Category Archives: Politics

February 7, 2015 · 8:38 am

Dishonoring a real war hero – another Obama narrative

Well, the Obama administration bent over backwards to portray Bowe Bergdahl as an American war hero and now, according to this disturbing Washington Free Beacon story, “Afghanistan War Hero Stripped of Silver Star”, a real decorated war hero, US Army Major Matt Golsteyn, has had his silver star war medal for heroism while serving in Afghanistan, revoked by Army Secretary, John McHugh. According to this report by Aaron MacLean:

“In 2011, shortly after a book by author and Marine Bing West came out that detailed Golsteyn’s heroism and quoted him making critical remarks about the American strategy in Afghanistan, I learned that the Army had launched a criminal investigation into his actions during the battle. (Again, full disclosure: I was also interviewed for that book, The Wrong War, and make a brief appearance in it.)

The investigation, apparently, had nothing to do with the acts of bravery that earned Golsteyn his medal. Instead, according to the Washington Post, which cited officials familiar with the case, it concerned “an undisclosed violation of the military’s rules of engagement in combat for killing a known enemy fighter and bomb maker.” The investigation stretched on for nearly two years, during which time the Army effectively put Golsteyn’s career on ice. In 2014, Golsteyn and his lawyer were informed that the investigation was finally complete. No charges were filed, but Golsteyn still wasn’t released from administrative limbo.”

The article goes on to chronicle how Congressman Duncan Hunter got involved in trying to find out what was going on with Major Golsteyn’s career freeze. Secretary McHugh responded by taking the extraordinary action of revoking Golsteyn’s silver star decoration with no charges ever being filed against him or any evidence being produced to justify having his honor being questioned by such a public display. This is the Obama run Pentagon, the narrative gets rewritten, deserters get cast as “heroes” and true war heroes get publicly dishonored and smeared as war criminals. Just another day in the morally-bankrupt, fundamentally transformed America with our fearless leader-from-behind (the scenes) stealthily destroying our military from within.

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Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, Military, Politics

February 6, 2015 · 12:38 pm

No, Putin Does Not Have Autism

No, Putin Does Not Have Autism.

A view from across the pond

Many thanks to David Duff for allowing me to repost his latest blog post. He chronicles failed western foreign policy in Ukraine and Russia quite succinctly and with a bracing dose of honesty. For more of David’s wit, military history writing and piercing foreign policy analysis, please stop by his blog, Duff and Nonsense.

Pity the poor statesman!

by David Duff

Oh, go on, give it a try because sometimes, just sometimes, you have to feel sorry for them. Take the Ukrainian imbroglio for starters. No-one can be certain until the history books are written – and by then will I give a toss? – but in my uninformed opinion it has been foolish western, and mostly European, over-reach which has provoked the current belligerent response from Russia. Instead of gradually edging ever closer to Russia’s exceedingly sensitive borders, western leaders should have leap-frogged over the old Warsaw pact nations decades ago and made every effort to entice Russia itself to become part of Europe. Instead, by our gradual advances we have stoked their fears and resentments and driven them into the arms of the Chinese as well as providing their ‘gangsta‘ government with yet more excuses to harden their grip on the populace.

Well, we are where we are and now our ‘statesmen’ – who giggled? – need to decide how to proceed in the face of increased militarism from ‘Vlad the Impaler’ in eastern Ukraine. I have just read two articles on the subject, one from The Streetwise Professor and another from Max Boot at the Commentary site. Both are gung-ho to send in serious military aid to the Ukrainian government particularly in regard to sophisticated anti-tank missiles. Their deployment and use would not only inflict serious material losses but would also cost the Russian suppliers a small fortune which, happily at the moment, they do not have! Alas, shipping them, setting them up and training the Ukrainian army in their sophisticated use would take a considerable time and that may be one commodity we do not have because ‘Vlad’ seems determined to seize and hold the eastern Ukraine.

