Full Disclosure by National Review's Victor Davis Hanson

Credibility in journalism demands that commentators fully disclose to their audiences relevant personal conflicts of interest.

As pointed out by Our Founder, Jesus' General, National Review's pro-war cheerleader Victor Davis Hanson has a 24-year old son. Assuming Hanson fils is eligible to serve [healthy and heterosexual], Hanson pere has an obligation either to tell his readers whether he has encouraged his own son to consider volunteering for military service in this Global War on Terror that his father publicly supports, or to explain why he has not.

Why don't you ask him yourself? Click here. And, ask National Review Editor Richard Lowry, age 38, whether he has considered military service and why National Review is ignoring this obvious conflict of interest. Click here.

Dan Savage on Tyler Whitney

Here's an anonymous comment (#2, 24 June, 2007 09:03):

So why did you highlight Tyler Whitney? What was his crime that he needed to be held accountable for? That he was an anti-war republican working for a pro-war republican candidate? You think it is a better situation that republican candidates surround themselves with no one who could influence them against Iraq or future conflicts? This site needs to stop pretending to be anti-war. It is only anti-republican.

From OYE: We've asked the author of the Tyler Whitney post to comment; here are some general comments:

Tyler Whitney can speak for himself. We welcome his comments, including whether he describes himself as an "anti-war Republican." Click here. Meanwhile, here's what Dan Savage (above) says about Tyler Whitney (scroll down to second item):

Someone who's 18 and gay is old enough to drive, join the army, vote, and come out. Someone who's 18 and gay and not ready to come out is old enough to know better than to march with assholes carrying "Straight Power" signs at antigay rallies. And someone who's 18 and gay and politically active, as Whitney is, is politically savvy enough to know that working for antigay politicians makes him a prime outing candidate. [Emphasis added.]

Along the same lines, healthy military-age males working for pro-war politicians are prime candidates for the attention of Operation Yellow Elephant. Frankly, if the Republican Party really wanted to Support Our Troops, they would join with the Democrats to get rid of the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, to ensure that our military has the well-qualified volunteers it so desperately needs.

OYE Response to your specific comments: This blog has not taken a position on the war, so we can't "pretend to be anti-war" or pro-war, for that matter. We're Pro-America because we want Our Country, led by Our President, to succeed.

It just so happens under our Constitutional system that one party controls the White House. Until recently, it also controlled both Houses of Congress. With power and authority come responsibilities. That said, we have also Asked The Question of pro-war Democrats. We asked Senator Joseph Lieberman [CT] whether he personally knows any enlisted servicemembers or junior officers; he hasn't replied.

YRNC2007 to Support Military Recruiting

Operation Yellow Elephant is pleased to announce its sponsorship of a booth for U.S. Army recruiting at YRNC2007. We thank the Young Republicans for accepting our Patriot Sponsorship of their event and providing the booth.

We hope that the many veterans attending YRNC2007 will encourage those [non-veteran] participants eligible to serve to consider volunteering for military service. [By "veterans," we also include active-duty servicemembers who are allowed to attend political events like YRNC2007 in their personal capacities, off duty and out of uniform.]

Here's a money quote again:

"I think the amazing thing is we're getting 80,000 patriotic Americans a year to join an Army at war," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the Army general staff department responsible for personnel issues.

Well, if our great nation is truly at war, our Army should certainly be able to recruit far more than 80,000 healthy under-41 heterosexuals each year.

Many Young Republicans have already done their part by serving in our military. We thank them for their service and call upon them to exercise leadership in encouraging other Young Republicans to consider volunteering to serve our nation in this time of need.

These patriotic veterans have far more credibility than a mere blog and we thank them for stepping up.

Move Robert Dixon Forward

Robert Dixon is the Acting Executive Director of Move America Forward (MAF), a non-partisan organization that has had difficulty concealing its ties with a GOP PR firm. Mr. Dixon has seen success since joining MAF in July 2005. As the head of the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan he was tasked with harassing the mother of a slain soldier and anti-war activist, Cindy Sheehan. Clearly he adheres to the principle that since Our Military is busy protecting Our Right to dissent someone must be around to stifle this peaceful resistance. In May, champagne corks were popped at MAF when Ms. Sheehan announced "I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children. . ." Mission accomplished, MAF.
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Never tiring of being On The Road, his next major task was leading the "We Support Our Troops AND Their Missions" bus tour from Sacramento, CA to Our Nation's Capital. Apparently this modern day Jack Kerouac has confused 'support' of the troops with logged highway miles. Although there is one glaring difference between this wayfarer and the famous Beat writer- Jack Kerouac did serve in Our Nation's Military.

