"We go to great lengths to avoid unnecessary damage, and the Reaper's unique capabilities allow it to play a key role in our highly disciplined targeting process," he said. 

The 46th ERAS flies both Reaper and Predators. Its aircrews directly control all Reaper operations in Iraq and provide launch and recovery for Predator operations. During UAS missions, they can communicate with critical partners worldwide using a mix of radio, telephone and secure Internet systems. 

Don Branum (AFPN)

We honor a fallen comrade. Hundreds of strangers converge from all corners of our little camp. America the Beautiful plays quietly, reverently, as members from all services, agencies, and companies walk up, one by one, and file into clean ranks.

Now that we finally stand silently at the appointed time, our chaplain takes the podium in his uniform and camouflage-patterned stole, bringing our attention to God's sovereignty over this solemn occasion. He speaks of a family's loss and a hero's honor.

In the adjacent Iraqi town outside the base, a mother and father clutch at each other and weep bitterly. They can not know yet whether their three-year-old daughter will survive the shrapnel wounds torn deep into her abdomen, thigh, and scalp. They know they are fortunate just to have a doctor's attention; that he lacks anesthesia is a cost of being born here.

Our commander now takes the microphone. He praises the selflessness of this man who had gone forward time and again into harm's way. He has lost many brothers before; he bears the pain with practiced stoicism. He praises the courage of a good man whose wife and child will never again know daddy's embrace.

This wife and child have been notified of their devastating loss, of course. An irreplaceable piece of their own souls died on the side of the road, in that convoy, on that day.

The mother and father now sit numb. Their hearts died the instant the doctor failed to save their little girl. They stare vacantly as his staff cares for the small, torn daughters of two other families.

8,000 miles away, in the United States, a nation snarls and chews at itself. Citizens complain that an election will only be the selection of the lesser of two evils. National unity has faded to a distant memory, mere flickers of the brotherhood that boldly shone after those terrible attacks.

The media relentlessly stoke the flames of dissatisfaction, telling those parts of the truth intended to satisfy the sour assumptions of one side or the other. The media create separate realities.

The dead girl's fourteen-year-old brother had been a gentle boy, destined to musical greatness which would have softened the hearts of thousands. Now, his own heart scarred by hate, he vows to join the resistance against the insurgency and kill as many as possible. Within the month, he will take away three other families' sons before being shot to death.

Elsewhere in town, a group converges on a lightly-occupied mosque during prayers and takes seven worshipers away at gunpoint. These men are the wrong "type" of Muslim, and their deaths will terrify the neighbors of seven fatherless families.

Seven more mothers are utterly shattered. Each will suffer terribly at the loss of her husband; learning that he himself suffered terribly before death will be worse. Worst of all will be the desperate years of begging to feed hungry children.

My thoughts return to our ceremony in the boiling sun. There is so much loss.

I ache, deeply, for my own. Before he was killed, this was my brother in this world. It is my loss that this good man is dead.

I have lost this little girl, my precious sister in this world.

I have lost the rational, respectful discourse with my countrymen that determines who will lead with one nation's support.

I have lost the kind boy who would soothe souls with his music.

I have lost the seven husbands and fathers.

We have lost when reconciliation is not pursued with the same aggression as revenge.

We have lost when hate-filled parties thirst for the blood of the other.

We have known loss, today.

[this post is taken from my hardcopy column, accessible through LINKS 2, above]

Pakistan bombers hit arms factory

The emergency services rushed to the scene of the bombings

At least 55 people have been killed in twin suicide bombings outside a munitions factory in the Pakistani town of Wah, police say.

The attack is the deadliest on a military site in Pakistan's history.

The bombs hit the city, 30km (18 miles) north of Islamabad, as workers left. Many people were injured.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taleban said they had carried out the attacks, which he said were a response to army violence in the country's north-west.

Speaking to the BBC, Maulvi Umar of the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan said the bombings in Wah were in retaliation for the deaths of "innocent women and children" in the tribal area of Bajaur.

He said more attacks would take place in Pakistan's major urban conurbations unless the army withdrew from the tribal areas.

Correspondents say Wah, in the province of Punjab, is a strategically important town normally under heavy security as it is home to a large industrial complex producing conventional arms and ammunition.

Local police chief Nasir Khan Durrani told : "Many others have been injured and we expect casualties to rise in the coming hours.

"At least 25 people have been critically injured."

Mr Durrani said none of the dead was military personnel.

'Disturbing'

The first blast took place outside the gate of the factory as workers were leaving work during a shift change.

