A deal?

Well, it looks like both parties came to a deal that makes it possible for them to keep their unconstitutional method intact. Very unfortunate.

Anyway, we're almost done here in Iraq. Hopefully within a few days we'll pull out of our new sector (yes we had it for less than a month) then head some where else until it's time to come home.

I hope my family is having a great time in Disney World. My parents took my wife and kids with them down there, it'll be the first time for my kids. I'm sure they are loving it right now. I was hoping I'd be home in time to join them but it wasn't meant to be I suppose. I'll go down with them next time.

Wow...another post.

I didn't have to go out on patrol today...yay! So it gives me more time to post.

I've been trying to keep up with the news, I was able to watch "The Factor" today with some jerk who wrote a book about his time as a sniper and his 60 kills. What sane person glorifies the fact that he's killed 60 people. I think he's just a glory hound, and an embarrassment.

Sane normal people do not revel in the fact that they've had to kill somebody, even in an armed conflict.

Another thing that is bothering me is this whole filibuster issue. Exactly where in the constitution does it say that a group of Senators may choose to use a filibuster in order to keep the rest of the Senate from voting?

From what I remember of the constitution (too lazy to look it up right now), the Senate has to advise the President and consent to Presidential nominee. Which they can't do if there is a filibuster, which leads me to believe that the whole process of filibustering is against the constitution.

Before any liberals speak up...Yes, I know that the Republicans have done the same thing, and it was unconstitutional for them as well. The ability to do such a thing needs to go away totally.

I mean think about it, when the minority party uses the filibuster to stop a vote, they are denying your right to self government. I mean, you did vote for the Senators to make these kind of decisions didn't you?

Anyway...the whole reason that the filibuster debate has come to a head recently is that the Liberals are concerned the these Conservative Justices will overturn a lot of their, "From the bench" legislation. That, to me, is what needs to be addressed.

Again, I know both sides do it and it needs to stop.

Congress has the constitutional duty to impeach and regulate the powers of the courts. They haven't been doing that, and as a result these Judges feel it is completely fine to rule on matters that they have no right to rule on.

Let me use Abortion as an example. I'm not going to debate the rights or wrongs of Abortion, just the Roe v. Wade decision.

The Supreme Court said that the issue was the right to privacy. So how exactly is Abortion constitutionally guaranteed based on this ruling? The constitution addresses the right to privacy, and yes...everyone has a right to keep their medical records/problems/decisions a private matter. How does that translate into the court being able to basically pass a law saying the medical procedure of Aborting a fetus as legal?

The problem is, that while we do have a right to privacy, we do not have the right to do anything we want. The government can still regulate what medical procedures are legal or illegal, same as medications(through the FDA), same as what level of qualifications someone must have to be considered a Doctor (licences to practice). By we the people electing our legislature, we pass the laws we want through them and because of that it is up to us whether we want Abortion to be legal or illegal, not up to the courts.

The constitution also states, that if something is not listed within it, the Congress has a right to pass laws regarding it. If congress doesn't do that, the right goes to the states.

I haven't read a constitution in a few months, but I don't recall there being any mention of a right to an abortion, or a right to any medical procedure at all. Which means it is within congress's power to regulate, and if they don't then it is within the state's power to do so.

As you can see, it the Supreme Court went well beyond it's constitutional mandate when it made abortion legal. Since that time, many of the courts have been doing this in a number of different cases regarding a number of different issues.

It's time for it to stop, courts are supposed to interpret laws, not make them. That is Congress's job description.

A new sector and bad internet access.

We've moved to a new sector, our last one before going home. It's an interesting one to say the least. I'd tell you where but I'm not sure if it would be an OPSEC (Operational Security) violation or not. I'll wait till I'm home again to let you know.

Needless to say it is a lot less urban than our last sector, it is also a more Sunni area, which makes things more interesting.

There have been some great pictures taken while here, of course none of them are by me. So when I get back I'll try to get as many of them as I can and post them all, since the news doesn't like to report all the good stories I suppose I can give you a taste.

My favorite was when a Battalion of T-55 tanks from the Iraqi Army drove through our area. The Iraqi soldiers on them where cheering, waving and saluting us as they drove by. I never thought my eyes would ever get watery seeing a large group of Russian made tanks pass by me, but it did.

What made it even better is that all the people from the villages came out(remember this is a Sunni area) and cheered on the tanks as they drove by. All the children were chasing the tanks and jumping up and down.

That was a good day.

I know...it's been a while.

