Some words by Charlie Daniels (Great Read)

I've just returned from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Naval Air Station base where we did three shows for the troops and toured several locations around the post visiting with some of the finest military personnel on planet earth. The kids seemed to really enjoy the shows and especially liked "This Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag" and "In America". We had a great time with them.

We saw Camp X-Ray, where the Taliban detainees are being held, only from a distance, but I picked up a lot of what's going on there from talking with a lot of different people. The truth of the matter is that this operation is under a microscope. The Red Cross has an on site presence there and watches everything that goes on very closely. The media is not telling you the whole truth about what's going on over there. The truth is that these scumbags are not only being treated humanely, but they are probably better off health wise and medically than they've ever been in their lives. They are fed well, able to take showers and receive state of the art medical care. And have their own Moslem chaplain. I saw several of them in a field hospital ward where they were being treated in a state of the art medical facility.

Now let's talk about the way they treat our people. First of all, they have to be watched constantly. These people are committed and wanton murderers who are willing to die just to kill someone else. One of the doctors told me that when they had Taliban in the hospital the staff had to really be careful with needles, pens and anything else, which could possibly be used as a weapon. They also throw their excrement and urine on the troops who are guarding them. And our guys and gals have shown great restraint in not retaliating. We are spending over a million dollars a day maintaining and guarding these nasty killers and anyone who wants to see them brought to the U.S.A. for trial is either out of their heads or a lawyer looking for money and notoriety. Or both. I wish that the media and the Red Cross and all the rest of the people who are so worried about these criminals would realize that this is not a troop of errant Boy Scouts. These are killers of the worst kind. They don't need protection from us; we need protection from them.

If you don't get anything else out of this soapbox, please try to realize that when you see news coverage much of the time you're not getting the whole story, but an account filtered through a liberal mindset with an agenda. We have two fights on our hands, the war against terror and the one against the loudmouthed lawyers and left wing media who would sap the strength from the American public by making us believe that we're losing the war or doing something wrong in fighting it. Remember these are the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein's Republican guard was going to be an all but invincible enemy and that our smart bombs and other weapons were not really as good as the military said that they were.

They also took up for Bill Clinton while he was cavorting around the Oval office with Monica Lewinsky while the terrorists were gaining strength and bombing our Embassies and dragging the bodies of dead American heroes around the dusty streets of Somalia. It's a shame that we can't have an unbiased media who would just report the truth and let us make up our own minds. Here I must commend Fox News for presenting both sides much better than the other networks. They are leaving the other cable networks in the dust. People like being told the truth. Our military not only needs but deserves our support. Let's give it to them. The next time you read a media account about the bad treatment of the Taliban in Cuba, remember what I told you. Been there, done that.

Footnote: I got an e-mail from a rather irate first cousin of mine the other day who has a daughter who's a lawyer and she seemed to think that I was painting all lawyers with the same brush.

Please understand that I'm not doing that at all. That would be like saying that all musicians were drug addicts. There are a lot of good and honest attorneys out there. I happen to have one of them. But it seems that they never get any airtime. It's always the radicals who get their opinions heard. Who fight the idea of the military tribunals and site The Constitution and the integrity of America as their source of justifying their opinions. Well, first of all The Constitution says " We the people of the United States", it doesn't mention any other country. And secondly, as far as integrity is concerned, I don't think some of these folks would know integrity if it bit them in the posterior. What do you think?

The Pentagon
September 11, 2002
"One year ago, men and women and children were killed here because they were Americans. And because this place is a symbol to the world of our country's might and resolve. Today, we remember each life. We rededicate this proud symbol and we renew our commitment to win the war that began here. (Applause.)

"The terrorists chose this target hoping to demoralize our country. They failed. (Applause.) Within minutes, brave men and women were rescuing their comrades. Within hours in this building, the planning began for a military response. Within weeks, commands went forth from this place that would clear terrorist camps and caves and liberate a nation. And within one year, this great building has been made whole once again. (Applause.)

"Many civilian and military personnel have now returned to offices they occupied before the attack. The Pentagon is a working building, not a memorial. Yet, the memories of a great tragedy linger here. And for all who knew loss here, life is not the same.

"The 184 whose lives were taken in this place -- veterans and recruits, soldiers and civilians, husbands and wives, parents and children -- left behind family and friends whose loss cannot be weighed. The murder of innocence cannot be explained, only endured. And though they died in tragedy, they did not die vain. (Applause.)

"Their loss has moved a nation to action, in a cause to defend other innocent lives across the world. This war is waged on many fronts. We've captured more than 2,000 terrorists; a larger number of killers have met their end in combat. We've seized millions in terrorist assets. We're reorganizing the federal government to protect the homeland. Yet, there's a great deal left to do. And the greatest tasks and the greatest dangers will fall to the armed forces of the United States.

"I came to the Presidency with respect for all who wear America's uniform. (Applause.) Every day as your Commander in Chief, my respect and that of our nation has deepened. I have great confidence in every man and women who wears the uniform of the United States of America. (Applause.) I am proud of all who have fought on my orders, and this nation honors all who died in our cause.

"Wherever our military is sent in the world, you bring hope and justice and promise of a better day. You are worthy of the traditions you represent, the uniform you wear, the ideals you serve. America is counting on you. And our confidence is well placed. (Applause.)

"What happened to our nation on a September day set in motion the first great struggle of a new century. The enemies who struck us are determined and they are resourceful. They will
not be stopped by a sense of decency or a hint of conscience -- but they will be stopped. (Applause.)

"A greater force is amassed against them. They are opposed by freedom loving people in many lands. They are opposed by our allies who have fought bravely by our side. And as long as terrorists and dictators plot against our lives and our liberty, they will be opposed by the United States Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. (Applause.)

"We fight as Americans have always fought, not just for ourselves, but for the security of our friends, and for peace in the world. We fight for the dignity of life against fanatics who feel no shame in murder. We fight to protect the innocent, so that the lawless and the merciless will not inherit the earth.

"In every turn of this war, we will always remember how it began, and who fell first -- the thousands who went to work, boarded a plane, or reported to their posts.

"Today, the nation pays our respects to them. Here, and in Pennsylvania, and in New York, we honor each name, and each life. We ask God to bring comfort to every home where they
are loved and missed. And on this day, and on every day, may He watch over the United States of America.

"God bless." (Applause.)

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