Calling it as I See it…

Okay, I am getting really tired of waking up every morning and hearing some reporter state that “The President signed an Executive Action for…” Just sayin’.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I have a question for you. Does anyone else see anything wrong with the Administration and various agencies in the government having video conferences with the deserter’s parents, but keeping Congress out of the loop because of fears information might be leaked? Anyone?

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), a charter member of the Barry Fan Club, seems to be as perplexed by this whole state of affairs as I am. Never in my life would I have thought that I would agree with her on anything whatsoever.

So, now the question must be raised about how much classified information the Bergdahls’ were privy to. Were they aware that five extremely dangerous prisoners would be traded for their son? Did they push for this? After all, Mr. Bergdahl seems quite at ease with communicating his desire to empty out Gitmo in this tweet (later removed from his account):

Was this tweet removed by him or our government for fear that it might tip off others about the Administration’s plans to make this treasonous trade? Yes, I said treasonous. Deal with it. The Ego in Chief essentially released five enemy combatants back into their stomping grounds, knowing full well (by his own admission) that they will most likely return to their previous positions in the Taliban during a time of war. This is not the “end of the war”, Barry. You have set that date for the end of 2016. This is 2014. We are currently still fighting a war, dumbass.

It can be argued that the physical combat in Afghanistan might end in 2016, but the Taliban, Haqqani network, Al Qaeda and all the other bottom feeders in the world will continue their jihad against America and her allies until the entire world is bowing to Mecca. Thus, we could be “at war” for eternity. Our fight has never been against the people of Iraq or Afghanistan, but terrorist entities who wish to control them and destroy us.

Barry, I believe I have finally figured out why four Americans died in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. You and the rest of our intelligence and military agencies were chatting with the Bergdahls and could not find the time to walk into the Situation Room and try to save our people! No, you were working on releasing more terrorists into the world while the ones running around loose were attacking the post in Benghazi. I know this is just conjecture on my part, but based upon recent developments I would not be surprised if this were the case.

By the way, you might have forgotten about Andrew Tahmooressi – USMC – being held in Mexico. Oh, wait. Silly me. You are probably conducting daily video conference calls with his mother and the authorities in Mexico to secure his release, aren’t you? Of course you are…

Dear Mr. Obama…

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am the parent, husband, wife, sibling or child of a U.S. Military Veteran who sat (forgotten and neglected) on a waiting list with the Veteran’s Administration to see a doctor for treatment. I did not know my loved one’s name had been placed in a drawer, in the dark shadows of some bureaucrat’s desk. It no longer matters. They are gone now. If the list that contains their name is ever found, you can remove it. Your “help” is no longer needed.

I am a member of the Military who is still serving in Afghanistan. You know, one of the people whose life you put in jeopardy by again announcing a timeline for withdrawal of our troops. If my transportation home is a flag-draped coffin, please stay away when I arrive. My family will not need you to remind them why I am being carried by six of my fellow service members and not carrying my child in my arms for the first time.

I am a Border Patrol Agent who witnessed the death of Brian Terry at the hands of illegal thugs who carried weapons supplied by you. I look at the bean bag in my hand as I load my “gun” and wonder why I still do this when you have just released thousands of convicted illegal criminals into our system. I look across the border and think of Andrew Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine being held in a Mexican jail because of a wrong turn. Then, I turn my head toward my home land and question why you have let illegal immigrant murderers and rapists run free while he sits there… My friend is in the ground, his family still has no answers and one of our Marines is held captive in a country that is supposed to be our ally.   Do you even care?

I am the spouse of a victim of the radical Islamist who killed 13 at Fort Hood. You remember that, don’t you? It was nothing but workplace violence according to your Attorney General. I and our 4 children are suffering not only from the loss of my spouse and their parent, but financially. Because of the bad decisions made by all of you in Washington, benefits we should be entitled to will not come. I work two jobs and my children have essentially lost both parents, although I am fortunate enough to tuck them in at night when my second shift allows.

I am the son of a Sargent in the U.S. Army who I never met. I do not know if my father is alive or dead. He is a POW in Viet Nam. Well, that is what we were told by some who were able to escape and come home. How can you allow Jay Carney to stand there in front of the American people and explain that Sgt. Bergdahl was released through a deal you made with the Taliban because Americans do not leave our soldiers behind? If that is so, why did I have to grow up without my father? What have you done to secure the release (or find the remains) of our men and women who are either MIA or POWs in Viet Nam? Nothing. Not a damned thing!

