Why Does The Military Love Ron Paul?

Think most military service members are donating to Mitt Romney, New Gingrich, and Rick Santorum?  Think again, they're giving their money to Ron Paul.  And why, you ask?  I imagine service members are tired of fighting endless wars.  Or maybe it has something to do with coming back home to no jobs?  Democrats say cut defense spending, Republicans scream back, "you're a terrorist".  Seriously?

The 2012 presidential race tells a different story: The lion's share of political contributions by servicemembers and defense industry workers is going to anti-war, "soft on Israel," also-ran candidate Ron Paul. In fact, the battle for their dollars isn't even close: Paul has raised at least $282,868 from individual active-duty servicemembers and Pentagon employees—more than four times what the other three Republican presidential candidates have raised, combined. (President Obama has fared slightly better, drawing $123,644 from that group, but still less than half of Paul's total. Full Story Here.

FA-18 Breaks Sound Barrier and Leaves Beach Goers in Shock and Awe

Want to see something really cool?  An FA-18 Super Hornet broke the sound barrier at an air show in New York in 2009.  To say the spectators were in "awe" is an understatement.  They were more like, "whoa" and in shock I think. LOL.  

The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets (F/A for Fighter/Attack).[ref]

The Honorable Wife or Honorable Soldiers?

The night before the burial of her husband 2nd Lt. James Cathey of the United States Marine Corps, killed in Iraq, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of him, and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it" she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted".

-Not sure what is more honorable: Being married to this faithful wife to the end or the Marine standing next to the casket watching over them both.

IN HONOR OF ALL OUR ARMED FORCES PLEASE SHARE THIS.

Message courtesy of Tumblr

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 004 - Military Veterans and Families

Today we are going to look at the broad policy of the Obama Administration's achievements concerning Military Veterans and Families. As you all know, when our veterans come back from a tour of duty or war they need a job to come back to.  And more often than naught, they come home to no jobs at all or find that the company they used to work for is no longer around.  

It's a difficult time for our military vets when the job they held in Iraq or Afghanistan is not part of our civilian way of life, and they find themselves having to learn new skills to find a job.  Furthermore, looking for a job is hard in a slowly recovering economy.

So WTF has Obama done?

WTF-8

Initiated a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses.

More than 1,000 franchise businesses have committed to hire 80,000 veterans and their spouses by 2014 -- with 5,000 of those jobs to be directed specifically at wounded vets... 

In brief remarks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a block away from the White House, Obama also said that 100 companies and organizations that joined the Military Spouse Employment Partnership a year ago have also committed to hiring 20,000 military spouses.  [Reference-1, Reference-2]

WTF-9

Improved benefits for veterans.

Obama noted a proposed 2010 budget which included a 15 percent increase in VA funding, the largest boost in more than 30 years. 

"Finally, this budget recognizes that our veterans deserve something more -- an equal chance to reach for the very dream they defend.  It's the chance America gave to my grandfather, who enlisted after Pearl Harbor and went on to march in Patton's Army.  When he came home, he went to college on the GI Bill, which made it possible for him and so many veterans like him to live out their own version of the American Dream.  And now it's our turn to help guarantee this generation the same opportunity that the greatest generation enjoyed by providing every returning service member with a real chance to afford a college education.  And by providing the resources to effectively implement the Post-9/11 GI Bill, that is what this budget does."  [Reference-1, Reference-2, Reference-3, Reference-4]

WTF-10

Worked to clear the backlog of veterans claims and streamline benefits to those who served.

The goal is to "cut those backlogs, slash those wait times and deliver your benefits sooner," Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2009 at their national convention in Phoenix. "America's commitments to its veterans are not just lines in a budget. They are bonds that are sacrosanct, a sacred trust we are honor-bound to uphold. And we will," he said.  

