Have you ever thought that you might have made better strategic decisions than Robert E Lee did in the Battle of Gettysburg?

Courtesy of Military.com you now have the opportunity to test your skills:

One of the most important battles of the U.S. Civil War –and indeed of all U.S. history — was the battle of Gettysburg. During the three days July 1-3, 1863, the country held its collective breath. This titanic struggle between the Confederate Army of North Virginia commanded by Robert E. Lee and the Union Army of the Potomac under General George Meade may have ultimately decided the war.

If the South had won a major victory, some historians believe that it would have caused the Confederacy to gain international recognition and support from England and France, humiliated Abraham Lincoln, and resulted in a negotiated end to the war on the Confederacy’s terms.

This simulation of the battle is a test to pit your decisions as Robert E. Lee against what actually happened. Many historians write that this battle was not Lee’s best battle and that certain choices could have dramatically improved the fate of his army on these three critical days.

Check out the simulation and see if your decisions could be the ones which would have changed the course of history.

HT: Evangelical Outpost

I’ve heard some pretty crazy excuses for not having children but saying it’s because they harm the environment is about the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard.

One woman accidentally gets pregnant and has an abortion with no questions or doubts about it because bringing a child into the world is selfish and not environmentally friendly, don’t you know.

The other one is having sex with men to whom she is not wed and is afraid her contraceptives might fail her or she doesn’t want to be on them too long so she begs her doctor to sterilize her.

In fact, both women begged their doctors to sterilize them but were turned down due to their ages.

One didn’t get sterilized but her husband got a vasectomy and the other found her knight in shining armor doctor who actually did the world a favor by sterilizing her so another goof-ball like her wouldn’t be here.

If we want to think this way then why not just off themselves since they too must be destroying the environment? And who would be left if everyone adopted their screw ball ideas?

Woman number one has been so eco-friendly by eating only locally grown foods and riding a bicycle or hiking where she wants to go that she feels she is entitled to take wonderful vacations to places such as South Africa because she has neutralized her carbon footprint.

Poppycock! The bottom line is they don’t want children. Lots of people don’t want children for various reasons. Some carry genes that carry deadly diseases and could be transmitted to a child. Others just can’t afford them although somehow we manage.

It’s fine by me if a couple or a person doesn’t want children, but don’t go using this environment tripe as a reason. Just say you don’t want children. But I wonder how they’ll feel when they get old and have no one to visit them?

By now most of us have heard the story of the Saudi woman who was in a car with a man not in her family when their car was stopped, they were kidnapped and she was brutally raped twice by seven different men.

Oh, the rapists got jail terms alright. Terms ranging from two to nine years.

Originally the victim was sentenced to 90 lashes for being with a man not in her family. Since her attorney appealed and the press was told her sentence was increased to 200 lashes and six months in jail.

Her testimony with Human Rights Watch is compelling and sickens your stomach.

Here are her words about the entire crime:

“I [was] 19 years old. I had a relationship with someone on the phone. We were both 16. I had never seen him before. I just knew his voice. He started to threaten me, and I got afraid. He threatened to tell my family about the relationship. Because of the threats and fear, I agreed to give him a photo of myself,” she recounted.

“A few months [later], I asked him for the photo back but he refused. I had gotten married to another man. He said, ‘I’ll give you the photo on the condition that you come out with me in my car.’ I told him we could meet at a souk [market[ near my neighborhood city plaza in Qatif.

"He started to drive me home. …We were 15 minutes from my house. I told him that I was afraid and that he should speed up. We were about to turn the corner to my house when they [another car] stopped right in front of our car. Two people got out of their car and stood on either side of our car. They man on my side had a knife. They tried to open our door. I told the individual with me not to open the door, but he did. He let them come in. I screamed.

“One of the men brought a knife to my throat. They told me not to speak. They pushed us to the back of the car and started driving. We drove a lot, but I didn’t see anything since my head was forced down.”

“They took us to an area … with lots of palm trees. No one was there. If you kill someone there, no one would know about it. They took out the man with me, and I stayed in the car. I was so afraid. They forced me out of the car. They pushed me really hard … took me to a dark place. Then two men came in. They said, ‘What are you going to do? Take off your abaya.’ They forced my clothes off. The first man with the knife raped me. I was destroyed. If I tried to escape, I don’t even know where I would go. I tried to force them off but I couldn’t. [Another] man … came in and did the same thing to me. I didn’t even feel anything after that.

“I spent two hours begging them to take me home. I told them that it was late and that my family would be asking about me. Then I saw a third man come into the room. There was a lot of violence. After the third man came in, a fourth came. He slapped me and tried to choke me.

“The fifth and sixth ones were the most abusive. After the seventh one, I couldn’t feel my body anymore. I didn’t know what to do. Then a very fat man came on top of me and I could no longer breathe.

“Then all seven came back and raped me again. Then they took me home. … When I got out of the car, I couldn’t even walk. I rang the doorbell and my mother opened the door. She said you look tired.’ I didn’t eat for one week after that, just water. I didn’t tell anyone. I went to the hospital the next day.

“The criminals started talking about it [the rape] in my neighborhood. They thought my husband would divorce me. They wanted to ruin my reputation. Slowly my husband started to know what had happened. Four months later, we started a case. My family heard about the case. My brother hit me and tried to kill me.”

Her lawyer has also been punished by the Saudi court.

As a woman who was acquainted with a lady who had been raped by several men while she was working behind a hotel desk, I can tell you I can think of no more horrifying experience. The woman I knew said all she could do was beg her rapists not to kill her.

Your body is being violated repeatedly against your will until you can no longer feel anything. That’s bad enough, but then the court that should be protecting you sentences you to 200 lashes and six months in prison for being with a man who is not a relative.

This girl was trapped by 8 different men on the same night. Once by the ex-boyfriend and 14 times by the seven rapists.

Her only hope at this stage is a pardon from the king or the provincial governor. Now the Justice Ministry says her sentence will be reviewed again. I pity her as the sentences just get worse. Maybe she’ll be the next beheading victim in this country we dare not speak against or we won’t have enough oil.

How much are we willing to watch and ignore because of almighty oil?

May God have pity on this girl and release her from her sentence and may she be able to get out of that country and someplace that is free and treats women the way they should be treated.