Minutes later, another blast took place at another gate of the same factory.

Tanks used by the Pakistani army are made at Wah

Mohid Ahmed, a student from Wah, was on a tour of the ordnance factories and witnessed the immediate aftermath of the blast from his bus.

"It was very disturbing," he told.

"There was smoke, bodies and blood. Those who were left alive were in great suffering. I saw a man clutching his leg and crying in pain and asking for help. I saw people running away from the scene."

On Tuesday, 32 people were killed in a suicide attack on a hospital in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.

It is the second recent direct attack on a Pakistani military installation.

Last September, 17 officers and soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a special forces base in the nearby town of Tarbela-Ghazi.

The ordnance factories at Wah lie on the road into Pakistan's troubled north-west, where fighting between security forces and Islamic militants has raged in recent weeks.

Established in the early 1950s, it is a sprawling complex manufacturing everything from tanks and small arms to artillery shells.

Militants have often threatened to increase the level of violence unless the army pulls back from tribal areas close to the border with Afghanistan.

On Monday, President Musharraf, a key ally of President Bush's "war on terror" resigned after nine years in power to avoid being impeached.

The Republican candidate for president is a warmonger. There are no checks remaining in the Republican Party on the neocons’ proclivity for war. What Republican constituencies oppose war? Can anyone name one?

August 18, 2008

Article from vdare.com by Paul Craig Roberts

Pervez Musharraf, the puppet installed by the US to rule Pakistan in the interest of US hegemony, resigned August 18 to avoid impeachment. Karl Rove and the Diebold electronic voting machines were unable to control the result of the last election in Pakistan, the result of which gave Pakistanis a bigger voice in their government than America's.

It was obvious to anyone with any sense—which excludes the entire Bush Regime and almost all of the "foreign policy community"—that the illegal and gratuitous US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Israel's 2006 bombing of Lebanon civilians with US blessing, would result in the overthrow of America's Pakistani puppet.

The imbecilic Bush Regime ensured Musharraf's overthrow by pressuring their puppet to conduct military operations against tribesmen in Pakistani border areas, whose loyalties were to fellow Muslims and not to American hegemony. When Musharraf's military operations didn't produce the desired result, the idiotic Americans began conducting their own military operations within Pakistan with bombs and missiles. This finished off Musharraf.

When the Bush Regime began its wars in the Middle East, I predicted, correctly, that Musharraf would be one victim. The American puppets in Egypt and Jordan may be the next to go.

Back during the Nixon years, my Ph.D. dissertation chairman, Warren Nutter, was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. One day in his Pentagon office I asked him how the US government got foreign governments to do what the US wanted. "Money," he replied.

"You mean foreign aid?" I asked.

"No," he replied, "we just buy the leaders with money."

It wasn't a policy he had implemented. He inherited it and, although the policy rankled with him, he could do nothing about it. Nutter believed in persuasion and that if you could not persuade people, you did not have a policy.

Nutter did not mean merely third world potentates were bought. He meant the leaders of England, France, Germany, Italy, all the allies everywhere were bought and paid for.

They were allies because they were paid. Consider Tony Blair. Blair's own head of British intelligence told him that the Americans were fabricating the evidence to justify their already planned attack on Iraq. This was fine with Blair, and you can see why with his multi- million dollar payoff once he was out of office.

The American-educated thug, Saakashkvili the War Criminal, who is president of Georgia, was installed by the US taxpayer funded National Endowment for Democracy, a neocon operation whose purpose is to ring Russia with US military bases, so that America can exert hegemony over Russia.

Every agreement that President Reagan made with Mikhail Gorbachev has been broken by Reagan's successors. Reagan's was the last American government whose foreign policy was not made by the Israeli-allied neoconservatives. During the Reagan years, the neocons made several runs at it, but each ended in disaster for Reagan, and he eventually drove the modern day French Jacobins from his government.

Even the anti-Soviet Committee on the Present Danger regarded the neocons as dangerous lunatics. I remember the meeting when a member tried to bring the neocons into the committee, and old line American establishment representatives, such as former Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon, hit the roof.

The Committee on the Present Danger regarded the neocons as crazy people who would get America into a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The neocons hated President Reagan, because he ended the cold war with diplomacy, when they desired a military victory over the Soviet Union.

Deprived of this, the neocons now want victory over Russia.

Today, Reagan is gone. The Republican Establishment is gone. There are no conservative power centers, only neoconservative power centers closely allied with Israel, which uses the billions of dollars funneled into Israeli coffers by US taxpayers to influence US elections and foreign policy.