This goal has been hard for Obama to accomplish due to the number of  veterans coming out of Iraq.  It is not going to get any easier when we start pulling troops out of Afghanistan.  But we all know how we ended up in Iraq and Afghanistan don't we?  [Reference-1, Reference-2]

Please make sure to read Issue No. 005 tomorrow as I continue with WTF-11
Everyday on BLADE 7184

I Quote That - Love To Kill

Politics 101: Biggest Military Spenders

No... it can't be!  The United States.  Really?  We ask ourselves why this country is in the state that it is in, and this graph tells you why.  I posted a blog earlier this month, "United Bases of America" with a map showing the amount of military bases we have around the world.  And these are just the bases we are aware of.

I'm all for protecting our country, but do we have to protect everyone else?  Why can't they handle their own crap?  These are the amounts in 2010 alone.

Politics 101: United Bases of America

Is the United States worried it will no longer be the World's Superpower?  Not anytime soon, and this incredible infographic provided by the National Post, says otherwise.  It's actually quite fascinating.

Despite the pending troop withdrawals in Iraq and those in Afghanistan between now and 2014, the United States remains a superpower on a scale not seen since the days of the Caesars. With this in mind, the National Post’s Richard Johnson takes a look at the scale of America’s forces.

click to enlarge

U.S. Soldier Calls His Dad To Tell Him He's Gay

As many of you know by now, a policy that discriminated against "my family" was repealed yesterday, never to be heard from again.  When I say "my family" I mean to say my gay brothers.  This policy reprimanded gays who were in the U.S. Military.  Men who have sacrificed their lives for our country... Men who have fought to defend our freedom in countless wars.  They are no different than our friends and family who have given their lives to the U.S. Military.  

The Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy ended years of pain and heartache for many people in this country and around the world.  And one particular soldier stationed in Germany who had something to tell his father...

"Dad, I'm gay," the soldier uttered into his cellphone. "Always have been and always known forever," he adds.

How did his father react?  He tells the young soldier, "I still love you son."

And that was all I needed to start crying.  The soldier was relieved to hear his father assure him that this would not change their relationship.

I have friends whose parents have shunned them for being gay, disowned them for caring, or loving someone they can't live without.  I cannot begin to imagine how this would feel - it would utterly devastate me!  Furthermore, I don't know how a mother or father could hate their child so much, that they would kick them out of a family they've always loved and known.  I just don't understand it.  Is this what a Christian is like?  Is this what Jesus would do?

"Every Conservative is Racist to A Liberal".... Jeezus, Can Someone Please Help Lucas!

I worry about people sometimes; Really, I do.  Sometimes I worry about them so much, I think they lack the intellect to hold a smart conversation.  Keep in mind, this is only certain people.  As most of my readers know, I have loved politics for as long as I can remember.  Hell, I even held a mock election when I was in college, and everyone in the dormitory had fun participating in it.  Well, almost everyone. haha, It was fun nonetheless.

On the way home from work on Tuesday, I had the pleasure of listening to Randi Rhodes.  If you've never heard of her, you should.  She is one of the smartest women I know.  She tells it like it is, and doesn't hold back. I've learned a lot from her, and you could too.  In either case, she had a caller on Tuesday who, I swear, was the dumbest person I had ever heard.  Not only was he a bigot, but he had this fascination that Bush was the greatest President this country had ever had.  Really.  No, Really.

After 7 minutes and 42 seconds of going back and forth on why we can't trust Muslims (when almost everyone I know has a Muslim friend.  It's a religion people!  Every religion has people you can't trust!  Geez!), he begins to tell Randi this...

It's better to hear the call from the beginning, where the caller believes Muslims can't be trusted, but you can skip to 7:42 minutes if you like.

I posted the conversation from the 7:42 mark after the jump if you wish to follow along.

Land of the Lost: Inside the Heart of the Navy's Graveyard

I took Art as one of my subjects the 4 years I was in High School, and it was by far, one of my most favorite classes. So in no surprise to you, nothing fascinates me more than Art and Photography.  Better yet, if I could go back in time to capture images of history, I would.

