The Hammer and Anvil
July 31, 2007
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GOE has taken to the streets multiple times as of late. Personally, I love yelling back at the leftists who cannot think in layers. Everything is about feeling good on the Left. They simply cannot accept that people disagree with them, since they are so “well-intentioned.” It challenges their world-view, so they respond angrily. Part of me loves bringing them to that point, and it is, without a doubt, an important part of me. It also means the world to our troops serving in harm’s way. It is not all we can do, or should be doing though. If we truly want to do everything for our men and women in uniform we must do more. As Winston Churchill so succinctly put it, “Sometimes it is not enough to do your best. Sometimes, you must do what is required.”
What is required currently is a full-on defense of our men and women in The Box. That is why we have to consider 10 September and 15 September as a two-pronged attack. I understand that the 15th is the more desirable action for the reasons I detailed above, but Congress wants to legislate a loss. The Left has ignored the good news out of Iraq . Anbar Province was given up for lost only a year ago, but recently the Sunni citizenry took up arms alongside US forces to fight Al-Qaeda. Anbar is now one of the more secure areas of the country. For July, the death toll for American troops in Iraq stands at 73; the lowest number in three-quarters of a year. As a soldier, and an American it is still painful for me to hear that 73 of our brave warriors have been killed in action, but it proves progress. Meanwhile, the Iraqi soccer team defeated Saudi Arabia in the Asia Cup finals. Could any of those things be happening if Lt. Gen. Patraeus’s strategy was not working? Would any of this be possible if, as Sen. Harry Reid says, “The war in Iraq is lost?” No senator, not only is it not lost, it could have been concluded by now if those like you had let our valiant service man and women fight from the beginning.
That’s why the visit to Congress on 10 September is just as important as the action in the streets on 15 September. If we change a few Congressional minds we can prevent the war funds from being cut off. We can also show appreciation to those members of Congress who have been solidly behind our valiant warriors. Everybody needs an “atta boy” now and then, and, more importantly, it proves to Congress that there is a large segment of the American population that believes our troops should come home, but as victors, not legislated losers. The numbers we consistently turn out to counter the anti-American forces have been largely ignored. That will change eventually, but for now Congress can ignore us in the streets because the public is still largely unaware how often and how well we have countered those who consider us thugs. What Congress cannot ignore is the synergy of two separate events. If, while hundreds of Eagles are stalking the halls of Congress, we have those at home faxing multiple copies of a position letter to their representatives, Congress will have to take notice. We can then follow up with the street action on the 15th. For you combat arms types, it is the classic hammer and anvil maneuver. If done correctly, we can smash A.N.S.W.E.R . into splintered factions that will cannibalize themselves. It will not happen immediately, but it will happen. All we have to do is continue to press on all fronts.
We cannot do any of this without you. I remind myself frequently that not everyone can do everything. I only ask that everyone do one thing. We are asking that those of you who can make it to DC on the 10th do so. We must have several hundred Eagles to be effective. The rest of you must get near a fax machine or phone and support the mission from afar. You will be the artillery support to our infantry. On 10 September, every one of you who is not in DC has to contact your elected officials with multiple messages. The immigration debate proved the effectiveness of such a strategy. We can then all come together on the 15th and remind the opposition that we are on the side of truth, justice and the American way. We will stand united and remind those that hate America that we love the country and the flag. We will let our brave warriors in The Box know that we love them for their honorable actions and sacrifices, and that we refuse to have those sacrifices diminished. We cannot, we must not, fail our brave men and women in uniform. They are counting on us to guard their six while they take the fight to the bad guys. It is up to you, each and every one of you. Remember not only would they do it for you; they already are. This is the time not to do your best, but rather, to do what is required. Manchu.
Chris Hill
National Director for Operations
Gathering of Eagles
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14 Responses to “The Hammer and Anvil”
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Chris
Your words justify our faith in your leadership.