I am a former POW who was held in the Hanoi Hilton for 8 years. Our guards did not speak to us in English. In fact, they rarely spoke to us at all. They communicated through torture. However, even being isolated from my fellow Americans did not cause me to forget my native tongue nor did the North Vietnamese succeed in indoctrinating me into their form of Communism no matter how many days they withheld food and water, or committed unspeakable acts of torment and pain. I was captured when my helicopter went down. I did not leave my base to seek them out. I went into the POW camp an American, and I remain an American today – language, customs and all.

I am a NYC Firefighter (Retired) who is now battling a rare form of cancer. Although my doctor says it was most likely caused by the work I did at Ground Zero on (and long after) that horrific day in September 2001, I still await the help my country promised me. I know you were not in charge then, but you are now and any decisions concerning the care all of us were to receive were made under your watch. I watched many young men and women enlist after that day. Our small part of Staten Island felt like a ghost town when they left. Only a few returned. In speech after speech you have taken credit for “decimating” the head of the snake that is the Taliban. Why then, sir, are you reattaching it to the body by releasing the worst-of-the-worst into Afghanistan? Do you need a new “shiny thing” that badly? Maybe this disease is a blessing in disguise. I will doubtless be gone before the next terror strike on our beloved nation. In fact I pray for it to be so.

I am one of those told to stand down on September 11, 2012. I ran toward the fire despite those orders. I survived, unlike Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. We were under attack by terrorists, period. Now you have chosen to release five high-ranking members of the Taliban. How many times are you going to spit on the memories of those men?

I am a resident of Boston. Martin Richard was 8-years-old when he was killed by terrorists on our own soil during the Boston Marathon. Can you explain to his family why one man was so important that you had to send five Taliban members back to their homeland? Most likely not.

Sir, by your own words and actions you have proven that you would have done less harm to the American people by remaining either an ineffectual Senator or a Community Organizer. We do not need your perversion of the truth or stump speeches anymore. Do us all a favor and stick to golf. If you are going to spend our money, at least do it on something you don’t suck at.

Sincerely,

Those Americans Who Pay Attention

A Fly’s Butt hair…

I’m sorry, Secretary Kerry.  You impress me just about a fly’s butt hair more than Barry – but only because you don’t appear as condescending in your manner of speech.  (I can’t believe I actually said that.)  This awful situation in Syria should have been acted upon months and months ago.

Did the people who accused President Bush of lying about the existence of WMDs in Iraq ever wonder how thousands of Kurds (and other “undesirable” citizens) ended up buried in mass graves without a bullet hole, knife wound, etc., in one of them?  What – they died from a Febreze™ overdose?  Wouldn’t you agree that these people suffered “inconceivable horror” at the hands of Saddam Hussein just as the citizens of Syria are today?  What a damned hypocrite you are.  Did anyone in the UN (or US for that matter) take the time to follow the trail and see WHERE the weapons ended up when they were smuggled out of Iraq under cover of darkness – or however they secreted them – before the UN Inspectors were able to locate them?   Uhm, Ketchup Man, I think we found them.

Your buddy, Barry, can play his little Executive Order game when there is an immediate threat to the United States.  You know, like big planes flying into the WTC, Pentagon and Shanksville and killing nearly 3,000 people.  President Bush filed an Executive Order to invade Iraq and in October 2002 he consulted Congress so they could vote on a more formal document authorizing military action against Iraq.  What immediate threat is there against the US?  

Barry, you have waited so long that this has become a much more complicated issue that poses threats to some of our allies overseas.  Put the red Sharpie™ down and back away from your kids’ art table.  We are kind of stuck out in the Gulf with our thumbs up our asses because Assad has certainly been playing the Sarin Shuffle like a mad man.  Where is the bow of the ship you are going to fire across today?  Oh, and by the way, thank you so much for clarifying to this fucknut  that there aren’t actually going to be missile strikes.  Did you send him a note with little roses imprinted on it that reads “Dear Bashir, If a big shiny metal thing comes flying over your house, it is just us trying to look like we have balls.  Have a nice day and we apologize in advance for any stress cracks our phony show of force may create in any of your buildings.  Sincerely, Barry”

It might be a good idea to investigate why Russia and China walked out of the meeting at the UN. ( http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-russia-syria-warships-deployed-20130829,0,3436636.story )  Putin hates your guts, he’s KGB (you say ex, I call bullshit) and my personal opinion is that he has been working with Iran on something for a very long time.  China nearly owns us financially.  Do we sincerely need to piss them off?  Both have nukes.  If Bush were President I would have 100% faith that he could organize the right people to deal with all of the intricacies of this issue.  I get the sense that you probably have trouble figuring out your TV remote.