Imagine waking into a building where it seemed like all the people disappeared, yet everything else in the building remained as it was. It sounds like a scary movie, doesn't it?  In my third issue of Land of the Lost, photographer, Scott Haefner takes us for an incredible adventure unlike any other - a warship graveyard.  At least until the government does away with it in 2017.  He and a group of fellow photographers managed to sneak onto these ships, and take photos that would capture anyone's imagination.  Over a 2 year period, they would spent "several days at a time, photographing, documenting, and even sleeping aboard them - often in the luxury of the Captain's quarters."














On his website, Scott describes in detail, their planning, the history, and the ships' environmental implications.  He also discusses their scouting mission, boarding the ships, and their final trip.

From his website:

For decades, dozens of forgotten Navy and merchant ships have been corroding in Suisun Bay, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. These historic vessels—the Mothball Fleet—served their country in four wars: WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. After a decade of impasse, the ghost fleet is slowly dwindling as the ships are towed out one-by-one for scrapping. About 15 retired ships are already gone; by 2017, the entire fleet will be just a memory.

Scott's website is truly amazing to view and read.  If you're a history buff, in the military, or a veteran, you'd definitely get a rise out of it.  Check it out here.

Post Secret Fridays - Issue 062

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

 See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.

Memorial Day - Think About It!!!

I actually posted this in May of 2007, but there is no time like the present to re-post one of my old posts, especially in a momentous occasion such as this. I did a few edits, due to it being 4 years since 2007.  I'm so happy I found it; it took me almost an hour to find it on my old MySpace Blogs.

In times like these, Memorial Day shouldn't be treated like most national holidays. It deserves better.

For far too many people, Memorial Day is defined more by backyard cookouts and department store sales than by the memory of the servicemen and women who died defending this country. In this way, the day is much like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas - a national holiday diminished by commercialism and indifference.

This is no appeal to partisanship. The men and women of our armed forces are citizen soldiers, not members of sectarian brigades. They have sworn an oath to the nation, not to the Republican or Democratic parties. And they do their duty regardless of which political party controls the White House.

So it shouldn't matter whether you support or oppose U.S. involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan. On this Memorial Day, we all ought to honor the more than 5,000 Americans who have died in this conflict.

As Abraham Lincoln said of the Civil War dead in his Gettysburg Address, they gave their "last full measure of devotion" to this nation. So it isn't asking too much for us to take a day to remember them.

Ironically, while many of the politicians debating the U.S. role in Iraq and Afghanistan are well-known to us, the names of most of our war dead are not. For most Americans, they're just numbers in a growing list of men and women who didn't return home alive.

We owe it to their families and friends to pause on Memorial Day - not for a grilled hamburger or a department store sale - but to praise the courage and sacrifices of those who have died in Iraq. The debate that now rages between the Republican White House and the Democratically controlled Congress over U.S. involvement in Iraq shouldn't blind us to this responsibility.

If ever there was a time for the people of this country to find common ground, to stand together and put aside our differences, this Memorial Day is it.

I Want To Visit Ft. Campbell - Pretty Please, Mr. President

A Seal member preparing to capture top insurgents in 2007 near Fallujah, Iraq. Members of Team 6 are the elite of the elite.

If this picture is any indication of what our Seals look like, I want to book my next flight out there.  Like Yesterday!

President Obama will be meeting with the Navy Seals who killed Osama bin Laden on his trip to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, and with service members who just recently returned from Afghanistan - the date is unknown at this time. 

 "The men, hailed as heroes across the country, will march in no parades. They serve in what is unofficially called Seal Team 6, a unit so secretive that the White House and the Defense Department do not directly acknowledge its existence. Its members have hunted down war criminals in Bosnia, fought in some of the bloodiest battles in Afghanistan and shot three Somali pirates dead on a bobbing lifeboat during the rescue of an American hostage in 2009." - The New York Times

"Obama and Seals Team 6 Should Be Tried for International War Crimes"

This is what I had the pleasure of listening to on the way home from work yesterday.  Quotes from Republicans on talk radio who want Obama imprisoned, because we all know a majority of blacks are in jail - at the same time giving credit to George Bush for this victory.  

As always, I try to respect both sides when it comes to a tragedy or a major piece of legislation is accomplished.  And I continue to do this until something crazy comes up, and sure enough the craziness is out again.

