Ennui

I am not sure how this post is going to turn out. There is sadness, frustration and, yes, resignation flowing through my thoughts and I am not happy with any of those emotions.

Is the sadness a result of the knowledge that most Americans are willing to accept what those in DC are feeding us? A consequence of years of misinformation from both the White House and Congress that we have gotten to the point of “accepting those things [we] cannot change”? Or, the realization that we CAN change them, but are too lazy to do so? What happened to the American Spirit? Yeah, sure, we make snarky, sarcastic remarks about the policies and lack of same of the Ego in Chief. We yell at the TV when yet another insane proposal is made by a member of Congress that we know will never see the light of day or Barry acts like a little child by refusing to meet with our most treasured ally in the Middle East because he chose to talk to a joint session of Congress without permission. We sigh at the announcement of more committees to investigate the findings of other committees that were formed to decide if the very first committee’s findings were just partisan hogwash. Then we let them spend money that we really don’t have to fund said committees, bitch about the national debt under our breaths and bemoan the fact that we can do nothing about it.

Trust me. I am no better than any other American. I bitch, piss and moan right along with the rest of you. I wrack my brain trying to figure out what my one voice can do to change what our nation has become. Talking to the television has become second nature. My dogs think I’m nuts. No, not nuts. Just frustrated. I believed our Constitution would not allow us to get to this point. I believed that those we voted into office would respect the most important document in the history of our great nation. Instead, most of those in DC seem to spend time emulating the NFL – trying to figure out how to run plays that avoid the defensive line our forefathers built to save us from what we have become so that they can score points for their personal campaigns. Just another check in the “win column” so that they can use that to hold on to their cushy government jobs and become Legacies in the DC world. Short of leaving our homes and parking our butts on their doorsteps 24/7 (which seems not to work well, either) what recourse do we have? Do I sound defeatist? Perhaps. I really am not that kind of girl. Believe me, I have been reading and studying a lot over the past few years. The only power we seem to have, short of physically removing those who seem determined to ignore the will of the people and undermine the good works our forefathers did, is the power of our words. However, if our words are crumpled into a ball and thrown in the trash time after time after time, who among us is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and eradicate the cockroaches in the cupboard? Very few, I believe. We talk a good game. Then, we look at our comfy couches, flat screen TVs, fairly well-stocked pantries and sedentary lives and say to ourselves “Do I really want to jeopardize all of this for freedom?”

Freedom. Ha. Are we truly free when our government can tell us that we count less than those who cross the border illegally? That we should accept the fact that many American citizens will lose their jobs to H1B rated illegal workers who have been given Social Security numbers and drivers’ licenses? That the illnesses our children are contracting are just minor inconveniences we must endure in order to have a more affordable work force? Allow me a moment of immaturity. I have heard people labeled “stupid” because they believe the more recent epidemics of diseases that had been wiped out in America are the result of unvaccinated children crossing our border. You are “stupid” if you believe this is not the case. Immaturity moment has ended. Will those immigration advocates be so protective over illegals when the M13 roles double and triple in hard hit inner city communities and the death tolls rise, or will they join the rest of us in demanding better border security and a larger police presence in those areas? No, they will join in making more videos and organize demonstrations demanding the death of police officers. I used to criticize the police for accepting “toys” from the federal government – things that seem like overkill (pardon the pun) in small towns that previously knew nothing of violent crimes. I even deduced that they could be used if the Anointed One decided to declare Martial Law based upon some manufactured national crisis. That is a belief I still hold in the back of my mind, but after Ferguson I can sort of understand the desire of smaller police organizations to own equipment that can compensate for the lack of personnel if serious situations arise. Sort of…

Because Americans are constantly being pitted against one another based on race, ethnicity and religion day after day by the likes of Holder, Sharpton and Obama (and a whole host of others), we are ignoring one of the biggest threats to our nation since 1993. ISIS is not a threat to us since they are predominantly in Syria and Iraq? Really!?!? I am sure the rookie cops who were attacked by the man screaming “Allahu Akbar” and wielding a hatchet might disagree. Perhaps those who survived Fort Hood would have a thing or two to say about that. Or how about the family of the soldier killed at the Recruitment Center in Arkansas? The list can go on and on. Is it possible that the level of ignorance in the White House is so great that they believe one ocean will stop them dead in their tracks and put a halt to any violence in the United States? Does what people did 800 or 500 years ago in the name of Christ really even out the playing field? I guess we are supposed to accept the rapes, live burials, beheadings and burnings of live human beings because Christians committed heinous acts centuries ago. Just forgive and forget. We had our time, this is theirs. My inner angry woman keeps asking, “Is it January 20, 2017 yet?” I don’t know if our Republic can hold on that long.

