It's "Our Military" now, not "The Military" any more

Thanks to principled leadership in the Executive and Legislative Branches of Our Government, with a timely assist from the Judicial Branch, the policy decision has been made by the American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, that otherwise qualified Americans are eligible for military service without regard to sexual orientation.

That means that all Americans can embrace the military, beginning by calling it "Our Military." It's Our Military because We are the society which it serves, from which it recruits, and to which Our Veterans, Our Wounded Warriors, and Our Heroes who have made the Supreme Sacrifice, return, all of whom, including surviving family members and caregivers, deserve the full support of every one of us.

With "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the way out, it's time for Harvard and Columbia and other elite institutions to welcome the return of ROTC to campus, to embrace Our Military by encouraging and supporting the desires of their students - all of their students - to Serve America in uniform.

No more excuses.

While our All-Volunteer Force will never have exact proportional representation, it is possible for more Americans to personally know enlisted servicemembers and junior officers, those most at risk in combat, if more or all Americans, from all parts of our society, would either volunteer to serve themselves [if healthy and 41-or-under], or, if not personally eligible, encourage their eligible relatives and friends, their circles of influence, to consider serving, even if they have other options.

This would help to unite Our Country.

Don't worry. We haven't forgotten the Yellow Elephants. With the Republican party poised to take over the House of Representatives next month, they still have a national leadership responsibility, shared with the Democratic party, to set a good example for the rest of us.

Young Democrats of America: Be A Man! Enlist!

The Young Democrats of America seems not to be as active as the Young Republicans, but it's still their duty, as future leaders of our nation, to Support Our President by setting a good example for the rest of us.

We've asked the Young Democrats of America whether they have even bothered to encourage their members [35 and under], if healthy and (currently) heterosexual, at least to consider volunteering for military service.

We'll let you know how, or whether, they respond.

Update: The contact e-mail address on their website does not appear to be working. Additional evidence, apparently, that the Young Democrats are not as active as the Young Republicans.

Setting the over/under at 48

This isn't even the Harlem Globetrotters vs. The Washington Generals, it's more like The Washington Generals vs. The Washington Generals.

CANTON- The Stark County Young Republicans are set to square off against the Stark County Young Democrats in a game of hoops June 19th. The basketball game will be held at the Meyers Lake YMCA (formerly the CYC) located at 1333 North Park Ave NW, Canton, 44708. Tip off will be at 7pm. Proceeds generated by the Stark County Young Republicans will be used to help finance the Ohio Young Republican Convention that they are hosting June 25th-27th in Canton.

If someone sends me video of this game I'll send them a free OYE T-shirt.

Also if someone guesses the total # of points scored in this 'game' correctly in the comments I'll send them a free OYE T-shirt.

NOTE: Each # can only be used once. So if the total # of points scored is 22, and three people guess 22, I'll send the T-shirt to the first person that had this guess. 1 guess per name and or IP address. All predictions must be in by tip off.

I'll make up more rules if necessary (just in case someone like Jason Mattera wins).

Prevent Genocide! Enlist!

Mark Hanis and Chad Hazlett of the Genocide Intervention Network penned an article in The Washington Post about the responsibility the United States has in preventing ethnic violence as our troop #'s decrease. Fair argument, we thought. It's certainly undeniable that many Iraqi civilians have been killed since the Iraq War began.

But after reading thru it we realized that they have a supply of rhetoric and no plan to supply themselves and their members as Infantrymen for their cause.

Nevertheless, reengaging in Iraq to halt atrocities would not be a political impossibility, nor is public opinion on the matter immutable. The same CNN poll found that 35 percent of Americans agree that the United States should be willing to recommit combat troops in the event that violence against civilians worsens. The scale of the movement to end genocide in Darfur further suggests that there is a substantial constituency -- a largely liberal one at that -- that would rather stop mass atrocities than get the United States out of Iraq at any cost.

OYE Comment: What's the difference between cowardly College Republicans and the Genocide Intervention Network?..............ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, NAUGHT, NIL!

OYE has attempted to contact Mr. Hanis and Hazlett to ask them if they, their loved ones, or supporters will be encouraged to Be A Man! Enlist! to stop potential genocide and they, like most of the CR's we contact, did not respond.

They may believe they're preparing for the "good fight", but it's only if someone else will be carrying the rifle into combat. Perhaps with a little encouragement they'll realize that to prevent genocide troops are needed more than a pack of goofballs sitting in an office giving morale lectures on atrocities.

George Clooney on Darfur

Actor/Activist George Clooney met with President Obama and VP Biden to discuss intervention in Darfur.

The actor, who made a documentary highlighting the Darfur conflict and has been outspoken on the issue, said it was "nice to hear" that the region is a priority for the Obama White House.

"There was some concern that this could fall off the radar," he said. "There's quite a few other things [the administration is tackling], but they assured me this is high on their agenda."

