This is just one of those things you never want to get out. Back in ‘olden days’ before everyone had a camera embedded in their cell phone, all this might have flown. Not in acceptable company, mind you, but amongst buddies, it might have. No more. The Brass has been embarrassed and has no option but to come down heavy on the offenders.
Jay Carney blows off bestialty, ends up in hot water with PETA
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney got himself in a heap of trouble with animal rights group PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. How did the press secretary get in hot water?
According to the Code of Military Justice, the following regulations have been repealed:
(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.
(b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
During a White House press briefing, World Net Daily reporter Lester Kinsolving threw Jay Carney a real curve ball. Kinsolving is known for asking ridiculous, outlandish questions.
KINSOLVING: The Family Research Council and CNS News both reported a 93-to-7 U.S. Senate vote to approve a defense authorization bill that, quote, “includes a provision which not only repeals the military law on sodomy, but also repeals the military ban on sex with animals, or bestiality.”
Does the commander-in-chief approve or disapprove of bestiality in our armed forces?
CARNEY: I don’t have any comment on–I don’t have any comment on that. Let me go to another question.
KINSOLVING: Does the President believe this will be approved by all animal support groups, such as –
CARNEY: Let’s get to something more serious.
11-11-11 Thank you for your service
The 11th hour on the 11th day of of the 11th month in the 11th year….This is a special Veterans Day just because of the date. Today there is a contest. Each year since 1978 the Department of Veterans Affairs has created a special poster for the year. Please chose your favorite poster from the list, by year. We will have an honorary poster winner at the end of the day. I already know my favorite.
For our contributor vets, thank you for your service.
Please don’t forget to chose a favorite Veterans Day Poster.
There are many Veterans Day posts today because Veterans are special.
The Horse Soldiers of 9/11
The Daily Caller:
It was the news the world breathlessly waited for immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks: a report of the first American troops on the ground in Afghanistan.
All at once the world’s attention focused on an iconic photo of those Special Operations Forces doing something no American military had done in nearly a century: They rode horses into combat.
Their secret mission: secure northern Afghanistan by advising the warring tribal factions that formed the Northern Alliance. During the 2011 Veterans Day Parade on November 11, a new monument to these men — and to all Americans in uniform — will make its way down New York City’s famed Fifth Avenue on the way to its final home, a stone’s throw from Ground Zero.
Military men and women, along with New York City firefighters, policemen, emergency responders and other marchers, 50,000 in all, will escort the monument on its televised journey. The spectacle will feature members of the three original Special Operations teams — some on horseback, others walking alongside surviving spouses of fallen heroes.
Retired Army general and current CIA director David Petraeus will be among the parade marshals. Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer is producing a future movie about America’s “Horse Soldiers.”
Read more: httpdailycaller.com/2011/10/14/secret://-mission-the-horse-soldiers-of-911/#ixzz1bYl8J2Qi
Veterans Day Reflections
Lyrics | Dire Straits lyrics – Brothers In Arms lyrics
At what point do we get tired of burying our dead and having to prop up our mangled and wounded?
When do we stop all the chest thumping and mission accomplished bravado while hiding our tears?
How many thousands have come home with life altering injuries, never to be whole again?
Half of those men and women would have died even 40 years ago. Modern medicine has kept them alive and has chased off the grim reaper.
If we can land a man on the moon, we can find other ways to resolve conflict rather than blowing each other to kingdom come as we have done since the beginning of time.
To all our veterans, we are glad you are here. Thank you for your service–
I am a proud daughter and niece of veterans. My father and uncle came home in one piece. Not everyone did. I was one of the lucky ones.
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Alternate version of Brothers in Arms featuring Mark Knopfler, one of my favorite artists. Knopfler, from Dire Straits, is one of the gods of guitar, like Clapton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb_Jzgnrpv8&feature=related
Sgt. Dakota Meyer Receives Medal of Honor
Sgt. Dakota Meyer is the first living marine to receive the Medal of Honor in 38 years. The ceremony was held in the White House. Meyer’s fellow marines and sailors were also honored. Yesterday Meyer had a beer with his Commander in Chief.
Prior to the ceremony, Meyer said he was no hero. America begs to differ. Semper Fi.
