GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

President Bush vetoes surrender bill

Congress delivered the surrender-in-Iraq bill to President Bush on Tuesday, four years to the day after his landing on an aircraft carrier to declare “Mission Accomplished.” As expected, President Bush immediately vetoed the bill, saying, “Twelve weeks ago, I asked the Congress to pass an emergency war-spending bill that would provide our brave men and women in uniform with the funds and flexibility they need. Instead, members of the House and the Senate passed a bill that substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgment of our military commanders. So… I vetoed this bill.”

Democrats in the House were unable to override the veto in a 222-203 vote. Using the blood of American Patriots as fodder for political gain should fail. While Nancy Pelosi continues to say, “Democrats are committed to ending this war,” they have conceded (for now) that in order to fund the troops, they will have to drop the deadline. How noble of them, finally, to concede. Of course, the focus-group-tested buzzword is “benchmarks” —Iraq will have to measure up or else.

Al-Qa’ida is not finished with us, however, and we should not pretend they will lay down their arms on an arbitrary date decided in a congressional subcommittee. We must continue to fight The Long War on their turf, not ours.

House votes on hate crimes legislation

The House passed 237-180 a bill that would expand federal “hate-crimes” legislation to include acts of violence motivated by sexual disorientation and gender bias. A similar bill was offered by Teddy Kennedy (D-Chappaquiddick) in the Senate. Homosexual-rights activists and liberals across the board have been calling for this type of legislation for years because they believe their very way of life is under attack in America. However, FBI crime statistics reveal that of the 862,947 “hate crimes” committed in 2005, only 177 were motivated by the victim’s sexual disorientation.

President Bush has vowed to veto the legislation, because it treats one class of crime victims differently from others: “The administration believes that all violent crimes are unacceptable, regardless of the victims, and should be punished firmly.” The only thing this bill is likely to accomplish is legalizing liberals’ belief that a homosexual victim is the most important kind. If you don’t believe they could be so callous, consider these amendments that were introduced to add pregnant women, members of the military, babies in the womb and senior citizens to those classes of people who are protected under “hate-crime” legislation. Each and every one of those amendments was defeated by the Demo majority.

Publisher’s Note

It is our privilege to make accessible to our readers the only modern-language paraphrase of The Federalist Papers available on the Internet. Author Marshall Overstedt has painstakingly updated the original Federalist Papers under the title The Federalist Papers… In other words, bringing one of the 18th century’s most powerful debates to a 21st-century audience.

Penned by Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay in defense of the nation’s as-yet unratified Constitution and published under the name “Publius” (a tradition this publication maintains today), The Federalist Papers are still the definitive interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Overstedt’s modern-language version makes this important collection accessible to a broad public audience in a way inconceivable at the publication of the originals between October 1787 and August 1788. Overstedt also provides introductions to the three original authors, as well as comprehensive topical indexes to the Papers and the Constitution—invaluable resources for any student of American history.

Available in a printer-friendly PDF format, Overstedt’s In other words is a refreshing and faithful rendition of a classic, and a must read for the modern-day American Patriot.

DC escort service becomes latest scandal

Randall Tobias, Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator, became the first political casualty this week in a slow cooking scandal over a Washington, DC, escort service. Tobias abruptly resigned after ABC News contacted him about employing the service. Tobias maintains that he only received massages, but that doesn’t really matter at this point. His political career is over, and if thousands of pages of phone records provided by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the service’s proprietor, pan out, more will follow. In the meantime, news organizations possessing the list are undecided as to what their next step will be—now that they have outed the list’s only Republican.

Palfrey was indicted on federal racketeering charges in February for allegedly running a $300-an-hour call-girl ring that dates back 13 years. “20/20” will be airing a segment on the scandal this week, allowing Palfrey, who has a checkered legal past, to say the least, another opportunity to mug before the cameras. Following a pattern that fits almost every sex scandal that unfolds in the Swamp, Palfrey is portraying herself to be the victim, putting the spotlight instead on the political class who took advantage of the services she provided.

Of course, there are no innocents in this tawdry saga. Even if no laws were broken, the lack of moral rectitude in our nation’s capital should trouble all of us. Founder John Adams may have said it best: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

The candidate formerly known as Rodham

Whether it was an attempt to soften her liberal image, a desire for new stationery or just for the sake of simplicity, Hillary Clinton has dropped her maiden name from her presidential campaign. No reason was given as to why Clinton changed her name for the campaign but remains Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate.