Mr. Dixon has valiantly dodged champagne corks, it's time he considers ducking RPGs if he truly does support Our Troops Missions.

Military Recruiting Lead: New Bedford, Massachusetts

Mr. Nathan Pierce, age 23, was unanimously elected Chairman of the New Bedford [MA] Republican City Committee. Money quote:

The Iraq war has turned people away from supporting the Republican voice in the 2006 election, Mr. Pierce said, "because it has defined the public's perception of where the party is heading. I do think that as a committee we need to more strongly show that the Republican Party is not just a party that falls behind this one particular action issue. It's dangerous when we as a community throw out Republicans just on that one action issue."

OYE Comment:

Well, Mr. Pierce, the best way to convince Real Americans of your overall competence and leadership is, as President Bush has said, to finish the job. You can help by contacting your local military recruiter to Be A Man! Enlist!

Personal participation in what Our President has labeled as the most important issue facing your generation, the Global War on Terror, will enhance not only your own personal leadership and credibility with real Americans, but also that of your party.

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If you really want the Massachusetts South Coast to become more bipartisan, you'll Be A Man! Enlist! today.

Calendar Check: National Conservative Student Conference, July 29-August 4, Washington, D.C.

The National Conservative Student Conference takes place July 29-August 4 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Military recruiters seeking to ensure that they make their FY-2007 [ends Sept. 30] quotas should find many well qualified, motivated patriots who should already want to Be A Man! Enlist!

YRs in our Military: Credible Republicans

Operation Yellow Elephant wishes to call attention to an excellent feature of the 2007 Young Republicans National Convention: YRs in the Military.

These specific examples of Real Americans, both from Florida, Diego A. Echeverri [Broward County YRs, pictured above] and Mark Miner [St. John's YRs] are precisely what we need to help convince the American people that at least some of the future leadership of the Republican Party have accepted, and fulfilled, their national leadership responsibility to set a good example for the rest of us.

Please click here, scroll down and read the whole thing. Personal reports from real people have far more credibility than lazy, corporate media any day.

We strongly urge all Young Republicans attending YRNC2007 who are eligible to serve [healthy heterosexuals; YRs are 41 or under already] but have not done so, to consider military service at this time, even if they plan other careers later in life. Your Country Needs You!

And we urge the veterans [including active-duty] attending YRNC2007 to share their experiences and help encourage these Young Republicans to Find Their Strength.

Responding to yet Another Anonymous

In response to the anonymous comment 6 on 21 June, 2007

Anon: I'm saying I don't support large portions of Bush's agenda. You assume that because i'm a Republican I therefore a support the war, and therefore deserve to be a target of your attacks. When in reality these are nothing more than assumptions, and incorrect ones at that. I, like many other Republicans, am incredibly frustrated with the war and would like to see it come to an end as soon as possible. The issue is far more nuanced than you'd like to make it out to be. Of course I want the war to end. Who in their right mind openly advocates a solution that isn't designed to speed up the withdrawal process while leaving Iraq secure? (Don't waste my time citing names, we all know who they are.) The argument about the war is in the manner in which we will leave Iraq. Few are questioning that it's time to leave.

Wek from O.Y.E: If you are really in favor of leaving Iraq I'm wondering if you have anything documented displaying your opposition to Our Country's war- Have you written to a newspaper? Participated in protests? Maybe you have a saved E-mail when you contacted your Senator? Do you post as anonymous for fear of being ridiculed by your Republican peers when you can display true leadership by bringing your convictions forward? Or are you one of the Republicans who have recently (and curiously) been haunted by "buyer's remorse" over the Iraq War (it's a growing movement with the impending 2008 elections) and now seek to distance yourself from it? We, at O.Y.E., would not waste our efforts targeting those that were never in favor of the conflict. Look through our archives. O.Y.E. hasn't exactly searched long and far in finding eligible-to-serve-Republicans who are in favor of the war they're unwilling to fight in. If you truly wish for Our Country to expedite the withdrawal process what's a better way to help than to Be A Man! Enlist! Our Servicemen sincerely need help to complete the mission.

Anon: Furthermore, don't act like "this blog hasn't taken a stance on the war." How stupid do you think people are? You're clearly anti-war and anti-Republican. You're also a perfect example of one of the root causes of the deep divide in this nation. You are a group of amateur journalists that are, in a small way, contributing the rapid decline in the civility and productivity of political discourse in this country. What do you aim to accomplish by publicly embarrassing young republicans? Sure, you've made a few of them look like asses, which will last in peoples memories for a day or so. But to what end do you spend your life "investigating" young men and women who support the war yet are not signed up in the military?