 

"It's ironic that Obama is our first black president and now he'll be in Jail as well,"  

"Seal Team 6 and Obama should be tried for war crimes for violations of international law," 

"George Bush accomplished what he was set out to do - this is George Bush's victory," 

"We went in, took an unarmed man down in front of his wife, where is the respect? They didn't even give him a chance, they just shot him in the head, pop, pop, pop," 

"Obama invaded a country without permission; this is a crime."

"He (Obama) is worse than Osama bin Laden ever was," 

What's with the "unarmed" quote?  Are you people really that stupid?  3000 people were unarmed when the planes hit the two towers, and you want us to give Osama bin Laden a chance to run?  Seriously?  And the notion that we should try our military men, is beyond crazy.  Obviously I can't post everything I listened to on the radio, but during the course of one show a man comes on and says  "Obama went in and killed an unarmed man, who's to say he won't go in to Libya and kill Kadahfi?  He (Obama) thinks he can just go in and kill whoever he wants, he can kill Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, he can kill any of us now"

Seriously people?

I don't know if you recall but in March of 2002, on the 13th to be exact, George Bush offered the following statement, “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority. I am truly not that concerned about him.”

Yet, as you will see in the videos below, President Obama made a campaign promise to capture this evil man.  He was going to make sure to let the American people know he was out to find Osama bin Laden, and it didn't matter if he was in Pakistan, he would go in and kill the bastard.  At first, he debated his fellow democrats who said it was wrong for him to just go in and kill Osama, and with a scathing response to all of them who voted for the war in Iraq, he gave his answer.  In the second video, he corrected John McCain on the issue of the "invasion" of Pakistan.

Answer me this, did we not want Osama bin Laden killed? Dead? Rotting in Hell?

Why are the Republicans spinning this?  I know, and most of you do too, this would not be an issue had it been any other person but a black man running our country - this is a sure bet.

The Situation Room: Photos and Video Included

 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

I cannot, for the life of me, imagine being in a situation where I had to make a decision, and hope things turned out as I planned.  For Jimmy Carter it was the failed hostage mission in Iran, for Ronald Reagan it was the fall of the Soviet Empire and Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion, for George H. Bush, it was the First Gulf War, for Bill Clinton it was Bosnia, Kosovo and Somalia, for George W. Bush it was 9/11, the hanging of Saddam Hussein, and Katrina, and for Barack Obama it was the BP Oil spill, and Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan just after midnight yesterday.  There are plenty more situations, but these are just a few off the top of my head.

Yesterday, the White House released photos of the situation in Pakistan taking place before them. While the National Security team sat in the Situation Room they listened to audio and video, much like the video (right) of a soldier in Afghanistan with a camera on his helmet.  

I can only imagine what was going through their minds as they saw Osama bin Laden looking straight at them and being shot in the chest and the left eye.  It had to be one of the most dramatic visuals ever captured on camera.  Just looking at Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton (top picture), with a hand over her mouth, makes me think they either saw a possible failed attempt when a helicopter crashed yesterday during the attack, or they saw the actual assassination taking place.  In either case, it had to be truly emotional for all of them.

I commend everyone who took part in this mission, from our brave soldiers on the ground - to our National Security Team - to our Commander in Chief.  They all worked together over the last six months, and managed to come out victorious in the end.  

I have always loved my country, but I love it even more today!

More amazing White House photos here. 

Where Were You On That Cloudy September Day in 2001?

"I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children." 

These were the words broadcast late last night, as Ryan and I watched President Obama explain what had just happened. He had given the order to kill Osama bin Laden after months of secret intelligence briefings kept under wraps from the American people and the world.  

"Last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden," Obama said. "It was far from certain. And it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we could locate bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside Pakistan." 

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," the president continued. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body."

I moved to Houston from Corpus Christi on August 16, 2001, and in less than one month's time, one of the most memorable events in our nation's history took place.  I remember sitting down as a PBX operator at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center when the news broke out, "the towers in New York have been hit by a missile!" someone yelled.  At that moment, everyone jumped and ran to the main lobby to see the real-time events on the big screen.