This is only the latest turn in a decades-long identity crisis Clinton has had, and every prior turn has been politically motivated. Embracing a trend of the women’s movement of the 1970s, Hillary retained her maiden name when she married Bill Clinton in 1975. However, when it became apparent that her professional independence cost her husband the 1980 gubernatorial election in conservative Arkansas, she became Hillary Clinton for the rest of his statewide political career. When they captured the White House in 1992, Rodham returned. Whatever she calls herself, a rose by another name she ain’t.

McDermott rebuked for releasing taped phone call

A federal appeals court ruled this week that Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) did not have the right to release an illegally taped phone conversation among then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), current Minority Leader John Boehner and other Republican leaders. Gingrich was giving talking points regarding ethics allegations against him. McDermott, senior member of the House Ethics Committee, released the tape to the media. Once McDermott became a member of that committee, Judge A. Raymond Randolph wrote on behalf of the court that he “voluntarily accepted a duty of confidentiality that covered his receipt and handling of the… illegal recording. He therefore had no First Amendment right to disclose the tape to the media.” Illegal recording and breach of confidentiality—that’s 0-for-2. Anyone for strike three?

From the campaign trail

Last night, all ten declared GOP presidential candidates participated in the first debate of the campaign from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California—Sen. Sam Brownback (KS), former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA), Sen. John McCain (AZ), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Ron Paul (TX), Rep. Tom Tancredo (CO) and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. (For bios and conservative ratings on all candidates, visit The Patriot’s election coverage page.

At this early stage, with so many candidates, it is hard to call this a “debate” —it’s really just a chance for the candidates to get on national TV during prime time and start garnering name recognition. With stupid questions like “What do you dislike most about America?”, it’s hard to imagine any serious discussion either.

Romney did well, if only by standing his ground and looking “presidential.” Giuliani stumbled badly on abortion, supporting the reversal of Roe v. Wade, but also supporting leaving it as precedent. McCain promised to “follow [bin Laden] to the gates of hell.” None of the other candidates seem to have left the kind of impression needed to get beyond the margin of error in polling.

Most aptly, Peggy Noonan noted that “behind the hopeful candidates, a dwarfing shadow loomed, a shadow almost palpable in its power to remind Republicans of the days when men were men and the party was united. His power is only increased by his absence. But enough about Fred Thompson.”

New & notable legislation

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) is seeking co-sponsors for the First Amendment Restoration Act (H.R. 71), which would reverse portions of the McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan campaign-finance laws that are soon to be considered by the Supreme Court.

Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) introduced the Individual Social Security Investment Program Act (H.R. 2002), which would partially privatize Social Security by giving people born after 1950 the ability to invest their 6.2-percent share of the payroll tax in a personal-retirement account.

At the request of the Bush Justice Department, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007” (S. 1237) in a push to give the attorney general authority to deny the Second Amendment rights of “known or suspected terrorists.” At first glance, this sounds reasonable, but as the Second Amendment Foundation notes, rights should not be taken away “because of some vague suspicion that an American citizen may be up to no good.” SAF founder Alan Gottlieb adds that the bill “raises serious concerns about how someone becomes a ‘suspected terrorist.’ Nobody has explained how one’s name comes to be on such a list, and worse, nobody knows how to get one’s name off such a list.” Indeed—imagine Janet Reno with such a law in her holster.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Tenet’s storm

Former DCI George Tenet’s tell-all book about his tumultuous times heading the CIA, At the Center of the Storm, was released this week and has given new life to the blame game of “who knew what when?” With a cool $4-million advance in pocket, Tenet claims that the Bush White House and the Pentagon were determined to attack Iraq even before September 11, 2001, while also claiming that administration officials tweaked available intelligence to build public support for the war. While Tenet does not question that Saddam Hussein posed a significant threat, he claims there were numerous efforts by White House and Pentagon aides to insert what he calls “crap” into the justifications for the war, saying there was an ongoing fear within the U.S. intelligence community that the administration was willing to “mischaracterize complex intelligence information.”

Yet Tenet’s book seems anything but a simple exercise in Bush-bashing. He states that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s address to the United Nations reflected the best intelligence of the time, and that the question of Nigerian “yellowcake” was never central to estimates concerning Saddam’s WMD threat. Also, says Tenet, it was the opinion of the intelligence community in 2002 that if Saddam did have access to uranium, he could have a nuclear capability by 2007. In other words, in the aftermath of 9/11, it didn’t seem like a very good idea to let a dictator with a history of actually using WMD continue on his merry way.