Civil War Battle of the Bands
You would think that after all that they would have just all gone home. What a horrible war. We soon get to relive it. The Sesquicentennial is almost upon us and I feel a strong wave of depression coming over me.
This month’s issue (actually it might say August 2011) of Smithsonian Magazine features The Battle of Bull Run: The End of Illusions on the cover. The article, written by Ernest B. Furguson, begins:
Both North and South expected victory to be glorious and quick, but the first major battle signaled the long and deadly war to come.
To those of us who are local, the article was not particularly revealing but the fact that it was about our area and about an event we have been anticipating for several years makes the article a must-read. It provided an excellent in-depth coverage for a nation that also commemorates the most dreadful period in our nation’s history.
The longer I live the more horrible that war becomes to me. I fear too many people will celebrate. There is nothing to celebrate other than death and destruction of property, stock and human beings. So I will be a grouch and stay home.
Will anyone be going to most of the events? Will the county and City make profits on the events? Will we be overrun with visitors?
Further reading: The Battle of Bull Run: The End of Illusions
Surge in Navy Commanding Officer Firings: Shiver me Timbers
There has been a spike in Navy commanding officer firings this year, according to the Washington Post. The WaPo reports:
Navy has fired a dozen commanding officers this year, a near-record rate, with the bulk getting the ax for offenses related to sex, alcohol or other forms of personal misconduct.
The terminations, which follow a similar spike in firings last year, have shaken the upper ranks of the Navy, which has long invested enormous responsibility in its commanding officers and prides itself on a tradition of carefully cultivating captains and admirals.
The Washington Post further reports:
Over the past 18 months, the Navy has sacked nine commanding officers for sexual harassment or inappropriate personal relationships. Three others were fired for alcohol-related offenses, and two on unspecified charges of personal misconduct. Combined, they account for roughly half of the 29 commanding officers relieved during that period.
Improvements in communication have been cited as the root cause of the increased firings. Read More
Memorial Day mini lesson
Virginia has a long Memorial Day past and lots of war dead. Arlington National Cemetery is in Arlington, Virginia. The site of the Lee Mansion has been used as a national cemetery since the Civil War. Mrs. Lee left her plantation for obvious safety reasons, even though she was horribly crippled with arthrits and lived the life of a vagabond until the end of the war.
In the past decade, 233 Virginians have been killed in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. 25 of those were killed just in the past year. On Thursday, Governor McDonnell and members of his administration gathered on the steps of the State Capital to pay tribute.
“This is the story of America,” McDonnell said. “When I think of what defines our country, it is sacrifice and it is freedom…Throughout our history, the price of liberty has always been American blood.”
Marlene Blackburn, left, who lost her son, U.S. Army Cpl. William Kyle Middleton, in Afghanistan, is comforted by her uncle Bob Galaspie at the service. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber – AP)
The names of all 233 were read aloud by members of different branches of the armed services. A Coast Guard helicopter performed a ceremonial fly-by in the capital city’s sky, and a bagpiper with the Virginia Department of Corrections played “Amazing Grace.”
Jon Stewart interviews Admiral Mike Mullen; discusses Egypt
On a serious note, Jon Stewart interviews Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the middle east situation. It was an informative interview.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive – Mike Mullen Extended Interview Pt. 1 | ||||
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Its hard to sort out the Egypt politics. What should the US do? What position should we take? Is there any reason we would send our military into Egypt?
Marshall Explains his Opposition to Gays in the Guard
Does Marshall think that there are not gays in the military now? Why is serving in the military all about sodomy, AIDs, and all the other things he fears?
Lowell on Blue Virginia covers this story well. I am too speechless, even after all these years of Side-Show Bob. His homophobia is only surpassed by his ignorance on the topic of homosexuality.
Vote to Repeal DADT Fails 57-40
Public opinion supports the repeal of DADT policy. This seems to be a blow to civil rights. The 3 missing votes were from 1 new Democrat, Joe Manchin from West Virginia and 2 Republicans. There was defense department support for repealing this antequated policy. Both Senators Warner and Webb voted to repeal it and for the military funding.
There is strong rumor that Joe Liebermann and Susan Collins will introduce an independent, separate repeal of DADT.