Wek: Wrong on anti-war- O.Y.E. has never taken a stance for/against the war. Our Armed Forces are in Iraq and will continue to be in Iraq for at least the next 19 months. Bickering about how and why we got there does not help our Servicemen. Getting more boots on the ground will.

Wrong on anti-Republican- O.Y.E was pleased to document George P. Bush's entrance into the Naval Reserve. There is NO reluctance on our part to chronicle credible members of the Young Republicans. O.Y.E. also called out actor Matt Damon (hardly a far right guy). It just 'so happens' that there are many Young Republicans that are/were for the war that will cost them/their families nothing.

I find it odd that you'd criticize us "amateur journalists" for ruining political discourse. We've taken the liberty to give YOU a voice by posting and responding to your comments at the top of our blog. Call MSNBC and ask them if they can get you on at the top of the hour to debate an issue. Drop by the Wall Street Journal and ask them to have your thoughts on their front page. Never before in Our Nation's history have so many people been able to voice their thoughts/opinions/hell, even cooking recipes. By it's very nature, journalism left to publicly traded corporations would be uneager to cover every story with brutal honesty. Whether you agree with the topic at hand or not, even a loony argument (i.e. Sept. 11th was an inside job) can possibly lead to some type of intelligent discourse.

Anon: I think it's time for OYE to Be a man! and start using wit over sarcasm and intellect over vacuous insinuations about other people's character. attack Ideas, don't attack people. You can destroy one person's character, but there will always be someone else to pick up the torch of the ideas they espoused. It is in the intellectual destruction of ideas that you will find relevance in your writings.

Wek: You may believe that we have, in some part, contributed to destroying a person's character. The fact is they have done this to themselves by not being a credible leader in setting the example they expect others to follow. You call for us to attack only ideas, but you neglect to comprehend that it is PEOPLE who spawn these ideas and PEOPLE should be held accountable for the thoughts they express. Fortunately for many we've posted on it's not too late- most are still within the age limits to Serve Our Country and redeem themselves. O.Y.E. will gladly do an updated post if any of our past subjects Step Up.

Of course there will be people to "pick up the torch" of ideas spoken by the less-than-credible. Every one's hope should be that the next in line should have more integrity.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am of eligible age to serve. I am also heterosexual. I was determined to be not healthy to serve in the Army in 2004 due to a heart condition known as Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy. I was naive (arrogant?) to think that my past 'physical resume' of having been a collegiate athlete, and more recently a competitive bodybuilder and duathlete, would have been enough to have been granted a waiver. I was wrong and I regret wasting hours of my recruiter's time.

Military Recruiting Opportunity: Richmond, Virginia

From the Style Weekly, Richmond, Virginia's alternative newspaper:

Parrotheads and Young Republicans are among the first to sign up for party rooms at the new Black Finn Restaurant and Saloon near the Canal Walk. (These normally fierce enemies in the wild apparently set aside their rivalries for a mojito.)

OK, military recruiters, here's how you can make your mission and have a good time, too!

If you really support them, replace them!

Our Army is once again considering extending the combat tours of our soldiers. Ostensibly it is to maintain the current force numbers if the president decides it is warranted through Spring 2008. This would further erode the guarantee that a solider spends at least as much time home as in combat.

The stress that is created when a combat solider is left in theatre too long and not given enough time home, creates problems for the unit and for the individual solder once he is home. Some suggest that even 12 month combat tours are too long and for a soldier's mental and physical health, in theatre tours need to be shortened. But realistically how can they when the Army cannot meet it’s already lowered recruiting target?

Our troops are exhausted and need rest. We can only imagine what the toll will be on families and society in general when these soldiers finally are allowed to stand down. Soldiers serving in Vietnam had something those serving in Iraq do not; adequate relief and rotation levels due to the draft.

Even so, PTSD has been a major long term issue for Vietnam veterans and it claimed enough of their marriages (mine was one) and family life. What is our lack of relief due to inadequate troop levels going to do to these selfless lives and families once the soldiers are home? How will long combat tours, shortened time home, inadequate troop relief and rotation levels affect those who give so much to this country?

I have bade farewell to many of my son’s best friends as they have headed for Iraq. I have tried to give them gifts to take with them to remind them of home, and support. My nephew joined the service and though my son would like to serve, an injury several years ago prevents him.

These are men doing their part, delaying their life, college, marriage, their future because their country needs them. They are doing their part because their fellow citizens who also wear the uniform need them so they can rest and repair. And not one of them supports the war in Iraq or this president, but they answered the call of their country.

Sitting behind a desk whether at work, or at college is not giving a soldier in theatre something he most needs and deserves, a replacement.

