Each year, we honor their memory, and mourn their loss.

This post is to honor the life of Jose A. Guadalupe, a New York City Firefighter who lost his life at the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001 while trying to save the lives of many others.

Jose was a member of Engine Company 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 in Manhattan, one of 15 brave men from that Battalion who perished that day.

From “Portraits of Grief” from the New York Times:

Whenever Firefighter Jose A. Guadalupe saw a cluster of young boys hanging in the shadows of his housing complex, Rochedale Village in Jamaica, Queens, he would leap into his spiel about the importance of school, said his mother, Rowena Guadalupe. “He loved to mentor,” Mrs. Guadalupe said. “He told my neightbor, Jamal, not to hang out in front of the buildings. He would say, ‘Go home and study.’”

He encouraged ohters, too. In his honor, neighbors placed a miniature fire truck and an american flag at the base of a tree outside his apartment building, she said. “Everyone has told me that it will not be removed until the digging at ground zero is over. After that, they plan to have a plaque made for the outside of the building.”

While Firefighter Guadalupe, 37, cut a large figure at six feet and about 200 pounds, he was quiet. He kept to himself, preferring to build model cars, ski, play basketball, sketch and ride his mountain bike. He was an avid reader, enjoying everything from The Adventures of Marco Polo to physics, said Lt. Louis Robinson, who attended the fire academy with Firefighter Guadalupe 10 years ago. They also worked together at Engine Company 54 in Manattan.

Firefighter Guadalupe had recently taken up the guitar. He was captivated by Jimi Hendrix. “Stone Free” was one of the Hendrix hits that left him spellbound.

Elise S. Guadalupe was Jose’s wife, and posted this memorial at the 9-11 Heroes Web site on 9/12/2003:

I’ve always said that it takes a special kind of person to be a firefighter. Tony was that kind of special and much, much more.

Tony was the most intelligent and thoughtful person one could have the pleasure to know. He is my mentor, my friend and my husband. It is because of him that I am the woman that I am today. He means the world to me and will forever be alive in my heart.

Tony loved to read, he loved Jimi Hendrix and had taken up the guitar, he was extremely athletic, playing basketball, skiing, and bike riding regularly, and never hesitated to share his experience with others. Many people considered him a friend and confidant. He is truly missed, but we who knew him best must keep his memory alive for his baby boy A.J., the most beautiful baby in the world.

Tony –

I never imagined living in a world without you. It’s hard to believe that its two years since you were taken away from us, because it feels like yesterday. I always thought you were invincible. I guess that’s why its so hard to believe. I’ve loved you since I was 15 and you looked at me and made me so nervous I dropped my books on the train on the way to school. The child inside me will love you forever and the woman I am is grateful to you for loving me.

Always, Elise.

Jose, thank you for your service to the people of New York City, and your ultimate sacrifice.

We will never forget.

Read and honor other victims of 9/11 at the Remembering the Victims of 9/11 memorial.

The Yahoo headline has a question mark… I’ve omitted it, as the article itself shows that there is no question that lawsuits are planned to suppress freedom of speech.

The Muslim leaders are attempting to demand redress from nations like Denmark, which allowed the publication of cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 and again last month, to the fury of the Muslim world.

These folks really need to lighten up. Heck, the cartoons were quite funny! And as many have pointed out, cartoons are not the real problem.

The head poobah makes the intent clear:

“I don’t think freedom of expression should mean freedom from blasphemy,” said Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade, the chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Um, no, sir, you are incorrect. And we’ve fought many wars to defend and uphold our cherished freedom of speech. We’re not going to let you sue away our first amendment.

This is yet another confirmation that Islamists have some major ambitions.

I have a few friends who are Marines. I’m proud to be their friend.

I’d be proud if my young son someday decides to serve.

Anti-war lawyer keys a Marine’s car just before the Marine was to deploy to Iraq. He got caught. Here’s the background.

And justice was sweet – read thru to the end of the article, and the first few comments…

I just love a happy ending!

Via Instapundit.

Via OPFOR.

Israel gives the finger to Nasrallah

Read the whole thing.

You know what’s great fun to do if you’re on, say, a flight from Chicago to New York and you’re getting a little bored? Why not play being President Ahmadinejad? Stand up and yell in a loud voice, “I’ve got a bomb!” Next thing you know the air marshal will be telling people, “It’s OK, folks. Nothing to worry about. He hasn’t got a bomb.” And then the second marshal would say, “And even if he did have a bomb it’s highly unlikely he’d ever use it.” And then you threaten to kill the two Jews in row 12 and the stewardess says, “Relax, everyone. That’s just a harmless rhetorical flourish.” And then a group of passengers in rows 4 to 7 point out, “Yes, but it’s entirely reasonable of him to have a bomb given the threatening behavior of the marshals and the cabin crew.”