Needless to say, Tenet’s accusations have spawned a strong backlash. Some critics contend the book is an effort to polish his image after having said the case against Iraq was a “slam dunk” —a comment Tenet says was taken completely out of context. Other critics, including former CIA officials and military officers who are critical of the Iraq war, take Tenet to task for holding back criticism of the war for three years and only now affixing blame in order to cash in. It is worth mentioning, however, that Tenet’s silence after his 2004 resignation was in the context of a presidential election, and some of those critical of his silence in the past three years are the same ones critical of Tenet’s so-called forays into policymaking as DCI. On the other hand, some inaccuracies in the book and inconsistencies with Tenet’s previous public statements are beginning to emerge.

Regardless of the book’s overall merits, no one need question Tenet’s worries for the future. He writes: “I do know one thing in my gut: al-Qa’ida is here and waiting…[I]f they manage to set off a mushroom cloud, they will make history.” That’s one historical event we still hope this war helps to avert.

From the Warfront with Jihadistan: Petraeus on Iran

Contrary to complaints from Fightin’ John Murtha (D-Anbar), Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, did in fact brief Congress on the war in Iraq. “They bring Petraeus back—purely political move… He doesn’t talk to any of us. He only talks to the news media and so forth trying to sell this program.” In fact, Murtha participated in a 30-minute phone conference with Petraeus.

During his briefings, Gen. Petraeus said that interrogations of members of the Qazali terror network have lead to more evidence of Iranian involvement in terrorist activity in Iraq. This involvement includes arms, ammunition, advanced explosive munitions and technologies, training in Iran and even some advice and direction from Iranian military personnel. The detention of the head of the Sheibani network produced intelligence that munitions described by Petraeus as “particularly lethal against some of our armored vehicles” were obtained from Iran. He added, “Iranian financing is taking place through the Quds force of the Iranian Republican Guards Corps.” Any remaining question regarding Iraq as the central warfront with Jihadistan?

Publisher’s Note: Profiles in valor

Starting with this edition, The Patriot will profile a member of our Armed Forces on the warfront with Jihadistan who has been recognized for gallantry. We note that there are many instances of valor in combat that go without notice. It is our intent to provide you, our Patriot readers, with typical examples of the daily heroics of Patriots in uniform. Citations for valor are awarded well after the action cited, which is to say that the profiles are not for current actions. However, the current warfront certainly presents equally challenging threats.

Profiles of valor: Marine Corps Maj. Armando Espinoza

Soon after the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment overtook an Iraqi stronghold in Baghdad. It was a fierce battle that lasted all night and into the following day. Maj. Armando Espinoza (then Capt. Espinoza), an aircraft commander serving with the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, piloted a CH-46E helicopter that was sent in to evacuate the wounded in the midst of heavy enemy gunfire. Espinoza had to set the helicopter down next to a swimming pool that was encircled by palm trees. “It was like landing a 48-feet-long plane in a back yard while being shot at,” said a crew chief who was part of the mission.

Not only did Espinoza and his crew enter the war zone once, they returned three additional times, all the while avoiding and returning enemy fire. In all, Espinoza was credited with evacuating 28 Marines in addition to an Iraqi family. “It was very gratifying to show the Iraqis we weren’t just there for our own purposes but also for them,” Espinoza said.

For his brave actions, Espinoza was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Marine Corps’ eighth highest award. “I also accept this award for the other nine crew members involved in the flight,” Espinoza stated at the ceremony. According to Espinoza’s award citation, his conduct showed “superb airmanship, inspiring courage and loyal devotion to duty.” Semper Fi, Major!

Secretary Rice meets Syrian foreign minister

In a demonstration of realpolitik in action, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Syria’s foreign minister Walid Moallem yesterday, and she pressed the issue of foreign fighters entering Iraq via Syria. It goes without saying that Nancy Pelosi’s recent illegal jaunt to Syria made the Bush administration’s discussions more difficult than was necessary. (Yes, there is a difference between the administration and a congresswoman from San Francisco talking to Syria.) Rice said, “There was an opportunity to talk about the problem of foreign fighters—a major source of the suicide bombings.” Stopping the flow of foreign fighters would be a good reason to talk to Syria. Let’s hope it works.

Would-be terrorists convicted in UK

Jihad, diversity-style: This week an English court convicted five men of conspiring to conduct Oklahoma City-style bombings with fertilizer and fuel oil, sentencing them to life in prison. All of them had one thing in common: they were English citizens who obviously had no allegiance to England. Four were of Pakistani descent, one Algerian. Only one was born on British soil, but he was raised in Pakistan. Most were thoroughly English in their speech and mannerisms, as seen in the transcript of their plotting, yet all became radicalized as young men despite having been raised in moderate Muslim families, or even in secular families.