The question now becomes how many of us will accept your challenge and do “what is required.”
I have asked before and I shall do so one more time; if it were a crime to support our troops or to be a member of GoE, would there be enough evidence to convict?
Perhaps at the end of the day a more important question would be; can I look in the mirror and honestly tell myself I have done all I can not only to support those who allow me to sleep safe and secure but to protect our Country from those who would attempt to destroy her from the inside as well.
I don’t believe that it can be overstated, our Nation is at a crossroads that will define us to future generations. I pray history will show that we have done what was required.
Steppin’ down: for now
Soapbox
IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
Each member of the GOE must choose their days to stand for freedom in Washington in Sept.
Few of us can be present during the full month of Sept.
Each must assess their ability to respond ,..and do their personal best to support our military.
Pick your dates,.. plan your work & work your plan.
See you on the GOE Rally Line on Sept. 15 with Chris Hill for the “Running of the moonbats” on the streets of Washington DC.
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.
Never bend your head. Always hold it high.Look the world stright in the eye.
Helen Keller
I agree with much of what you say. I know your love for this nation and our brothers and sisters is evident in everything you do with the Eagles. However, I am still of the opinion that visiting members of Congress will lead to a political activism that will lead to the downfall of the basic Eagles mission.
I am a conservative and vote Republican. But as I have stated before in the Forum we msut steer clear of any impressions that we might give we are a Republican front.
The brothers I served with in Vietnam are very diverse in politics and faith. They want no part of activism. Why do you think the RVN veterans have been so quiet for so long? It is because no one had an organization like the Eagles. An organization that all brothers could stand together without the argument of politics. An organization that stood for the honor of our brothers in arms all over the world. An organization that could stand together as one to prevent the tragedy that happened towards us when we came home from Vietnam.
You folks at Eagles have a super job. I am proud to stand with the Eagles. No doubt about it.
I believe there is a terrible assumption that all of the veterans gather with the Eagles are of like mind. I am quite sure there are many Eagles that may be against the war and want the troops home. I also know from my experience in working with the Cav Troop I served in our brothers almost was torn in half over political emails that were broadcast to all of our members.
I know everything is in place for the 10th of September and I still may join on the 10th as well as the 15th, but in the future we must steer clear of political activism otherwise we shall lose members and we shall become just another pain-in-the ass Republican club.
This I do believe. I believe in my heart that the Eagles will be generation that will change the face of America. It will grow stronger (provided we stay away from politics) and we will become larger and larger to the point the news media will have no other course of action other than to wonder what the hell hit them. All without firing a shot. After 40 years or so, our mission will save this nation from the ultra left wing that is hell bent to destroy it. Let’s keep on track to our orginal mission. If we stray from that, the Eagles will be no more.
My fellow Eagles,
While JWaldoPepper raises an interesting point I think there is a distinction here, Task Force Eagle is NOT about politics, it is simply a TACTIC in our arsenal of weapons to use against those of ANY political persuasion who wish to SUPPORT DEFEAT and EMBOLDEN the ENEMY. If you have read or watched the news lately, there are congress people on both sides of the aisle who are wavering in their support of our efforts to win this war.
This effort is about showing those who practice politics that THERE IS ANOTHER VOICE IN AMERICA THAT SUPPORTS OUR TROOPS AND THEIR MISSION as stated in the founding principles of Gathering of Eagles. We are NON PARTISAN and we are doing this for our troops, to create awareness that the surge efforts are working and they need the funding, resources, and support to finish the mission and win in Iraq.
Surely we can make a difference in the future of our country and in the lives of those who bravely fight for us by letting our voices be heard and standing up for what is right. By doing what is right, we will never become puppets for any political party.or political agenda.
Chris, I am happy to provide artillery support…
For everyone who cannot be there on September 10th, you can remind your congress people that we no longer live in a September 10th world and must support our troops efforts to win by going to http://www.congress.org and typing in your zip code. It will give you muliple options (phone, email, snail mail, and fax) to contact your congress people.