Will our leaders have the courage to take effective and decisive action with the Iranians? I believe that Bush does, but I’m not sure the Democrats will put the interests of the country ahead of their political desires to disagree with and defeat anything and everything that Bush does.

In any case, please read the whole thing.

Update: My good friend Lee takes issue with my suggestion that potential opposition by Democrats to action on Iran would be politically motivated.

Yea, Rich. It’s just those Democrats. Oh, and those generals. Oh, and the majority of the American public.

I’d like to respond to the three points Lee is making.

First, I don’t claim that “it’s just those Democrats,” but I do believe that many have been putting political calculus ahead of rational thought and behavior regarding the strategy and conduct of our country’s foreign policy. And those that haven’t, such as Senator Joe Lieberman, have been ruthlessly attacked.

Next, “those generals.” Lee provides a link to Google News for articles about retired US military leaders who have recently called for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to resign. Putting aside the issue of the claims being made by this small group (and counter-claims by other current and retired officers), this is irrelevant to the discussion of what our strategy should be about Iran’s aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons. Regardless of who is our Secretary of Defense — what are we going to do about Iran?

Finally, Lee links to a poll showing declining support for President Bush. Once again, this is irrelevant to the question of what should be done about Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons.

So Lee, I challenge you — what do you think should be done with Iran? Feel free to comment here, we can have a nice friendly dialog.

In the last six months, the U.S. Army is seeing 15 percent more soldiers re-enlist than expected. This continues a trend that began in 2001. Every year since then, the rate at which existing soldiers have re-enlisted has increased. This despite the fact that 69 percent of the troops killed in Iraq have been from the army. New recruits continue to exceed join up at higher rates as well.

Further, morale levels are quite high:

The army makes a big thing, internally, about the number of troops re-enlisting, especially within combat units that are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Pictures of mass re-enlistments are published in military media, but the civilian media has generally ignored this phenomena. Also ignored, except by some local media interviewing locals who are in the army, is the positive attitude of the troops, especially those in combat units. The large number of re-enlistments occur because the troops believe they are making a difference, and winning. This is especially true for soldiers who have come back to Iraq on a second tour, and noted the improvements since the first tour.

One of our neighbors has been serving in Iraq the past several months, and is currently home for a short leave (he returns in a few days). I spoke with him last week about morale levels, and he provides confirmation that indeed, the troops have consistently high morale. “We’re very well taken care of,” is what he says. “We know we’re there for the right reasons, and we’re doing noble work.”

Yet the Democrats seem intent on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

My neighbor says the biggest frustration the troops have is the discouraging and defeatist message being presented by the media. “We watch CNN reports about Iraq, and what they are reporting is just not an accurate story about what is going on. Often, there will be a reporter in Baghdad talking about an operation underway up in our area, hundreds of miles away. The reporter hasn’t been here, and clearly is clueless about the facts of the operation.”

What to do?

Mark Steyn takes a detailed look at the situation. One paragraph that sums things up nicely I think:

If Belgium becomes a nuclear power, the Dutch have no reason to believe it would be a factor in, say, negotiations over a joint highway project. But Iran’s nukes will be a factor in everything. If you think, for example, the European Union and others have been fairly craven over those Danish cartoons, imagine what they’d be like if a nuclear Tehran had demanded a formal apology, a suitable punishment for the newspaper, and blasphemy laws specifically outlawing representations of the Prophet. Iran with nukes will be a suicide bomber with a radioactive waist.

He makes the point that we’re faced with a choice of deciding between bad and worse choices. But clearly action is required, and very soon.

Please read this article.

The new Frontline Forum should be quite interesting.

The Frontline Forum is an alternative channel for compelling stories from those now wearing boots and carrying rifles and not comments or those endlessly forwarded unattributed “true” stories that always seem airbrushed. This is a place for those deployed in harm’s way to tell real stories about the ground situation.

Our goal is for frontline information to break through and be heard. We hope that over time, a more comprehensive and accurate picture of what is happening on the ground can emerge.

This virtual organization primarily is run by a volunteer group of retired military personnel. They will read every story, with the bar set high for accuracy and our radar on full alert for embellishment and operational security. Over 100 volunteers have stepped forward, from all branches of the military, from grunts to generals, veterans from the Korean War forward. They are joined by more than a dozen professional editors, reporters, and published authors, and a team of subject matter experts on topics as diverse as explosives, oil industry technology, law enforcement, computer programming, satellite communications and meteorology.

Not every submission will be published and authors of those submissions will be notified when we decline. Stories selected for publication we will perhaps polish a bit, edit for length and content, and then post ASAP or as the situation in the field allows.

The first story has been posted, and it is a good one.

Asadullah strives to make his point, switching to English lest there be any mistaking him. “I am lucky I went there, and now I miss it. Cuba was great,” said the 14-year-old, knotting his brow in the effort to make sure he is understood.

Sounds scary. But what kind of impression does he have of his captors?

“Americans are great people, better than anyone else,” he said, when found at his elder brother’s tiny fruit and nut shop in a muddy backstreet of Kabul. “Americans are polite and friendly when you speak to them. They are not rude like Afghans. If I could be anywhere, I would be in America. I would like to be a doctor, an engineer _ or an American soldier.”

I blame Bush.

UPDATE: More on the story at Instapundit.

Today’s OpinionJournal.com has a fascinating overview of Islamic imperial history, Islam’s Imperial Dreams. It is written by Efraim Karsh, and based on a new book he has authored call Islamic Imperialism: A History.

I’ve become quite concerned about radical Islam over the past few years. The more I learn, the more I wonder if “radical Islam” is redundant.

Senator Bill Frist has some thoughts:

Yesterday Democrat Senator Russ Feingold called for a censure of President Bush. The censure reads:

“The United States Senate does hereby censure George W. Bush, President of the United States, and does condemn his unlawful authorization of wiretaps of Americans.”

Senator Feingold is flat wrong and irresponsible.

In fact, when I attempted today to bring this censure resolution to the Senate floor for a vote, the Democrats objected. Proving it is just a shameful political stunt.

The NSA terrorism surveillance of suspected terrorist phone calls is critical in the fight against Al Qaeda and groups that would do America harm.

Somewhere in America today, a radical Islamic terrorist could very well be picking up their phone and receiving a call from their overseas counterpart. They will discuss plots to infiltrate U.S. cities and mount devastating attacks.

Maybe in Nashville, TN. Or, maybe in Madison, WI.

If Russ Feingold had his way, U.S. authorities would do this with the intercepted phone call: hang up.

This policy is about PROTECTING AMERICAN LIVES.

It’s a preventative policy; it’s a pre-emptive policy; and it is a practical policy.

And what a disservice Senator Feingold and his colleagues do by portraying it otherwise. Just another attempt to give purpose to a party with no agenda.

So while the Democrats flock to the TV cameras to grandstand and play politics with national security, we’ll continue to focus on the principle of prevention. And we’ll continue to do whatever it takes to protect American lives.

Well said.

Background:

Info and the cartoons which caused the ruckus (are these really offensive… how about these cartoons from Arab newspapers?)
Fight the bullies
Michelle Malkin’s latest column about this
Papers worldwide publish offending Danish cartoons. American MSM?

And finally, what we do in the US when an offensive cartoon is published… hint: we don’t riot or shoot people.

New information about the impact of these links is discussed in an article by Thomas Joscelyn.

THE REVELATION that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq trained thousands of Islamic terrorists has important ramifications for European counterterrorism efforts. According to officials, one of the groups trained in Iraq prior to the war was al Qaeda’s Algerian affiliate, the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat (“GSPC”). The GSPC and its predecessor, the Armed Islamic Group (“GIA”), are well-known to European counterterrorism officials: Within the last several months, in fact, the GSPC has been at the center of several substantive terrorist plots.

Just last week, Spain arrested 20 suspected terrorists who are alleged to have been recruiting and funding suicide bombers to send to Iraq. The New York Times covered the arrests, noting that according to a statement from the Spanish Interior Ministry the group included 15 Moroccans, 3 Spaniards, a Turk, and an Algerian. The suspects were “detained in Madrid and Barcelona, and in the Basque region, and had ties to two Islamic militant organizations . . . the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat [GSPC], based in Algeria, and the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group.”

Read the whole thing.

So, to celebrate, here’s today’s anagram. By the way, Salaam is a common greeting in many Arabic-speaking and Muslim countries.

Post-9/11, many people recognized Iran as a greater long term threat than Iraq, but numerous constraints, internationally and at home, made a direct response to Iran an impossibility. I firmly believe that the strategic decision was made to encircle Iran with the aim of eventually toppling the regime, which since the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini has been the single greatest supporter of Islamic terror in the world.

Not surprisingly, in all such wars, the final battles tend to be the most dangerous. We are approaching the end game and the timing and outcome depend on too many factors that are either unknown or unknowable.

Read the whole thing