Let us suppose he succeeds, what then? Possession is, famously, nine tenths of the law, so will we encourage the Ukrainians to beef up their army and counter-attack in order to take back what is rightfully theirs? Well, if ‘Vlad’ is feeling down the back of his sofa to find the odd rouble to finance his war-games then the Ukrainians do not even have a sofa – they burned it to stay warm through this winter! There-in, perhaps, is our way out. The Ukrainian government is dead broke and will require enormous financial assistance from the West just to get its economy on the move. We might be able to help a bit with that but re-arming and re-training its army would be prohibitively expensive. Certainly there would be some complaints in Britain whose political class is determined to slash our own armed forces to a sort of ‘Dad’s Army‘ level.

The critical question is simple but deadly – are we prepared to fight for eastern Ukraine? If the answer is ‘no’ then we should stop bluffing. Then the next question rears up. Are we prepared to fight for western Ukraine should ‘Vlad’s desperate need to distract his impoverished people from realising they have a kleptocratic loony in charge drive him to ‘go, west, young man, go west’? In my view the answer is still ‘no’. But then ‘Vlad’s ambitions will have been well and truly whetted and he will begin to flex his pecs in the direction of the Baltic states, all of whom contain large Russian populations eager to suckle Mother Russia’s teats again. Do we fight for them?

Yes, I think on the whole being a blogger with absolutely no responsibility is infinitely preferable to being a prime minister or a president.

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Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, History, Military, Politics

February 5, 2015 · 1:49 pm

Link to a Hot Air post

Hot Air.com reports – “Clintons’ medical adviser an anti-vaccination activist?” by Ed Morrissey:

“Hillary Clinton jumped into the vaccination fray this week with a tweet hashtagged #GrandmothersKnowBest, but does that knowledge extend to the choice of medical adviser? The Daily Caller’s Chuck Ross wonders about that too, considering that the Clinton’s personal physician co-wrote a book with anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy claiming a link between thimerasol and autism — the same claim that a debunked study made in 1998. Dr. Mark Hyman even appeared on TV to promote the core anti-vaccine argument on Dr. Oz:”

You can read more here.

The Age of Musterbation

Another fantastic GMD read!

G. Murphy Donovan's Blog

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.” – E. R. Morrow

Media icons are often given credit for thoughts that originated with their betters. The “nation of sheep” metaphor is an example. Thomas Jefferson addressed the subject in the Federalist Papers, long before Edward R. Morrow. And before that, herd similes might be traced to the Old and New Testaments. William J. Lederer wrote a book on the subject in 1961, a follow up to the best-selling Ugly American (1958).

Lederer’s lament focused on a passive electorate, arrogant foreign policy apparatchiks, and myopic politicians; the tendency of Americans to fail to educate themselves about issues and then throw good money after bad at home and abroad. In short, Lederer despaired…

View original post 2,061 more words

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Filed under Foreign Policy, General Interest, History, Islam, Politics, Terrorism

February 4, 2015 · 8:56 am

General George Washington enters the vaccine debate

America suffers from a plague! No, it’s not an epidemiological type, but a deadly strain of political cowardice and vacuous pandering. Here we are in 2015, with supposedly educated “leaders” from both sides of the American political spectrum parsing and prevaricating on the wisdom of having children vaccinated against illnesses, which can prove fatal.

Up first, Rand Paul tweets a photo of himself receiving a booster vaccination Tuesday, after stating on Monday (http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/rand-paul-vaccines-can-lead-mental-disorders-n298821) :

“In an interview with the network Monday, Paul said that vaccines are “a good thing” but that parents “should have some input” into whether or not their children must get them.

And he gave credence to the idea – disputed by the majority of the scientific community – that vaccination can lead to mental disabilities.

“I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines,” he said.”

Chris Christie also straddled the fence on the vaccine issue, before coming down on the vaccinate children side, but including that parents should have a choice.