And even though the country is, "Amid a wave of violence" (according to the media), it's been pretty damn boring to say the least.

But there's been car bombs everywhere right!? Actually no. Though there has been some. The terrorists seem to think that by killing a bunch of people going to eat ice cream on a sunny afternoon that it will somehow make the the Iraqis want us to leave.

Let me give you the scoop of why the news reports all these attacks yet most soldiers (except the poor ones in the area I'm about to talk about) never see any.

For one thing, these terrorists want publicity. They want it bad, really bad. They don't get publicity by dying (which is what happens when they try to attack us). They don't get publicity by attacking some out of the way place though it does happen, just not everyday which is what the press seems to let on.

They get it by setting off car bombs just outside the Green Zone, and always right on time so a reporter from CNN (or where ever) can report LIVE from the scene. The reports rarely ever leave the safety of the Green Zone, and the terrorists know that. So they make sure the attacks take place within viewing distance of the hotel that all the media stay in. The media loves it too, because then they can get that shot on the balcony of their hotel with the smoke behind them.

Alright...don't get me wrong, the terrorist do do other attacks. The blow up people at funerals, eating ice cream (like I mentioned), the Iraqi Police trying to control traffic, ect. Between the attacks outside the Green Zone and the other ones spread around the country against random people, they do make a lot of noise. Just like they planned to do.

What the media never lets on is that these attacks do not really effect anything other than the opinions of Iraqis that maybe might agree with the terrorists aims. Meaning, people who didn't hate them before, are now starting to.

They are probably trying to get this publicity in order to draw in more people stupid enough to think they are actually winning here. Maybe they're running out of suicide bombers...who knows.

All I know is that the longer I'm here, the more I'm learning that the press really doesn't report the real news, it reports the news they want you to hear and form it in a way that pushes their own agenda.

I'm also sorry that I'm not writing often...actually, I am not that sorry. I'm happy, because I'm not writing means that there is nothing going on. Let's hope for some more long pauses.

Food.

Okay, I meant to post this earlier in the week but I got caught up in work and forgot.

But after eating dinner today I remembered.

Last week I went to Camp Victory, which is part of a huge base consisting of other camps, the Baghdad Airport and some other stuff. While there I got to eat in their dining facility. It was awesome to say the least...

They had everything conceivable, all you can eat...even ice cream and smoothies. It was almost like heaven. Our camp you get the same crap every day...steak and chicken always overcooked. Sometimes pizza...always overcooked and sometimes vegetables, either under or over cooked. Then for desert we have about three cakes to choose from...which are usually a mess because we have to serve ourselves the cake with this tiny ass fork so the slices of cake fall on the floor, in the middle of the the rest of the cake, ect.

Basically, while our chow hall is better than nothing....that's about all it's better than...nothing.

It pissed me off at first...all those REMFs...in Iraq they are known as FOBbits, FOB Dwellers or one I read in the paper...FOB Goblins. These are the people who actually have office hours...their offices are closed on weekends...and they never leave the camp.

Oh no, oh no they get mortared they say! It's tough being a FOBbit in the Fob shire...The camp itself is larger than Fort Drum. It's huge...the chances of a mortar round landing close enough for them to even see it is probably less than there being a hurricane in central Iraq.

Yeah yeah...they do their part. I know...I'm just venting. At least they are here and not hiding in Canada like a bunch of wussies.

Raids, raids and more raids.

That's what we've been doing for the past week or so. They're actually a lot of fun to do.

I'm in charge of evidence collecting and cataloging. Which is funner than I thought. I also do a lot of searching, sometimes we bring a K-9 team in to sniff around...most of the dog handlers are from South Africa. They're all pretty good guys who know what they're doing.

On thing I've learned working with these K-9 teams is that Iraqis are extremely frightened of dogs. Sort of like most Americans are frightened of snakes or large spiders. It's really wierd to see people so scared of a some cute doggy.

Blah.

That's how I feel.

My sleep is all messed up. I've been going to bed between 3 and 6 am every day, then I wake up a few hours later to work. THEN, like an idiot I take a nap when things are slow which keeps me awake all night long again....it's a never ending process.

It doesn't help with all the soda I've been drinking lately. I think I'm going to quit drinking it. I've done that before and started drinking diet/defcaffinated stuff.

We've been doing some fun stuff lately, too bad I can't post any of it...hehe.

One good development has been the President being chosen. A Kurd. Which is awesome. A Kurdish guy runs a few internet cafe's on the FOB and outside the wire. He make all internet use free for 24 hours to mark the occassion.