Oh, just a little piece of advice for ya – if one of our oldest, most loyal allies says “Fuck YOU!  You’re on your own on this one”, you may want to really, really take a moment and ask yourself why…

Just for S&G, I am going to repost something I wrote when you told the world our troops would be pulling out of Afghanistan.  Sort of like telling Assad you aren’t really going to hit anything, you know?  You need to read this.  It’s a real killer – literally…

After last night’s address to the nation concerning his Afghan Strategy, the Anointed One received many notes of thanks from around the globe:

Dear President Obama,

Thank you so much for the information concerning your projected date of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Your advice is of great import to us as it will save our Brothers much time and effort.  We can now concentrate on training our troops, stockpiling weapons and recruitment for a future takeover of Afghanistan.

In the meantime, we will continue to rest in Pakistan.  This is sorely needed as we have been fighting for many years and our bones are weary.

In closing, we have one favor to ask you.  Do you think you might find it in your heart to send us a Wii?  The nights are long and television sucks here.

With great respect and appreciation,

THE TALIBAN

Here’s one from an unnamed Afghani National Guardsman:

Mr. President,

Thank you sooo much for letting us know in advance that we are SCREWED.  Your half-assed commitment to our cause is truly heartwarming.

Last night 200 recruits fled into the night.  I believe I heard them say they were going to Pakistan to play Wii with the Taliban.  I have no idea what this means, but it doesn’t sound good.

Anonymous in Afghanistan

Then there was this one from our European Allies:

Barack,

Are you f***ing serious!?!?

Good Lord, man, do you really expect us to commit more troops to Afghanistan when you have given up before you even start?  Why should anyone back your play when you are clearly not interested in victory?

We will have to think long and hard about putting more young men and women in harm’s way for a cause that even the United States of America does not believe in.  You will be hearing from us in, oh, ninety days or so…

And, finally:

Mr. President, Sir:

I am writing to express my deep appreciation for your commitment to our Armed Forces.  My fellow Marines and I were able to watch your speech on Fox this morning.

We especially enjoyed the part when you said we will be getting some relief by 2010.  I never realized what a funny guy you are.  Maybe you can invite my family over for a beer after my funeral.

A United States Marine

Shall We Play A Game?

Remember playing “telephone” as a kid?  You know, the game in which your friend whispers “My cat is white” into your ear, then you repeat the same thing to the person next to you and so on until the last person has to say the phrase out loud?  The problem is, the phrase is never the same at the end.  “My cat is white” becomes “Your dad is turned on by sheep” after about 15 or 20 repetitions.  Well, that is pretty much the way the Benghazi story released to the public ended up being about an obscure soft porn video that had nothing to do with reality.

On September 14, 2012 at 1129 hours,  a confidential communication from CCA* at the Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)  was sent to the Department of Investigations (DI)  regarding a request for information from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) so that they could answer the questions being asked them by various media outlets.  This White Paper was also cc’d to the Director of the CIA (DCIA) and the Office of the Director of the CIA (ODCIA).  The original question or statement has been redacted, but some of the itemized requests give one a hint as to what the topic being addressed was. 

Part of this initial communication addressed “press guidance”, Green on Blue violence and the destruction of documents at the consulate.  The latter noted “contact State Legal Affairs” for questions.  They never explained whether the destruction of documents occurred during the attack, after the attack in Benghazi, or pertained to potentially destroying existing documents located at the Embassy in Tripoli.  The types of documents in question are unknown. 

The second portion of this paper was directed towards the DCIA and concerned “cable(s) to (redacted) warning of protests linked to the film and response” and “cable(s) to stations on 9/11 security”.  This, too, was not elaborated upon.  Had they sent cables regarding these two issues in the days prior to the protests in Egypt and the attack in Benghazi, or were they asking that cables be created to make it appear so?

