My First Earthquake!

Here is the link, but I reposted the important part of the article. This one doesn't have my name in it, but I was there!


Earthquake hits northeastern Afghanistan
KABUL - The Associated Press
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit a remote and mountainous area of northeast Afghanistan yesterday morning, shaking buildings in the capital and as far away as Pakistan, Tajikistan and India.
The earthquake in Badakhshan province was about 300 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of the capital, Kabul, where residents felt shaking buildings and ran outside their homes, and some windows were shattered. There were no immediate casualty reports.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.2-quake was centered 60 kilometers (40 miles) south of the provincial capital Faizabad and hit at 8:05 a.m. (03:35 GMT). The quake was felt across northern Pakistan, including in the capital Islamabad, 450 kilometers (280 miles) away. It was also felt in Tajikistan and in the Indian and Pakistan-administered portions of Kashmir.

MY NAME IN BIG BRIGHT BROADWAY LIGHTS!

OK, so it's really only my name in a short article on a news outlet that is probabally not real widely read, and my name is misspelled. But it's still my name! How many articles has your name appeared in, huH?! So there.

The article is at here and is titled "ON Point in Afghanistan: Easter Weekend in Kunar Province." As of today, 13 APR 07 it is the top article.

Some thoughts From H. John Poole

If you didn't visit me at MySpace this is the only blog that you missed.

Hat tip to "Ted Forrester" for cluing me into this guys wealth of knowledge. H. John Poole is a retired Marine who has written extensively on the subject of our enemies military tactics and our own forces gap in training soldiers and Marines to effectively combat them. All these quotes come from his book, Tactics of the Crescent Moon pages 217- 225. They are not about the tactics though, I realize there are not many (of my) readers are interested in that. However these quotes come from the chapter in which the author describes some American responses, he calls them unconventional.

"Capitalism [when] undisciplined by morality, will self-destruct."

Pope John Paul II

"America offers its citizens tremendous freedom. When irresponsibly practiced, that freedom breeds excess. When that excess gets media attention, America appears far more decadent than it really is. But this individual freedom is worth the cost. When responsibly practiced, it generates widespread solvency and heroic philanthropy. Individual Americans are among the world's most generous contributors to foreign aid. The United States should more widely publicize this fact.

America has come to a juncture in her history. At a time when legality has become synonymous with morality, its citizens must find a way to put "God" back in their way of life. While halting abortion may be their first priority, regulating the manufacture/sale of arms should not be far behind. How can a nation that readily removes urban opposition through standoff barrage tell it's opponent not to use car bombs? Noncombatants die either way."

Pg. 217

"The "eye for an eye" foreign policy hasn't worked for the Israelis and it won't work for the United States. That is the advice of the Torah and Koran, not the New Testament."

Pg. 221


"The United States, on the other hand, must find some way to return to its Christian roots. Nine out of ten Americans profess to believe in God, and the rest are mostly agnostic. For the sake of one or two atheists, the U.S. Supreme Court has distorted the societal norm. How can America hold other nations accountable on human rights when it won't save 43 million of its own children? The Supreme Court is not the final authority on morality. In the mid-1800's, it held that slaves were not human. Only God can determine what is moral, and any country that intentionally disassociates itself from God will pay the price. In a Godless world, there can be no peace."

Pg. 222

"As the most powerful nation on earth, America must now reject the "eye for an eye" approach to battlefield opposition. Christianity differs from other Abrahamic religions in that it requires its followers to love their adversaries. That means arresting suspected insurgents where possible and then putting them on trial by their countrymen. It does not mean rocketing suspected hideouts every time they fill with people. While politically lucrative, the standoff approach to war harms too many noncombatants. This is a multidimensional struggle in which the side that uses the least force will win. Without infantry squads that can operate alone and tactically escape encirclement, the United States cannot hope to use less firepower."

Pg. 225