If these fine young men can enlist, YRs, if they can put service and country before their futures; selflessness before self; shouldn’t you do the same?

Be a man, enlist!

Dialogue with an anonymous Young Republican

See Comment 1 from June 20:

OYE: If the Young Republicans really wanted to Support Our Troops, they would pass a unanimous resolution at YRNC2007 urging their non-veteran members [if healthy and heterosexual; YRs are all under 41 already] to contact military recruiters and Be A Man! Enlist!

Anonymous Young Republican: Your problem is that you do not understand the purpose for the YRs. It isn't about supporting the President. It's about developing new leadership for tomorrow.

Where would we be if, let's say Ronald Reagan, had "been a man", by your definition, and had been killed on the beaches of Normandy? The USA would have been denied our greatest president ever!

I consider it my true patriotic duty to complete law school, start my career and my climb up the GOP leadership ranks. It would be tragic should some impressionable Young Republican heed your misguided advice, and cost our great country our next "Ronald Reagan".

We are your future leaders. It would be a terrible waste to sacrifice us in Iraq. [Emphasis in original.]

20 June, 2007 20:14

OYE Comment: This Young Republican clearly has no understanding of real leadership, including personal responsibility. You may think that you and the other YRs are our "future leaders," but why are you worthy of our followership? There are plenty of other ambitious political types out there offering solutions rather than excuses.

Military service develops and builds good leadership; many veterans have led our nation with distinction at the local, state and national levels after returning to civilian life. As Our Founder Jesus' General puts it atop his blog, the whole point of Operation Yellow Elephant is to Save America, and the Republican Party, by reminding its future leaders of their national leadership responsibility to set a good example for the rest of us.

Since you aspire to leadership in the Republican Party, you should be prepared. The reason you are anonymous, and won't even use a blog name, is because you rightly fear being labeled as a Chickenhawk, even though it appears you won't even support the war with your words. [You already don't support it through your actions.]

If you're healthy, heterosexual and 41 or under, however, you're not a Chickenhawk - yet. There's still time for you to demonstrate your courage and worth to your fellow citizens. Contact a military recruiter, or officer selection officer, and see if you can measure up. You're clearly motivated, energetic and articulate, which is why we haven't given up on you.

Besides, after a likely eight years of Hillary, maybe the American people will want to give the Republicans another chance. Don't miss your opportunity! Be A Man! Enlist!

P.S. By the way, Ronald Reagan did serve in our military during World War II. He never saw combat, but he did wear the uniform. He deserves respect for his service to our country in its time of need.

How Young Republicans 'Support' Our Troops

This is directly off of the Young Republicans national website [seriously]:

YRs Support Our Troops

Here's the latest and greatest about the YRNF's Support Our Troops Spring Initiative! Get the tools to hold a new round of events to support our military and take our YR resolutions to your elected officials to eliminate taxes for our soldiers.

Calling All YRs to Support Our Troops This Spring

For the next two months, the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) will be conducting its annual "Support Our Troops Spring" Initiative. Young Republicans clubs participate in events year-round to support our troops, but the organization is pooling its talent and energy nationwide to make a special push this Spring. YR Clubs are encouraged to schedule official "Support Our Troops" events in the next two months. Additionally, the YRNF has passed a number of resolutions recently in support of our troops. In addition to passing resolutions honoring all Young Republicans who are currently serving, or have served, in America's military and honoring all troops and their families, the YRNF unanimously passed resolutions committing YRs to work toward the elimination of state and federal income taxes on all military income.

"Any way and any time we can show our support for the men and women defending America's freedom, we should do it," said Wil Westholm, Chairman of the Arizona Young Republican League and national coordinator for the 2007 YRNF "Support Our Troops Spring" Initiative. "As we conduct this campaign, we understand that this is really highlighting what we do year-round."

One unique feature of this year's campaign is the effort to eliminate state and federal income taxes on military income. "Both the state income tax and federal income tax resolutions were passed unanimously by the YRNF National Committee, which attests to the merits of the resolutions," said Westholm. "While it's not a pay raise, it does give our brave men and women -- and most importantly, their families -- a larger paycheck. It's not much, but, speaking as a veteran, I know it will help them tremendously. Additionally the benefits to the military, from morale to retention and recruiting, are immense."

"YRs are eager to support our troops in every possible way. In addition to care packages and holding rallies, this year we will also work to increase our troops' bottom-line. If we can encourage our state and national legislators to eliminate taxes on military pay, troops and their families will feel more appreciated," said YRNF Chairman Nicolee Ambrose. [End excerpt.]

They're Serious!