He also delivered to Mr. Obama 250,000 postcards from Americans who want the new president to help end the crisis in Darfur.

OYE Comment: Mr. Clooney clearly believes entering the war in Darfur as a noble cause. Yet noble causes still produce dead and wounded. Nowhere on his organization's website did we read that he encourages enlisting in The Military if the United States chooses to become involved in the conflict. So we ask Mr. Clooney are you going to encourage those that support your organization's goals to Be A Man! Enlist! Or would he be content with battles being fought as long others' boots are on the ground.

Note: George Clooney is past the age of 41. He personally is no longer eligible to enlist.

Deferments for Darfur?

Raj Purohit and Howard Salter of the Baltimore Sun call on President Obama to intervene with the conflict in Darfur.

By doing so, Mr. Obama would address a serious human rights crisis at the dawn of his presidency while also sending a clear signal that the U.S. is ready to once again lead by example. The implementation of a peace agreement would likely include:

•A long-term U.N. peacekeeping group in the region.
•Complete demilitarization of the militia groups.
•Governance concessions by the Sudanese central authorities.
•Transfer of two other alleged war criminals - former Minister of State for the Interior Ahmed Haroun and janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb - to the ICC.

Bold leadership and action would mark a significant break from the position of President Obama's predecessor. While President George W. Bush called the killings in Darfur "genocide," his administration failed to take action to stop the violence. Human rights activists and the millions of Americans who have risen up to demand an end to the killing in Darfur have high hopes that the Obama administration will act differently.

OYE Comment: "Bold leadership and action" are indeed characteristics necessary to help end the killing in Darfur. What is also necessary are Servicemen that will likely be involved in combat. We asked Mr. Purohit and Mr. Salter if they've ever worn a uniform or if they've encouraged their eligible-to-serve peers/family members to enlist, and, just like the 95% of the Young Republicans we've contacted over the years, we did not receive a response.

Attention Democrats: Be A Man! Enlist!

'Great editorial from the New York Times, "A Military for a Dangerous World," published November 16, 2008:

As president, Barack Obama will face the most daunting and complicated national security challenges in more than a generation — and he will inherit a military that is critically ill-equipped for the task.

Troops and equipment are so overtaxed by President Bush’s disastrous Iraq war that the Pentagon does not have enough of either for the fight in Afghanistan, the war on terror’s front line, let alone to confront the next threats.

[ . . . ] To build an effective military the next president must make some fundamental changes.

More ground forces: We believe the military needs the 65,000 additional Army troops and the 27,000 additional marines that Congress finally pushed President Bush into seeking. That buildup is projected to take at least two years; by the end the United States will have 759,000 active-duty ground troops.

That sounds like a lot, especially with the prospect of significant withdrawals from Iraq. But it would still be about 200,000 fewer ground forces than the United States had 20 years ago, during the final stages of the cold war. Less than a third of that expanded ground force would be available for deployment at any given moment.

Military experts agree that for every year active-duty troops spend in the field, they need two years at home recovering, retraining and reconnecting with their families, especially in an all-volunteer force. (The older, part-time soldiers of the National Guard and the Reserves need even more).

The Army has been so badly stretched, mainly by the Iraq war, that it has been unable to honor this one-year-out-of-three rule. Brigades have been rotated back in for second and even third combat tours with barely one year’s rest in between. Even then, the Pentagon has still had to rely far too heavily on National Guard and Reserve units to supplement the force. The long-term cost in morale, recruit quality and readiness will persist for years. Nearly one-fifth of the troops — some 300,000 men and women — have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan reporting post-traumatic stress disorders.

The most responsible prescription for overcoming these problems is a significantly larger ground force. If the country is lucky enough to need fewer troops in the field over the next few years, improving rotation ratios will still help create a higher quality military force. [ . . . ]

OYE Comment:

OK, Democratic Party supporters, thanks in part to the Yellow Elephants, the American people chose your nominee, Senator Barack Obama [IL] as our 44th President.

Now it's time for you to show your support for his leadership and, indeed, our nation. If you really care about America, you'll seriously think about serving our country, to include military service. And, if you qualify*, you'll contact a military recruiter, Officer Selection Officer, ROTC instructor, to start the process.

And Republicans? Well, if you really care about your party's credibility, as well as your own, you'll do the same thing. There's enough time for a hitch in uniform before resuming your political career.

After all, it worked for Nick Miccarelli in Pennsylvania, whom Operation Yellow Elephant congratulates on his election as State Representative. We wish him all the best as he continues his career in public service.

*Healthy heterosexuals 41 or under.

If Senator Clinton Wants to be a Leader, it's Time for Her to Lead!

Here's what Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) said to the Human Rights Campaign about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

“This policy doesn’t just hurt gays and lesbians,” she said. “It hurts all of our troops. And this to me is a matter of national security and we’re going to fix it because we know that our nation is stronger when our best men and women can be permitted to serve if that is the choice they want to make.”

