Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Iranium
Coming this fall. Visit the website.
Red-carpet treatment for detained illegals
From The US Report:
Officers and agents have issued a ‘no confidence’ vote in assistant secretary of Homeland Security for ICE John Morton and Office of Detention Policy and Planning assistant director Phyllis Coven.
Janice Kephart at the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies wrote, “In an unprecedented move within the Department of Homeland Security, the detention and removal officers and agents responsible for and sworn to enforcing our nation’s immigration laws issued an exhaustive, scathing letter simply titled “‘VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN ICE DIRECTOR JOHN MORTON AND ODPP ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PHYLLIS COVEN’ on June 11, 2010.”
The letter from the American Federation of Government Employees came after ICE issued new requirements in May for detention centers, part of Morton’s new approach to treatment of detainees. Among those requirements:
• Increase availability of legal supplies and postage to indigent detainees for legal correspondence.
• Add research resources at the law libraries.
• Play the “Know Your Rights” legal orientation video in each housing unit every day (not in lieu of in person legal programs but in addition to them).
• Eliminate lock downs and lights out for appropriate classification.
• Reduce the frequency of and, as reasonable, wholly eliminate pat down searches (noncriminal Level l’s in facilities where non-criminal Level l’s can be separated into a discreet housing unit).
• Soften the look for the facility with hanging plants, flower baskets, new paint colors, different bedding and furniture, wall graphics and framed pictures on the walls, and enhance the aesthetics of the living areas.
• Expand programming for detainees to include movie nights, bingo, arts and crafts, dance, walk and exercise classes, health and welfare classes, basic cooking classes, tutoring and self-paced computer training on portable computer stations.
• Provide celebrations of special occasions and allowing a detainee to receive outside, packaged food for celebrations.
• Offer continental breakfasts that are completely self serve on holidays and weekends.
Email and free phone service are also included.
In essence, the federal government is creating a welfare state on the US border.
What will our country look like when this administration is finished transforming this country?
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: illegal immigration, Obama administration
Why COIN won’t work in Afghanistan
Why do I not believe that our current strategy in Afghanistan is going to work? Check out this extraordinarily complex slide showing the military’s strategy for Afghanistan:
"Afghanistan Stability/COIN Dynamics – Security" slide from a military Power Point presentation (Source: Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
According to one of his advisers, General Stanley McChrystal said “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.”
Yeah… it’s times like these that I ask myself: “what would Patton do?”
Given the technology, I doubt Patton would EVER give a power point presentation. But if he did, it would likely have only one slide, which would say: “Use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.” Which do you think would be more successful?
Perhaps Gens. Petraeus, McChrystal, and their superiors should refer to Rule #7 of Richard Marcinko’s Ten Commandments of SpecWar: “Thou shalt Keep it Simple, Stupid.”
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: counterinsurgency
Obama administration surpassing Bush as most secretive in history
From the LA Times:
One of the exemptions allowed to deny Freedom of Information requests has been used by the Obama administration 70,779 times in its first year; the same exemption was used 47,395 times in Bush’s final budget year.
An Associated Press examination of 17 major agencies’ handling of FOIA requests found denials 466,872 times, an increase of nearly 50% from the 2008 fiscal year under Bush.
A 50% increase in secrecy? And Obama campaigned on becoming the most open and transparent White House in history! But the truth doesn’t stop Obama:
On March 16 to mark annual Sunshine Week, designed to promote openness in government, Obama applauded himself by issuing a statement:
“As Sunshine Week begins, I want to applaud everyone who has worked to increase transparency in government and recommit my administration to be the most open and transparent ever.”
Remember what Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
You lie, Mr. President!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Obama administration, transparency
Military Roundup 9 Apr 2010
Photo of the Day: Drew Brees trains with Marines in Africa
Afghanistan: Taliban release video showing U.S. Prisoner of War Bowe Bergdahl
Multi-million dollar poppy eradication program fails, U.S. troops now focused on Taliban
Air Force special operations CV-22 Osprey crashes in Zabul Province killing four, Taliban claim responsibility
Kyrgyz violence casts uncertainty on U.S. presence at Manas – at least 75 dead, president has fled
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula moves from Yemen to Somalia after Yemeni security forces tighten noose
Obama Bans Islam, Jihad From National Security Strategy Document
Who is America Fighting – Jihadists or Extremists?
Stolen Valor: Coast Guard retiree sentenced to prison, forced to repay fraudulent benefits received for claiming to be a Navy SEAL, wearing decorations he didn’t receive
National Guard: Obama admin ignores Arizona governor’s repeated requests to secure the border
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Afghanistan, jihad
Medal of Honor history: Lemon and Beikirch
40 years ago, SP4 Peter Lemon and Sgt. Gary Beikirch earned the Medal of Honor in two separate incidents in Vietnam.
When Fire Support Base Illingworth came under attack, Lemon – a native Canadian and one of the youngest Medal recipients – engaged a numerically-superior enemy with his weapons until they both malfunctioned. Then Lemon used hand grenades to defend against an intense attack, killing all but one soldier – whom he chased down and dispatched during hand-to-hand combat. He rescued team mates, fought off further assaults with grenades, machine gun, and hand-to-hand fighting before collapsing from his multiple wounds. Read Lemon’s citation.
During the defense of Camp Dak Seang, Beikirch moved through withering fire to rescued and treated numerous soldiers after a devastating assault. Although Beikirch received multiple, serious wounds himself, he refused treatment and continued searching for wounded teammates before collapsing from his wounds. Read Beikirch’s citation.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Gary B. Beikirch, Medal of Honor, Peter C. Lemon, Vietnam War
Now contributing at Blackfive
I am now a contributor at Blackfive, the world’s premiere military blog. Will be cross-posting much of my work here as well, so stay tuned!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Blackfive
Firehouse Christmas
Commentary originally posted at The US Report.
While covering global warming, the latest ACORN scandal, or another abomination of the Justice Department is essential to the survival of our republic, the holiday season (Christmas-time here in the “Heartland”) provides the staff of the US Report a brief but necessary respite from what could eventually drive us to jump off a bridge. Therefore, in the spirit of Christmas (and sanity) I thought it appropriate to relate the firehouse Christmas experience.
I grew up in a firehouse. My father worked as a fireman, and although that meant a lot of time – and Christmases – without Dad, it was still an awesome gig. Climbing around on firetrucks, sliding down poles, knowing that Dad was ripping people from the clutches of death was all pretty cool. So cool in fact, that I decided to follow in his footsteps. I joined the first fire department that would hire me.
No one wants to be away from his family on Christmas. But if one must be away from family on Christmas, there are few better places to suffer than the firehouse. Apart from the normal fire and rescue calls, our Christmas schedule consists of “eat ’till you’re tired and sleep ’til you’re hungry.” To assist us in our holiday routine, local businesses will often send fruit baskets, sandwich trays, fried chicken, cookies, and other tasty morsels to fulfill our eating requirements. A steady diet of football games and History Channel will then assist us on our way to a turkey-induced coma.
Soldiers and firemen are two of the top video game-playing demographics in America, and since many firemen are also veterans, a friendly game of football or Navy SEALs death match is not an unfamiliar sight. Being paid to play video games is a dream-come-true for many little boys.
The naps and video games will no doubt be interrupted by visiting families. Young children (and possibly a few future firemen) show off their favorite presents to the other firemen – or “fire friends” as my children call them. To finish off the evening, we gather in the truck room to enjoy a cigar and talk about “the good old days.”
The down side is that any time the fire department shows up on Christmas, it’s not a good thing. For just one day, even the adrenaline junkies on the department hope the radio stays silent. Unfortunately, there is almost always a house fire on – or just before – Christmas. Candles may provide great aromatherapy, but if you’re going to burn them, remember the first rule of real estate: location, location, location!
It is always heartbreaking when a family loses everything, but it is even worse when the fire gets to the family’s Christmas presents before we can.
Over all, it’s not too bad a deal. But if you do work Christmas, you know that the staff officers are all home with their families, and won’t be around to make your life miserable.
Merry Christmas from us here at The US Report, and let’s not forget who are on the front lines of keeping us safe, the men and women of the Armed Forces. An extra nod to those who have served or who are currently serving overseas.
In: Uncategorized
The New UTB Logo…
I was tinkering around on my Paint Shop program and came up with this. Maybe this won’t work as the header, but it’s still an awesome image.
If you are from Congress or the Obama administration, that is the Constitution in the background in case you were wondering.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Constitution
There is nothing wrong with this picture
"That's hot"
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Paris Hilton, Sun Tzu