Real American Citizens who pay taxes tend to demand honest, competent government and are not shy about insisting that problems be fixed. This includes our servicemembers and their individual and extended families. Do the Young Republicans really want to treat our servicemembers as hired help, in return for what the Young Republicans are at least honest enough to admit is "not much?" Note that tax-free military pay does not seem to encourage the Young Republicans themselves to consider military service.

If the Young Republicans really wanted to Support Our Troops, they would pass a unanimous resolution at YRNC2007 urging their non-veteran members [if healthy and heterosexual; YRs are all under 41 already] to contact military recruiters and Be A Man! Enlist!

Tax relief for servicemembers' families would make lots of sense: Rich people would strongly 'encourage' at least one son to Be A Man! Enlist! if earning the Combat Infantry Badge [or equivalent] lowered the family tax bill.

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Perhaps the Young Republicans are onto something after all.

A Wolf in Chickenhawk's Clothing?

Nathanael Blake, a contributor for http://www.humanevents.com/, and recent college graduate, understands what it takes To Be A Man. In his post in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre he says "Among the first rules of manliness are fighting bad guys and protecting others: in a word, courage. And not a one of the healthy young fellows in the classrooms seems to have done that.". Very impressive words for a young man that wasn't looking at the business end of two handguns held by a psycho. Luckily, Mr. Blake has an opportunity to see if his heroic mouth can be surpassed by his actions. With the War on Terror seeming to intensify each week we're confident that The Army will accept him as an Infantryman and allow him to answer his own question of "Am I noble, courageous and self-sacrificing?" We don't know, Mr. Blake, unless you decide To Be A Man! Enlist! Hopefully a recruiter, or others, can contact him with words of encouragement to serve our country.

Will this Eagle Scout accept a new challenge? (UPDATE)

The President of the American Conservative Student Union and a University of Alabama senior, David Andrew Ferguson, has an impressive resumé. He is an Eagle Scout, a former football player, and, of course, a member of the NRA. Mr. Ferguson displays bravery having once saved a man from drowning and, judging from this photo, he is not afraid of the potential health risks of a poor diet. As the treasurer for the University of Alabama College Republicans, Mr. Ferguson has shown he can be trusted with $, a lesson that may have been passed down to him from his family's business, L-Ferg International, a company that specializes in keeping American business owners wealthy by outsourcing jobs to Asia. This focused, busy young man's political philosophy is "You can change the world one liberal at a time. . . " Yes you can, Mr. Ferguson, yes you can.

I scanned David's profile once and had to read through it again more carefully. After the subsequent viewing I was troubled that this fine, indomitable leader has no intentions of entering our Armed Forces after graduation. I thought, surely this must have been a mistake, strong leaders like Mr. Ferguson are what our country needs to lead our Infantry Units in the War on Terror. I attempted to contact him via E-mail twice and have yet to hear back. Hopefully someone, more compelling than me, can contact him and convince Mr. Ferguson to Be A Man! Enlist! It would be shameful for David to follow through on his intentions of attending law school without at least considering Military Service.

UPDATE: On 12 June, I was able to confirm Mr. Ferguson received my E-mails (Coincidently, this was also the day his profile was updated for it to read he will enter the JAG Corp upon graduation.). He is aware of our concern for him to become a credible conservative leader by entering the Armed Forces and we anxiously await for him to announce his commitment. Until then other Patriots should continue to contact David and alert him that an intention is not the same as a pledge.

It's Time to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Operation Yellow Elephant supports ongoing efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as the best immediately available way to enhance military readiness. Momentum to "Lift the Ban" is growing, especially given the estimated 58 Arabic linguists discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" since 9/11/2001.

Political Yellow Elephants lack the courage to do the political right thing, which means asking other people to do the right thing themselves. Personal credibility [e.g., military service] can help, but true leadership is necessary. Here's three ways political Yellow Elephants hurt America:

(1) They are afraid to encourage those eligible to serve who support the war to Be A Man! Enlist!, because they don't want to ask anyone to sacrifice anything, even by volunteering to do so;

(2) They are afraid to support repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," even though a dozen real gay and lesbian veterans are now suing in Federal Court in Boston to return to the Global War on Terrorism. OK, so you are not personally interested in serving, but how can you tell real veterans that their service was a mistake? Seriously.

(3) Nobody, except for Operation Yellow Elephant, is even encouraging heterosexuals to Be A Man! Enlist! Here's the proof: DraftHeterosexuals.com

It's clearly up to the leadership of the Republican Party to show some backbone. The absolute minimum requirement is supporting the right to serve of every qualified volunteer patriotic Real American our military needs.

And that's not limited to heterosexuals.

