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Posted on 09/11/2003 12:00:34 AM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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The years of 1855-56 had been particularly harsh on the Mormon settlements around the Great Salt Lake. Through their difficulties were due to normal things like drought and insect infestation, the Mormons believed they were being punished by God for their sins. All people were called upon to confess and represent. For some sins, the only way of achieving forgiveness was the doctrine of "blood-atonement." This meant that one had to shed their own blood. Unfortunately, things got out of control when some Mormons extended the shedding of blood to others to save themselves. At the same time, they claimed, they were "saving" the person who was sacrificed.  The atrocities reached the ears of leaders in the east. President Buchanan sent troops to Utah to return order. The Mormons heard about it in advance and prepared for a long siege. They stockpiled grain. They found places to hide. They got ready to leave at a moment’s notice. They burned down Fort Bridger and Fort Supply so they could not provide shelter to U.S. troops. Brigham Young declared that army troops would not be allowed to enter the Salt Lake Valley for any reason. He declared that all citizens must be ready to bare arms against them. Before the troops could reach Utah, the Fancher emigrant train had reached Salt Lake City from Arkansas. They had received a hostile reception there so left as soon as possible. In their way south, they were unable to buy or trade with any of the settlers. They traveled as fast as they could to get out of Utah. They stopped at Mountain Meadows, in the southwest corner of the territory, to rest their animals. The meadows were a final resting and refueling stop before crossing the ninety miles of desert west of them. There were two springs in the valley and lush grass. Around the valley were steep hillsides.  This 1870s T.B.H. Stenhouse sketch depicts the horrors at Mountain Meadows On the eastern edge of the valley lived Jacob Hamlin, a Mormon Indian agent for the Paiutes, and some other assistants. On the morning of September 7, 1857, seven emigrants fell dead from gunfire. Sixteen others were wounded. The emigrants were stunned, but the survivors raced to their wagons to arm themselves and get the women and children under cover. The Indians did not expect resistance and hesitated. But spurned on by their Mormon instigators John D. Lee, sub-agent, and Nephi Johnson, interpreter, they kept fighting. The Indians also ran off some of the cattle and shot the rest. Overall, there were 54 white men and 200 Indians in the attacking force. The settlers made a fortress out of their wagons and piled up earth. They sent out messengers for help. Two men reached Cedar City, but when they asked for help, one of them was killed on the spot. The other was wounded, but got away. Three men finally got out and headed toward California for help.  John D. Lee The Mormons were dismayed that the settlers weren’t so easy to dislodge. They held a council to decide what to do. They decided they must somehow be lured out of their stronghold and then killed. Lee and William Bateman approached the camp waving a white flag. They claimed that the Indians had agreed to leave them alone if they surrendered to the Mormons. They would have to make a show of it so the Indians would believe they were surrendering. They had to put their guns in the wagons and the men had to walk unarmed. The pioneers agreed, believing it was their only option. They started to march out of the valley, practically in single file. When they reached a certain spot, Major John Higbee gave a signal. All of a sudden the Indians erupted out of their hiding places and attacked the women. The Mormon militiamen bringing up the rear killed the men on foot that were closest to them. All of the men were killed in the first two or three volleys. The women were left to the Indians. All of them were scalped, stripped of their clothes, and killed.  Site of the Mountain Meadow Massacre Shortly afterward, Ira Hatch led some Indians after the three men who were heading to California. They caught up with them in the Santa Clara Mountains and killed them. In all, about 120 men, women, and children were killed including the five who had left the stronghold. Seventeen children survived and were taken to Hamlin’s agency and divided up among Mormon families. The Mormons took all the money that the settlers had on them. They gave much of the property to the Indians. The rest was taken and sold and donated to the Church. They took all the jewelry off the bodies, not caring if they mutilated fingers or ears in its removal. On October 2, eleven Mormon men fleeing Utah through the southern boundary stopped at the site of the massacre. They saw the nude, mutilated bodies still laying there, some partly eaten by wild animals. They told about what they saw when they reached Los Angeles. From there the news spread all over the country. A hue and cry went up to punish the Indians and Mormons responsible.  