From SLC to Seattle in 26 and 40

Another belated post, and a return to a lighter subject: soccer. I've written about soccer in this space several times before (here, here, here, here, here, here and here).

I've been following my team since before it was born. Since before it even had a name. I even voted in an online poll to have my say on what I thought the name should be (I didn't win). I've kept every ticket stub I've ever used, as well as various news clippings and game day programs. I've still got my tiny towel from the Western Conference Championship game in 2008.

I don't really consider myself a die-hard. I'm not a season ticket holder. I've never been to any of the special events that the team has held. Never greeted the players at the airport following a big win. Never attended a practice session. Never traveled to Park City for a reserve match (back when we used to have those). Never traveled to an away match.

But I've remained loyal to this club through the years, attending matches as often as I am able, following all of the other blogs, writing here, posting comments to news articles, reading and writing in the forums.

It's been a blast.

Well, I finally got my chance to travel for a match: the MLS Cup in Seattle. My wife, a Seattleite by heart and formerly by residence, almost forced me into the situation. A friend (who sometimes posts online with the alias Xenofred) arranged for the tickets. He traveled up with two other friends, and my wife and I traveled separately. It was to be my wife's first time attending an MLS match.

A sleepless Friday night's drive, a check engine light, a breakfast at Denney's, a stop at a Fruit and Antiques store, and a quick nap in our hotel room later and we were ready to enjoy a Saturday evening in the Emerald City.

We met up with my wife's friend who lives in the Fremont district, who baked an assortment of tiny pizzas for dinner. Afterwards we all ventured out into the rain in search of dessert. I began to wonder where our seats were, and whether we might get rained on during the match. After some conversation back at the house, we retired to our hotel for the night.

The next day began at the McDonald's next door to our hotel (the 6th Avenue Inn, downtown) for a quick breakfast (so exotic!). That's when it began. At that restaurant alone, I probably saw a dozen or more RSL fans. Afterwards we made our way to Pike for some shopping. Pike, despite being a bit of a tourist trap, is always a fun place to visit, and incredibly easy to find. I don't know how many times I've been to Seattle - and I've really spent lots of time all over the city - but I don't think I've ever passed up a trip to Pike. This time was unique as RSL fans were all over the market! Everywhere we looked we saw the familiar claret-and-cobalt, and the corresponding Xango branding. We even saw a dog, tied up outside of a nearby cafe, with an RSL scarf around its neck! It was great fun to see all of the RSL fans, as well as to watch the supporters of various other clubs (there were a few LA fans wandering around as well).

It wasn't until we finally arrived at the stadium that I really began to see many supporters of other teams (and by "other" I really mean "Seattle"). By a dumb mistake, my wife and I missed the March to the Match, and only arrived to the stadium 20 minutes before first kick. But we were far from the only RSL fans mixed among the swarms of Sounders fans filing into Qwest Field. Our Seattleite friend met us at the gate, where we presented her with an RSL scarf. We quickly entered the stadium, and made our way to the now legendary section 338 where Xenofred and the rest of our group were already waiting. We emerged from the tunnel entrance to find hundreds (thousands?) of Real fans and supporters, standing, singing, cheering and beating their thunder sticks. I'll not soon forget that feeling - we had arrived at the MLS Cup!

I lost my voice that night. It didn't return for a week. Our local friend was surprised by the, um, tenacity of the Salt Lake fans - and paid close attention, texting her Seattle friends that were elsewhere in the stadium, so they could join in the chants. My wife was finally able to witness the inner hooligan that I keep safely away from public view most of the time. She finally understood why it is I always come home from these things almost unable to speak, although I'm usually a bit more reserved than I was that night (just a bit... but this was for the Championship!).

Robbie Russell found the back of the net for the first and only time of his MLS career, and brought the 2009 season to an end. We had done it! Real Salt Lake were league champions! We were actually #1!

We stuck around for the Cup presentation ceremony, and as we were finally leaving the stadium, we managed to get several of the 14 foot long "MLS CUP 2009" banners that the stadium crew were taking down. Somehow I'd lost my jacket in the celebration, so I wrapped myself in my banner, and we headed over to FX McRory's to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

It was an incredible weekend. A whirlwind tour of one of this country's most beautiful cities. 26 hours by car and only 40 hours on the ground. That's a long time to spend in a car, and my wife and I spent most of it listening to music. One song in particular caught my ear - "The Underdogs" from Weezer's latest album. You can understand how it fit the mood, with lines like "This is our destiny/Nothing's too good to be/We know the score/We're gonna break down the door..." Here it is.

Long live Real Salt Lake!

"Now We See the Violence Inherent in the System"

Another belated post for my oft-neglected blog...

As many will recall, Monty Python is responsible for this entry's titular quote. I have written several times over the past year about the dangers of Islamism. On December 11th, the Deseret News published this op-ed regarding a recent "spike in extremism." Perhaps a quote from a classic comedy is too crude, and perhaps it is offensive; but as it relates to the jihadist attack at Ft. Hood, it is accurate. And as the investigations and reports have shown, this was a tragedy that was wholly preventable. May we never again be so blind to the threat of jihadism.