Adam Kokesh Update

Not surprisingly, the Marine Corps approved June 13 a general (under honorable conditions) discharge from the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) for former Sgt. Adam Kokesh, an Iraq veteran who already received an honorable discharge from active duty. This is one step down from an honorable discharge but allows Kokesh to keep his veteran's benefits.

Kokesh's IRR commitment was to expire June 18. The Marine Corps went after him for wearing his old uniform [without military insignia] at a political protest.

There must be some reason why the Marine Corps wants to give a significant boost to former Sgt. Kokesh's efforts to encourage more public opposition to the war. Any suggestions?

Dialogue with Anonymous

I find it interesting how Operation Yellow Elephant operates under the auspices of a one way moral obligation to act on beliefs. If you support peace in the world, why not join one of the countless organizations such as the peace corps that will train you and deploy to you to countries all over the world where you help teach people how to read and write, fish, or grow crops? You should act on your beliefs and enlist in the peace corps. But you won't because you, like those that you deride on your blog, are not willing to stand up and act on that which you believe.

This blog has taken no position on the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere. However we got there has already happened, and our national leaders must deal with these facts in order to lead our nation forward.

All this blog is trying to do is to encourage President Bush's strongest supporters eligible to serve, the College and Young Republicans [if healthy and heterosexual], to Support Our President by volunteering for military service.

More broadly, we urge those eligible to serve [also 41 or under] publicly supporting the war to consider serving; their readers and audiences deserve full disclosure of the results of these deliberations.

Those not personally eligible to serve publicly supporting the war have an obligation to encourage their own relatives and friends, their circles of influence, to consider serving. They might also wish to consider encouraging their audiences to do so, but full disclosure of relevant personal circumstances is essential for their credibility.

Given ongoing military recruiting challenges and the need for the best qualified patriotic Americans to answer our nation's call, only widespread personal consideration of military service will enhance the credibility of the current Administration.

Here's the real irony:

"I think the amazing thing is we're getting 80,000 patriotic Americans a year to join an Army at war," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the Army general staff department responsible for personnel issues.

If our great nation is truly at war, our Army should be able to recruit far more than 80,000 healthy under-41 heterosexuals each year.

Army Misses Recruiting Target for May 2007

Although monthly recruiting quotas are seasonally adjusted, the Army missed its target for May 2007 by 399 soldiers. 5,101 real American patriots enlisted; the target was 5,500. This last happened two years ago. [We accept the Army's explanation re September 2006, when it reached its fiscal year quota of 80,000 in mid-month and saved the recruits in the pipeline for the next fiscal year beginning in October.] Money quote:

"I think the amazing thing is we're getting 80,000 patriotic Americans a year to join an Army at war," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the Army general staff department responsible for personnel issues.

We certainly hope that this is just a glitch. And sustained commitment by our national civilian political leadership to support military service will ensure that many more real American patriots will Be A Man! Enlist!

Tyler Whitney: A Proud Young Republican

Tyler seemed so like a good American, that I thought I'd repost my good friend Richard's work here. It is from allspinzone.com. Enjoy!

It's been a loooooong time since I had a post that basically wrote itself. So, while I still have to type in the words, trust me, this is going to take no longer to write than it will to format the post for your enjoyment.

Tyler Whitney, as you can see from the excerpt of his MySpace page, is a proud Young Republican. For the moment, keep the adjective "proud" in the back of your mind. It'll come into play shortly.

As a young man of legal age, and as a clearly diehard GOP supporter, it would seem that Tyler would be the perfect candidate for a military recruiter. Indeed, as an admirer of (and webmaster for) warhawk and noted homophobic GOP presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, there's little doubt that he's also a big fan of the war in Iraq.

So, picture Mr. Whitney's fresh scrubbed young face topped with a combat helmet, night vision goggles, and wearing a Dolce and Gabbana designed desert camouflage uniform, adorned with Airborne insignia (you can almost sense where this is going, can't you?). Given his political predisposition, he's a natural for military service, wouldn't you think?

Well, except he couldn't serve, because:

Tyler Whitney, the webmaster for the right-wing antigay Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign, has been outed by the Michigan gay paper Between the Lines. [Michelangelo Signorile] had reporter Todd Heywood on the show today. Bay Buchanan, Team Tancredo Senior Advisor and sister of the fire-breathing Pat Buchanan, is defending Whitney, saying, "A person's sexual preference is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the campaign."

In other words, if he wants to work against his own kind -- for a man who's railed against gay rights and has a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign -- we're happy to have him! ...

Last November, Whitney -- whose father was a speech writer for former conservative Michigan Gov. John Engler, who was no friend to gays -- went to a a YAF-sponsored protest against a pro-gay, pro-trans human rights ordinance and held a sign that said, "Go back in the closet!" Other signs at the protest included "Straight Power" and "Faggotry." ...