The Republican candidate for president is a warmonger. There are no checks remaining in the Republican Party on the neocons' proclivity for war. What Republican constituencies oppose war? Can anyone name one?

The Democrats are not much better, but they have some constituencies that are not enamored of war in order to establish US world hegemony. The Rapture Evangelicals, who fervently desire Armageddon, are not Democrats; nor are the brainwashed Brownshirts desperate to vent their frustrations by striking at someone, somewhere, anywhere.

I get emails from these Brownshirts and attest that their hate-filled ignorance is extraordinary. They are all Republicans, and yet they think they are conservatives. They have no idea who I am, but since I criticize the Bush Regime and America's belligerent foreign policy, they think I am a "liberal commie pinko."

The only literate sentence this legion of imbeciles has ever managed is: "If you hate America so much, why don't you move to Cuba!"

Such is the current state of a Reagan political appointee in today's Republican Party. He is a "liberal commie pinko" who should move to Cuba.

The Republicans will get us into more wars. Indeed, they live for war. McCain is preaching war for 100 years. For these warmongers, it is like cheering for your home team. Win at all costs. They get a vicarious pleasure out of war. If the US has to tell lies in order to attack countries, what's wrong with that? "If we don't kill them over there, they will kill us over here."

The mindlessness is total.

Nothing real issues from the American media. The media is about demonizing Russia and Iran, about the vice presidential choices as if it matters, about whether Obama being on vacation let McCain score too many points.

The mindlessness of the news reflects the mindlessness of the government, for which it is a spokesperson.

The American media does not serve American democracy or American interests. It serves the few people who exercise power.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, the US and Israel made a run at controlling Russia and the former constituent parts of its empire. For awhile the US and Israel succeeded, but Putin put a stop to it.

Recognizing that the US had no intention of keeping any of the agreements it had made with Gorbachev, Putin directed the Russian military budget to upgrading the Russian nuclear deterrent. Consequently, the Russian army and air force lack the smart weapons and electronics of the US military.

When the Russian army went into Georgia to rescue the Russians in South Ossetia from the destruction being inflicted upon them by the American puppet Saakashvili, the Russians made it clear that if they were opposed by American troops with smart weapons, they would deal with the threat with tactical nuclear weapons.

The Americans were the first to announce preemptive nuclear attack as their permissible war doctrine. Now the Russians have announced the tactical use of nuclear weapons as their response to American smart weapons.

It is obvious that American foreign policy, with is goal of ringing Russia with US military bases, is leading directly to nuclear war. Every American needs to realize this fact. The US government's insane hegemonic foreign policy is a direct threat to life on the planet.

Russia has made no threats against America. The post-Soviet Russian government has sought to cooperate with the US and Europe. Russia has made it clear over and over that it is prepared to obey international law and treaties. It is the Americans who have thrown international law and treaties into the trash can, not the Russians.

In order to keep the billions of dollars in profits flowing to its contributors in the US military-security complex, the Bush Regime has rekindled the cold war. As American living standards decline and the prospects for university graduates deteriorate, "our" leaders in Washington commit us to a hundred years of war.

If you desire to be poor, oppressed, and eventually vaporized in a nuclear war, vote Republican.

Paul Craig Roberts [email him] was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan’s first term.  He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal.  He has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University, and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Mitterrand. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider's Account of Policymaking in Washington; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice. Click here for Peter Brimelow’s Forbes Magazine interview with Roberts about the recent epidemic of prosecutorial misconduct.

With all the buzz flying around about actor Heath Ledger's death, and the recent posts I've written concerning Christopher Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, I've finally been able to go and see the film myself, and supply my own review. The films picks up within a short period of the Batman Begins ending, starting with a planned robbery of a mob bank by the Joker and his henchmen. Within the first five minutes, we are introduced to a small taste of The Joker's sinister personality, as he kills of each of his gang, and in the end, escapes the bank alone with the money.

The Joker is no longer the character brought to life by Cesaer Romero, or scarred by acid as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Batman Film, but rather an even darker and diabolical character. We see him as a tormented figure, who takes pleasure in mutilating his victims, and driving them to the edge of their minds with his relentless war again the Batman. Hollywood has taken a Comic Book story, and turned it into a horror flick, where Batman no longer battles petty criminals, but rather faces the challenge of taking on a man whose got nothing to lose.