Holy War in the USA Update

I try not to think about this stuff too much. No more than I absolutely have to. This stuff really depresses me. Fills me with anxiety and fear. Unfortunately, the flow of this activity lately is just too much to ignore. So here I go again, ranting in an attempt to exorcise my demons.

From Purple Mountains Majesty to the Big Apple

The most high profile case of jihad to come forth recently is the “alleged NYC terror plot” involving two men from Colorado, and one from New York. Najibullah Zazi, an Afghanistan-born naturalized US citizen, is accused of receiving explosives training from Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. His first criminal charge was of making false statements to authorities. When questioned about the existence of bomb-making instructions on his laptop, he explained that he must have inadvertently downloaded the instructions while downloading a religious text. He also explained that he immediately deleted the text when he discovered its contents discussed jihad. Now he has been charged with conspiring to detonate a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Surely this has nothing to do with jihad, and surely if bomb-making instructions were in fact found to be bundled with a religious text, they must have been planted there by Islamophobic FBI agents bent on defaming the Religion of Peace.

Others also arrested include Zazi’s father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, and a Queens “religious leader,” Ahmad Wais Afzali. Afzali, an Imam, is now accused of acting as a double-agent -- working with federal agents and warning Zazi of their activities and inquiries. When will the FBI cease molesting Islamic Centers and mosques throughout this country? Don’t these scumbags realize that in America we have freedom of religion?

Virginia and North Carolina

Last month, seven North Carolina men were charged with “conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and for conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people overseas.” On Thursday, two of these men received additional charges of conspiring to murder US military personnel, specifically Marines at Quantico, Virginia. Daniel Patrick Boyd is the alleged leader of the group, and a US citizen. Hysen Sherifi is a legal US resident, but a citizen of Kosovo. The group was originally denied bail when prosecutors presented evidence of the suspects discussing “jihad” as part of their plans to attack foreign lands.

Clearly the prosecutors fail to grasp the true meaning of the word “jihad” -- the internal struggle within a pious Muslim. Moreover, is there any reason to believe that either of these men are in fact Muslim? “Boyd” is hardly an Islamic surname and as we all know, while Kosovo has been ravaged by conflict for the last few decades, this is purely an ethnic conflict. The Muslim Albanian Kosovars should find themselves equally at odds with the Serbian Kosovac Muslim minority as they do the Kosovac Christian majority. The Kosovar majority is nominally Muslim, having had their religious identity repressed under decades of socialist rule. They are Muslims by name only, and therefore harmless. Better than harmless, actually: allies!

Illinois

On Wednesday an Illinois man was charged in a plot to bomb federal offices. Talib Islam, who converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence, parked a van that he believed carried a ton of explosives at a federal building in Springfield, Illinois. FBI agents began following the man after, upon returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia, he told an FBI source of plans to fight against Israel in the Gaza Strip. It is evident that these agents failed to distinguish between the conflict in Gaza and the larger jihad, and that this man is simply a victim of religious profiling. Islamic PR organizations would do well to distribute more educational pamphlets to the feds in order to educate officers on the true influence of Islam.

Dallas

A 19-year old Jordanian male, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, was arrested on Wednesday in Dallas after placing an inactive bomb at a 60-story building. Smadi said, “We shall attack them in their very own homes. Brother, by God, we shall attack them in a manner that hurts, an attack that shakes the world.” (Full text here.)

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppart, acknowledging the incidents in New York, Springfield, Denver and his own city said, “It’s a comment on the world we live in. All of us need to be vigilant.”

But Mr. Mayor, let’s not jump to conclusions! Just because it looks like a jihadi, smells like a jihadi, acts like a jihadi, shops like a jihadi, talks like a jihadi, is named like a jihadi, builds bombs like a jihadi, has friends that are jihadis, worships like a jihadi, travels like a jihadi, and studies like a jihadi… that doesn’t necessarily mean anything!

Blogging for Freedom

I've been watching the protests in Iran with fascination and horror. I've seen the videos on YouTube and followed the resistance on Twitter and Facebook. For the first time in a long time I have a small hope for something better for the people of Iran and consequently that entire region.

It's impossible to learn so much about something and not have anything to say about it. I even went so far as to set my Twitter time zone and location to Tehran (but I will not change my profile picture to green because to me that color is another symbol of the oppression and tyranny of the Islamic regime).

What follows are my own tweets and Facebook updates in more-or-less chronological order. I figure this blog is about the closest thing I have to a journal, so I might as well record these thoughts.

Via Twitter:

Marveling at these beautiful skies.

Iran does not belong to the Mullahs. It is time for the people to take back the country!

Moussavi is also the Ayatollah's man, and his ascendance would be a weak moral victory for the people of Iran (but still a victory).

The world is finally witnessing the brutality of the Islamic regime. The cost of this enlightenment: enduring oppression and suffering.

The official US response to the Iranian revolt? Flaccid at best. (Good thing America doesn't belong to its government either.)

Freedom through truth! Censors and tyrants cannot defeat the intelligence and cunning resolve of the revolt. Truth will triumph!