It is sad that recalling the days of Jim Crow, Watts, Internment Camps during WWII, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the Sandy Creek Massacre in Colorado can be used time and again to classify us as a nation of hate and divisiveness, but we are Islamophobic when we mention the crimes against humanity committed by ISIS. Sorry, Barry, I would rather be classified an Islamophobe than declared dead after a terrorist attack on US soil – which is inevitable and a lot more imminent than you think. I agree that what has happened to minorities in our nation, or original citizens such as the Native Americans, were horrific. We have worked hard as a nation to correct those wrongs. Not perfect yet, but we have come farther than many other nations in the world to mend our wounds. Although, you seem to be doing all you can to destroy the good we have accomplished. We need to concentrate on the threats of today, not the mistakes made in the past, if we want to survive as a nation. But, I have resigned myself to the belief that you truly dislike America.

This may sound like a strong statement. Maybe if you, just once, sounded sincere when you talk about protecting us and our most treasured way of life I would not feel that way. Perhaps if you stopped blaming the past and started fighting for the future for the sake of our children and grandchildren, I would excuse you for some of your lack of enthusiasm. Sadly, I stand by my statement that you dislike America. You seem to want a Saul Alinsky “paradise”. Those who choose not to educate themselves may think this would be a perfect world if their only source of information was the wide-eyed oratory of cult-like liberal Alinskyites. However, his world is not much different from that of Lenin or Stalin and I WILL get up off my dead ass to protect my child, my husband and my country from the horror of a future like that. Mark my words…

Bring me your poor, your hungry, your Ebola infected!?!?

Panic in tough situations is not in my nature. I am more of a “take charge” kind of person who collapses into a gallon of Pabst once the emergency is over. So, I feel that it is important to be concerned about the possibility of Ebola spreading within our borders; I do not believe it is time to hit the panic button – yet.

The Ego in Chief’s actions might change my views about this (and other communicable diseases) if he stays on his current, extremely wishy-washy course. There are so many questions to be answered and contradictory statements and actions to be explained, but the American public will never be told the entire story until we are living smack-dab in the middle of it.

News was released yesterday of a memorandum from The State Department (copied to the Department of Homeland Security and White House) outlining a plan to allow patients with active Ebola to be transported to the United States from West Africa for treatment. Of course, Mr. Less-than-Ernest uhmmed and ahhhhed his way through a lame statement directing reporters to ask those Departments about the memo because the White House had not read it – or some other such blather. According to what has been reported, the total financial toll per patient will be approximately $500,000.00. Seriously? We just spent (more than likely) our next three years’ budgets on accommodating thousands of potentially disease-ridden illegals, feeding them, clothing them and shipping them via air and land across the country without our knowledge! But, we can’t afford more Border Patrol agents or a completed fence?

These are the questions I would love to have answered (but never will):

