Monday, September 07, 2009
Why Wasn't Van Jones Properly Vetted
A lot of finger pointing has been going on since Van Jones’ radical ideology was exposed. People ask how the Secret Service did not properly screen him in advance of his appointment. One might well ask why they give access to anyone in the Obama administration, including Obama himself.
But this betrays a misunderstanding of the Secret Service’s role. Federal law enforcement agencies are given specific tasks based on their enabling legislation. As far as national security is concerned, it is the Secret Service’s job to protect the President. Period. This was a task added to their original mandate, which was, and remains, to investigate counterfeiting and other financial crimes.
It is actually the FBI who is supposed to clear these high level people, and since 1992, when Bill Clinton obliterated that firewall, circumventing the vetting process with a procession of blatant security risk appointments, many of whom demonstrated their unfitness by subsequently violating U.S. laws, (like John Huang, for instance, very likely a communist Chinese agent from the get go) the FBI has been essentially toothless. Remember the book "Unlimited Access" by FBI agent Gary Aldrich?
For most non-appointment, Executive Office bureaucrats like I was, it is – or at least was – usually the Office of Personnel Management that conducts the investigations. These investigations were, and to my knowledge remain, pretty thorough.
Unless there has been some post 9-11 dramatic change of which I am unaware, the Secret Service only vets appointments. But they do check your SSN against all criminal databases and will deny access if they find something negative. They also investigate individuals who make threatening remarks about the President, especially if the President will be traveling to the area where the threat was issued.
The Secret Service’s job is to protect their master, and while they very likely notice that this President surrounds himself with blatant security risks, it is not their job to protect the country from communists, traitors, terrorists or anyone else the President appoints - unless it threatens him. They wouldn't touch an Obama appointment, no matter how odious. It’s above their pay grade. That extends to all of Obama's cronies.
They are also acutely aware of how their reactions play in Congress. They know the game and play it well and like most federal bureaucracies, would lick the boots of Congressional Democrat appropriators if they thought it would get them a bigger budget – national security be damned. However they don't have to.
Their usual tactic is to remind everyone, in a not-so-subtle unionesque "non-threatening" manner that if they don't get all the resources they need, they may not be able to, er..., "adequately" protect the President. They say this in budget hearings. I have heard them. And while they have a valid point, one really gets the feeling this is a pro-forma remark, intended to rationalize budgeting for everything up to and including the kitchen sink.
As an afterthought, I once attended a meeting where Secret Service agents bragged to us that they actually helped in thawing relations with the Soviets that lead to the end of the Cold War. "How?" I queried. "By sharing with their KGB counterparts their methods for protecting our President," they responded. Stunned into silence, I saw no point in observing that the ruthlessly efficient KGB, sword and shield of our sworn enemy for a century, had never lost a single protectee in their history, unless of course they had dispatched him themselves.
So if you are wondering how this guy got past our internal security firewalls, stop wondering. There are no firewalls. If there were, few if any, of Obama’s appointees could gain access to the White House at any time, let alone to work there every day. As with most of these issues, we can primarily blame the national-security-risk Democrat Party (who Ann Coulter aptly calls the (Treason Party”) in Washington and to a lesser extent, the pusillanimous Republicans who have let them systematically undermine our national security for the past 40 plus years.
And the Democrats want us to let Washington bureaucrats make life-or-death decisions regarding our healthcare? I would sooner volunteer to be shot by firing squad.
Democrats Intent on Creating Good Little Socialists in Government Schools!
Democrats Intent on Creating Good Little Socialists in Government Schools!
Can “Obama Youth” Be far Behind?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
******************************
******************************
"Give me the children, I will give you a nation." "When an opponent declares 'I will not come over to your side', I calmly say 'your child belongs to us already. What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community." — Adolph Hitler (1939)
I, along with a few million other parents and grandparents, are troubled by Obama’s speech to the school kids tomorrow.
It is a known fact that if you can reach the kids with your propaganda you can mold their malleable minds into practically any kind of adult you want. They are young, they are impressionable, and frankly, they are not very smart -- not YET, at least. Obama’s speech to the students of America smacks of a propaganda machine in high gear. It is all a part of the “Obama Cult Machine”.
The parents in my state are raising a considerable amount of “Cain.” They don’t like it. As a grandparent, I don’t like it, either. Whether Obama’s minions deny it, or not, it IS an indoctrination speech. The very nature of it’s “setting” renders it that.
Here in my state, parents are up in arms about it. There will be many kids staying home from school, entirely, tomorrow, and, in my opinion, that is the correct thing for parents to do. A number of schools have declared their intention of recording Obama’s speech and playing it back at a later time. The question, then, is -- will parents be alerted in time to get their kids out of school for that day? I don’t have the answer to that question but I have my suspicions.
Many parents in my state have been busy over the past few days attempting to ascertain whether or not their children’s school will be allowing Obama’s speech in their school -- and when. It has been akin to hitting a brick wall. It seems as if each school district has a different answer to the question. Frankly, none of them are satisfactory.
Look, anyway you parse it; Obama’s speech to the student’s smacks of an Orwellian tactic and it is a rotten idea. For a President who is said to have the creame de la creame of intellects around him, this has to be the dumbest idea to come out of the White House in a while. There has been so much objection raised by parents that reports now say the speech has been rewritten and plans to televise Obama’s speech have been dropped and instead it will be streamed live on the Internet at the Whitehouse website. That means anyone can watch and listen to Obama’s golden oratory, including Homeschoolers. How thoughtful -- what? Somehow, I doubt many homeschoolers will be allowing their students to listen to the indoctrination speech. Isn’t this sort of thing one of the reasons those same homeschoolers pulled their children out of the government school systems in the first place?
If there was even the slightest doubt in your mind that the public school system in American is now the “Government school system,” then these antics, by the Obama Regime, should remove all doubt.
This is the sort of thing one expects in a socialist society. It is not the sort of thing one expects in a free republic. But, as we have been warning, even before the election in 2008, the socialists now in charge in Washington are disassembling the democratic representative republican form of government in America.
If I still had school age children they would be at home tomorrow. They would certainly not be in school where they will be exposed to socialist propaganda as espoused by the nation’s leading socialist, the President of the US, Obama.
As the President's popularity wanes and his standings in the polls drop like a stone, it is time for conservatives across the nation to turn up the heat. The elections of 2010 are not that far away. We must make every effort to defeat as many of the socialists in the Congress as we can and increase the clout of conservatism in the national legislature. We must return the US to its former status as a democratic representative republic.
Conservatives must stay alert. This is only the beginning. There are still approximately 3-1/2 years of the Obama Regime left. That is plenty of time for all sorts of leftist/socialist mischief. That is a sobering thought – is it not?
J. D. Longstreet
*****************
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Illegal Aliens and Socialist America!
Illegal Aliens and Socialist America!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************
They tell us there are 12 million illegals living in the United States of America. 12 million! (I don’t believe, for a second, there are ONLY 12 million illegal aliens in America!) But, for the sake of this commentary, let us accept, for the moment, that figure is true. That means the southern border of the US has been violated, crossed illegally, 12 million times, that we know of, and it MUST STOP!
I suppose the thing that galls me so much about it is the fact that those illegals will play the race card in a heartbeat - and they claim to be so “put upon” when we confront them and declare their crossing the border without the proper paperwork a crime, which it most certainly is!
Thinking back to the demonstrations months ago, I remember I could only stare, wide-eyed, as my jaw dropped! There were no federal authorities there to round those people up and check their citizenship! None. There they were, in broad daylight, marching and protesting that we, legal US citizens, are angry that THEY broke into OUR country! It bothers me greatly that he US government extends the right granted to US citizens by the US Constitution to non-citizens. They ARE NOT CITIZENS and they ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!
The illegal aliens in the US today act as if we OWE them! We OWE them nothing! Nothing! They are upset that we conservatives want to treat them like criminals. They ARE criminals!
My regional newspaper has said that we simply cannot keep people out who wanted to better themselves. Oh, contraire! Yes, we can… and we must! At least until they make use of the proper channels and enter the US legally!
I am tired, no, I’m past tired of seeing my tax dollars go to care for people who just broke into the country.
It’s time to warn Mexico that if they continue encouraging their poor to illegally cross the border, into the US, we will invade… again… and just annex their whole country and be done with it! Maybe the oil they have would offset the cost of supporting them. Well, I mean, they want to be Americanos, so darned much, why don’t we make the whole country of Mexico the 51st state and be done with it!
Until the US can get it’s immigration under control, we need to stop ALL immigration, legal as well as illegal. Take down Lady Liberty, dismantle her, and ship her back to France! OK, so that’s a bit much, but I think you get the passion I bring to the subject at hand!
This immigration boil has needed to be lanced for a long time now. It’s going to hurt for a little while and then it will feel SO MUCH BETTER!
You folks in the northern tier of states may not feel the invasion as we do. Down here, in the southern tier, we are being overrun. And we are fed up! When the South gets fed up, it tends to make life miserable for those in charge until something gets done!
We want the southern border closed and sealed. We want the illegals already in the US found and put in prison. No more trucking them back across the border so they can come right back as soon as the moon rises. No, we want them put away - in prisons - for a long, long, time.
While we’re at it, we ought to serve notice on Mexico that any more incursions by their military across that border will be considered and act of war and the US military will act accordingly.
This is not over. The Southern States, especially the Border States, have had it. It IS going to stop. One way or the other. If the current crop of politicians in DC can’t do it, then we desperately need to throw them out and elect people who can and who will actually TRY!
The US is split right down the middle, these days, with the citizens in one of two camps. If you are an American today, you are either a capitalist or a socialists.
We Conservatives are, for all practical purposes, without a political party these days. So, we are fighting the socialist agenda of the Democratic Party on our own. We have no choice.
As a conservative, I am convinced that as soon as the Obama Regime gets the Socialized Medicine issue behind them… and declares victory for the President… they are going to turn their attention to illegal immigration. They are not going to try to solve the issue; they are going to make another attempt to ram an AMNESTY for ILLEGAL ALIENS through Congress. They want and they need the votes of those people in the US illegally and they are going to make an all-out push to secure them.
It is time for conservative Americans to step up, once again, and meet them head-on and stop their sweeping attempt to turn the United States into just another mediocre socialist country.
J. D. Longstreet
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************
They tell us there are 12 million illegals living in the United States of America. 12 million! (I don’t believe, for a second, there are ONLY 12 million illegal aliens in America!) But, for the sake of this commentary, let us accept, for the moment, that figure is true. That means the southern border of the US has been violated, crossed illegally, 12 million times, that we know of, and it MUST STOP!
I suppose the thing that galls me so much about it is the fact that those illegals will play the race card in a heartbeat - and they claim to be so “put upon” when we confront them and declare their crossing the border without the proper paperwork a crime, which it most certainly is!
Thinking back to the demonstrations months ago, I remember I could only stare, wide-eyed, as my jaw dropped! There were no federal authorities there to round those people up and check their citizenship! None. There they were, in broad daylight, marching and protesting that we, legal US citizens, are angry that THEY broke into OUR country! It bothers me greatly that he US government extends the right granted to US citizens by the US Constitution to non-citizens. They ARE NOT CITIZENS and they ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!
The illegal aliens in the US today act as if we OWE them! We OWE them nothing! Nothing! They are upset that we conservatives want to treat them like criminals. They ARE criminals!
My regional newspaper has said that we simply cannot keep people out who wanted to better themselves. Oh, contraire! Yes, we can… and we must! At least until they make use of the proper channels and enter the US legally!
I am tired, no, I’m past tired of seeing my tax dollars go to care for people who just broke into the country.
It’s time to warn Mexico that if they continue encouraging their poor to illegally cross the border, into the US, we will invade… again… and just annex their whole country and be done with it! Maybe the oil they have would offset the cost of supporting them. Well, I mean, they want to be Americanos, so darned much, why don’t we make the whole country of Mexico the 51st state and be done with it!
Until the US can get it’s immigration under control, we need to stop ALL immigration, legal as well as illegal. Take down Lady Liberty, dismantle her, and ship her back to France! OK, so that’s a bit much, but I think you get the passion I bring to the subject at hand!
This immigration boil has needed to be lanced for a long time now. It’s going to hurt for a little while and then it will feel SO MUCH BETTER!
You folks in the northern tier of states may not feel the invasion as we do. Down here, in the southern tier, we are being overrun. And we are fed up! When the South gets fed up, it tends to make life miserable for those in charge until something gets done!
We want the southern border closed and sealed. We want the illegals already in the US found and put in prison. No more trucking them back across the border so they can come right back as soon as the moon rises. No, we want them put away - in prisons - for a long, long, time.
While we’re at it, we ought to serve notice on Mexico that any more incursions by their military across that border will be considered and act of war and the US military will act accordingly.
This is not over. The Southern States, especially the Border States, have had it. It IS going to stop. One way or the other. If the current crop of politicians in DC can’t do it, then we desperately need to throw them out and elect people who can and who will actually TRY!
The US is split right down the middle, these days, with the citizens in one of two camps. If you are an American today, you are either a capitalist or a socialists.
We Conservatives are, for all practical purposes, without a political party these days. So, we are fighting the socialist agenda of the Democratic Party on our own. We have no choice.
As a conservative, I am convinced that as soon as the Obama Regime gets the Socialized Medicine issue behind them… and declares victory for the President… they are going to turn their attention to illegal immigration. They are not going to try to solve the issue; they are going to make another attempt to ram an AMNESTY for ILLEGAL ALIENS through Congress. They want and they need the votes of those people in the US illegally and they are going to make an all-out push to secure them.
It is time for conservative Americans to step up, once again, and meet them head-on and stop their sweeping attempt to turn the United States into just another mediocre socialist country.
J. D. Longstreet
****************
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
********************************
“I cannot accept, your canon that we are to judge pope and king unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power ... Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”… Lord Acton
What will it take to convince Americans that the people we place in office ought to be of high moral character? I no longer think it is even possible. I no longer think Americans even care… as evidenced by the results of the presidential election, and numerous congressional elections, and even state and local elections around the country just last year.
We have become so accustomed to self serving, double-dealing, dishonest, greedy, callous, crafty, deceitful, duplicitous politicians that we now accept it as “normal”. What that says about Americans, as a people, is absolutely shameful. What it says about the future of America is terrifying!
I dare say ancient Rome was not as corrupt as America is today. We have managed to dumb down our populace, the voter base, the electorate, concerning what is expected of public servants, until we think nothing of electing to public office people of such low morals they ought not be allowed IN public, let alone serve in a public office. Nowadays, the use of the phrase “choosing the lesser of two evils,” when describing our choice of candidates, is in regular use… and we don’t even raise an eyebrow. Why? Because it is true!
James L. Buckley once said: ” What people fail to appreciate is that the currency of corruption in elective office is, not money, but votes.” He was spot on!
I am not surprised at the corruption of our politicians. How could I be? How could YOU be? It is we who elected them. It is we, the people of America, who bear the shame and the guilt for placing these people of low repute in offices that good men fought, bled, and died on foreign and domestic battlefields to secure for us. Do we not understand that we have disgraced our heritage? Do we not understand that we have brought shame upon our ancestors, upon our forefathers, upon The Founders of this nation, and… upon ourselves for not being good citizens and good stewards of this priceless jewel of a country?
Too long have we abrogated our singular duty to study the foundations of this country, the constitution of this country, the legal/judiciary system of this country, and, just as important, the government of this country, and… the way that government was intended to operate. We haven’t done any of this.
Our public education system has failed, utterly, in educating our young about their heritage as Americans. It has failed at instilling pride in our young as Americans. The angry cries of “nationalism” have drowned out “patriotism” until one is frowned upon for any public display of pride in America. There is something intrinsically wrong about that! In modern day America education has been devalued while ignorance is celebrated… even unto the voting booth! It is revolting!
Yes, I am angry. It is an anger born of frustration. I am frustrated with my fellow Americans who absolutely refused to see that substance does trump style every time. The percentage of the electorate who voted to place a man in office, primarily because of the color of his skin and, secondly, his eloquent way with words, have done America a huge disservice. The cost is going to be monumental, biblical, even.
One of the great men of the American Revolution, Samuel Adams, said this: “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”
I would draw your attention to the last portion of the last sentence above: “… or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” THAT is precisely where we find ourselves in America today. And we have no one, no one, to blame… but ourselves.
Are you ready for the years, immediately ahead, with tailgating scandals and stories of corruption and graft and the peccadilloes of powerful men unable to restrain themselves when let lose on an ignorant populace? You’d better be - for I am mighty afraid that is exactly where we are heading. The political shenanigans in Washington, to which we have, unfortunately, become accustomed, are, I’m afraid, only the tip of a vastly underestimated iceberg of such conduct. America’s ship of state is sailing directly into that iceberg.
J. D. Longstreet
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
********************************
“I cannot accept, your canon that we are to judge pope and king unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power ... Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”… Lord Acton
What will it take to convince Americans that the people we place in office ought to be of high moral character? I no longer think it is even possible. I no longer think Americans even care… as evidenced by the results of the presidential election, and numerous congressional elections, and even state and local elections around the country just last year.
We have become so accustomed to self serving, double-dealing, dishonest, greedy, callous, crafty, deceitful, duplicitous politicians that we now accept it as “normal”. What that says about Americans, as a people, is absolutely shameful. What it says about the future of America is terrifying!
I dare say ancient Rome was not as corrupt as America is today. We have managed to dumb down our populace, the voter base, the electorate, concerning what is expected of public servants, until we think nothing of electing to public office people of such low morals they ought not be allowed IN public, let alone serve in a public office. Nowadays, the use of the phrase “choosing the lesser of two evils,” when describing our choice of candidates, is in regular use… and we don’t even raise an eyebrow. Why? Because it is true!
James L. Buckley once said: ” What people fail to appreciate is that the currency of corruption in elective office is, not money, but votes.” He was spot on!
I am not surprised at the corruption of our politicians. How could I be? How could YOU be? It is we who elected them. It is we, the people of America, who bear the shame and the guilt for placing these people of low repute in offices that good men fought, bled, and died on foreign and domestic battlefields to secure for us. Do we not understand that we have disgraced our heritage? Do we not understand that we have brought shame upon our ancestors, upon our forefathers, upon The Founders of this nation, and… upon ourselves for not being good citizens and good stewards of this priceless jewel of a country?
Too long have we abrogated our singular duty to study the foundations of this country, the constitution of this country, the legal/judiciary system of this country, and, just as important, the government of this country, and… the way that government was intended to operate. We haven’t done any of this.
Our public education system has failed, utterly, in educating our young about their heritage as Americans. It has failed at instilling pride in our young as Americans. The angry cries of “nationalism” have drowned out “patriotism” until one is frowned upon for any public display of pride in America. There is something intrinsically wrong about that! In modern day America education has been devalued while ignorance is celebrated… even unto the voting booth! It is revolting!
Yes, I am angry. It is an anger born of frustration. I am frustrated with my fellow Americans who absolutely refused to see that substance does trump style every time. The percentage of the electorate who voted to place a man in office, primarily because of the color of his skin and, secondly, his eloquent way with words, have done America a huge disservice. The cost is going to be monumental, biblical, even.
One of the great men of the American Revolution, Samuel Adams, said this: “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”
I would draw your attention to the last portion of the last sentence above: “… or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” THAT is precisely where we find ourselves in America today. And we have no one, no one, to blame… but ourselves.
Are you ready for the years, immediately ahead, with tailgating scandals and stories of corruption and graft and the peccadilloes of powerful men unable to restrain themselves when let lose on an ignorant populace? You’d better be - for I am mighty afraid that is exactly where we are heading. The political shenanigans in Washington, to which we have, unfortunately, become accustomed, are, I’m afraid, only the tip of a vastly underestimated iceberg of such conduct. America’s ship of state is sailing directly into that iceberg.
J. D. Longstreet
******************
Friday, September 04, 2009
The Collapse of the MsM in America?
The Collapse of the MsM in America?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
****************************************
The Mainstream Media (MsM) in America, especially, has gone all out to support Obama and anything Obama does. They have dropped nearly all their pretense of unbiased reporting. Well, most of it anyway. Some of the old press vets are still clinging to claims of “unbiased reporting”, but they are “aging-out” and will soon be gone from the American scene.
All of this has not gone unnoticed by the consumers of “news” in America and those consumers (of which, I am one) have been, and ARE, upset and disappointed with the MsM’s obvious lack of unbiased reporting. The backlash has already begun.
Look at the financial mess the MSM in America finds itself today. All the financial problems of the MsM cannot be blamed on the Recession, because their collapse began long before the recession set in.
Why do you suppose the implosion of the MsM began at this point in history?
If I had to guess… and had only one chance to get it right, I’d say it was because the MsM decided to openly support Obama during the presidential campaign and continues to openly support him - and his socialist programs - even today while claiming, all the while, that they are unbiased. They are like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Understand – there are some Americans extremely ticked-off at the Mainstream Media today. In my opinion, there is something akin to an unannounced boycott of the MsM in progress in America today.
See, the MsM is pro-Obama, anti-war, anti-military. The American public interprets that as anti-American behavior. And they don’t like it – at all!
The Mainstream Media in the US is largely controlled by the political Left, and as such, is bound to play down any successes the US has in the any theatre of war - no matter the reasons America had/has for going to war.
Much, if not most, of the MsM have never worn the uniform of any of the branches of America’s armed forces. They haven’t the foggiest idea what war is all about, and certainly not how to wage a war. But, they are experts at telling the world what is wrong with America’s war effort and how badly America is losing and what a “quagmire” the US military has gotten itself into while they would not know a “military quagmire” if it bit them on the butt! Besides, a quagmire to them is defined by the US Military’s inability to invade, conquer, and withdraw in three weeks, tops!
Now, don’t misunderstand. The US is quite capable of iniating and winning a war in three weeks. However, we would have to tap our reserves of those dread “weapons of mass destruction” in order to do it, and frankly that gets a little messy. Plus, the MSM would have apoplexy if we even used a simple little battlefield nuke! Their constant carping and complaining will eventually begin to affect the morale of the troops.
Freedom of the press is a privilege, and most importantly, it is a constitutional right, in America. But with that freedom comes responsibility. It is certainly seems the MSM has no concept of their responsibility to America. It is enough that America has granted them the “right” of “freedom of the press”. They willingly use that right irresponsibly, and, in doing so, they assume the predictability of a loose cannon.
I have spoken to servicemen, just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, and they told me they have access to network and cable news in Iraq. They told me they couldn’t believe the reports they saw on the television news. One soldier said to me, it was as if they (American troops) were fighting one war and the press was reporting on another war… somewhere, other than in Iraq.
Abuses such as these are going to cost the MSM in the long run. Unfortunately, it can only lead to a loss of the freedoms they say they value so much, but abuse so willingly. Sooner, or later, the country will grow tired of their continuous efforts at denigrating this wonderful country and their first amendment rights will be curtailed. That will be a sad day for freedom, but a day the MsM will have brought upon itself.
It is a shame to see a great institution collapse inwards, upon itself, as the MSM is doing. But, there is bound to be a reckoning, and not that far in the future.
There are many more sources of news available to the public now than ever before in history. No longer are consumers of news tied to a newspaper, or a certain TV network, or a cable network. With a click of the “mouse” the world’s news media is at your disposal. Many, like myself, are availing themselves of it.
We get our news, often unfiltered through the lenses of the MSM, and we are better informed for it.
The MSM has only just begun to get their “comeuppance.” Sadly, they brought it upon themselves.
J. D. Longstreet
*******************
Thursday, September 03, 2009
How NOT to Make War
How NOT to Make War
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************************
The war in Afghanistan is making me nervous. Everyday, as I read the wire reports, and listen, and watch the broadcast news and glean the news from the Internet, and I am detecting many of the same mistakes the US made in Vietnam being made in Afghanistan. Micromanaging the war from Washington has already cost the lives of more US servicemen than is necessary.
The political Left in America has been wishing for a war for sometime now so they can prove their prowess. The little war in what used to be called Yugoslavia was unsatisfying for their public relations people. Dropping bombs on an enemy from so high up the jet engines of your aircraft are laboring for lack of oxygen and your aircraft can’t even be seen, is, somehow, not heroic enough for the 6 o’clock news. No, they need a war that can be splashed across the HDTV screens of Americans in all its bloody gore. They THINK AFGHANISTAN is IT! Once again, they have, as they say, figured wrong!
Liberals/Progressives/socialists/democrats love the very thought of Nation Building. As a conservative I don’t.
The US SUCKS at nation building. I am inclined to believe that democracy is not for everyone. Democracy is a thinking, reasoning person’s form of government.
A republican form of democratic government is even more difficult to set up and sustain. I believe there simply are some countries on this globe not capable, at this point in their history, of setting up and sustaining, a democratic, republican, form of government - such as the one we have in the US. I also believe that forcing them to create such a government is a terrible mistake on our part and will, almost assuredly, backfire on us - and, if we are not very careful we will be at war once again in those countries we have just left, or, are leaving.
As an example, I am convinced that soon after the US and it’s allies leaves Iraq it will revert back to a strongman form of dictator government. If that does, in fact happen, what will the US and it’s coalition partners have won? Not much, it seems to me.
Now, I know it is not the popular thing to say these days, but we won the war in Iraq. We invaded, completely destroyed the military of Iraq, overthrew the government of Iraq, and captured the Iraqi “Dictator-in-Hiding.”
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and then … you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
This is an important part of any victory. The ability to point to a former enemy’s pile of rubble and say: “hey, you mess with us and you, too, will wind up like that!” It has something to do with the “fear factor.” Scare the living daylights out of any potential enemies.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but it is effective. You see, I’m not into trying to win friends and influence people. Never have been. I’m into winning.
See, I told you it was not pretty.
This Nation Building is costing us treasure and blood. I’m sort of averse to contributing either one!
The US has to make attacking us too costly for any country to even contemplate. To demonstrate that cost, we need to completely obliterate a country, or two, sort of as examples, don’t you see?
But, so long as we go into countries and knock them down, and them help them back up, and rebuild their country, we minimize the cost to them. For example, Iraq will be in better shape when US forces finally DO leave than it has been since, well, I don’t know when.
I think Genghis Khan had it about right. Hit fast, hit hard, destroy everything in sight… and leave!
Did anyone ever ask “ole Genghis” what HIS exit strategy was? Huh? Guess not. You see, everybody knew, already!
No, our politicians are hell-bent on preventing our military from performing the jobs they were trained to do - kill and destroy. Instead, they seem to want our troops to all sit in a circle, hold hands, and sing “cum baya.” It is a scenario straight out of the sixties and it is doomed to eventual defeat.
It’s utter nonsense. It should be as simple as one, two, three:
One: Deploy to the enemy country
Two: Cream the enemy (and his country)
Three: Re-deploy home.
Yes, I KNOW this is simplistic, and NOTHING ever goes this easily. But – you get the idea.
In the meantime, keep the troops razor sharp, and leaning forward, so the next time a troublemaker sticks his head up, he knows what’s coming. You cannot keep the troops militarily sharp when they are building a city’s infrastructure and not training for combat.
Our troops have won the war. Now the politicians, in Washington, are so uncomfortable with victory, they feel this overpowering urge to “kiss and make-up” by rebuilding that which we have just destroyed. Makes no sense to me.
It’s not very diplomatic, I know. But then, again the French are credited with inventing diplomacy. That’s all I need to know about diplomacy!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think “ole Genghis” was on to something there.
J. D. Longstreet
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************************
The war in Afghanistan is making me nervous. Everyday, as I read the wire reports, and listen, and watch the broadcast news and glean the news from the Internet, and I am detecting many of the same mistakes the US made in Vietnam being made in Afghanistan. Micromanaging the war from Washington has already cost the lives of more US servicemen than is necessary.
The political Left in America has been wishing for a war for sometime now so they can prove their prowess. The little war in what used to be called Yugoslavia was unsatisfying for their public relations people. Dropping bombs on an enemy from so high up the jet engines of your aircraft are laboring for lack of oxygen and your aircraft can’t even be seen, is, somehow, not heroic enough for the 6 o’clock news. No, they need a war that can be splashed across the HDTV screens of Americans in all its bloody gore. They THINK AFGHANISTAN is IT! Once again, they have, as they say, figured wrong!
Liberals/Progressives/socialists/democrats love the very thought of Nation Building. As a conservative I don’t.
The US SUCKS at nation building. I am inclined to believe that democracy is not for everyone. Democracy is a thinking, reasoning person’s form of government.
A republican form of democratic government is even more difficult to set up and sustain. I believe there simply are some countries on this globe not capable, at this point in their history, of setting up and sustaining, a democratic, republican, form of government - such as the one we have in the US. I also believe that forcing them to create such a government is a terrible mistake on our part and will, almost assuredly, backfire on us - and, if we are not very careful we will be at war once again in those countries we have just left, or, are leaving.
As an example, I am convinced that soon after the US and it’s allies leaves Iraq it will revert back to a strongman form of dictator government. If that does, in fact happen, what will the US and it’s coalition partners have won? Not much, it seems to me.
Now, I know it is not the popular thing to say these days, but we won the war in Iraq. We invaded, completely destroyed the military of Iraq, overthrew the government of Iraq, and captured the Iraqi “Dictator-in-Hiding.”
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and then … you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
This is an important part of any victory. The ability to point to a former enemy’s pile of rubble and say: “hey, you mess with us and you, too, will wind up like that!” It has something to do with the “fear factor.” Scare the living daylights out of any potential enemies.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but it is effective. You see, I’m not into trying to win friends and influence people. Never have been. I’m into winning.
See, I told you it was not pretty.
This Nation Building is costing us treasure and blood. I’m sort of averse to contributing either one!
The US has to make attacking us too costly for any country to even contemplate. To demonstrate that cost, we need to completely obliterate a country, or two, sort of as examples, don’t you see?
But, so long as we go into countries and knock them down, and them help them back up, and rebuild their country, we minimize the cost to them. For example, Iraq will be in better shape when US forces finally DO leave than it has been since, well, I don’t know when.
I think Genghis Khan had it about right. Hit fast, hit hard, destroy everything in sight… and leave!
Did anyone ever ask “ole Genghis” what HIS exit strategy was? Huh? Guess not. You see, everybody knew, already!
No, our politicians are hell-bent on preventing our military from performing the jobs they were trained to do - kill and destroy. Instead, they seem to want our troops to all sit in a circle, hold hands, and sing “cum baya.” It is a scenario straight out of the sixties and it is doomed to eventual defeat.
It’s utter nonsense. It should be as simple as one, two, three:
One: Deploy to the enemy country
Two: Cream the enemy (and his country)
Three: Re-deploy home.
Yes, I KNOW this is simplistic, and NOTHING ever goes this easily. But – you get the idea.
In the meantime, keep the troops razor sharp, and leaning forward, so the next time a troublemaker sticks his head up, he knows what’s coming. You cannot keep the troops militarily sharp when they are building a city’s infrastructure and not training for combat.
Our troops have won the war. Now the politicians, in Washington, are so uncomfortable with victory, they feel this overpowering urge to “kiss and make-up” by rebuilding that which we have just destroyed. Makes no sense to me.
It’s not very diplomatic, I know. But then, again the French are credited with inventing diplomacy. That’s all I need to know about diplomacy!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think “ole Genghis” was on to something there.
J. D. Longstreet
***********************
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Glen Beck on the Delta Smelt and DDT
by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook
Glen Beck today was talking about many things, DDT, the Delta Smelt and America's water supply, among them. I'm bringing Carrie Underwood into it.
Glen is talking about the California farmer's desperate need for water, and I have a terrific video under the terrific video from Beck today - 2 videos. Water is being denied to farmers to protect the Delta Smelt which is a minnow. There's more to that story however.
There is an ultimate motive, as there is always an ultimate motive with our current Socialist government. The motive in this case is Senate Bill 787, authored by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). The idea behind the bill, The Clean Water Restoration Act, is that the government grabs America's water. I wrote about this in May, and here is the introductory paragraph, which will give an example of how water - the most important resource everywhere in the world - can be used to control a people:
I was doing a post on the plight of Israel in 1967 when surrounding Arab countries were attempting to divert Israel's irrigation water. That water was a key player in the start of the 1967 War. No country can survive healthily without crop water.Okay, that's Israel and that was 1967, but it is not a stretch that the government, our government, wants your pond.
OpenCongress.org says s.787 seeks to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the jurisdiction of the United States over the waters of the United States - which is a change from jurisdiction over only the "navigable waters" of the United States.
The key words in the above paragraph are "water of the United States." Here is how the Clean Water Act defines these waters:
The official term "waters of the United States" means, among other things (thanks to American Daughter ):
WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES- The term ‘waters of the United States’ means all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution.:See what I mean about your pond?
So Glen Beck today is talking about the lack of water in California and that the current focus on the "F" word, "fire," is not as important as another "F" word, "Farmer." Water is denied farmers because the Delta Smelt is protected. Here again is some of my commentary from May:
By now, you know that California farmers in the Central Valley are losing their farmland and their livelihood due to a two-inch minnow, the Delta Smelt. The government has taken the water from the farmers and given it to the minnow. What do you do when the gov'mt owns your pond - the pond your cattle drinks from and cools-off in, or the water in the fish-hatchery you own, or....We might want to dismiss any evil intent in s. 787, but changing the designation of the original waters as set out in the original Clean Water Act of numerous years ago, from "navigable waters," to "water of the United States," which includes ALL waters, is a bit of a jump, and I just wonder why the government feels it necessary to control ALL of America's waters. There are a lot of crazy things going on, all of which have years of planning behind them by those dedicated to Socialism, redistribution of wealth, and worse. Control the water, control the health care. The Delta Smelt deprives Americans of food and livelihood - you'll see more about this in the second video below.
Senate Bill s.787 is not about the Delta Smelt, but the Delta Smelt is just one current and critical bit of evidence that proves what the government can do to us, if we allow it. Yes, you can put this off on the environmental "greenies" but, the governing body is "the government."
DDT? Well I began thinking about DDT again during the last days of this year's American Idol. Former idol, Carrie Underwood - you know that gorgeous Okie who is a role-model-exceptionale (just recently partnered in a huge donation of musical instruments to her former high school in Checotah, Oklahoma) - well, anyway, Carrie was in Africa handing out mosquito nets to African mothers to help protect them and their children from mosquito bites, which are often deadly there.
That brought to mind the fact that Rachel Carson convinced everyone that DDT was dangerous and toxic. It was banned in the U.S. in 1972. It is still legal in Africa but the use is discouraged - even thought some 3,000 people die, every day, - an African child dies every 30 seconds - in Africa from malaria alone. DDT is also considered effective in preventing typhus and typhoid fever. Nevertheless, the UN is trying to ban it worldwide.
I think it is a good bet that Rachel Carson can be attributed with killing more people in the world than any other single person. There is worldwide suffering, even though, as you'll hear Beck report, there are no reports of DDT harming humans. People are still dying today. The mission is to supply mosquito nets. Are we ignorant or what?
The first video is Glen talking about all of the above, (except Carrie Underwood), DDT, the Delta Smelt, America's water . He includes Van Jones - the Green Czar. Two important videos follow:
Note: Senate Bill 787 had some action on June 17th. An amendment was added. More on this later. The co-authors are many and include all the usual suspects, including Boxer,Cantwell, Dodd, Durbin, Kerry,Leahy, Levin, Sanders, Schumer and sadly, Joe Lieberman.
The Tome Of Health
By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle
Book of Obama: Chapter 8
In the time of heat when tempers run thin, He came down from on high with His plan to solve the crises of health.
Like Moses of old, He stood upon the mountain top with the Tome of Health and said:
"I bring unto you the cure for all. Do not read it, just pass it. I command thee to do!"
The multitude of the land looked upon Him and His Tome of Health and whispered:
No we won't.
The Anointed One was not dismayed. He turned to Pelosi the Loud and Reid the Tired told them to gather the troops and force the multitude to love His plan.
So they went forth, the Democrats armed with the Sword of Union and the Shield of Acorn. They went forth to do battle with the multitudes who sat down and read the Tome of Health.
And the multitude cried:
No we won't!
This started to dismay the Democrats and they cried out to The One: "Oh Great Leader, Anointed One, help us along! For no longer is our shield and sword working. At meetings of towns and villages they are not effective. The more we call the multitude names, the louder their cries become.
They have read the Tome of Health and do not like what they have read. A single payer, public option is not what they want or desire. Yet it is Your wish, Anointed One, and Thy will be done. Though it will cost us the election in 2010.
And the multitude screamed:
No We Won't!
The Anointed One let out a sigh. "I will see to it. I will attend the towns in Hampshire the New and in the Mountains of Montana. There I will convince the multitude to accept the Tome of Health."
And there was great rejoicing amongst the Democrats.
He took up the Sword of Union and Shield of Acorn and journeyed to Hampshire the New. With His loyal follower comprising of the congregation He presented The Tome. All was working according to plan, even the young child's question brought the press to His side.
Off to the Mountains of Montana, His stride was upbeat, then came the cries of fowl for the multitude had discovered the child who spoke her question was a weed. The child's mother worked for Him, wrote out her question too. All His hard work was not going to help at all. The Sword of Union was dull and rusty. The Shield of Acorn was corrupt and coming apart at the seams.
Outside the hall the multitude was screaming:
No We Won't!
He went on to the Vineyard of Martha with His wife and two children. A happy vacation was not on the menu. All through the heat of the Summer in villages and towns, the multitude fought hard and the Democrats were on the run.
Just when things looked bleak, His Presidency a failure, a miracle occurred. Teddy the Lecher, of Camelot fame, the author of the Tome, died and became the rallying cry of them all.
For Teddy we will do it! Pelosi the Loud proclaimed. We will ram it through the Congress, and call it by his name. Teddy's bill it is now called. Soon to become law. For the Lecher they will do it, and disregard the multitude once and for all.