Chris
As I stated in the article I wrote, “Who Are The Eagles” politically we are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. What unites us is our love of the United States and those who defend her. Perhaps some where down the line we need to look into forming a Special Ops segment of the Eagle organization. Those in this segment would still be “BIPARTIZAN” in there efforts to keep the heart on the hill. In other words they would be making contact with those in congress and the senate from all three parties who are attempting to repeat history, and do to the troops today as they did to us in Nam. Pick targets, set no fire zones, set rules of engagement. All of these things should, and must be done by the “MILITARY” commanders IN THEATER. Not members of ANY party setting in an office on Capital Hill.
This would free up the majority of our forces to conduct the down and dirty, in your face operations to counter the moonbats. Further, by dong this in a bipartizan manner it would eliminate any fear within the ranks that we were leaning toward one or another party.
As Eagles we don’t care what party you belong to, we only care that you DEMAND support for our troops AS WELL AS their mission.
Just some quick thoughts from one “OLD” patriot.
Eagles Up
Rev Hawk
If God didn’t have a purpose for us - We wouldn’t be here!
As the mother of a Soldier currently serving in Afghanistan, I will be there on September 10th to thank the legislatures who are doing everything they can to get my Son the supplies he needs. No matter what your politics, surely all, and especially veterans, can appreciate the importance of getting the supplies needed to defend yourself in battle.
Our Soldiers are in harms way and we need to remind the people who are in control of their supplies that there are AMERICANS in harms way and we cannot abandon them!
Just my two cents worth. jwaldopepper has a point. One of the great troop support success stories is the PGR, and part of the reason for that is that they have a single focus, and stick to it. They keep it simple. They keep it consistent.
On the other hand, the Eagle mission is different. Ask yourself, what is the purpose of meeting the moonbats in the streets? It is pretty doubtful that many minds are going to be changed by any meaningful dialogue across the barriers in the streets.
To my way of thinking, aside from the personal satisfaction of making sure those folks understand that they no longer have exclusive rights to freedom of speech in the streets, a greater value of these encounters is to generate media coverage which may have some impact on John Q. Public.
You know, the folks in middle America, who get their information from the alphabet evening news on TV, or the front page of their friendly local a.m. newspaper. The people who make up the “public opinion” polls. The ones who make you want to grab them by the lapels and yell “Wake up America.”
Our great country seems to be asleep at the wheel, and running in the default mode when it comes to the War on Terror, and the anti-anything American crowd and self-serving politicians seem to be quite good at taking advantage of a liberal leaning media to shape the opinion of the unengaged public here on the home front.
Don’t believe it? Just ask any of them, your coworkers, friends, your critics, your fellow veterans, one simple question. “Tell me one good thing that has happened recently in Iraq.” Most of the people I ask that question of are unable to name anything at all. Yet they all have an opinion, on the war in Iraq, in particular. And if all you know is the bad news, it should not be any surprise about what that opinion is.
Supporting the troops means different things to different people. The simple fact that we had significant numbers present at GOE 1 sent a straightforward message to the troops directly. “We are here and we support you.” That was a good thing. But in truth, the media coverage we got was not in proportion to the effort that went into it, or the outcome of the event itself. Most of the people that I talk to are blissfully unaware of that event, thus, while it shapes our Eagle thinking, theirs was unaffected.
The point I am trying to make here is that, in addition to sending the troops a message directly, that we support them -by gathering significant numbers of folks to directly confront the moonbats in the streets, we need to find ways to get through to John Q. Public, and the way to do that, unfortunately, is through the Mainstream media. I am convinced that most people do NOT get their news from internet sources.
How do we get mainstream coverage AND send the message to the troops that they and their mission have support here? By maintaining a single focus, or by a multi pronged approach? That seems to be the subject of a lot of debate. While we all pretty much agree that the mission is to support the troops, how we do it has become a bit contentious.