Cindy McCain takes aim at “political and religious leaders”
While John McCain continues to fight a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, his wife, Cindy McCain, seems just as determined to help the other side. Of course John McCain has done a flip flop on this issue, like many others when he decided he wasn’t quite conservative enough to win re-election to his senate seat without a major make-over.
According to Politico.com:
“Our government treats the LGBT community like second class citizens,” the senator’s wife says later in the video.
Though Cindy McCain has spoken out on behalf of gay rights in the past, the video still came as a surprise to some gay rights activists.
“I’m astonished and impressed as hell,” John Aravosis wrote on Americablog Gay. “The woman basically accused her husband of sharing the blame for gay kids killing themselves.”
Cindy McCain previously appeared in the NOH8 campaign, which opposed California’s gay-marriage ban.
John McCain is traveling overseas this week and his press secretary could not be reached immediately for comment.
What must it be like at the McCain dinner table these days? Cindy works for equality for gals and young Ms. Meghan McCain works for The Daily Beast and is about as moderate of a Republican as one can get and still be considered a Republican.
Young gays have the highest rate of suicide in the nation. It is easy to understand why when one considers the messages they hear from our churches and politicians. Do these messages increase the bullying that happens to these young people?
WHAT are we thinking? The Fox Guards the Hen House in Afghanistan
Totally insane! WHAT are we thinking? The New York Times exposé of Afghan contractors guarding our military bases is beyond anything stupid. We are wasting billions of dollars a year in a war that has no goals and we have given the fox the keys to the hen house.
According to the New York Times:
Afghan private security forces with ties to the Taliban, criminal networks and Iranian intelligence have been hired to guard American military bases in Afghanistan, exposing United States soldiers to surprise attack and confounding the fight against insurgents, according to a Senate investigation.
The Pentagon’s oversight of the Afghan guards is virtually nonexistent, allowing local security deals among American military commanders, Western contracting companies and Afghan warlords who are closely connected to the violent insurgency, according to the report by investigators on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The United States military has almost no independent information on the Afghans guarding the bases, who are employees of Afghan groups hired as subcontractors by Western firms awarded security contracts by the Pentagon. At one large American airbase in western Afghanistan, military personnel did not even know the names of the leaders of the Afghan groups providing base security, the investigators found. So they used the nicknames that the contractor was using — Mr. White and Mr. Pink from “Reservoir Dogs,” the 1992 gangster movie by Quentin Tarantino. Mr. Pink was later determined to be a “known Taliban” figure, they reported.
In another incident, the United States military bombed a house where it was believed that a Taliban leader was holding a meeting, only to discover later that the house was owned by an Afghan security contractor to the American military, who was meeting with his nephew — the Taliban leader.
War Museum Status: What you see is NOT what you will get
Several folks have asked about the status of the War Museum. Need to Know, a regular contributor at Moonhowlings.net has been following this initiative and has kindly offered his findings for a thread:
[Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration. M-H]
Regarding the proposed War Museum:
The land belongs currently to the Hyltons. They are “donating” it but the package the BOCS will consider October 5 includes new development rights that will benefit the Hyltons. They, Stewart and their proponents are waving the flag for a museum to honor veterans to garner support but it’s nothing more than a land deal to benefit special interests and campaign contributors. The “donation” of land will not go through unless the BOCS approves the entire package.
The staff report can be found at:
http://www.pwcgov.org/planning/documents/PLN2010-00379.pdf
Note that this staff report reads like a promotional brochure for the project, lacking any semblance of due diligence and analysis as to whether the project is in the interests of PWC taxpayers or not.
A few more details:
The supporters state that the project will need $50 million and that they will raise all of that from private sources. Note, however, that after allegedly working on development of the project for nearly a decade they have, as of the last Form 990 filing, less than $1 million in real assets. Form 990 is the annual tax filing required by the IRS for non-profit organizations. You can see them by clicking on this link:
http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/PubApps/showVals.php?ft=bmf&ein=200008915
The 2009 Form 990 shows total assets of a little over $4 million, but over $3 million of that is in the form of pledges and grants receivable that their statements have carried for at least two years. It’s not real money.
There’s not a chance in h*** they are going to be able to raise enough money, especially in an economy such as we have now, to build this thing without extensive taxpayer support.