We knew that one of the Twin Towers in New York had been hit, but no one was sure what it was.   A few minutes later, the world watched unimaginably in shock, as another plane hit the second tower.  You couldn't hear a pin drop as everyone gasped and covered their mouths - our eyes open, and our hearts beating a mile a minute.  

Tears ran down our faces as we saw the images of people jumping for their lives and the anguish people were feeling while this was happening before our very eyes.  The last time I felt so heartbroken was back in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger, with all it's crew on board, exploded.   

Never in a million years did I expect another horrific moment to happen before my very eyes.

"It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history," Obama said. "The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction."

"The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts," Obama said.

 "Tonight we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counter-terrorism professionals who have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome," Obama said. "The American people do not see their work nor know their names, but tonight they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."

And I couldn't have said it better myself when Obama thanked our U.S. Military for Sunday's operation that they, "exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of burden since that September day."

Who Can Do It Better Than Britney Spears?

When our Military can do a Britney Spears video better than Britney Spears can, you know our men and women in uniform are doing something right.

Seriously though, Kudos to those guys and gals in Afghanistan who are doing their best to stay focused and survive those dreadful summers and those bitter winters; And if by singing Britney's song, "Hold It Against Me" can help them stay focused - then more power to them!

There is no greater honor in proving your love for America than by serving in our military.  I honor those who have served, and continue to do so every day, do you?

The Civil War Turns 150 Today.

I have always loved American and World history; The Civil War especially. 

150 years ago today, the American Civil War commenced when shots were fired at Fort Sumter.  And while the war took place so long ago, the issues involving that time still linger today, and I presume it will for many hundreds of years hereafter.  The Daily Beast has a great collection of Civil War photography, including portraits of Lincoln, Grant, and Lee.

click to see gallery

You see, we are not a nation who's been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years like China, Russia, or England; Hell, our nation only turned 234 years old last July.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll released today, roughly one in four Americans said they sympathize more with the Confederacy than the Union, a figure that rises to nearly four in ten among white Southerners.

When asked the reason behind the Civil War, whether it was fought over slavery or states' rights, 52 percent of all Americas said the leaders of the Confederacy seceded to keep slavery legal in their state, but a sizeable 42 percent minority said slavery was not the main reason why those states seceded.

"The results of that question show that there are still racial, political and geographic divisions over the Civil War that still exists a century and a half later," CNN Polling Director Holland Keating said.

When broken down by political party, most Democrats said southern states seceded over slavery, independents were split and most Republicans said slavery was not the main reason that Confederate states left the Union.

Republicans were also most likely to say they admired the leaders of the southern states during the Civil War, with eight in 10 Republicans expressing admiration for the leaders in the South, virtually identical to the 79 percent of Republicans who admired the northern leaders during the Civil War.

We will have a divided nation long after we're gone, this is what will make our country one of the richest histories in the world.  Let us remember that in this nation of ours, we can agree to disagree.

How Many Of You Knew?

I'm writing this post for the countless friends, family, schoolmates, co-workers, and acquaintances I've encountered in my life and will always be remembered in my heart and soul.

Imagine yourself being 16 years old and wanting to do something valuable for your country, but couldn't.  Well that's exactly how Frank Buckles felt when he lied to the United States Army, because he wanted to be a part of the Great War.  

Out of the 5 million Americans who served in the military during World War I, he was the only one left, until a week ago.  Buckles passed away 3 weeks after his 110th birthday at his farm in West Virginia.

"I knew there'd be only one survivor someday. I didn't think it would be me," he stated.
 
Buckles and two other veterans, a 109 Australian man and a 110 year old British woman were believed to be the only ones left of the 65 million who served.

I conclude that no matter what your political beliefs may be, our military have done an exemplary job of protecting our nation.  We owe them a debt of gratitude and respect; many don't seem to understand how important these men and women really are.

Mr Buckles, Thank you for your undying contribution.