Then, yesterday, Hillary Clinton, one never to pass up an opportunity to take gutless political positions, boldly proclaims she’s all for vaccinations, but in 2008 she was playing along with the totally unproven pop culture linkage of autism being caused by vaccines (full story here):

“But in the 2008 campaign, Clinton herself raised questions about vaccines. “I am committed to make investments to find the causes of autism, including possible environmental causes like vaccines,” Clinton said in the 2008 campaign, suggesting a possible connection between autism and vaccines.”

Now, “Grandmother Hillary knows best” tweeted :

“The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork. Let’s protect all our kids. #GrandmothersKnowBest“

Oh how I long for a strong, morally upright, forward thinking leader for America – in the image of my hero, General George Washington, who ordered the inoculation of the Continental Army for smallpox in 1777. He didn’t focus group test the matter, no, he made an informed decision to best protect his troops. George Washington survived small pox as a young man, despite small pox’s mortality rate of 30%.

In 1776 a small pox epidemic broke out in Boston, which was under siege by the British army. General Washington forbade refugees from Boston to come near his troops. From Mary V. Thompson, research historian at Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens:

“While Washington believed wholeheartedly in the efficacy of inoculation, in May of 1776 he ordered that no one in his army be inoculated; violations of this order would result in severe punishment. The summer campaigns were about to begin and Washington could not afford to have a large number of his men incapacitated for a month, vulnerable to attack by the British. Washington eventually instituted a system where new recruits would be inoculated with smallpox immediately upon enlistment. As a result soldiers would contract the milder form of the disease at the same time that they were being outfitted with uniforms and weapons. Soldiers would consequently be completely healed, inoculated, and supplied by the time they left to join the army.”

Really, this is 2015 and we’ve got politicians so afflicted by the disease, widely believed to cause atrophy of all functioning brain cells – full-blown political correctness. Really, it’s true, just judge for yourself, as you watch them slither along, unable to articulate coherent thoughts. Sorry, there is no hope of survival for those afflicted by this dreaded disease and like General Washington’s policy in 1776, avoiding contact with them offers the best hope that you can emerge unscathed, a free critical thinker, with your brain cells intact and functioning.

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Filed under American History, Culture Wars, General Interest, Military, Politics

February 1, 2015 · 1:12 pm

The “Clinton Mafia” strikes again

Martin Scorsese invested two years in trailing former President Bill Clinton, filming a documentary, that now sits stalled, due to Clinton handlers concerns about how the film might impact a Hillary Clinton 2016 run for President. Try not to laugh too much as you read this New York Times piece and then read Matthew Continetti’s piece at National Review Online. No matter how much Hillary’s faithful minders try to keep a short leash on Bill Clinton’s doggedly determined philandering and unsavory rolling in the mud with the likes of Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire pervert who kept underage girls in bondage, somehow Bill Clinton always manages to end up slipping out of his collar. Alas, it is what it is…

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/23/business/media/a-scorsese-documentary-on-bill-clinton-is-stalled.html

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/397622/martin-scorsese-fights-clinton-mafia-matthew-continetti/page/0/1

Democrats still fawn over this unscrupulous, vainglorious power (hungry) couple, but these “Run, Warren, run” murmurs hint at discontent within the ranks.

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January 31, 2015 · 8:58 am

Seeking “clarity”

“Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear.
I thought that you’d want what I want –
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don’t bother, they’re here.”

– Stephen Sondheim, “Send In The Clowns”

The sad Obama clown mobile rattles along the long dusty road in search of more “moderates” on the way to paradise. The Arab Spring sowed the seeds of only chaos and more sectarian strife in the Near East, but political ideologues in this administration keep the blinders firmly in place, refusing to let the light of reality wash away the dark myths within their carefully constructed “narratives”. The hope has certainly faded as the changes unfolded, and still the Obama administration clings to their non-violent and secular, moderate Muslim delusions, (not to be confused with those Pennsylvanians clinging to their guns and religion), afraid to turn the page on their misguided quest to find illusive Muslim moderates to wrest control of crumbled regimes and build some new sharia-compliant, democracies from the rubble. “Hope and change” and “Yes, we can” looks more like “be careful what you wish for”.