Reflecting a bit on some past posts here on CatholicDiscussion, we've touched up a bit on the essential code of morality which governs us all. That is, God's Law inscribed in our hearts. (Referring to some comments where we've had discussions with atheists.) One of the Joker's lines catches me, "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules." And come to think of it, yes, it's quite true. In the sense of the world of course. For all that Religion and Theology do is simply lay rules and constrictions which stop us from having 'fun!' This is the Joker's mentality, as he commits crime after senseless atrocity in order to make Batman turn himself in. Summing it all up, the movie is great in the sense of action sequence after action sequence, able to keep a story going, (unlike other sequels that have been floating around lately), but takes a darker and even 'demonic' turn when it comes to the Joker. As I was discussing this movie with a friend of mine, it basically comes down to this: "I do not recommend this film." It WAS a good 'thinking' film, in the sense that it was everything I wrote about in my pervious post entitled: "Why So Serious," but aside from that, people must be pretty sick in order to watch the Joker go up to a man and give the reason for his scars, (quoting directly from the film script)

Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was....a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife,"Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let's put a smile on that face!" And..... Why so serious?

He simply states it all in that line. That is what made the film disturbing. Was the particular way the Joker 'hated' his father. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with having a character whose had a bad past with his/her parents, but this simply blows the top, as through the film, the Joker mentions, "You remind me of my father, I HATED my father." Is this the type of entertainment which people need? Not quite. Society must be pretty low if they call this film actual 'entertainment.' The Joker surpasses the limits of the classic villain, he isn't in this for money, he isn't in this for some sort of reward, he's in it for the 'fun.' "I'm like a dog chasing cars...i-if I were to catch the car, I actually just wouldn't know what to do with it!" So this puts no limits on the horror he splashes across the screen. Here is a quick look for yourself if you question my critique: The Magic Trick. "It's...gone."

Though I'm one for Comic Book Film Adaptions, The Dark Knight pushes the limits, turning the classic stance of the Joker from a classic villain, to a heartless mercenary, who will stop at nothing for a few laughs, and to see the Batman take off his mask. If you do see it, be prepared to see the face of evil. My father went to go see it with me, and he simply states, "That is one of the most disturbingly evil movies I've ever seen. You'd never get me to watch it again." The evil is present. And if you still dare to argue that this role DID NOT have an affect on Heath Ledger's mind, then you must definitely be out there with him as well.

Please, no comments asking "Why So Serious" of a review. :)

We all had a bit of deja vu yesterday when we heard of the Spanish bombs. You expect to relax on your holiday, not be hit by a bombing campaign. However, British tourists travelling to Spain are being advised to go ahead with their holiday plans despite bombs on the Costa del Sol.The Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility for the explosions near the popular resorts of Torremolinos and Benalmadena.

I spent a  great week with my parents, pre university, in Benalmadena about 25 years ago.

I'd say, yes, don't be put off by bomb threats- you can't live your life that way. Look at the people of Beirut and Baghdad, the people of Belfast who struggled for years to maintain a normal life through the troubles.

But be aware - stay away from cars parked out their on their own, do not lift any type of bag that doesn't belong to you. In fact report suspicious packages to security officials and don't kick small boxes such as empty cigarette boxes on the street as these can be incendiarty devices. Warn your children and enjoy your holiday.

And terrorists- when will you realise that bombing your way to the negotiating table is sad, so sad?

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that Russia is playing a "very dangerous game" with the U.S. and its allies and warned that NATO would not allow Moscow to win in Georgia, destabilize Europe or draw a new Iron Curtain through it.

 
A Russian military convoy leaves a Georgian army base that was occupied by Russians in Senaki, western Georgia, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008. Russia's president promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia on Monday, but suggested they could stay in the breakaway region at the heart of the fighting that has reignited Cold War tensions.(AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

On her way to an emergency NATO foreign ministers meeting on the crisis, Rice said the alliance would punish Russia for its invasion of the Georgia and deny its ambitions by rebuilding and fully backing Georgia and other Eastern European democracies.

"We have to deny Russian strategic objectives, which are clearly to undermine Georgia's democracy, to use its military capability to damage and in some cases destroy Georgian infrastructure and to try and weaken the Georgian state," she said.

"We are determined to deny them their strategic objective," Rice told reporters aboard her plane, adding that any attempt to recreate the Cold War by drawing a "new line" through Europe and intimidating former Soviet republics and ex-satellite states into submission would fail.