• We have sent some 3,000 troops to West Africa to build hospitals and assist with the current Ebola crisis there. Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?
• Why did we send regular ground troops and not the Army Corps of Engineers and/or Seabees if the mission is mainly to build medical and quarantine facilities? Oh, that would make sense! Answered my own question, I guess.
• Part Two of the second question would be “Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?” Why do we need to build facilities if the sick are not going to be there to use them?
• I completely agree with the Pentagon and DOD’s assertions that the troops should be quarantined on the base in Italy before repatriating to the U.S. for 21 days to ensure that they have not contracted Ebola. Why is it so obvious a solution to the Military brass, but not to you, Barry, or your minions?
• If planes can fly sick people into our country, why can’t they just send medical supplies to West Africa and let those people remain there? I am sure that the plasma from those who have survived Ebola can be transported safely by military aircraft and be used to treat patients in their home countries. Sorry, that was common sense. I will self-flagellate later 😉
• How can the government expect us to trust the CDC (also “the government”) when they say that doctors and nurses exposed to Ebola patients both in West Africa and here at home are responsible enough to self-quarantine when they clearly are not? I don’t know about you, but I have more respect for other people than to hop on a plane to Ohio or take a few subway rides through New York City when I know I am within the 21 day incubation period. Sorry you’re bored. Catch up on your reading. Perhaps refresh your knowledge of the nature of Ebola and the fact that you can go from asymptomatic to full-blown infectious in a New York minute. Just a suggestion…
• Perhaps the actions of the doctors and nurses who went to West Africa (or the nurse from Dallas who tended to Mr. Duncan) could be considered heroic. However, the “heroism” ends there. I see nothing heroic in not showing their fellow citizens the same respect and concern by disregarding all they know about this virus in order to satisfy their own needs. The nurse who was quarantined in New Jersey (until she whined so loud I could hear her in Colorado) is now openly stating that she will not be kept prisoner in her own home in Maine and fully intends to go out if she feels like it. Do they not remember taking the Hippocratic Oath? “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.” (Lasagna, Hippocratic Oath).
• Why can you, Barry, not keep your damned nose out of the states’ business and stop criticizing them for initiating their own forms of quarantine for those arriving from the infected areas? Personally, I do not think they are carrying it far enough! Fever or not, anyone with a Visa from West Africa should be quarantined for a minimum of 21 days before being allowed to engage with the general public. I would even go a step further. Quarantine them in their respective homelands for 21 days before they can get a Visa in the first place! Uh, oh. More common sense. AND, I guess I am a racist as well. Shit… You are not taking care of the business that is your business, so the people have to do it for you. Believe me, if I was able to build a fence along our southern border, I would do it myself. I would build humane quarantine facilities in the Border States and examine people for any and all communicable diseases. They would then be held for the time recommended for each individual disease or virus until they are medically cleared. Finally, I would ship them back to their own countries happy, healthy and out of our hair!

Take care of your own before others. If grown people choose to put themselves in harms’ way, they must accept responsibility for their actions, heroes or not. Our soldiers might be members of a volunteer military, but they seem to understand what others cannot. The mission is to protect our country, our children, first and foremost – above all else. All you care about protecting, Mr. Obama, is your own skinny ass.

I would like to thank Antonio F. Branco for allowing me to use his wonderful cartoon in this blog. Mr. Branco is an extremely talented artist with a kick butt sense of sarcasm and an uncanny grasp of the importance of events affecting our nation. The link to his work is

http://comicallyincorrect.com/

I highly recommend a visit to his site. ~Katrina

Throwing a marshmallow at a rabid dog…

General Shinseki was called to the Principal’s office this morning. A last minute meeting added to Barry’s schedule at 6 A.M. Eastern. Ooooh, he’s in TROUBLE!!!! Not really, he’s a fall guy. The White House minions most likely saw some type of polling data that showed Barry’s likeability is so deep in the toilet that even Roto-Rooter™ can’t save him and he is grasping at straws to protect the reputation of his party prior to the mid-term elections.

There is no one person and no amount of money that can correct what has been going on at the VA for decades. If the purpose of this meeting is to ask for the General’s resignation, it is naught more than a dog and pony show and will fix NOTHING. What the VA needs is “cleaners” to be assigned to each and every hospital in the system who can sort through the mess of paperwork, triage the cases awaiting attention and ensure that each facility has enough nurses, physicians, therapists (occupational, physical and psychological) and medical support personnel to care for the influx of new patients into the system. This cannot be corrected from an office in DC, and asking any one person to repair the damage that has built up over the years is unfair and ludicrous.