Sorry, Senator Clinton, if you see yourself as a leader and support the war, why won't you urge eligible Americans [healthy heterosexuals 41 and under] to volunteer for military service? And if you won't even do that, forget about Darfur, etc.

Yellow Donkeys? No, the Truman Project

Operation Yellow Elephant salutes the Truman Project, an initiative by the loyal opposition to support our military.

Don't forget: If you support international (i.e., U.S. military) action overseas, you must also support our military, and our servicemembers, who make it possible. This includes ROTC on as many American campuses as needed.

You certainly should oppose specific details, such as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," without opposing our entire military.

In fact, it is your civic duty to do so.

UPDATE: This also means you, former Clinton Administration officials Susan E. Rice and Anthony Lake, as well as Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ). Money quote:

The real question is this: Will we use force to save Africans in Darfur as we did to save Europeans in Kosovo?

The key is "we." Don't be an Anthony Mantova or a Geoff Smock. Although currently part of the loyal opposition, if you support U.S. military action overseas, you have an obligation to encourage real Americans to Be A Man! Enlist!

Do the Yellow Elephants want President Bush to lose the GWOT?

Operation Yellow Elephant thanks Patrick Bell of Seattle for encouraging further discussion of Anthony Mantova. Check out this blog.

Operation Yellow Elephant has a very narrow focus, outlined in OYE 101 and OYE 102. We focus exclusively on encouraging those eligible to serve who support the war to consider volunteering for military service, and those not personally eligible to serve who support the war to encourage their eligible relatives and friends, their circles of influence, to consider serving. Results of those deliberations are relevant to public discussions of their opinions on the war. If everyone eligible to serve who supports the war contacted military recruiters, our current military recruiting problems would be solved.

Anyone is free to start another blog encouraging those urging international (i.e., U.S. military) intervention in Darfur, Sudan, etc., also to consider volunteering for military service, etc. [We did warn Darfur intervention supporters that they may legitimately be called upon for this.] However, this is off-topic for this blog. So is law enforcement in the U.S.

As our governing party always reminds us when the President makes judicial nominations, over the past several years, our great nation has held elections, and the American people have thus chosen our governing party to run our country, giving it control of both Houses of Congress as well as the White House. President Bush has vetoed one bill (not on our topic). It is our governing party, not the loyal opposition, that sought, and received from the American people, the national leadership responsibility to set a good example for the rest of us. We think that the American people should give our governing party full credit for all of its accomplishments.

While we welcome our critical commenters, at least some of their motivation must be tacit recognition that we are right and that the future leaders of our governing party are not Supporting President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and, indeed, America, to Win the GWOT. They are ashamed of this fact. Rather than joining us in encouraging the likes of Anthony Mantova to Be A Man! Enlist!, they either attack our patriotism or try to spin the discussion away from Winning the GWOT.

If we really wanted President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld and, indeed, America, to fail, we would shut up and let them.

If you want us to shut up, does that mean you want them to fail?

Real Americans Oppose Frenchified Foreign Legion

Here's how Operation Yellow Elephant responded to the Christian Science Monitor:

To the Editor:

Retired Army Brigadier General Kevin Ryan's July 26 suggestion that the U.S. create its own Foreign Legion ("Enhance force levels? Look to immigrants") represents not only the Frenchification of our great country but a failure of our national leadership at the highest levels.

Rather than outsourcing our national defense, military recruiters should focus on the crowds of healthy, heterosexual-appearing military-age men (and some women) at pro-war rallies, the future leaders of our governing party (College and Young Republicans), and interns and staffers at neoconservative think tanks, and urge all those patriotic war supporters to Be A Man! Enlist! Doing the same at rallies demanding international ( i.e., U.S. military) intervention in Darfur (Sudan) and Lebanon would ensure political balance and support national unity.

Political leaders who take our country to war have the responsibility of convincing real Americans (and legal immigrants), if healthy, heterosexual and 41 or under, to enlist, even if they plan other careers later in life. If our national leaders refuse to set a good example for the rest of us, and cannot persuade even their strongest supporters to consider volunteering, importing a 21st century version of King George III's hired Hessians as foreign mercenaries won't solve their problems.

Sincerely,

Karl Olson
Operation Yellow Elephant

Operation Yellow Elephant is a nonpartisan grass roots citizens initiative to Support Our President by encouraging his strongest supporters, if qualified, to consider military service. Because only healthy heterosexuals 42 and under are eligible, we are focusing on College and Young Republicans. If a particular patriot is not accepted for enlistment, Your Country Thanks You for stepping forward.

After all, if President Bush, with Secretary Rumsfeld's support, cannot convince even his strongest supporters to volunteer, how can he possibly lead our nation, and the International Coalition, to a successful outcome of the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere?