The Sanchez Report

Memorial Day Reflection

“It is the Soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the agitator,
who has given us the freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
serves beneath the flag,
whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who gives that protester the freedom
to abuse and burn that flag.”

By Senator Zell Miller 9/04

Here We Go Again... ACLU Forces Defense Dept To Release More Photos

For some reason the ACLU wasn't happy with the damage inflicted upon the US military resulting from the Abu Ghraib photos a few years ago. So now we'll have to be subjected to another attempt by the far left to hurt our military in the name of civil liberties. On May 28th the Defense Department will release photos in order to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the ACLU in 2003. As if we didn't hear enough about Abu Ghraib, the world will view these photos and express outrage once again. There's no doubt that the Obama administration will use this as a tool to make President Bush look bad and as a result hold themselves up as the anti-Bush administration. Meanwhile, the firestorm that these photos will ignite will only place our servicemen and women in jeopardy and cost lives. My advice to the far left Bush haters is to get over it. He's gone and it's time to move on!

The Defense Department will release a "substantial number" of photos depicting abuse of prisoners by U.S. personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American Civil Liberties Union said late Thursday.

The photos will be made available by May 28, the ACLU said, citing a letter dated Thursday from the Justice Department to a federal judge in New York. The photos' release is in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU in 2004 and will include images from prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan at locations other than Abu Ghraib, the ACLU said.

"These photographs provide visual proof that prisoner abuse by U.S. personnel was not aberrational but widespread, reaching far beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib," Amrit Singh staff attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement. "Their disclosure is critical for helping the public understand the scope and scale of prisoner abuse as well as for holding senior officials accountable for authorizing or permitting such abuse."

Read article here

National Service Bill Does Not Go Far Enough

With Senator Kennedy at his side, President Obama signed the National Service Bill into law. This $5.7 billion program will triple the size of AmeriCorps from 75,000 enrollees to 250,000 over the next several years. "What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs," said President Obama.

While I applaud this effort I don't think it goes far enough. I'm a firm believer in the need for mandatory public service. The United States is suffering from a lack of patriotism and a sense of entitlement. The baby boomer generation has fostered a sense of self indulgence that has shifted the focus away from serving a cause greater then oneself. Beginning in the 1960's, some Americans have changed the definition of patriotism and have succeeded in placing protest and rebellion on a moral standing equal to military and public service. This needs to change and President Obama has the political capital to make it happen. We need to make public service mandatory for all American youth. This obligation should require two years of service before the age of 25. This service could be performed in the Military, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps or other structured programs that could be created to help rebuild Urban America. This would require a substantial commitment in terms of funding, but this is the kind of program that I believe most taxpayers would be willing to pay. Having volunteered myself for a deployment in support of Operation Iraq Freedom, I can tell you that there is no greater feeling than to wear the uniform for our country and serve others. It helped put my life into perspective in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. I would not ask others to do something that I would not be willing to do myself. We are suffering from a fatherless generation in Urban America and so many of our young men have no role model or father figure to provide structure and discipline. Mother's are having to take on both roles and its just not working. Public service could instill a sense of pride, patriotism and discipline that could transform the lives of many of our youth. This mandatory service would be required irrespective of socio-economic status. The rich and poor, black and white would all be required to serve a greater cause. President Obama , that is the kind of transformation that I could believe in!

Read article here

Israel Stands Ready To Bomb Iran's Nuclear Sites

This could be the foreign policy test that Joe Biden promised would occur during the first six months of their administration. From The Times:

The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.

Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.

Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.

“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.

White House Releases Bush Era Interrogation Documents

The White House continued its efforts to damage the Bush administration by releasing interrogation documents involving the CIA. It's hard to believe what good could come from making these interrogation documents public. This is another example of the far left wanting to defang the CIA. This is reminiscent of the Church Committee in 1975 damaging our intelligence community in the name of civil liberties. It seems as though the White House feels that terrorism is just something that Republicans have hyped and not a real threat to this country.

A former top official in the administration of President George W. Bush called the publication of the memos “unbelievable.”

“It's damaging because these are techniques that work, and by Obama's action today, we are telling the terrorists what they are,” the official said. “We have laid it all out for our enemies. This is totally unnecessary. … Publicizing the techniques does grave damage to our national security by ensuring they can never be used again — even in a ticking-time- bomb scenario where thousands or even millions of American lives are at stake."

“I don't believe Obama would intentionally endanger the nation, so it must be that he thinks either 1. the previous administration, including the CIA professionals who have defended this program, is lying about its importance and effectiveness, or 2. he believes we are no longer really at war and no longer face the kind of grave threat to our national security this program has protected against.”

Read article here

Three Shots, Three Kills...Bravo Zulu to the US Navy!