My step-uncle served in the Korean War – in country. He suffered mental, emotional and physical impairments most of his life as a direct result of his service. In the late 70s, he was admitted to the VA Hospital in Brooklyn. His mother and sister called every day to check on his condition. They visited him twice a week, driving from Rockland County, New York early in the morning and staying until the hospital made them leave at night. One morning his mother phoned him, but a nurse answered and said he had been sent for tests. The VA employee told her to call back in a couple of hours. This went on all day. Finally, his sister phoned at 5 P.M. demanding to know what was going on. Her mother was a wreck because they were getting no answers. The voice on the other end of the phone advised her that John Falletta had passed away at 8 A.M. that morning, but would not say how it happened. Can you imagine the devastating effects this news had on his family? Bureaucracy and lack of communication among departments is, in my opinion, to blame for the pain they went through.

No President since Jimmy Carter (or possibly those in office prior to his term)  is to be excused for allowing this to continue and grow into the monster the VA has become. President Bush 43 was working on in-hospital solutions to eliminate the backlog, knowing that putting “boots on the ground” was the only way to straighten up this mess. Barry was advised during the transition in 2008 and vowed to be the President who healed all of the ills of the VA system.

Then crickets…until now.

So, the typical Ego in Chief “madder than hell”, “found out about it on TV [or in the newspaper, etc.]” rhetoric begins. Attempting to solve issues by creating fall guys or gals is another classic Barry move. And how long will he be madder than hell? Probably until he can find another shiny thing to direct the sheeple’s attention away from his latest disgrace.

Meanwhile, stories like mine will continue as they have for decades and our military men and women will suffer – along with their families – for years to come.

Just an aside:  How can POTUS claim that he is “madder than hell” and feign surprise at the ineptitude of the VA when he served on the US Senate Committee for Veteran’s Affairs in 2006?  This report was developed in 2014, after he had been POTUS for a few years.  But, you cannot tell me the 2006 committee members lived in blissful ignorance.  Some of the findings took years to research:

http://www.veterans.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/MOAA%20HVAC-SVAC%20Testimony_6%20Mar%202014_%20FINAL.pdf

What is the Administration afraid of?

An “investigation of an investigation” Mr. Carney? Seems to me that almost everything this POTUS has had his hands in needs to be investigated by special commissions because the DOJ does nothing and the standard committees in Congress are about as useful as teats on a bull. Even though it would cost us taxpayers more money to “re-investigate” incidents that have already been “investigated”, knowing the truth might end up costing us less in the long run.

You know the facts about what really happened in Benghazi are out there. It is a fact that a New York Times reporter was able to meet with one of the people involved in the attack, drink Fuzzy Navels with him, and ask questions about the sequence of events on September 11, 2012. Why can’t our government – with all of our resources – bring this bastard in? Is it because they don’t want him found? You see, Jay, this is how “conspiracies” are formed. Although, they are not actual conspiracies. They are hypotheses being cast about by people who are putting two and two together with what little information they have been given. Big difference between a hypothesis and a conspiracy theory, darlin’. Look it up. I’m sure there has to be a dictionary somewhere in the White House.   A conspiracy theory would involve something kooky like oh let’s say a really bad filmmaker who wreaked havoc across the Middle East because of a 10 minute youtube video that eventually led to the deaths.

My personal hypothesis is that Ambassador Stevens was directed to work with the Iranians or Russians to bring weapons through Libya and deliver them to the anti-government combatants in Syria (many of whom are believed to be members of Ansar Al Sharia). For some reason, this business was not conducted in the Embassy in Tripoli. Now, tell the truth and prove me wrong.

I want Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) to sit down with the families of all 4 Americans who were murdered that evening in Benghazi and tell them to their faces that bringing the monsters who killed their loved ones to justice is “a colossal waste of time.” I want the Ego in Chief to be there when he says it, too. After all, isn’t that what the White House is objecting to? Aren’t they essentially against getting to the bottom of things and arresting those responsible for organizing the attacks? Then, I would like the former Senior Advisor to the President – David Plouffe – to explain to the surviving family members that they are simply joining the “loud delusional minority” that believes there is way more to the Benghazi story than is being told.

These immediate verbal attacks on a majority of Americans (from all sides of the political spectrum), members of Congress (regardless of whether their intentions are pure or political), and some in the media (and the numbers of news organizations who do not believe the Administration are growing) seem to come from a place of fear. Barry and his minions are acting like spoiled rotten children throwing temper tantrums. Even Nixon had more class than that.

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