The System Works. (UPDATED)

Michael Yon, this generation's Ernie Pyle, says he was detained at the Seattle airport for... failing to disclose his income.

Good 'effing grief. Isn't this the same bunch that missed a Nigerian jihadi trying to blow a hole in a plane - and splatter passengers with bits of his scrotum in the process - but now they arrest a US Citizen trying to get into his own country???

What, by the Gods, does Mr. Yon's income have to do with national security? The correct answer is, of course, not a damn thing.

I'm going to be flying in a few weeks, and if you think I feel safe and secure in the knowledge that Homeland Security has got my back, you're wrong. I dread the long lines, the annoying checks and rechecks, and the rude, lethargic, and pushy TSA gate guards who are only half gazing at the x-ray readout. They couldn't give a rat's ass about me or my safety.

As far as I am concerned, we should scrap TSA entirely. Let 'em all go back to whatever fast-food restaurants they came from. At least there we got something out of them for our money.

UPDATE: More here.

The Young British Soldier.

A short video from Michael Yon, shot while he was with the UK's 2 Rifles in Afghanistan.

Today's Required Reading.

Michael Yon's latest dispatch from Afghanistan: Pedro Inspired the Vikings.

Michael Yon Reports.

With the Brits in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Some great photos.

Friday Required Reading.

Michael Yon, who I have not posted about in a while - and should have - has some new dispatches, here and here, about a great American. (Hint: There is a CSI-NY connection.)

If you haven't kept up with Michael's travels lately, here is his homepage. Take a few and see what he's been up to. I'm sure your employer won't mind - Obama says we're in the middle of this recession thingy, so your boss probably doesn't have too much for you to do anyway...

Today's Required Reading.

Michael Yon, the best damn war correspondent out there, reports on a loosing battle - dealing with the Department on Homeland Security:

I had intended to show Aew a bit of my country. But it's taking a little while for her to get over her discomfort at being in America. She was treated better in China. So was I.

Read it all.

Today's Required Reading.

Michael Yon has a new post up: Af-Pak Reporting.

Read it all. (There will be a test in November....)

If you like what Michael is doing, please remember to drop him a few bucks. He is an independent journalist, and he needs our support to keep it up.

Mission (Almost) Accomplished.

Michael Yon emails that, well, we've won. In Iraq, anyway:

We have won the war in Iraq. By "we" I mean the Coalition and the Iraqis. Unless there is some unexpected reversal, what lays ahead is the challenge of building a better Iraq. There is still violence. We have lost four soldiers to combat this month, but there were times when we lost that many on an average day. There still are attacks, though we have finally reached the point where all that's left are truly "dead-enders." Al Qaeda is still a problem, but their numbers are decreasing in Iraq. The Iraqi people are sick of the violence. The Iraqi Army is filled with courageous soldiers who can fight. It is possible that by the end of the year we can really say, "Mission Accomplished," except for the continued support that Iraq will need.

Personally, my optimism has never been higher for Iraq.

And he has more here, including some stats (a PowerPoint download) to prove his claim. If any journalist should know about this, it's Michael.

He is not, however, so optomistic about Afghanistan.

Michael Yon.

Michael Yon is back in the States right now, but he'll soon be heading back to the Sandbox. Autographed copies of his new book Moment of Truth in Iraq' are still available. Non-signed copies are available at your local Barnes & Noble and BN online.

If you don't have a copy, get one.

Required Reading.

Before you go off distracting yourself (see below), read this: Michael Yon's excellent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal.

And don't forget to buy his book!

Read. This. Book.

Enough trading YouTube videos; this is important - Michael Yon's new book, Moment of Truth in Iraq, is out. You can order it here, here, and here, too.

I can not say this too many times - Read. This. Book.

Michael Yon - Holy Brothel.

Michael Yon's latest post points out that our Al Qaeda enemies aren't exactly piously waiting for their 72 heavenly virgins - ladies on this mortal coil will do nicely. And according to Yon, it's not just ladies.....

Monday Required Reading.

Michal Yon's latest post is about the battle to route Al Qaeda in Nineveh province: Steak Through Their Hearts.

And he discovers a dirty little secret the mainstream media seems to have missed: we are winning. Not just the battle, but the war. So don't tell Osama. Or Obama.

(For folks who remember your Bible - yes, it's the same Nineveh.)

Today's Required Reading: Michael Yon's New Website.

Michael Yon has a new website up. He says he launched earlier than planned after hackers attacked his old site.

Make sure to read Michael's latest post, Guitar Heroes.

Michael Yon Reports.

Michael Yon is back in Iraq, and he says that South Baghdad is quiet enough that he didn't need a flak vest and helmet while walking about. That's progress.

He also says to keep you eye on Mosul. Al Queda may be on the ropes in Iraq, but Yon says they have learned from their mistakes and are trying to set up shop now in Mosul. He says another nasty fight could well be looming.

Here is Yon's latest post. Note that hs is on the Dennis Miller Show today, and on NPR's 'Talk of the Nation' tomorrow. So check him out.

Back In Iraq.

Michael Yon has returned to Iraq, this time with the 1-4 Cavalry.

His latest post, about his time with the British last year, is up: Men of Valor, Part VII.

Michael also has a new book coming out, 'Moment of Truth In Iraq', which can be pre-ordered here.

Michael Yon.

His latest post: 'Moment Of Truth In Iraq.'

As always, read it all.

Men of Valor: Part V.

Another Michael Yon post is up: Men of Valor: Part V.

Michael Yon.

I hadn't received any emails from Michael Yon recently, so I assumed he was taking off for the holidays. A reasonable assumtion, but a wrong one. (Our IT folks fiddled with our mail system recently and I guess they tweaked the spam filter. Again.) Anyway, here two of Michael's recent dispatches I missed:

28 Dec 07: News Flash for Osama bin Laden.
04 Jan 08: News Flash: The Battle Over Body Armor.

Men Of Valour III.

Michael Yon's latest dispatch, Men of Valor III, is up.

From Micheal's e-mail: "The progress in Iraq could not be clearer. I have never seen so much hope among the Iraqis or our soldiers." If this is what a "quagmire" looks like, we need more of them.