[Mama_Bear]

[Mama_Bear]

[grantswank]

am not sure if my replies to various posts got thru to you but i want now to take this post to thank you all for your gracious notes and also for your prayers for my mother-in-law who is quite ill.

my wife and i are still here in nova scotia, returning home tomorrow.

have thoroughly appreciated your intercessions as prayer support during this difficult time.

<//><

[FreeTheHostages]

I love it! I love the water border too. Warrior Nurse, have you ever gotten to see these dolphins train?

[GailA]

Good Morning ALL

Coffee's on

[grantswank]

US TROOPS IMPRESS RUSSIAN LEADERS!!


If you’re an alcoholic, you stand a good chance. Sign up.

Have a chronic disease? Sign up.

Drug addict? Sign up.

To fill up its draft numbers, the Soviet ministry of defense is willing to
enlist alcoholics, the unhealthy and drug addicts.

The ministry is “desperate,” according to the TIMES OF LONDON. Their stats
are dropping, alarmingly so. The Russian army is in big time trouble.

To resurrect a sort of militia, the Soviet central agency is looking at
former Soviet republics for male bodies. The Russians promise high pay (?),
free education and the status symbol of a Russian citizenship paper.

So there.

As the army disintegrates daily, realism dictates that up to 50,000
conscripts desert each year. Thousands more “dodge the call-up.” Part of
the fear is the knowledge that they will be bullied into pulp as well as
living in poverty conditions.

And so it is that the Russians are content to take on heroin addicts,
drunks and those with known illnesses.

Sergie Ivanov, the Defense Minister, expects that the Commonwealth of
Independent States – that loose-hanging network of former republics – will
come up with a better soldier who, for exemplary behavior, will receive
Russian citizenship after three years’ commitment.

Now that the three-week win war is over in Iraq, the Russian generals are
frankly “in shock” due to witnessing the military expertise of the United
States and its coalition partners. In other words, Russians have been quite
impressed. No wonder Putin thereby puts on his snoot act lately; cover-up
persona of sorts?

Russian military leaders hope that they will come upon five million troops
arriving from Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia as well as Tajikistan. This
should, they say, equip the Russians with what they are advertising as “the
very best.”

Time will tell.

At present, conscripts realize that they will be subjected to bullying in
the well-known dedovshchina system. And what is that? It is the program to
demolish a soldier’s self-esteem by humiliating him to the nth degree – all
for the end purpose of forcing him into mannequin obedience.

It is known fact that Russian youths will go to any length to avoid the
dedovshchina. One fellow even feigned mental illness, was committed, and
endured intolerable conditions – all with the intent of not having to serve
as a solider in the Russian machine.

In the two Chechen conflicts of the past ten years, thousands upon
thousands simply walked into the firing line with practically no training.
Presently 80 per cent of the troops there are on contract; however, not all
believe in the contracts’ reliabilities.

“You cannot make a contract soldier obey orders. If there is another
Chernobyl and we have to send in the army, do you think contract soldiers
will agree to do it?” Dmitri Mitrofinov, a Duma deputy, asked the media.
“No, we must keep the draft system, but think of ways to make it more
attractive, so the young take pride in their country.”

In the meantime, any out there who wish to sail abroad, sign up and do your
bit for the Russian brigade?

[Mama_Bear]

Thank you so much!

[daisyscarlett]

What a delightful and beautiful thread! Dolphins are very special - and I loved the Tacoma story...

Here are some dolphins "playing" at LaJolla Shores near San Diego...this is common site there...

[jwfiv]

Such an inspiring start to our day...thank you, Mama_Bear...Very informative.

America is soooooo wonderful, even Flipper is on our side.

Hey, Freepers, it's Friday and...SURF'S UP!

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[Billie]

Good afternoon, Lori! Thank you for the story about these sweet creatures and all they've done for Operation Iraqi Freedom. I love dolphins!

T Man is gonna love seeing YOUR thread edited by the Admin Moderator, too! :) Welcome to the club!

[The Thin Man]

Cute thread, Mama_Bear. It's amazing what these dolphins and sea lions can do.

T Man is gonna love seeing YOUR thread edited by the Admin Moderator, too! :) Welcome to the club!

I'm sure there's a good reason for the AM's edit. Billie, I'm surprised at you for assigning blame so quickly. With MB's history of perfection the least would we could do is give her the benefit of the doubt. Your lack of support is very disappointing. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

I've just returned from an exhilarating Support Our Troops rally in Fresno. Seemed to me the cheering and honks from the motorist were even louder and more energized than usual. It was fun.

Tame, it was great rallying with you, Tiffany and truthtracker again. I will ping you when we get our pictures posted.

Amy, it is always a treat getting together with you and the other ralliers - I'm glad we have decided not to discontinue them. (BTW, I completely forgot to give you the peck on the cheek that Louie sent for his 'Sis'...sorry. I'll save it for next time.)

Pippin, sorry you got left in here all by yourself tonight. :-(

Julie, bless you and patriots everywhere for standing tall in support of our military. You do so much - you are a very special lady. :-)

To everyone who came by our thread today....thank you! I will be posting the week in review thread tomorrow. Hope you all have a great weekend and if you have a minute, stop by and sit a spell. Until then.........