Another great Yon Piece in the Journal….
QUOTE:

A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America.

Jenny Hatch

Sons of Iraq Story

During General David Petraeus’ testimony to Congress on the progress of the war in Iraq, he referred to the great security gains of the last year, which largely hold even in the face of clashes between Shia militias and government forces in Sadr City, Basrah, and much of the South. General Petraeus credited a substantial portion of those security gains in many areas of Iraq in the last year to the duel phenomena of Sahawa (Awakening) councils and the formation of local security teams from out-of-work men fed up with violence.

The Anbar Awakening started in Ramadi as armed opposition to al Qaeda in Iraq. The movement grew and morphed into a political and military movement that expanded throughout Anbar and swept west, north, and south throughout the largely Sunni areas of Iraq. As the Awakening Councils formed, they raised paramilitary security forces with assistance and instruction from the Coalition forces in their respective towns.

In some areas these local security fighters were directly raised and employed by a town’s Awakening Council; in others, local security groups developed on their own without a connection to the Awakening movement. As the trend spread, Coalition commanders began to adopt the local security model to provide jobs and protection for the Iraqi people in their areas.

At the beginning, the names of different security groups were as mixed as the outside opinions of them. The first local security fighters appeared in Ramadi and Fallujah, where cynical soldiers called them the “Good Bad Guys.” As the trend grew, Americans in other areas dubbed groups “Concerned Local Citizens” or “Neighborhood Watch”; Iraqis in Baghdad called themselves “Knights of the Two Rivers.”

Local forces were variously lauded as patriots and vilified as opportunistic militiamen. American civilian leaders and the press worried that the military was “arming both sides in a civil war.” Many military leaders appreciated the extra temporary security, but worried what would happen when the local forces were inevitably asked to stand down in favor of Iraqi government forces.

Almost a year has passed since the rise of the local security forces, which now number more than 91,000. The Government of Iraq refers to all armed groups contracted by the Coalition as “Sons of Iraq” regardless of origin, and has stated the intention of integrating about 20 percent into the security forces and disbanding the rest when they are no longer needed for security.”

Praying for Iraq….
Jenny Hatch

UPDATE: Friday April 18

The “Sixteen year old girl.” A hoax???
Just read this on WND.
I am SPITTING mad. Texas authorities better have those children back in their mothers arms by tonight.
Jenny Hatch

“A 33-year-old Colorado Springs woman has been questioned about a telephone call that sparked a raid at the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in western Texas two weeks ago.

Rozita Swinton was arrested at her home Wednesday night by Colorado Springs police for an incident that occurred in February. Members of the Texas Rangers were also in Colorado Springs as part of their investigation.

“The Texas Rangers were in Colorado Springs (Wednesday) as part of their investigation involving the compound in Texas. They left and have not filed any charges on Rozita Swinton as of this time,” said Colorado Springs police spokesman Lt. Skip Arms.

Colorado Springs police said the arrest warrant has been sealed and refused to release any other details, reported Deseret News.”

Continue reading “Give em back – Texas Raid based on a LIE????” →

Kids Killing the Planet

“Little did I realize, but apparently, I am on the verge of destroying Mother Earth. Yup, Seventh Generation-using, SUV-less (car-less, doggone it!), recycling-law-abiding me. I even turn off the water while I brush my teeth, and bought local produce long before locavorism became trendy.

So what’s my crime? My husband and I are contemplating having a third child, as I recently documented in the Washington Post. The essay itself, a semi-facetious, semi-serious look at the rising costs of parenthood was a riff off my book, Parenting, Inc., which documents the exploding parenting market. My goal was to offer parents a kind of annotated guide through the mind-boggling shopping experience that accompanies having a kid, and to help cut down on the commercialization of childhood. Having talked to parents around the country, I found that I’m not alone in thinking that raising kids costs a fortune. But given the wasteful and unnecessary gear that I’m planning on not buying, I thought having a third kid might be financially conceivable.”

Pamela,
Have all the children you want to welcome into your life! When you are old and grey and the population nut jobs are dead and gone, you will have years of enjoying your grandchildren…the more the merrier! No guilt Momma! Just do what is best for your family.
Jenny Hatch

UPDATE Friday April 11th, 2008

My friend Pam called this morning to let me know that Timber died yesterday.
Here is the Denver Post story online.
Our thoughts and Prayers are with his wife and family on this beautiful spring day.

Yesterday I learned of the near fatal car crash of a HomeSchoolling Friend from Denver. Timber was the force behind our Science Fairs with the Liahona Home Educators of Denver LDS Homeschool Support Group. His wife Annette is a dear friend of mine, and I was shocked to learn of his accident.
Here is a link to the Denver Post Version of the story. Please keep this wonderful family in your thoughts and prayers.

Jenny Hatch