A Dr. Forney, Superintendent of Utah, investigated the matter. He found the missing children living with white families near Hamlin’s agency. Some of them were old enough to explain exactly what happened. He was amazed that the families who had taken in the children demanded money to repay them for what they had paid the Indians to free the children. He learned that the Indians that died had done so after eating an animal infected from eating a noxious weed, not from being deliberately poisoned by the emigrants. He also learned that this particular tribe had not even been involved in the fight. This contradicted the story that had been given by the Mormons for the Indian uprising. It wasn’t until the spring of 1859, that an army company went to the meadows and buried the remains. On June 29, fifteen of the seventeen children were sent east in a wagon train escorted by soldiers, John C. Miller and Milium Tackett were kept was witnesses. They testified in Washington D.C., then went home to Arkansas. No one was punished until 1876, when Lee and three others finally went on trial. In the first trial, Lee was acquitted, being as there were nine Mormon men on the jury. The U.S. government proclaimed the jury selection as invalid and declared a second trial. By then, the Mormon church decided that they should sacrifice Lee and the others to improve their own standing. The witnesses in the second trial all of a sudden remembered everything that happened. Lee was found guilty of murder. On March 23, 1877, he was executed at the scene of the massacre.  Below is a short history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it appears on the memorial in Harrison, Arkansas. The Mountain Meadows Massacre In memory of 140 men, women and children, Northwest Arkansas emigrants to California in 1857 under leadership of Alexander Fancher (Piney Alex) left from Caravan Spring 4 miles south of here around May 1st - camped at Mountain Meadows, Utah in early September - attacked by Indians directed by Mormons - fought for several days until ammunition exhausted - approached by Mormons under flag of truce - promised protection - surrendered - all were then killed except 17 small children - found later in Mormon homes - rescued by Army in 1859 - taken to Arkansas - cared for by relatives - John D. Lee, Mormon bishop, tried - found guilty - executed in 1877 - confessed guilt and Mormon complicity - consult Russells Behind These Ozark Hills (1947) Goodspeeds History of Arkansas (1889) p. 346 - 350 in regional library Harrison. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19 Small children not killed Milum & William - children of Pleasant Tackett Angeline & George Ann - children of L. D. Dunlap Martha Elizabeth - Sarah F. - W. T. - children of G. W. Baker Rebecca J. - Sarah E. - Louisa - children of Jesse Dunlap John Calvin - Mary - Joseph - children of Josiah Miller Kit Carson & Tryphina - children of Alexander Fancher F. M. Jones - child of J. M. Jones Sophronia - child of Peter Huff  Below is the inscription of the back side of the monument at Harrison, Arkansas. It provides an incomplete list of the victims of the massacre. Those Killed From Carroll Co. Arkansas Alexander Fancher - Wife Eliza Ingram - Their children: Hampton - William - Mary - Thomas - Martha - Sarah G. - Margaret A. George W. Baker - Wife - Child John I. Baker - Abel Baker Milum Rush - Allen Deshazo David W. Beller - Jrs Mathew Fancher Robert T. Fancher - Melissa Ann Beller From Marion Co. Arkansas Chas R. Mitchell - Wife - Child Joel D. Mitchell - Lawson Mitchell Wm. Pruett - John Pruett Jesse Dunlap - Wife - 6 Children Rachel Dunlap - Ruth Dunlap L. D. Dunlap - 5 Children Wm. Wood - Solomon Wood Richard Wilson From Johnson Co. Arkansas J. Milum Jones - Wife - Child Pleasant Tackett - Wife - 2 Children Cintha Tackett - 3 Children Ambrose Tackett - Miriam Tackett William Cambron - Wife - 5 Children Josiah Miller - Wife - 5 Children Peter Huff - Wife - Their children: Angeline - Annie - Ephriam W. Wm. Eaton - Indiana - Wm. A. Aden - Tenn. Residence Unknown John Melvin Sorel - Mary Sorel Francis Horn - Joseph Miller - Wife Other Names in Caravan Mortons - Haydons - Hudsons - Hamiltons - Smiths - Laffoons OTHERS UNKNOWN
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free dixie,sw
I like that, I also like:
"I'm not their Judge, I'm their Judgment. I'm their Executioner".