Whitney was handpicked to run the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at Western Michigan University by the leader of the MSU chapter, Kyle Bristow. Bristow, who has championed "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" and appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, has said that “homosexuality kills people almost to a degree worse than cigarettes… these [pro-gay rights groups] are complicit with murder.” ...

Yet, dear readers, there is hope. Representatives from the Ted Haggard School of Faith Healing, de-Gayhab Division™ are no doubt standing by as I type this, preparing to offer Tyler assistance.

No word yet on whether young Tyler has contacted the Log Cabin Republican organization to apply for a webmastering support position.

(h/t Atrios for the lead...)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), a Credible Republican

Operation Yellow Elephant salutes Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, as the only U.S. Senator to have served on active duty in Iraq. [This was piggy-backed onto a recent Congressional Delegation visit to Iraq with fellow Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.]

While we don't know if Senator Graham has urged those eligible to serve [healthy heterosexuals 41 and under] to show their support for President Bush and our country's policy objectives in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere by volunteering for military service, his personal example is quite compelling. See the CBS News Video for yourself; click here.

Hat tip to AmericaBlog.

Has Oliver North joined Operation Yellow Elephant?

Well, it certainly looks like it.

Will Mitt Romney Urge the Young Republicans to Make Their Parents Proud?

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will speak on Saturday, July 7, at the Young Republicans National Convention in Hollywood, Florida [between Miami and Fort Lauderdale].

Romney, as we all know, has yet to encourage any of his five sons [all healthy, under 41 and allegedly heterosexual] even to consider volunteering for military service.

That's why Operation Yellow Elephant is sharing the Marine Corps' latest recruiting theme: Making Your Parents Proud. Despite certain recent mis-steps, Operation Yellow Elephant salutes the Marine Corps and all Marines, including former Sgt. Adam Kokesh, and thanks them for their dedication and commitment to serving our country.

On May 12, at Hillsdale College in Michigan, Romney called for a stronger military, including adding 100,000 troops. Who will those troops be?

Next month, will Mitt Romney urge the Young Republicans to Make Their Parents Proud? Why don't you ask him yourself? Click here.

Adam Kokesh Update: Marines "pussed out"

Again, slightly OT, although former Sgt. Adam Kokesh received an honorable discharge when he was released from active duty [into the Individual Ready Reserve or IRR], a U.S. Marine Corps' administrative discharge panel in Kansas City recommended downgrading it to "General, Under Honorable Conditions," rather than "Other Than Honorable" as originally proposed.

Kokesh, of course, succinctly analyzed the decision:

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"They pussed out and took the easy way out. They could've taken a firm stance one way or the other," Kokesh told RAW STORY Tuesday. "If they really believed in what they believed, (an other-than-honorable discharge) would've been appropriate."

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Plus, the Marine Corps is being ridiculed all over the country, not only for stupidity, but hypocrisy.

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It's time for BG Darrell Moore to restore the well-deserved "common sense" reputation of the Marine Corps and reject the panel's recommendation, leaving former Sgt. Kokesh's honorable discharge intact.

YouTube in honor of D-Day

President Bush Salutes New Graduates and Officers

Here's what President Bush said to the Class of 2007 at Saint Vincent's College in Latrobe, PA. Of the 400 graduates, five are joining the military:

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And that's why it's vital for our country that our young people step forward -- and serve a cause larger than yourselves. When you serve your fellow citizens, you find benefits you'll never imagine. You discover that a caring person is sometimes all it takes for someone to turn their lives around. You see for yourself that kindness and respect make an enormous difference in a person's life. You learn to take the initiative, instead of waiting for a government to step in. You become more aware of others, a better man or woman to your friends and families, a better citizen of your country. You start to put your own difficulties in perspective. And soon you learn a great truth: that you always get more out of service than you give.

Your generation's willingness to serve will define the character of our nation -- and us older folks have good reason to be confident. Americans now in college are more likely to volunteer or become engaged in civic life than previous generations. Here at St. Vincent College, you have learned that service outside the classroom is as important as what you learn inside the classroom. The challenge for you is to keep this up as you begin your new careers, and your new families, and your new lives. So today I ask you to make service more than a line on your resume. Find a need that is not being met. Do your part to fill it -- make a difference to our country.

I'm pleased to see that the Class of 2007 is answering the call. In the graduating class today are five students who have volunteered to wear our nation's uniform. You knew the risks of serving in a time of war, and you have volunteered to accept those risks. You have chosen a noble calling. You will take your place as officers in the finest military the world has ever known. At some point, the lives of other men and women will be in your hands -- and they will need leaders of character and selflessness. As your Commander-in-Chief, I salute you for your service and I ask Almighty God to keep you close as you keep our nation safe. [Applause.]