It might have taken longer than many Americans would have liked, but in the end, the good guys prevailed. As a follow member of the US Navy, I'd like to offer a Bravo Zulu to the Navy Seals and the crew of the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) . For those of you Navy outsiders, Bravo Zulu is a naval signal that means "well done" and is hoisted by flag or conveyed by voice radio. 

The rescue was a truly heroic feat that demonstrated the incredible talent and skill of our Navy Seals. It's difficult enough trying to hit a stationary target from 100 feet away, but try hitting a target from the fantail of a destroyer at sea, while aiming at a movable target floating on a lifeboat. Oh, and by the way, make sure you don't shoot the hostage. Just amazing!

Read article here

Three Navy Ships, 2,000+ Sailors and the FBI vs. Four Pirates in a Lifeboat?

It looks like we've moved another US Navy warship into the waters surrounding the Maersk Alabama container ship. The USS Halyburton, a guided-missile frigate has joined the USS Bainbridge, the USS Boxer, the FBI, an Orion P3 surveillance plane, countless helicopters, fighter aircraft and 2,000+ Sailors who are monitoring the four pirates and hostage who are floating in a lifeboat. It is my expert opinion, as a Navy guy, that we have a serious can of whup a@! on station and it's time to engage the enemy. Enough already!

Read article here

The First Post

Today marks the start of my blogging career. No, this is not my full time gig, it's just a part time passion of mine. I'm a very opinionated person and I often find myself in the middle of heated debates and thought provoking conversations with friends and so I decided to channel that energy into my own personal blog. My interests span several areas including US politics and foreign policy, military affairs, and public policy in my hometown, Oakland, CA. Having been a co-founder of a social finance start-up, VestMatch.com, I do not consider myself to be a social media novice but this is indeed my first foray into the blogosphere. I'm an avid reader and consumer of news from various sources including blogs, but I've always considered personal blogs to be something of a platform for individuals looking for attention and suffering from a case of self importance. After all, who really cares what one thinks about certain issues?

The catalyst that pushed me to launch this blog is really the historical events that we are witnessing everyday in this country. From the economic meltdown to security matters facing the United States, to the escalation of crime in urban areas like Oakland, there is no shortage of crises' facing Americans in the 21st century. My goal is to share my thoughts, ideas and recommendations about these areas that I find to be interesting. I hope that my approach to explaining these issues helps the reader understand them better and as a result, help them form their own opinions. I encourage readers to respond and comment no matter what their political leanings happen to be. In fact, I hope that my comments and posts are so thought provoking that they elicit replies from opposing viewpoints.

What do I hope to accomplish by launching this blog? Well, I have a unique background having worked on Wall Street for firms like Lehman Brothers, Salomon Smith Barney and the NYSE Euronext. I've also experienced the life of an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. On top of that, I'm a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserves with a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait under my belt. You add my Puerto Rican and Mexican ethnicity into the mix and it creates a different perspective that is not always represented in the mainstream media. My background does not make me an expert in these areas, but it does provide the ingredients for a spicy conversation and debate. The challenge and question that I ask myself is will anyone visit and read my blog? More importantly, will they even care what I have to say? Time will tell!

Today marks the start of my blogging career. No, this is not my full time gig, it's just a part time passion of mine. I'm a very opinionated person and I often find myself in the middle of heated debates and thought provoking conversations with friends and so I decided to channel that energy into my own personal blog. My interests span several areas including US politics and foreign policy, military affairs, and public policy in my hometown, Oakland, CA. Having been a co-founder of a social finance start-up, VestMatch.com, I do not consider myself to be a social media novice but this is indeed my first foray into the blogosphere. I'm an avid reader and consumer of news from various sources including blogs, but I've always considered personal blogs to be something of a platform for individuals looking for attention and suffering from a case of self importance. After all, who really cares what one thinks about certain issues?

The catalyst that pushed me to launch this blog is really the historical events that we are witnessing everyday in this country. From the economic meltdown to security matters facing the United States, to the escalation of crime in urban areas like Oakland, there is no shortage of crises' facing Americans in the 21st century. My goal is to share my thoughts, ideas and recommendations about these areas that I find to be interesting. I hope that my approach to explaining these issues helps the reader understand them better and as a result, help them form their own opinions. I encourage readers to respond and comment no matter what their political leanings happen to be. In fact, I hope that my comments and posts are so thought provoking that they elicit replies from opposing viewpoints.

What do I hope to accomplish by launching this blog? Well, I have a unique background having worked on Wall Street for firms like Lehman Brothers, Salomon Smith Barney and the NYSE Euronext. I've also experienced the life of an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. On top of that, I'm a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserves with a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait under my belt. You add my Puerto Rican and Mexican ethnicity into the mix and it creates a different perspective that is not always represented in the mainstream media. My background does not make me an expert in these areas, but it does provide the ingredients for a spicy conversation and debate. The challenge and question that I ask myself is will anyone visit and read my blog? More importantly, will they even care what I have to say? Time will tell!