"Plant your stealthy bombs that maim little children,
then call it a glorious war of liberation if you can.
But we call it simple savagery, and we will stop you.
We have more respect for a cockroach and will step around it.
But we will not step around you, we will grind you into the earth"
Don Pendleton
. . . and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood of the innocent, but by the blood of him that shed it.
Cleanse on boys . . .
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Remembering
 A US soldier pauses during a moment of silence for the 9/11 Day of Commemoration Prayer Breakfast for US troops at Baghdad International Airport, 11 September 2003. The US military is holding a series of memorial serrvices throughout Iraq to mark the second anniversary of terrorist attacks on US soil.(AFP/Robert Sullivan)  A U.S. soldier of the fourth Division pauses during a memorial service, to mark the second anniversary of September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, at the Division's headquarters in one of the palaces of the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, September 11, 2003.  A chaplain and other U.S. soldiers of the fourth infantry division pause during a memorial service to mark the second anniversary of September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, at the Division's headquarters in one of the palaces of the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, September 11, 2003.  A U.S. soldier of the fourth Division pauses during a memorial service, to mark the second anniversary of September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, at the Division's headquarters in one of the palaces of the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, September 11, 2003.  Sergeant Rhonda Gwynn of 230 Finance of the Fourth Division of the U.S. Army prays during a memorial service, to mark the second anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington, at one of the palaces of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, September 11, 2003  US soldiers stand as they observe a moment of silence during the anniversary of the September 11 suicide plane hijackings. The US military is holding a series of memorial services throughout Iraq to mark commemorate the terrorist attacks.(AFP/Robert Sullivan)
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Amen.
So many mixed emotions today.
I can't read the list of the murdered without tearing up either, Sam. People complain about casualties in Iraq, but that pales in comparison to the 3,000 casualties we took two years ago. Or how about adding up the casualties from Achille Lauro, Lockerbie, Beirut Embassy, Marine Barracks, Beirut, Mogadishu, WTCI, Khobar Towers, Africa Embassies and the Cole and adding that to the 9-11 toll? I'm already hearing "complete the healing process and move on" and "bring the troops home" crap from the left. If we give up the fight today, we might as well just add more attacks and more casualties to that list right now.
Thanks for today's post, which to me is a lesson in humility. As we fight the war against terror we should be humble before God, and not try to take His place, knowing that evil is not restricted to islamo-fascist fanatics, ever mindful we are all in need of His grace and redemption.
Thanks also for the pix of the 4th I.D., an old outfit of mine, in Tikrit. Who would have thought two years ago that there would be 9-11 remembrances by U.S. troops in Tikrit, Iraq, the very belly of the beast, on this day? The press back here is pushing their agenda, playing up casualties and claiming the troops are dispirited and just want to come home. I know that's not true. The troops in those pictures look plenty motivated to me. If Saddam is found it could very well be by the 4th, which is in his back yard.
All I can think to say right now to those who would give up the fight before it finished is to quote Todd Beamer, "Let's Roll"!
Thanks to readers and posters like you it's a joy to work in the Foxhole.
Rather than the heal and move on agenda the left spews out it should be heal, always remember and move out! As in let's go get the rest of them!
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Air Power |
The Nesher (Vulture) was the first fighter to be produced in Israel, thus paving the way for the appearance of more advanced planes like the Kfir and Lavi. The IAF saw the Nesher as a temporary expedient for reinforcing Israel's air power, a sort of intermediate phase before the more advanced models made their entry. When the better planes arrived upon the scene, the Nesher was phased out. The Neshers served in the IAF for just 10 years, and reached the apex of their glory in the Yom Kippur War, during which they scored numerous kills.