"We are not going to allow Russia to draw a new line at those states that are not yet integrated into the trans-Atlantic structures," she said, referring to Georgia and Ukraine, which have not yet joined NATO or the European Union but would like to.

Rice could not say what NATO would eventually decide to do to make its position clear but said the alliance would speak with one voice "to clearly indicate that we are not accepting a new line."

Above: Russian BEAR strategic bomber.....

At the same time, she said that by flexing its military muscle in Georgia as well as elsewhere, including the resumption of Cold War-era strategic bomber patrols off the coast of Alaska, Russia was engaged in high-stakes brinksmanship that could backfire.

This "is a very dangerous game and perhaps one the Russians want to reconsider," Rice said of the flights that began again with frequency about six months ago. "This is not something that is just cost-free. Nobody needs Russian strategic aviation along America's coast."

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_
georgia_russia;_ylt=AqQcQKkzcvTqwYtGB_OXsjCs0NUE

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW - Russia's lightning war against Georgia looks like a military triumph: An armada of Russian tanks easily crushed Georgia's modest army in a show of muscle intended to punish its U.S.-allied neighbor, scare others and reaffirm Moscow's influence on its former Soviet turf.

But the conflict also revealed crucial weaknesses in Moscow's military preparedness — including faulty intelligence, a shortage of modern equipment and poor coordination.

The swift Russian victory presented a stark contrast to the war in Chechnya in the 1990s, where Russian troops were bogged down for years, suffering a string of humiliating losses at the hands of lightly armed rebels.

When Georgia launched an offensive Aug. 7 to regain control of the breakaway province of South Ossetia, Russia responded immediately, sending thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks through the mountain tunnel that cuts through Russia's border with South Ossetia.

At the same time, dozens of Russian warplanes ranged over Georgia, attacking military bases, airports, communications and transport facilities.

During the two wars in Chechnya, Moscow faced widespread criticism for leveling the capital of Grozny with carpet bombings and airstrikes. This time, the military says Russian aircraft used smart weapons to make precision attacks on equipment and installations.

On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev flew to Vladikavkaz, near the border with Georgia, and trumpeted the attack as he decorated 30 soldiers and servicemen.

"It has been only 10 days since you faced a cowardly aggression," he said, standing on a drill square in front of camouflage-clad soldiers and officers he called "heroes."

"I am sure that such a well-done, effective and peacemaking operation aimed at protecting our citizens and other people will be among the most glorious deeds of the Russian military," Medvedev said.

But while Russian airstrikes for the most part seemed to pinpoint their targets in Georgia, AP reporters also witnessed heavy bomb damage to civilian areas in at least two places — the central city of Gori, where several residential structures were hit, and Ruisi, a village ravaged by Russian warplanes.

Human Rights Watch said at least 11 civilians were killed and dozens wounded by cluster bombs in Gori and Ruisi, and strongly urged Russia to stop using the weapons. The Russian military denied using cluster bombs, which disperse small "bomblets" over a wide area.

Moscow-based aviation analyst Konstantin Makiyenko said the civilian casualties appeared inadvertent. "Even the U.S. military, which has a greater number of smart weapons, sometimes accidentally hits civilians," he said.

Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said the war showed that the Russian air force is still short of precision weapons and continues to rely on older types of bombs and rockets.

Some civilian casualties could probably have been avoided if Russia's equivalent to the U.S. GPS satellite navigation system was fully working. But the GLONASS system doesn't yet have the necessary number of satellites in orbit and, more importantly, portable navigation devices are still a rarity in the Russian military, according to officials.

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_re_eu/russia_military_
tested;_ylt=AiSfMwkuAt9tl5uQUJRO3dys0NUE

This weekend we celebrated A's birthday. More people attended than we expected, and the party was rather enjoyable. I got to meet some friends I might otherwise not and most people mingled and got on well. The evening started around 6 or so and lasted until roughly 4am though the details are decidedly hazy. We had meats and non-meats to grill, a mediterranean inspired ours douvre, lots of beer and some tequila. I'm pleased with our offerings and hosting as we are not regularly able to afford such an affair.