The Mullahs in Iran are enemies of equality and cultural plurality, and Obama is too gutless to say it.

Via Facebook (actually posted prior to the tweets):

So the Ayatollah's got the final say in just about everything. Meanwhile, our own chief executive offers a flaccid at best condemnation of the Iranian government's response to the protesters, while rationalizing that the US president should not meddle in Iranian affairs. Too bad the feeling isn't mutual, as El Supremo and his lap dog, thug-in-chief Ahmedinutjob, have no reservations about "meddling" in anyone's affairs (particularly their own citizens and neighbors and especially Iraq and Afghanistan).

The consolation is that maintaining the status quo in the face of such overt domestic displeasure and resistance may call enough attention to the dire situation in Iran that the global community will finally take notice. (Really, Moussavi is the Ayatollah's man, too, despite his oft-touted "reformer" label - a win-win for El Supremo when it comes right down to it. Moussavi's ascendance would be a weak moral victory for the people of Iran.)

Unfortunately, this belated global enlightenment will be purchased with the continued suffering and oppression of the Iranian people.

Via Twitter:

Free Iran. No alternatives.

Holy War in the USA

I began writing this post several weeks ago and never finished it. I think it's worth posting, so without further revision, here it is.

***From early June:

As a professional soldier, there are a few issues that I follow to enhance my own personal understanding and further my professional learning. One of these is Islamic jihad.

Jihad, many will contend, is an internal struggle to discipline one's self in accordance with Islamic theology. This is certainly a noble endeavor and a concept that is not exclusive to Islam.

Many seem unwilling to acknowledge that jihad is also in very fact the violent "holy war" that people across the world have, over the course of centuries, grown to fear.

As an American soldier I am particularly interested in seeing how jihad affects the United States.

Several months ago, five Muslim men were convicted in a plot to kill US soldiers at Fort Dix, New York.

Just two weeks ago, two Muslim men, recent converts to the so-called Religion of Peace, were arrested after their plot to blow up a synagogue in New York City was foiled.

Thankfully, in both of these incidents, solid detective work and law enforcement prevented the realization of clearly violent aspirations.

Unfortunately, those mechanisms could not prevent today's tragedy.

PVT William Long was shot and killed at a US Army and Navy recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas. PVT Quinton Ezeagwula was also shot and is in stable condition.

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad recently returned from Yemen having studied with a jihadist imam, Yahya Hajoori (or one of his students). Muhammad told authorities that he targeted the soldiers "because of what they had done to Muslims in the past” and explained that his goal was to “kill as many people in the Army as he could." [source] Indeed, his taken Arabic name includes the militant "mujahid" - a derivative of "holy warrior" and "jihad" (his given name was Carlos Bledsoe).

***Update from June 22nd:

The attack on the recruiting center was tragic, but the real tragedy is our collective failure to recognize this threat. Pres. Obama took the stage in Cairo recently to address the Muslim world. He apologized for the sins of the west, mostly ignored the obvious faults of Islam, and pledged to "fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

There are many problems with this vow, but I am mostly concerned that the President's perception is that these "negative stereotypes" are being perpetuated by those that are critical of Islam rather than those that use the religion to further violent or oppressive agendas. Obama merely described the attack in Little Rock as "senseless." His omission of the stated religious motives implies that he does not regard jihadist violence as a negative stereotype of the religion at all. Apparently, in the President's idealistic world of cultural plurality and relativism, there is room to accomodate this sort of religious intolerance and violence. The twisted result of this delusion is that violent jihad advances across the US and the world while those wishing to identify the threat are criticized as intolerant "stereotypers."

R - S - L - 0 - 9

Soccer came back into season in the US at the latter end of March. RSL opened its season in Seattle, facing an expansion side that didn't look or act the part. The 2-0 thumping might have been an unexpected result before the first kick, but it didn't take RSL fans long to lower their expectations.

Less than a week later, a sparse but vocal crowd of RSL fans braved cold temperatures and threatening skies to support their squad at the home opener, hosting the defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew. The RSL faithful in attendance were rewarded with an offensive exhibition the likes of which had never before been seen at Rio Tinto Stadium. Robbie Findley owned the night with a perfect hat trick - a first for RSL in regular season play. Nick Rimando allowed only one goal and Kyle Beckerman's header completed the rout as rain, like manna from heaven, poured down upon players and fans in the final minutes of the match. The confidence emanating from the boys in claret and cobalt was unlike anything I have ever seen in four plus years of watching RSL soccer.

Late in the game I realized that I had my camera with me. I quickly turned it to the action on the field. This is the first shot I took:Kyle Beckerman's header slips just past Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer. GOOOOOOOOAL!

Homecoming

Last February, I wrote about the upcoming deployment to Afghanistan of the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Linguist) of the Utah National Guard (link and link).

It's been a year. I knew up front that this was a great group of soldiers. Over the past year I've kept in touch with many of them. I've been impressed with their dedication, professionalism and intelligence. I'm proud of what they've accomplished. I'm excited to learn from their experiences.

Welcome back, 142.

Related links: SLTrib, DesNews, KSL, Fox 13, KUTV, KTVX