After a bit of back and forth via heavily redacted emails, it becomes obvious that they are formulating the talking points to give to HPSCI.  They are also developing the way they want the attack to be presented on the Sunday morning TV circuit.  I apologize for the “they” references, but there are so many agencies involved in the preparation of the talking points that I have decided a collective “they” is the best way to go.

At 1439:49 hours on the 14^th, the original talking points are finally revealed in their entirety:

(I apologize for the readability of the emails.  If you need a clearer copy, you can access them at the website I provided at the end of this post.)

 

 Going under the assumption that the previously redacted information was the list of possible talking points spelled out here, the comments made in some of the redacted emails begin to make sense.

• 1439:49 hours from NE – “Second tick says we know extremists with ties to AQ participated in the attack, which implies complicity in the deaths of the American officers.  Do we know this?” 
• 1452:57 hours from National Clandestine Service (NCS) – “Good question – I’ll defer to CIA CTA (cc’d) given the CT angle.”  It was also noted that the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) were “added in”.
• 1519 hours from CIA Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) – “Good point that it could be interpreted this way – perhaps better stated that we know they (Al Qaeda?) participated in the protests.  We do not know who was responsible for the deaths.”  (emphasis added) 

I believe the most important point in the original list was the Fifth tick (to use their terminology) that mentioned the previous attacks against foreign interests and that it was possible the American properties had been under watch for a while.

At 1529:32 hours the OGC emailed the bowl of alphabet soup with the following cautionary message:

“Folks, I know there is a hurry to get this out, but we need to hold it long enough to ascertain whether providing it conflicts with express instructions from NSS/DOJ/FBI that, in light of the criminal investigation, we are not to generate statements with assessments as to who did this, etc. – even internally, not to mention for public release…”

Okay, WHAT criminal investigation?  This was not a criminal act.  It was an act of terrorism.  In my opinion, this is where the cover-up really begins to take form.  Why would the DOJ need to be in the loop on something that occurred in a foreign country and was committed by foreign nationals who were part of a terrorist group? 

 

Tick One – Talking points are revised to indicate that the Embassy was warned about threats on September 10^th.  This version of the talking points was produced by the CIA OPA.    In the Fifth tick, a very interesting addition was made to the talking points.  Nowhere else is it mentioned that “numerous pieces” had been authored by “the Agency” concerning threats to Benghazi and eastern Libya.  

 

It would be difficult to believe that the attack was the result of a spontaneous reaction to the protests in Egypt and a ridiculous video if you take this information into consideration.  It would also be hard to accept as true that no one in the administration knew there was trouble brewing that might cost American lives.

At 1821 hours the word CAIRO was inserted into the first tick after “Embassy”.   Oversight, clarification or cover-up?  Was the Embassy being threatened really the one in Cairo, or were the threats actually directed to Tripoli?  

At 1916 hours, Victoria Nuland (former Spokesperson for the State Department), asked the following question:

“Are these for open or closed hearing?  If open, the line about “knowing” there were extremists among the demonstrators will come back to us at podium – how do we know, who were they, etc…So I’ll need answers to those if we deploy that line, tx.”

At 1939 hours, Nuland wrote this:

“I just had a convo with (illegible) and I now understand that these are being prepared to give to members of Congress to use with the media.

On that basis, I have serious concerns about all the parts highlighted below [ticks three and five in their entirety], and arming members of Congress to start making assertions to the media that we ourselves are not making because we don’t want to prejudice the investigation.

In the same vein, why do we want Hill to be fingering Ansar al Sharia, when we aren’t doing that ourselves until we have investigation results… and the penultimate point could be abused by Members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings so why do we want to feed that either?  Concerned…”

So, the concern was not for the families of those who were killed, or those still working in Libya, or the injured (if there were any – we don’t know) – the concern was about being caught with their pants down which opened the door to the attacks in the first place.