This will save My Presidency! The Anointed One exclaimed. Let Us exalt our dear Teddy who has saved the day.
Through out the land a rumbling was heard. From the cities, towns and villages it was felt by all.
Who cares what the multitude thinks cried the Democrats. We have the votes, the will and Teddy's Bill will pass. What can you do? You are nothing but a voice. You have no power. This is our choice.
But the rumbling did not die. For the multitude had become a great voice. They stood on the mountain tops and in a loud voice:
There is much we can do. We are not alone. We have a great voice. You have won this battle, but the war is not lost. We will organize, become stronger. Then you will have to listen to our voice.
The Democrats just laughed. You are racists, and bores. We have The Anointed One leading us, He has given us Hope and Change. You have nothing at all.
But the multitude had seen the signs. His approval ratings were dropping, they knew He couldn't last. With a loud voice they screamed so the whole world would hear:
Book of Obama: Chapter 8
In the time of heat when tempers run thin, He came down from on high with His plan to solve the crises of health.
Like Moses of old, He stood upon the mountain top with the Tome of Health and said:
"I bring unto you the cure for all. Do not read it, just pass it. I command thee to do!"
The multitude of the land looked upon Him and His Tome of Health and whispered:
No we won't.
The Anointed One was not dismayed. He turned to Pelosi the Loud and Reid the Tired told them to gather the troops and force the multitude to love His plan.
So they went forth, the Democrats armed with the Sword of Union and the Shield of Acorn. They went forth to do battle with the multitudes who sat down and read the Tome of Health.
And the multitude cried:
No we won't!
This started to dismay the Democrats and they cried out to The One: "Oh Great Leader, Anointed One, help us along! For no longer is our shield and sword working. At meetings of towns and villages they are not effective. The more we call the multitude names, the louder their cries become.
They have read the Tome of Health and do not like what they have read. A single payer, public option is not what they want or desire. Yet it is Your wish, Anointed One, and Thy will be done. Though it will cost us the election in 2010.
And the multitude screamed:
No We Won't!
The Anointed One let out a sigh. "I will see to it. I will attend the towns in Hampshire the New and in the Mountains of Montana. There I will convince the multitude to accept the Tome of Health."
And there was great rejoicing amongst the Democrats.
He took up the Sword of Union and Shield of Acorn and journeyed to Hampshire the New. With His loyal follower comprising of the congregation He presented The Tome. All was working according to plan, even the young child's question brought the press to His side.
Off to the Mountains of Montana, His stride was upbeat, then came the cries of fowl for the multitude had discovered the child who spoke her question was a weed. The child's mother worked for Him, wrote out her question too. All His hard work was not going to help at all. The Sword of Union was dull and rusty. The Shield of Acorn was corrupt and coming apart at the seams.
Outside the hall the multitude was screaming:
No We Won't!
He went on to the Vineyard of Martha with His wife and two children. A happy vacation was not on the menu. All through the heat of the Summer in villages and towns, the multitude fought hard and the Democrats were on the run.
Just when things looked bleak, His Presidency a failure, a miracle occurred. Teddy the Lecher, of Camelot fame, the author of the Tome, died and became the rallying cry of them all.
For Teddy we will do it! Pelosi the Loud proclaimed. We will ram it through the Congress, and call it by his name. Teddy's bill it is now called. Soon to become law. For the Lecher they will do it, and disregard the multitude once and for all.
This will save My Presidency! The Anointed One exclaimed. Let Us exalt our dear Teddy who has saved the day.
Through out the land a rumbling was heard. From the cities, towns and villages it was felt by all.
Who cares what the multitude thinks cried the Democrats. We have the votes, the will and Teddy's Bill will pass. What can you do? You are nothing but a voice. You have no power. This is our choice.
But the rumbling did not die. For the multitude had become a great voice. They stood on the mountain tops and in a loud voice:
There is much we can do. We are not alone. We have a great voice. You have won this battle, but the war is not lost. We will organize, become stronger. Then you will have to listen to our voice.
The Democrats just laughed. You are racists, and bores. We have The Anointed One leading us, He has given us Hope and Change. You have nothing at all.
But the multitude had seen the signs. His approval ratings were dropping, they knew He couldn't last. With a loud voice they screamed so the whole world would hear:
YES WE CAN!
JUST WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER 2010!!!
JUST WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER 2010!!!
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
CIA Counterterrorism Expert: Obama and Holder 'At War' with Agency
This is an article every American should read. Period. Don't wait on Obama and Holder to listen however. As should be getting clearer and clearer, this administration is at war with America.
Jim Simpson
Reprinted with permission
By Kent Clizbe
In the early days and weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, a small cadre of men (and a few women) with vast amounts of intelligence experience reported to the Langley, Va., headquarters of the CIA. These unsung heroes then were dispatched across the globe to run operations against the al-Qaida conspirators who leveled the World Trade Center and struck the nerve center of the U.S. military.
The FBI, a domestic law enforcement agency, did not have the ability or skills needed to track down and strike the attackers overseas. The Pentagon, with F22s, nuclear aircraft carriers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and battalions of the best armor in the history of mankind, was like an elephant attacked by a mouse — mighty, but helpless in its mammoth rage.
Our best hope was in the hands of the gray-bearded intelligence professionals who fanned out across the world. Supplementing the skeleton crew of staff officers left in the wake of President Clinton's anti-intelligence scourging of the CIA, the volunteers went to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, to the most remote and isolated outposts in the world. Sometimes they worked with friendly forces, and sometimes they worked alone. They focused like a laser beam on one thing: Stop the next attack.
Their mission: Seek and destroy the terrorist planners, facilitators, trainers, financiers, and their infrastructure wherever they were.
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, CIA officers, both the contractors and the overextended staff officers, launched dozens of initiatives. The CIA Counterterrorism Center’s motto, “Deny, Disrupt, Destroy,” became the reason for our living. We left our families for months on end and sacrificed personal and professional lives to fight the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Google “Jihadists in Paradise,” for an unauthorized account of one of my contributions (I have been advised that I can neither confirm nor deny).
As I did my part in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, my family tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy at home. My son was in eighth grade in September 2001. I did not see him graduate the next summer. I was home less than six months for each of the first three of his high school years.
Even with my nightly phone calls, his attitude and grades plummeted in my absence. He went from a happy, engaged, charming 13-year-old with straight A’s and a focus on the future to a sullen, uncommunicative, high school flunky. I put my successful and lucrative executive recruiting business on hold for eight years. Finally, after five years of constant travel, my family sacrifice account was overdrawn. Coming home was an option for me, and I took it.
Others did not take that option, and they sacrificed the quality of their marriages, participation in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives, the profitability of their businesses, and more. Personal and professional issues festered and rotted while they fought to keep America safe and prevented further attacks on our homeland.
In contrast, where was Eric Holder? Before leaving President Clinton’s employ, he orchestrated the pardons of several Puerto Rican separatist terrorists. Then in 2003, as a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling, Holder’s client, Chiquita Brands, admitted paying to support terrorist death squads in Colombia and paid a $25 million fine. During the time my friends worked to disrupt and destroy terrorist networks threatening America, Holder’s firm represented — for free — 16 terrorist detainees at Guantanamo.
Has he made any personal or professional sacrifices since his country was attacked in 2001? If he has, it is difficult to find them. When the special prosecutor comes calling, maybe someone from Covington & Burling can represent my colleagues for free, like they did for Lakhdar Boumedienne and 10 other terrorists in Gitmo.
The Holder/Obama Global War on the CIA (GWCIA) has only just begun, as it debuted with “grisly revelations” of revving drills, gunshots in the next cell, and threats against a terrorist’s children. The GWOT is not for the faint of heart, nor the queasy. No war ever has been. There may be slight improprieties stashed in the CIA’s closets, but the liberal-appeasing GWCIA is foolhardy and dangerous.