The voices of reason in Europe—few and far between—have spoken out about the growing danger from massive post-war Muslim migration to European nations that offer easy citizenship and even easier welfare living. The results of lax European immigration policy have been seen earliest in England, which has the longest experience with Muslim immigration due to its historical sovereignty over what is now Pakistan. How much longer until France experiences a new round of Muslim rioting, or worse? Or Germany, adopted home of Mohammad Atta? Or the Netherlands, where as many as ten percent of the population are estimated to be non-Dutch Muslims? Even the Nordic countries have substantial Muslim populations, drawn by near-total government welfare support.

The day is coming—sooner than the Europeans may realize—when the results of blind, unrestricted immigration policies come back to bite them. A good portion of the blame for that result will go to the diversity pushers, self-blinded to the threat of radical Islam.

On the immigration front: May Day

Tuesday was May Day, the annual leftist holiday celebrated by socialists and communists the world over. Of course, the media was all atwitter over whether Fidel Castro would show up for May Day festivities, in, as NPR called it, “socialist” Cuba. (He did not, perhaps because he is “still dead.”) ABC’s Andrea Mitchell even blamed the U.S. for Cuba’s troubles: “There have been no major problems [in Cuba] other than the continuing economic difficulties that of course Cuba faces because of the U.S. [economic] embargo.” Other than that, the Communist nation would thrive!

Here in the U.S. , those in the “Reconquista” movement showed up to protest immigration law again, though it was only a shadow of last year’s protest. Even in Los Angeles, where 500,000 massed last year, only 25,000 marched this year. Protests this year focused mainly on increased raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which have been stepped up, ironically, largely in response to last year’s protest. Marchers complain that families are being “torn apart” by raids that increased deportations by 20 percent over the last year—221,664 illegals were deported. While immigration-reform legislation is still stalled in Congress, illegals want reform to be “just,” which of course means amnesty. We suggest continued enforcement and a realistic plan for allowing entry to the workers our economy needs. Sounds simple enough—but we are dealing with Washington politicos…

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

World Bank remains in turmoil

The spat between World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and the Bank’s board continues… Wolfowitz this week decried the “smear campaign” being waged against him, though he conceded that he would consider resigning if the board clears him of any wrongdoing for giving girlfriend Shaha Riza a generous raise. “Only when the cloud of these unfair and untrue charges is removed will it truly be possible to determine objectively whether I can be an effective leader of the World Bank,” Wolfowitz told the investigating committee. Wolfowitz claims that he took the issue to the ethics committee, who in effect pushed it back to him, but a former board member, Ad Melkert, disputes that claim. It remains to be seen whether Wolfowitz will keep his job; the investigating committee is leaning toward finding a conflict of interest, and thus a breach of ethics. Pressure will only increase for his resignation.

HillaryCare marches on

President Reagan once quipped, “Government is like a baby—an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.” Similarly, fed by lavish federal funding from a GOP-controlled Congress with no sense of responsibility, states are gearing their State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) to take full advantage. Happy to help put the government in charge of everyone’s healthcare decisions, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats are seeking additional funding of up to $60 billion for the program, which is up for extension in October.

The motivation for states to game the system and expand their SCHIP programs to cover adults and non-poor persons is that federal matching funds for SCHIP may be as much as 15 percent higher than for Medicaid. As long as the federal spigot remains wide open, the expansion will inevitably overwhelm government budgets and drown out most other public services. All these billions of dollars, just to cover a mere 6.1-million persons in 2005 at a cost of up to $10,000 each. Meanwhile, one of the laboratories of democracy, Tennessee, is developing a low-cost insurance plan involving private-health insurance for only $1,800 a year—far lower than wildly out of control SCHIP spending.

From the states: Tax reform in Georgia

Georgia may be on its way to a completely new tax code, courtesy of state House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who proposed legislation this week to completely replace the old code. Currently, Georgia residents pay state and local property tax, estate tax, unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation taxes, business and occupational fees, intangible taxes and insurance taxes. All of that would hit the scrap heap in favor of a flat income tax of 5.75 percent and a matching sales tax. The present income-tax rate is six percent and the sales tax is 4.5 percent.

A familiar name is behind it all, as well: Arthur Laffer, economist of the Reagan era. Richardson has strongly advocated such reform, saying, “We must change the burdensome and antiquated tax system we currently have.” He is optimistic about this plan, which if passed by the legislature will be placed on the November 2008 ballot for voter approval. He says, “I believe the [Georgia] House tax reform plan will be the talk of the nation.” If it stirs up federal tax reform, all the better.

CULTURE

Faith and Family: National Day of Prayer 2007

II Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This is the goal of the National Day of Prayer, observed yesterday by millions of Americans intent on preserving our heritage.