At 2134 hours the White House (through Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting) chimed in with this:

“There is a ton of wrong information getting out into the public domain from Congress and people who are not particularly informed.  Insofar as we have firmed up assessments that don’t compromise Intel or the Investigation, we need to have the capability to correct the record, as there are significant policy and messaging ramifications that would flow from a hardened mis-impression.” (emphasis added)

Policy and messaging…really?  Four dead Americans and they were worried about policy and messaging?  But, who would have expected anything different from this administration…

After all of the back and forth, they finally decided on three ticks.  This is the final draft:

 

These were the talking points to be given to Susan Rice for the Sunday talk show circuit.  The following exchange shows that this was the game plan all the players agreed upon:

 

So, in all of this bullshit, when was it decided that they would blame the video and why (aside from probation violations) was the filmmaker arrested?  There is so much more to uncover.  I have just touched the tip of the iceberg today.

If you wish to read all 100 pages of  redacted emails, here is a link to that page:

 http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/05/politics/white-house-benghazi-emails/index.html

Thank You?…not so much

After last night’s address to the nation concerning his Afghan Strategy, the Anointed One received many notes of thanks from around the globe:

Dear President Obama,

Thank you so much for the information concerning your projected date of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Your advice is of great import to us as it will save our Brothers much time and effort.  We can now concentrate on training our troops, stockpiling weapons and recruitment for a future takeover of Afghanistan.

In the meantime, we will continue to rest in Pakistan.  This is sorely needed as we have been fighting for many years and our bones are weary.

In closing, we have one favor to ask you.  Do you think you might find it in your heart to send us a Wii?  The nights are long and television sucks here.

With great respect and appreciation,

THE TALIBAN

Here’s one from an unnamed Afghani National Guardsman:

Mr. President,

Thank you sooo much for letting us know in advance that we are SCREWED.  Your half-assed commitment to our cause is truly heartwarming.

Last night 200 recruits fled into the night.  I believe I heard them say they were going to Pakistan to play Wii with the Taliban.  I have no idea what this means, but it doesn’t sound good.

Anonymous in Afghanistan

Then there was this one from our European Allies:

Barack,

Are you f***ing serious!?!?

Good Lord, man, do you really expect us to commit more troops to Afghanistan when you have given up before you even start?  Why should anyone back your play when you are clearly not interested in victory?

We will have to think long and hard about putting more young men and women in harm’s way for a cause that even the United States of America does not believe in.  You will be hearing from us in, oh, ninety days or so…

And, finally:

Mr. President, Sir:

I am writing to express my deep appreciation for your commitment to our Armed Forces.  My fellow Marines and I were able to watch your speech on Fox this morning.

We especially enjoyed the part when you said we will be getting some relief by 2010.  I never realized what a funny guy you are.  Maybe you can invite my family over for a beer after my funeral.

A United States Marine

Sunday “Funnies”?

When is enough too much?  I think I’ve reached that point this morning.

1. If you thought the “Battle Hymn of the Obamanation” crossed the line, click on this link – http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/25/new-jersey-school-district-stranger-national-spotlight/. Just make sure you have some Excedrin™ handy.
2. Obama has shelved General McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan.  Excuse me?  My nephew is in Afghanistan.  Barack, you appointed the General to advise you on matters such as troop strength, enemy activities, etc.   Why?  So you can listen to your political homies and hang our troops out to dry.  As a family member of one of those troops, if I ever hear you make another speech about how proud you are of the men and women serving our country in combat, I think I’ll puke.  Don’t even open your mouth because you are so full of shit your breath stinks!  (I apologize for the language, but I am extremely angry about this.)
   
3. Ahmadinejad fired more test missiles yesterday.  Is the need for a defensive missile shield becoming clear to you now?  Some things can’t be resolved over a burger and a beer, darlin’.
   
4. Please, please, PLEASE stop campaigning!  Have you ever noticed that the only other political figures who constantly feel the need to “rally” their citizens the way you do are the psychotic dictators?  It is embarrassing.  Shut up and start listening to the People.  My Gramma used to say “You learn much more when your mouth is closed.“
5. When is the next Tea Party in Colorado?  I’m there!!!
   

Josh Trim, USMC

My nephew is being deployed to Afghanistan.  I cannot be more proud.  Yes, I’m scared for him and all of the others who will be deployed with him.  However, I know that our military men and women are THE ABSOLUTE BEST IN THE WORLD and I have faith that he is in good hands amongst his brothers and sisters in arms.

OOOHRAH from Aunt Katrina, Josh.  I love you.