Mike Spann, was the first to die in the GWOT. He won’t have to worry about the Holder/Obama GWCIA. But others in the agency are very worried. While we sacrificed to achieve incremental victories, Holder and Obama plotted and schemed — not against those “evil-mongers” who killed our countrymen, but against those of us hunting the terrorists. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The odor is not from Langley, Mr. Holder.
Kent Clizbe is a former member of the CIA's Directorate of Operations. In 2001, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, he returned to the CIA to serve multiple counter-terrorism deployments. In 2005, he was awarded the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion for his anti-terrorism work.
© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Jim Simpson
Reprinted with permission
By Kent Clizbe
In the early days and weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, a small cadre of men (and a few women) with vast amounts of intelligence experience reported to the Langley, Va., headquarters of the CIA. These unsung heroes then were dispatched across the globe to run operations against the al-Qaida conspirators who leveled the World Trade Center and struck the nerve center of the U.S. military.
The FBI, a domestic law enforcement agency, did not have the ability or skills needed to track down and strike the attackers overseas. The Pentagon, with F22s, nuclear aircraft carriers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and battalions of the best armor in the history of mankind, was like an elephant attacked by a mouse — mighty, but helpless in its mammoth rage.
Our best hope was in the hands of the gray-bearded intelligence professionals who fanned out across the world. Supplementing the skeleton crew of staff officers left in the wake of President Clinton's anti-intelligence scourging of the CIA, the volunteers went to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, to the most remote and isolated outposts in the world. Sometimes they worked with friendly forces, and sometimes they worked alone. They focused like a laser beam on one thing: Stop the next attack.
Their mission: Seek and destroy the terrorist planners, facilitators, trainers, financiers, and their infrastructure wherever they were.
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, CIA officers, both the contractors and the overextended staff officers, launched dozens of initiatives. The CIA Counterterrorism Center’s motto, “Deny, Disrupt, Destroy,” became the reason for our living. We left our families for months on end and sacrificed personal and professional lives to fight the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Google “Jihadists in Paradise,” for an unauthorized account of one of my contributions (I have been advised that I can neither confirm nor deny).
As I did my part in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, my family tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy at home. My son was in eighth grade in September 2001. I did not see him graduate the next summer. I was home less than six months for each of the first three of his high school years.
Even with my nightly phone calls, his attitude and grades plummeted in my absence. He went from a happy, engaged, charming 13-year-old with straight A’s and a focus on the future to a sullen, uncommunicative, high school flunky. I put my successful and lucrative executive recruiting business on hold for eight years. Finally, after five years of constant travel, my family sacrifice account was overdrawn. Coming home was an option for me, and I took it.
Others did not take that option, and they sacrificed the quality of their marriages, participation in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives, the profitability of their businesses, and more. Personal and professional issues festered and rotted while they fought to keep America safe and prevented further attacks on our homeland.
In contrast, where was Eric Holder? Before leaving President Clinton’s employ, he orchestrated the pardons of several Puerto Rican separatist terrorists. Then in 2003, as a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling, Holder’s client, Chiquita Brands, admitted paying to support terrorist death squads in Colombia and paid a $25 million fine. During the time my friends worked to disrupt and destroy terrorist networks threatening America, Holder’s firm represented — for free — 16 terrorist detainees at Guantanamo.
Has he made any personal or professional sacrifices since his country was attacked in 2001? If he has, it is difficult to find them. When the special prosecutor comes calling, maybe someone from Covington & Burling can represent my colleagues for free, like they did for Lakhdar Boumedienne and 10 other terrorists in Gitmo.
The Holder/Obama Global War on the CIA (GWCIA) has only just begun, as it debuted with “grisly revelations” of revving drills, gunshots in the next cell, and threats against a terrorist’s children. The GWOT is not for the faint of heart, nor the queasy. No war ever has been. There may be slight improprieties stashed in the CIA’s closets, but the liberal-appeasing GWCIA is foolhardy and dangerous.
Mike Spann, was the first to die in the GWOT. He won’t have to worry about the Holder/Obama GWCIA. But others in the agency are very worried. While we sacrificed to achieve incremental victories, Holder and Obama plotted and schemed — not against those “evil-mongers” who killed our countrymen, but against those of us hunting the terrorists. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The odor is not from Langley, Mr. Holder.
Kent Clizbe is a former member of the CIA's Directorate of Operations. In 2001, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, he returned to the CIA to serve multiple counter-terrorism deployments. In 2005, he was awarded the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion for his anti-terrorism work.
© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
Remembering the dead
By James H. Shott
When someone passes on, most of us try to remember the good things they did and to resist the temptation to focus on their mistakes and the less-than-wonderful things they did. All but the most despicable persons deserve a little courtesy and deference whey they die.
Most people are neither gods nor devils, but it is common for both those who admired the departed and those who didn’t to indulge in rhetorical excess that paints an inaccurate picture of the person.
This phenomenon is evident following the passing of Massachusetts Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy, who died last week of brain cancer at the age of 77, and most of the eulogies canonize Mr. Kennedy, placing him on a level that few humans actually deserve. Contrary to the belief of a fair portion of the liberal left, Ted Kennedy was not a god.
But the purpose here is neither to denigrate Mr. Kennedy nor to praise him, just to look at how some have reacted to his death.
Ted Kennedy epitomized American liberalism, and he had a collection of good and bad deeds on his rap sheet, some of them quite notable. His supporters should celebrate his devotion to liberal ideals, and his detractors should appreciate his loyalty to his beliefs. He was neither the Savior nor Satan, and to say much more than that, either pro or con, would be to wander into a rhetorical wonderland.
Except, that is, for one event in his life which cannot be ignored: his suspicious involvement in the tragic death of Mary Jo Kopechne.
Someone named Melissa Lafsky addressed this issue on the Huffington Post Web site. Even though she dares to challenge the accepted protocol by addressing what must be the darkest of Mr. Kennedy’s deeds, Ms. Lafsky turns out to be a Kennedy admirer.
“But in all the florid or scalpel-sharp prose,” she wrote, “there's one constant: Peeking out from the center of the story is the matter of his playing a major part in the death of a 28-year-old woman.”
“Mary Jo wasn't a right-wing talking point or a negative campaign slogan,” she wrote. “She was a dedicated civil rights activist and political talent with a bright future – granted, whenever someone dies young, people sermonize about how he had a "bright future" ahead of him – but she actually did. She wasn't afraid to defy convention … or create her own career path based on her talents …. Then she got in a car driven by a 36-year-old senator with an alcohol problem and a cauldron full of demons, and wound up a controversial footnote in a dynasty.”
She continued, “We don't know how much Kennedy was affected by her death, or what she'd have thought about arguably being a catalyst for the most successful Senate career in history. What we don't know, as always, could fill a Metrodome. Still, ignorance doesn't preclude a right to wonder. So it doesn't automatically make someone … a Limbaugh-loving, aerial-wolf-hunting NRA troll for asking what Mary Jo Kopechne would have had to say about Ted's death, and what she'd have thought of the life and career that are being (rightfully) heralded. Who knows – maybe she'd feel it was worth it.”
Read that last sentence again: “Who knows – maybe she'd feel it was worth it.”
Quite apart from how one may feel about Mr. Kennedy, that is an abysmally stupid concept.
To even contemplate – let alone express – how someone who would likely still be alive today (had she the good fortune to escape the notice of Ted Kennedy that night) might feel about the now-dead senator’s career is preposterous and disgraceful. And to then suggest that she might even think that dying for the cause was appropriate, or a good thing, or as Ms. Lafsky put it, “worth it,” well, that sentiment is so grossly contemptible and cold-blooded that it’s difficult to find printable words to adequately describe it.