At the beginning, the Mirage 5 was conceived to answer Israeli requirements. The Mirage 5, equipped with the same airframe as the Mirage IIIC and engine as the Mirage IIIE, was conceived as a daylight ground strike fighter (radar replaced by a simplified navigation and attack system). In the late 1960s the close ties between France and Israel began to cool down, first with the French weapons embargo during the Six Days War and finally with the embargo following the Israeli commando raid on Beirut airport in December 1968 (following an attack by Palestinian terrorists on an El Al aircraft). France refused to deliver the 50 Mirage 5 aircraft already ordered by Israel and instead used them to arm its own air force. The need in Israel to replace more than 60 aircraft lost during the Six Days War and the ongoing War of Attrition that followed it prompted Israel to privately acquire the Mirage 5 blueprints from Dassault and to secure the engine blueprints through espionage. Israel Aircraft Industries secretly began the construction of the new fighter in its Ben Gurion Airport facilities.
The first Nesher landed in the First Combat Squadron's base at Hatzor in May of 1971, with veteran test pilot Danny Shapira at the controls. In the months that followed, additional Nesher planes equipped this squadron, making up for the insufficient number of Mirage IIIs and raising the number of serviceable planes in the squadron. When the rate of production picked up at the Nesher assembly line at IAI, two new squadrons could be established, based solely on the Neshers. The first new squadron inaugurated 'Etzion Airbase at 'Bik'at Hayareakh' ('Valley of the Moon') near Eilat, in September of 1972, and the second was founded in March of 1973 at Hatzor.
When the Yom Kippur War broke out, in October of 1973, the IAF had 40 Nesher planes in its ranks, serving in the First Combat Squadron and in the two new squadrons. Although they were originally intended for attack missions, in the course of the war the Neshers were primarily used in air-to-air combat. The IAF command decided to use the Phantoms, Skyhawks and Sa'ars against ground targets, and assigned the Mirages and Neshers the task of fighting enemy aircraft and establishing air superiority over the battle zones.
The Neshers proved to be good fighters and overcame their adversaries (MiGs and Sukhois) with relative ease. According to the statistics published after the war, there were 117 dogfights in the course of the Yom Kippur War (65 over Syria and 52 over Egypt). 227 enemy planes were shot down in these confrontations, and only six Israeli planes were shot down (they had been on interception missions, and were either hit by cannon fire or by sirface-to-air missiles). The Nesher squadron from Etzion was one of the leading squadrons, tallying 42 kills without a single plane lost.
The Neshers did not just go out on interception missions: they also carried out several attack sorties in the Golan Heights and on the southern front. The action was intense, with every pilot carrying out numerous sorties every day.
The war proved just how vital the Nesher's reinforcement of the IAF's order of battle had been, and convinced the defense community of the importance of continuing to develop fighters in the IAI. In 1975 the first Kfirs entered service, and the Nesher was gradually relegated to a less central role. All the Neshers were concentrated in two squadrons, and were transferred - in late 1976 - to Eitam Airbase, which had been newly dedicated in the northern Sinai.
In the late 70's there were already enough Kfirs in the IAF for completely replacing the Mirages and Neshers. The Kfir was a significantly more advanced plane than the Nesher, boasting better performance as well as more sophisticated systems, and upgrading the Neshers was not deemed to be a worthwhile investment. In 1981, the Kfir had supplanted the Nesher in Heyl Ha'avir, and the Neshers were renovated, for sale overseas. Neshers were sold to Argentina, where they were renamed 'Dagger', and saw much action against the British in the Falklands War.
Specifications:
Country of Origin: Israel
Builder: Israeli Aircraft Industries
Primary Function: Multi-role single-seat fighter
Similar Aircraft: Mirage 5
Powerplant: SNECMA Atar 09 engine with 4,280 kg. thrust
Crew: One
Dimensions:
Wing Span: 8.22 m
Length: 15.55 m
Height: 4.25 m
Weights: Empty: 6,600 kg, / Max. loaded: 13,500 kg
Performance :
Maximum speed: Mach 2.1
Cruising speed:
Range: 1,300 km
Service Ceiling: 17,000 m
Armaments:
two 30mm cannons
Up to 4200kg of disposable stores on 6 underwing and 1 underfuselage hardpoints.
All photos Copyright of their respective websites
I second that, Snippy! In addition, it's time to turn the Israelis loose to clean out Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
I do too, Sam.
Rush was saying yesterday that the Dim dwarves are making fools of themselves with their cut and run talk. That's how I see it. I think a clear majority of Americans have gotten it after 9-11. I hope I'm right.
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