In his observation, President George W. Bush remarked, “[S]ince the days of our founding, our nation has been called to prayer…George Washington [said], ‘It’s the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor.’… For two centuries, Americans have answered this call to prayer. We’re a prayerful nation. I believe that makes us a strong nation.”

We at The Patriot are humbled to count ourselves Americans and are mindful of the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on our nation. As President Bush concluded, “So on this National Day of Prayer, let us seek the Almighty with confidence and trust, because our Eternal Father inclines his ear to the voice of his children, and answers our needs with love.”

Bible in the schools, Commandments in the courthouse

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill this week allowing elective classes on the Bible in all Georgia schools. The law requires that the courses be taught “in an objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students.” Around the nation, many local school districts already allow such classes, but Georgia is the first state to endorse them.

Perdue also signed a bill permitting the display of the Ten Commandments at courthouses in the state. The bill is an effort to clear law that has become muddled by court decisions allowing the display in some cases but not in others. The usual cries of “separation of church and state” accompany both bills, but we submit that those cries, again as usual, result from a complete misunderstanding of the idea.

We’ll have a gay old time

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire recently signed into law a measure to create domestic partnerships, giving homosexual couples some of the same rights that come with real marriage. “This is a very proud moment for me as governor, to make sure the rights of all of our citizens are equal,” Gregoire said.

On the other coast, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed legislation that would make New York the second state in the country to grant legal sanction to homosexual marriage, fulfilling a longtime pledge to supporters of homosexual rights. Mr. Spitzer has acknowledged that he does not expect the bill to pass the state legislature but would submit the proposal anyway, “because it’s a statement of principle that I believe in.” When asked whether he should be expected to support the measure, Republican State Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno said, “that is a priority of the governor, and not a priority in the Senate.”

Perhaps, in the future, homosexuals in New York and Washington could have their rites presided over by former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, who announced his application for seminary in his newly adopted Episcopal faith.

PBS promotes atheism

In its latest maneuver in the grand atheistic crusade, taxpayer-funded PBS will air “A Brief History of Disbelief,” which promotes atheism and chronicles the “destructive power” of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the piece, producer and narrator Jonathan Miller stands at the site of the Twin Towers (which, as you recall, were attacked not by Jewish or Christian disciples but by radical Islamic terrorists) and claims that “September 11 is a forceful reminder of the potentially destructive power of the three great monotheistic religions that have dominated the world in one way or another for nearly 2,000 years.” Naturally, the solution is atheism.

If Miller is to be believed, then Christianity, Judaism and Islam are equal offenders in terrorism. When was the last time a radical orthodox Jewish student blew himself up in a crowded market? Or a Christian kidnapped and decapitated someone as part of a holy war? It’s been a while.

Such assertions void of substantiation by even the remotest semblance of logic are far below objective broadcasting par—even for the channel whose initials might better stand for the “Propagation of…” well, you get the idea.

From the ‘Village Academic Curriculum’ Files

The College Republican chapter at the University of Rhode Island earned a recent victory when it was decided they should not have to apologize for a satirical scholarship the group staged for “white male heterosexuals” —a farce the College Republicans had no intention of apologizing for in the first place.

Last year, the College Republicans asked scholarship applicants to write an essay on the hardships of being a straight white male. The purpose of the scholarship was to illustrate the absurdity of scholarships that are not academically based. The school’s Student Organizations Advisory Review Committee voted recently to force an apology from the College Republicans after concluding that the scholarship was discriminatory in nature. When the group declined to apologize, SOARC voted to recognize them no longer.

What SOARC didn’t count on was the dissent of school officials and student-rights groups alike. As a result, the Student Senate withdrew the SOARC decision and asked only that the College Republican chapter write a letter to applicants to make sure they realized the $100 scholarship was not for real. We have to wonder: When will the SOARC admit they are not for real?

And last…

Protestors gathered in DC last weekend to declare support for impeaching President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Part of the plan was to form a human chain to spell out the word “impeach” with an exclamation point. Organizers were hoping for 1,000 people, but only about 150 bothered to roll out of bed and make the trek. “We’re going to have to scrap the big plan,” George Ripley, the protest’s leader, conceded. With a crowd only big enough to spell “imp,” they were relegated to chanting, “Give me an I! Give me an M! Give me a P!…” One protestor lamented, “A nightmare.” Actually, we find it rather comical. Ripley half-heartedly tried to get the crowd to form a “W” with a pink slash running across it, but after a few more unenthusiastic murmurs from the crowd and the slow dispersal of miscreants, he gave up. “I can’t do it. Party’s over.” Memo to the Democrats…

Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families—especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who have died in defense of American liberty, while prosecuting the war with Jihadistan.)