We played Apples to Apples, I won. Afterward a few fringe-friends went on their way leaving a more intimate group that proceeded to get increasingly beered. We sat smoking and laughing on the porch. One of the new people I met was a guest of A's friend we'll call E. Since I was being offered a fresh mind to dig way too uncomfortably far into, 'counselor bear' couldn't deny himself the impulse. It's like a campsite to him. So I grilled him on various aspects and coigns of vantage within his psyche until everyone decided it was time to bow to our drunkenness and end the evening. My older brother seemed torn between home and the party as he left, came back, left again, and again returned. I'm going to guess it's due to his recent breakup. The neighbors who collect and sell aluminum cans for more beer money are going to love tomorrow's donation. That's 96 cans if I'm thinking correctly. we had enough beer to get everyone drunk but not obnoxiously so. I don't remember some people leaving; I can't connect enough dots to form a clear picture, but that's typical of an evening of drinking. A. seemed to have a good time, and while it may not have been as kick ass as her famed 22nd birthday party I hope she enjoyed it, and I know we pulled it off well.

The apartment is a disaster area, and instead of cleaning it up yesterday we made "blankie bed" in the living room and had a Six Feet Under marathon, allowing ourselves to smoke indoors for the afternoon. We stayed there all day eating and drinking the party leftovers and wound up having a slumber party.

didn't even have to use my A/K.  I gotta say it was a good day.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, August 15 (Compass Direct News) – A civil court on Aug. 5 denied a woman’s appeal to renounce Islam in favor of Christianity, highlighting the jurisdictional disputes in Malaysia’s dual legal system.

Lim Yoke Khoon had filed a suit in her original ethnic Chinese name to renounce Islam and embrace Christianity. In a 2-1 majority ruling, the Shah Alam Court of Appeal denied her case on a technicality: According to judges Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud and Sulong Mat Jeraie, Lim had ceased to exist under her original name when she converted to Islam and assumed a new name, Noorashikin Lim binti Abdullah.

The 35-year-old Lim is reportedly expected to appeal to the country’s top civil court.

After marrying a Muslim man in 1994, Lim converted to Islam and obtained a new identity card with her Muslim name. She divorced three years later. In 2003, she applied for a change to her name and religion on her identity card, but the National Registration Department told her she must get permission from the Islamic sharia court to renounce Islam.

She sought a declaration from the high court that she was no longer a Muslim, but it ruled in 2006 that it had no jurisdiction to hear the case.

Malaysia’s civil courts have not been known to rule in favor of non-Muslims in conversion cases in recent years. Many, such as Lina Joy, have been directed to obtain an exit certificate from the sharia court in order to leave Islam. But Lina – and others like her – are reluctant to subject themselves to a religious court that has no jurisdiction over them since they are no longer professing Muslims.

Quelling Discussion

A public forum to discuss such jurisdictional disputes, in this case the dual court system’s effect on families of people who convert to Islam, was scheduled for Saturday (Aug. 9) but Muslim protestors succeeded in halting it after only one hour.

Sponsored by a body of legal practitioners called the Malaysian Bar Council, the public forum that began at 9 a.m. was scheduled to last until 1 p.m., but police advised organizers to end it at 10 a.m. as protestors outside the council headquarters shouting “Allahu Akbar [God is greater],” “Destroy Bar Council” and “Long Live Islam” became rowdy. A handful of protestors flanked by police officers marched into the building shouting for the meeting to end immediately.

The protestors included members from several Malay-Muslim movements, including the Malaysian Islamic Propagation and Welfare Organization and the Federation of Malay Students Union, as well as members of political parties such as the United Malays National Organization, the People’s Justice Party (PKR) and Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS).

The forum had been widely criticized by various Malay-Muslim groups and individuals for raising the ire of Muslims by touching on issues sensitive to Islam. Among those critical were cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Prior to the event, the Bar Council had been urged to either cancel the forum or hold the event behind closed doors, but the organizers decided to proceed albeit with the cautionary measure of requiring participants at the open forum to register.

A day prior to the forum, the Bar Council issued a press release to clarify the purpose of the forum through council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan. Ragunath made clear that the forum would not question the provisions of Article 121(1A), which confer jurisdiction over Muslims in personal, religious and family matters on the sharia courts, and that the forum would not question Islam or its status as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Rather, Ragunath said, the purpose of the meeting was to address issues affecting families of those who convert to Islam and were caught between the separate jurisdiction of the civil and sharia courts.

The morning of the forum, two unidentified men on motorcycles threw kerosene bombs into the compound of a residence formerly occupied by the president of the Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan. Many believed the incident was linked to the Bar Council’s forum on conversion.

Other Muslim Responses

Not all Muslims agreed with the protestors’ actions.

Leaders of the Muslim political party PAS and Muslim-led multi-racial party, PKR, have distanced themselves from members who participated in the raucous disruption of the Bar Council forum.

Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad, director of the PAS Research Centre, told The Star daily on Wednesday (Aug. 13), “We were unanimous that [the forum] should have been allowed to proceed,” and that “those who had united to oppose the forum had no understanding of the issue at hand.”

PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali reportedly also condemned the “rough action” of the protestors, although he said the party agreed with its adviser Anwar Ibrahim that the meeting should have been held behind closed doors “in view of the sensitive reactions and wrong perception among a section of the Malay-Muslim community.”

Karim Raslan, a Malay-Muslim columnist at The Star argued that “we can’t achieve any sense of mutual agreement unless we are willing to talk – and openly – to one another about the issues that matter.”

Non-Muslim Reactions

Civil society groups and members of the non-Muslim community, including those from the ruling coalition government, have also criticized the Muslim protestors’ actions for failing to acknowledge long-standing problems non-Muslims caught in jurisdictional conflict situations have had to face and endure.

Others have urged the government to take decisive and immediate steps to address the problems arising from the country’s dual legal system. In Malaysia, sharia laws are binding on Muslims in personal, religious and family matters while civil laws apply to all citizens.

Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, representing five different women’s groups, reportedly called on the government “to act against mob rule and to allow citizens more democratic space for open dialogue.”

T. Mohan, youth coordinator of the Malaysian Indian Congress, a party within the ruling coalition, told online news agency Malaysiakini on Monday (Aug. 11), “[The protestors] should have come out with their proposals in addressing the issue of non-Muslim husbands who abandon their spouses and their families and convert into Islam, rather than stop a legitimate forum.”

Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, acting president of Gerakan, a party within the ruling coalition government, was quoted in local media as calling for the government to convene a joint committee of civil and sharia lawyers “to formulate, clarify and rectify procedures related to marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims, conversion, custody of children and burial rituals.”  

Report from Compass Direct News

I was going to do another lighthearted jaunt through a wrapup on the first month of successes and interest shown to Powerful Peace.

Then in my terrorism research I happened upon this photo of two little girls who were blown up by al Qaeda in Iraq at a little girls' school in Kirkuk on April 2, 2007. In other words, all my clever words don't count when monstrous behavior is in your face.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The suffering of these innocent children speaks far more eloquently than I ever can.

This is why hard power (the killing and destroying arts) are still necessary in our struggle against terrorism and human conflict in general. (Sounds hypocritical, doesn't it?) Using the tools currently at our disposal, we have to stop the men who are doing this now.  My brothers are seeing to that as we speak.

I want to suit up and rejoin the mission. I want to pay back, to the group who did this, all that they deserve - with interest. My heart doesn't ache for these precious, precious girls. It explodes. Forcing out the tears I struggle to stop, my heart explodes like the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that did this to them, killing their playmates.

Despite my boiling rage, I collect myself and re-assert that we also must grow our soft power even more. We must engage with all societies, especially those that, willingly or otherwise, produce terrorists. Killing alone leads to killing. This is the terrible paradox. It's almost impossible to imagine breaking the cycle of madness when you feel so hurt and hateful. But there is no other hope for these girls and the millions like them.

If we don't reduce the violence overall, this will happen again, and again, and again....

This is why Powerful Peace exists.

This is why I exist.

Any questions?

(By the way...the one on the left looks a bit like my little girl. You may not be able to tell in the reduced image on the blog, but her t-shirt was not originally crimson. When her mommy sent her to school, it was white, with little pink letters. She probably got a big hug and a kiss...maybe a silly tickle.)

(Although most of the blood soaking her shirt and pants is likely from a fast-flowing hidden scalp wound, you can just make out that her delicate little right hand is torn as well. She's terrified and in terrible pain, favoring her hand to keep it from touching anything.)

(She needs desperately to be held, and appears to be reaching for someone...but she just has to sit on a ratty examining table, little gold bracelets dripping blood, and feel a million miles away from the security, love and peace she so deserves...but will never recover.)

(Try to comprehend how desperately I have to fight a descent into hate from this.)

Now Combat Arms is the classic FPS, you've got the AK-47's and the M-16's and of course whats a FPS without upgrades. Combat Arms allows you to purchase temporary items with BP, the in game currency. These temporary items are, modifications ( scopes, suppressors, and magazines ), weapons ( primary, secondary, melee, and throwing ), and armor ( hat, face, vest, uniform, and backpack ). These items can be purchased for a limited time and when they run out you'll have to re-purchase them. Now Nexon wouldn't leave ya hanging with nothing, so from the gate you automatically get a M16A1, M92FS, a M9 knife, and finally a M67 frag grenade. On top of that depending on the character you choose from the gate you'll have a hat and a standard backpack. So now into the servers, the servers are very reliable and I had no problems connecting to one at all. At first you'll have to join a server room. There are quite a bit of rooms but at first you'll want to join the Recruit rooms. Once inside a room you will be in the main lobby.