I am going to be in D.C. on Sept. 10th. I am going to try to walk into John Kerry’s office with a petition in my hand. If you think for a single moment that my hope is to change his mind about the War in Iraq, well, I don’t even have to say it. My purpose in going there is in the hope that we have enough troops there, in the halls of Congress, and enough signatures on the petition to garner some media attention.
Why do I value media attention? It is only important for two reasons: First, and foremost, hopefully the troops will hear about it directly, and be encouraged that we are there, and secondly, that John Q. Public will hear about the effort and understand that there might really be two sides to this issue for them to consider when forming their own opinions. Nothing else matters. This is not about politics. It is about supporting the troops.
And I will be there on Sept. 15th, flag and signs in hand, hopefully in the company of thousands of like-minded Eagles and supporters, for the same reasons. I want the troops to know, directly, that we support them, and hope that the media are finally put in a position which requires them to acknowledge we are there, so that John Q. Public can also get that message. Making the moonbats in the street understand that freedom of speech is not a right reserved exclusively for them is a bonus, as far as I am concerned.
I understand the concern that “diluting” the Eagle effort is something that needs to be considered and that if we go in too many directions, our limited resources will not get the job done. “How many times, in one year, can one ask Eagles to show up in D.C.?” I am just a working stiff, who has to save up money and close my business to be there at all. I am sure that time and money is an issue for many of us.
The answer is “Once more.” If you’ve got supporting the troops in your heart, you’ll find a way to answer the call. Those with financial or health issues can sign the petition, or maybe take part in local events to support GOE, as was done during GOE 1. Showing up at the Move America Forward rallies, as they caravan across the country is one such example. But the best way is to show up in D.C., one more time.
A more critical question is “how much are you willing to sacrifice to be there?” When you consider the magnitude of the sacrifice our troops are making for us every day, anything we can do here on the home front pales in comparison. We simply need to be there, no matter what it takes. I find the alternative unthinkable.
One more thing, and I’m out of here. Does anyone else have a sense of urgency about this? If we do not take advantage of the opportunities in Sept., we may all find ourselves, a year from now, sitting on our front porches, sipping our favorite beverage, wondering if we had done all we could as Eagles, when we had the chance.
That idea does not appeal to me. It would be bad for our troops, it would be bad for our country, and it would be bad for our children and grand-children who will have to deal with the consequences of handing Iraq to Al-qaeda as a base from which to conduct their world-wide terrorist activities.
Eagles Up!
On Sept 10 try to find the representatives that are wishy washy and convince them. Usually there are at least 10. The others have their minds made up.
And Do the faxing even if you go to this event.(FAX before you travel)
This is not a Republican activity or Democrat Activity but an American Activity.
Seo3, thanks for posting a very honest, thoughful overview of our goals, it’s something I know I’ll chew on for a bit.
Seo3,
You definitely raise some good points… and I do understand the concern that we might be diluting efforts, and like you said, support for our troops is at the top of the list. I know we want media coverage, but unless we show up with 1 million people on September 15th, the MSM is not going to take us seriously, and secondly, the MSM seems to not get the right message. I sat stunned watching Bill O’Reilly say in essence that we were a bunch of pro war puppets of the President. He ran his mouth without even knowing why we were there or what we stood for.
I know what you mean about feeling the urgency. If we dont do something, they might just cut the funding to our troops come the end of September. I think September 10 is necessary in letting Congress know that while the polls may reflect disappointment in the war, and disappointment in the reasons we went in the first place, but since we started this, that a large portion of the general public does realize that the job must be finished to secure the future of this country and stability in the Middle East.
This is what’s been the main thought in my mind all weekend:
Remember 9/11 and the days after? Remember the true feeling of patriotism that ran throughout, seemingly, the entire population of our great nation?