The Obama “narratives”, after six long years of repetition, read more like Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” than serious foreign policy.

“”The term ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ … is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam,” Clapper said.” – Fox News

Thanks to JK for forwarding the link to this latest sink hole the Obama State Department fell into – “Open Jihad Declared in Egypt Following State Dept. Meeting with Muslim Brotherhood-Aligned Leaders” (The Washington Free Beacon). Let’s just use a favorite Marie Harf, irrepressible State Department muppet, goal and seek “clarity” on the United States government official views on the Muslim Brotherhood. Quoting from the State Department February 12, 2014 Daily Press Briefing:

“The United States does not – has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. We have been very clear in Egypt that we will work with all sides and all parties to help move an inclusive process forward. We’ve also repeatedly, both publicly and privately, called on the interim government to move forward in an inclusive manner. That means talking to all parties, bringing them into the process. We’re not saying what the future government should look like specifically other than that it should be inclusive. That, of course, includes the Muslim Brotherhood. We will continue talking to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as part of our broad outreach to the different parties and groups there.”

Juxtapose government officialdom’s view that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a terrorist organization, from The Washington Free Beacon linked above, Patrick Poole states:

“Terrorism expert and national security reporter Patrick Poole said he was struck by the clarity of the Brotherhood’s call.

“It invokes the Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorist past, specifically mentioning the ‘special apparatus’ that waged terror in the 1940s and 1950s until the Nasser government cracked down on the group, as well as the troops sent by founder Hassan al-Banna to fight against Israel in 1948,” he said.

“It concludes saying that the Brotherhood has entered a new stage, warns of a long jihad ahead, and to prepare for martyrdom,” Poole said. “Not sure how much more clear they could be.””

The Taliban isn’t a terrorist entity either, just ask the Obama administration, because that would mean the Obama administration released FIVE terrorists from GITMO in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl – here again, we seek “clarity” – according to Bergdahl’s brothers in arms, Bergdahl is a deserter, alas, according to Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, “I tell the facts as we know them.”, Bowe Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction”.

Truth in advertising…..not

How about an expanded bio for Robert Kagan’s opinion piece, “Five reasons Netanyahu should not address Congress”, at the Washington Post:

“Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He writes a monthly foreign affairs column for The Post.”

Let’s add he is the spouse of Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasisan Affairs at the US State Department.

Here’s the most laughable part in his 5-point, shallowly disguised State Department talking points:

“U.S. congressional leaders probably should have given this invitation more thought. Although not a violation of the letter of the Constitution, it certainly seems to violate the idea that the nation speaks with one voice on foreign policy and that foreign leaders cannot choose whether they prefer to deal with Congress or the president.”

Would that the President could speak with one voice, we might have a coherent foreign policy, instead of this meandering, sloppily edited narrative coming from the White House. While the President fixates on parsing Islamist terrorism and turning the Taliban into something other than a terrorist entity, to mask the Bergdahl/Gitmo detainee swap as something other than a disastrous decision, Netanyahu can be counted on to give an inspiring, carefully researched, accurate, and riveting speech. And he doesn’t even need to rely on a teleprompter. That’s why the White House is trying to dissuade Netanyahu from speaking to Congress. He will succeed at swaying American public opinion and that is a threat to the Obama administration that mobilizes them, as no Islamist terrorism ever will.

Thanks Robert Kagan/Nuland, but a dose of honesty about your connections to the Obama administration rather than your Brookings Institution bio would have served readers better.

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Filed under Culture Wars, Foreign Policy, General Interest, Islam, Politics, Terrorism, Uncategorized

January 28, 2015 · 1:16 pm