Here you can goto your Shop/Storage ( equip/manage/buy items ), Modifications ( equip/manage/buy modifications for your weapons ), and Clan ( create/join/find ). Now I've had no personal experience with the clans but from what I hear its a really good system. They have a private server set away for clan matches so there will be no random people joining . *Creating a clan requires a rank of Staff Sergeant 1st, which is only 6 ranks away from the rank you start out at* Now back to the server list, there is always plenty of games and most all hosts allow the option to join while the game is started. This means it is always extremely easy to find a good server with plenty of people ( Great Job Nexon =) ). After joining a server you can access all the functions you can from the main lobby, including buying, modding and changing your weaps and armor. Ok so depending on if the host has allowed people to join in the middle of the match or not you'll have to either wait for it to end, join a different server or if he has it enable you can join any time.

The Game play of Combat Arms is a lot similar to Warrock and Soldier Front. Its a decently paced game, not too fast and not slow just right. Now Combat Arms is health based, so if you take damage you stay damaged until your killed. I think the weapon damage is a little more on the realistic side but not so much that one bullet is going to kill you. There are few weapons that have a default scope, so unless you buy a scope for your weapon you cant aim, you'll just have to blind fire. Falling off tall things is more towards arcadey but still if your on a building and you fall off chances are your gonna get hurt or die. Dropped Weapons, after and enemy or ally drops a weapon you have the ability to pick it up, now this may not seem like a big deal but it is! This feature almost makes the game the A- rather than the B+. Its this feature that allows the users with no BP to use those AKs and Snipers. Its a really nice complimentary feature added to the game. Overall the game play of the game is amazing for a F2P game and we couldn't really expect more from it! Now lets talk about the game modes. Team Deathmatch is your typical TDM, you have each team at their spawns and you must reach a target score limit, whether it be at 80 , 100 , 140 etc. One Man Army is your Free-For-All. Everyone is a team of their selves and you all must fight to win. Each kill gives you one point and the person to reach the designated score limit wins. Search & Destroy, now this game mode is just like any other SnD, depending on your team you must either plant the bomb, or defuse the bomb. CTF, the game mode is just what the name says it is, your team must capture the enemy teams flag and bring it back to your base.

Nexon has another game mode in the works they plan on releasing soon, but I wont go into detail about that one. Now Buddy lists and what not, Nexon did the smart move by including a Messenger into the game. You have your buddy list, and your clan list. You can add anyone to your friend list by just right clicking their name and clicking Add Friend, that person will then receive a message asking them to either Accept or Decline your request. The messenger delivers your messages almost immediately and is another great addition to Combat Arms. Well that about sums it up for Combat Arms definitely a game you must have if your any kind of MMOFPS fan!

My Rating :
"closing comments"

I give Nexon's MMOFPS, Combat Arms a 8.7. The reason the game got a 8.7 was not because of how great it is, because no matter how hard Nexon tries they will never release a free game as good as say Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3, the reason it got a 8.7 was because of the quality you get for free. This game is an outstanding fps with a price tag labeled free. The game could use some tweaks that I think would of made the game a lot better. So go check it out now!

Links :
www.gamingtruth.com
www.sigresource.com
www.scfocus.ipbfree.com

The universe where a star athlete could look like that and be taken seriously is so distant...

My friend Bombs is a lot like McEnroe. He is a fierce competitor. One time we were playing basketball and someone knocked off his glasses driving in for a layup. Bombs yelled a string of obscenities, made all 9 other people on the court fear for their lives, kicked a trash can, slammed a door and stormed out of the gym. We were all a little dumbfounded.

He came back like 10 minutes later with his glasses taped up and was fine. And to this day doesn't actually remember everything that happened.

McEnroe decided that Federer and Nadal getting all the tennis press would not last long. He got into an argument, taunted some fans and got thrown out of a tournament.

Remember when they gave him a talk show?

The only major difference between Bombs and John McEnroe is that McEnroe was great at tennis, his sport of choice, whereas Bombs sucks at Mario Kart 64, his sport of choice.

Watch how dangerous it is to be a reporter in Georgia, with snipers having their way in the middle of war.