Remember “Everyone’s a New Yorker?” Remember lighting a candle on your front porch at dusk? Remember all the flags that everyone flew everywhere? Remember the news stories about places not being able to keep the Stars and Stripes in stock?
What happened?
Seems to me that we, and a few other groups, are the only ones that keep that fire lit, that carry that torch day in and day out.
What happened to everyone else?
THAT is the sentiment we need to be able to tap nationwide.
AG 70
-You are right on about the MSM. They either pretty much ignore us, or get it wrong when they do mention us.
I did an interview with a local reporter in Kennebunkport last month and was very careful about my words when I spoke to the reporter. “We support the troops, we support the mission, we are apolitical, we want peace - but not via surrender or defeat.” Her article started “Pro-war supporters….” What the heck???
Irene,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I remember 9/12. The country was pretty much pulling together at that point. Now, it seems, everything is either about politics, or subject to indifference.
Our country’s corporate memory these days seems to last about 72 hours. After that, it’s like it never happened. The only time the war on terror is mentioned seems to be to update the body count, recount the latest terrorist success, or to highlight another misdeed by our own troops. Barely a peep about the ongoing atrocities perpertrated by the other guys or the considerable successes of our troops.
What John Q. Public does not seem to understand is that this war is not one we can walk away from. Unlike Viet Nam, where we pulled out our troops and it was over (for us), this war will follow us home if we don’t win it. And it will do it in a big way, given enough time.
Islamic radicals either want you subjugated or dead. I have read extracts from their terrorist training manuals and they say just exactly that. Just look around at the other countries where these terrorists are reaking havoc. It’s not just the U.S.
How and why we went into Iraq has been debated to the nth degree. I don’t believe it was the result of lies of deliberate deception. But the fact is, is that we are there. That is the reality of our situation. And all the debate about “how and why” is not going to change that. The real question before us should be “How do we win the war on terror?”
Somehow, abandoning Iraq to Al Quida does not seem to be the best solution. Why would we continue fighting in Afghanistan, to deny Al Quida unfettered access to a sympathetic country and cede them Iraq, which could be used for the same purpose? If we lose the battle in Iraq, the battle in Afghanistan no longer makes sense and we are well on our way to losing the war on terror. I don’t understand why that is so difficult to comprehend.
I think Bin Laden must have been a Will Rogers fan. I love Will Rogers, and greatly respect his keen insight into men and their institutions. One of my favorite quotes goes something like this “Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice Doggie” while you are finding a big stick.” I think that is the track these terrorists are following. They will talk to you, only insofar as it furthers their agenda of conquest. Otherwise, it is just a matter of waiting for the stick to strike.
We, and our kids, are not going to be able to walk away from this one folks. …and it will be a sad day if our countrymen at the mall have to learn that lesson the hard way.
Eagles Up!
See ya in D.C.
Ron
Ron, Sir, So very well said, You have a real grasp on the dangers we now face. You cannot De-Fund a Jihad. There must be no surrender of America to the Islamic Jihad Terrorist.
To quote Mr. Will Rogers.
There are three kinds of men, The one that learns reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselfs.
The members of Congress who think they have the power to end a jihod by de-funding the forces who are trying to end the jihad are geathering over by the ecectril fence., The answer they get from the terrorist will in fact be a real shocker.
Mr Rogers was also correct when he said
It isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know ain’t so.
CUT THE PORK-FUND FREEDOM, FUND-LIBERTY- FUND OUR BRAVE MILITARY,…NOW11.
Eagles, We must send this message loud & clear in Sept. This a matter of life or death for each and every one of us if we bow to the terrorist, we will be the new cattle.
NOT ON OUR WATCH,..EVER.
To bevper,
Thank your son for me and my family for being willing to stand in harms way to sustain our freedoms in USA.
We will hold his wellbeing up to the grace of God, and add him to our prayers.
I respect you and your family for sharing a part of your family wealth [your child, and future] with this nation.
Bill Brown
['Nam 67-68, 70-72]