It should shock every decent American that people allow themselves to think like that. Or maybe she can’t control it. Ms. Lafsky’s slams at Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin – neither of whom expressed that horrid thought – tell us that she is a liberal, and apparently one who lives way out on the fringes, where crazy ideas like this thrive.
Ted Kennedy worked for health care reform, and drafted America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, a plan that will produce rationing and denial-of-service like health care systems in Europe and Canada. This is the plan that Democrats think the country needs. Republicans, and a majority of the American people, disagree.
Another crazy idea would be to pass this monstrosity “for Teddy.” The people in Congress were sent there to represent the citizens who elected them, not to dictate to them. They represent all of the people, not just the ones who agree with them. The imperious behavior of some of them reflects that they have forgotten that.
With the country and the Congress so sharply divided on the issue, it would make a mockery of the ideal of good government to shove this through for any reason, especially as a memorial to Ted Kennedy.
Cross-posted from Observations
When someone passes on, most of us try to remember the good things they did and to resist the temptation to focus on their mistakes and the less-than-wonderful things they did. All but the most despicable persons deserve a little courtesy and deference whey they die.Most people are neither gods nor devils, but it is common for both those who admired the departed and those who didn’t to indulge in rhetorical excess that paints an inaccurate picture of the person.
This phenomenon is evident following the passing of Massachusetts Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy, who died last week of brain cancer at the age of 77, and most of the eulogies canonize Mr. Kennedy, placing him on a level that few humans actually deserve. Contrary to the belief of a fair portion of the liberal left, Ted Kennedy was not a god.
But the purpose here is neither to denigrate Mr. Kennedy nor to praise him, just to look at how some have reacted to his death.
Ted Kennedy epitomized American liberalism, and he had a collection of good and bad deeds on his rap sheet, some of them quite notable. His supporters should celebrate his devotion to liberal ideals, and his detractors should appreciate his loyalty to his beliefs. He was neither the Savior nor Satan, and to say much more than that, either pro or con, would be to wander into a rhetorical wonderland.
Except, that is, for one event in his life which cannot be ignored: his suspicious involvement in the tragic death of Mary Jo Kopechne.
Someone named Melissa Lafsky addressed this issue on the Huffington Post Web site. Even though she dares to challenge the accepted protocol by addressing what must be the darkest of Mr. Kennedy’s deeds, Ms. Lafsky turns out to be a Kennedy admirer.
“But in all the florid or scalpel-sharp prose,” she wrote, “there's one constant: Peeking out from the center of the story is the matter of his playing a major part in the death of a 28-year-old woman.”
“Mary Jo wasn't a right-wing talking point or a negative campaign slogan,” she wrote. “She was a dedicated civil rights activist and political talent with a bright future – granted, whenever someone dies young, people sermonize about how he had a "bright future" ahead of him – but she actually did. She wasn't afraid to defy convention … or create her own career path based on her talents …. Then she got in a car driven by a 36-year-old senator with an alcohol problem and a cauldron full of demons, and wound up a controversial footnote in a dynasty.”
She continued, “We don't know how much Kennedy was affected by her death, or what she'd have thought about arguably being a catalyst for the most successful Senate career in history. What we don't know, as always, could fill a Metrodome. Still, ignorance doesn't preclude a right to wonder. So it doesn't automatically make someone … a Limbaugh-loving, aerial-wolf-hunting NRA troll for asking what Mary Jo Kopechne would have had to say about Ted's death, and what she'd have thought of the life and career that are being (rightfully) heralded. Who knows – maybe she'd feel it was worth it.”
Read that last sentence again: “Who knows – maybe she'd feel it was worth it.”
Quite apart from how one may feel about Mr. Kennedy, that is an abysmally stupid concept.
To even contemplate – let alone express – how someone who would likely still be alive today (had she the good fortune to escape the notice of Ted Kennedy that night) might feel about the now-dead senator’s career is preposterous and disgraceful. And to then suggest that she might even think that dying for the cause was appropriate, or a good thing, or as Ms. Lafsky put it, “worth it,” well, that sentiment is so grossly contemptible and cold-blooded that it’s difficult to find printable words to adequately describe it.
It should shock every decent American that people allow themselves to think like that. Or maybe she can’t control it. Ms. Lafsky’s slams at Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin – neither of whom expressed that horrid thought – tell us that she is a liberal, and apparently one who lives way out on the fringes, where crazy ideas like this thrive.
Ted Kennedy worked for health care reform, and drafted America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, a plan that will produce rationing and denial-of-service like health care systems in Europe and Canada. This is the plan that Democrats think the country needs. Republicans, and a majority of the American people, disagree.
Another crazy idea would be to pass this monstrosity “for Teddy.” The people in Congress were sent there to represent the citizens who elected them, not to dictate to them. They represent all of the people, not just the ones who agree with them. The imperious behavior of some of them reflects that they have forgotten that.
With the country and the Congress so sharply divided on the issue, it would make a mockery of the ideal of good government to shove this through for any reason, especially as a memorial to Ted Kennedy.
Cross-posted from Observations
Obama to Acquire Control of the Internet?
Obama to Acquire Control of the Internet?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*****************************************
We warned this would happen many months ago. Yet, here we are today, and people are surprised by this blatant move to assert control over the Internet and, indirectly, over those who use it. That would be you and me!
CNET NEWS has an article by Declan McCullagh titled: “Bill would give president emergency control of Internet.” You will find the article HERE.
In his article Mr. McCullagh says: “Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.
They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors.” Mr. McCullagh goes on to say: “The new version would allow the president to "declare a Cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "Cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.”
In his article Mr. McCullagh says: “CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773, which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called Cybersecurity emergency.” You’ll find an excerpt from Senate Bill S. 773 HERE.
Looking closely at this bill one soon understands that it is a strong-arm tactic to take responsibility for Cybersecurity from Homeland Security and give it to the White House and Obama’s minions. (Or, should I say Obama’s Praetorian Guard?)
At the risk of upsetting some of you, I must say I have not witnessed such power grabbing since the Nazis seized control of Germany before the Second World War. Of particular concern is Senate Bill 778, which would create a new Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor, reportable directly to the president and charged with defending the country from cyber attack. What we are looking at, dear reader, is being referred to by those who oppose it as drastic federal Intervention! I must say, I agree.
There is another article found HERE and titled: “A Bill to Shift Cybersecurity to White House.” To get an even better understanding of the control the White House will have over the Internet we recommend you read this article, as well.
My friend, Texas Fred, has an excellent article on this very thing over at his site. The title of his article is: “Bill would give president emergency control of Internet.” You’ll find it HERE.
The question is… how much control is enough control for Obama’s White House? Or, how much control is TOO much control for the American people? When do we say ENOUGH and say it loud and clear so that those barricaded inside the White House hear us and understand that they are treading on some very tender toes, indeed.
It is not just our toes the Obama Administration is treading on it is, in my opinion, the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution they are treading on, as well. The Fourth Amendment is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. When one reads the proposed new law, one has to ask if Obama is intending to suspend the Fourth Amendment?
Little by little, day-by-day, as the Obama Regime grows new tentacles, their mad grab for power and absolute control becomes more expansive. They are quickly gaining control over every facet of our daily lives. Privacy is a thing of the past in Obama’s America.
All of this leads me to ask: When will the backlash begin?? When will the American people say enough of Obama and his socialist utopia agenda?
It is an awesome thing when the American public rises up in righteous anger as much of the world can attest. The tar is being heated, the chickens are being plucked, and the rails are being split. Washington had best prepare for a tsunami of American anger to surge through its marble halls sweeping the rot of socialism before it into the gutter of American history where it rightfully belongs.
J. D. Longstreet
********************
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