There are many ways to serve our nation. Across this great land of opportunity we have citizens with great needs. And for every need, there is a path to service.

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Operation Yellow Elephant salutes the five new officers in the Saint Vincent College Class of 2007 and wishes them all the best.

We note, however, that this is the closest President Bush has come to encouraging young adults [healthy heterosexuals 41 and under] to consider volunteering for military service for a time, even if they plan other careers later in life. But he hasn't really done that; the only major change from his June 2005 speech at Fort Bragg is not explicitly mentioning a full military career.

Given Saint Vincent College's close connection to President Bush [its President was Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives], one cannot help but wonder about any effort by the College to encourage its graduating students to consider military service. Here's why:

As the President mentioned, there is a certain proportion of young adults with a propensity to serve, due to patriotism and other, more personal factors. Some students may have had ROTC scholarships; these categories probably overlap. Five out of 400 seems about right.

So, did the college, and the White House, make any other effort to encourage other seniors to consider military service? It doesn't appear so.

Why not? Isn't our nation at war?

Free Speech for Adam Kokesh!

Slightly OT, but Operation Yellow Elephant supports freedom of expression for recent veterans, including Iraq veteran former Sgt. Adam Kokesh, who faces a downgrading of his honorable discharge for wearing surplus fatigues [with military insignia removed] at a protest. Almost all are members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), though Kokesh's IRR contract runs out June 18, 2007; in the IRR, Kokesh is not part of a unit, does not train and receives no pay.

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Even the conservative Veterans of Foreign Wars has urged the Marine Corps to leave this patriotic American alone. Hel-lo! Frankly, what's left after that is chickens - - -, and one can reasonably ask whether the Marine Corps has better things to do at this time.

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We hope that the College and Young Republicans, who at least claim to include recent veterans, will join us in ensuring that the American people may hear from those who know the best about this subject.

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Hat tip to Wonkette.

Steve Gilliard, 1964-2007

Operation Yellow Elephant mourns the death of Blogger Steve Gilliard, a charter member of this non-partisan grass roots movement to Support Our President by encouraging his strongest supporters, the College and Young Republicans [if healthy, heterosexual and 41 or under] to volunteer for military service.

"An Honest Conversation," posted June 22, 2005, says it all:

This will be brief.

We need to be honest here: Iraq is not worth one more dead American.

People on the right and left want some deus ex machina to save Iraq, but we have, collectively, come to a simple conclusion:

Iraq is not worth dying for. Not for the warmongers on the right or the liberal hawks on the left.

It's bad the soldiers are trapped there, but we have made it their problem, No one is willingly going to join them, and 5,000 have deserted so far.

When you ask liberal hawks to enlist, they are offended by the question.

When you ask conservatives to enlist, they are offended by the question.

And America's parents are NOT sending their kids to die in Iraq if they can, at all, help it. No one blows up IED's at Wal Mart.

We have a volunteer army with fewer and fewer volunteers, and people reenlisting only to save their friends. There is a time limit to their ability to be in combat. They cannot serve forever. They will have to be replaced. And fewer and fewer are willing to replace them.

What I want people to do is be honest.

If you will not serve in Iraq, and no one you know will serve, stop expecting someone else to do what you will not.

Therefore, it is time to stop calling for more troops, or the US to make Iraq safe. We cannot do this and even Americans are refusing to join the fight. It is time to look at your actions and realize, that despite your ideals, you oppose continuing this war. In practical terms, you have decided that this war is not worth your life or anyone you know. And million of Americans have joined you in this decision.

So, with this fact evident, it is time to call for US troops to withdraw from Iraq. Not save it, not add more boots on the ground. You have already voted by your actions. It is time that you match it with your words.

We thank Steve for giving us permission to use his stuff. We will miss you.

R.I.P.

Steve Gilliard Lives On in Cyberspace

Here's the latest version of The News Blog.

Here's the previous version of Steve Gilliard's News Blog.

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Here's the NY Times obituary.

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Thank you, Steve.

Calendar Check: College Republicans National Convention, July 12-15, 2007, Arlington, Virginia

The College Republican National Convention takes place July 12-15, 2007, at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. For further details including registration information, click here.

Operation Yellow Elephant will seek to donate a booth for military recruiters. We welcome any other suggestions to ensure that the College Republicans do everything they can to Support President Bush.

Send e-mail to operationyellowelephant -at - gmail [dot ]com, or click here.