Thursday, July 25, 2013

JBER CO orders Chaplain to remove religious message

Tod Starnes of Fox News reported today that COL Brian P. Duffy, the base commander of Joint Base Elmendorf-Ft. Richardson, Alaska, ordered chaplain LTCOL Kenneth Reyes to remove a message titled "No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains gave all in WWII" in a column he had written for the "Chaplain’s Corner" on the base website. The reason: "out of respect for those who considered its title offensive . . . " The column was removed within five hours after publication.

As reported by Breitbart’s Ken Klukowski, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) had contacted COL Duffy about what they described as Reyes’ ". . . use of bigoted, religious supremacist phrase" meaning "no atheists in foxholes" attributed to Catholic Father William Cummings at Bataan during WWII.

In 1954, during a speech, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower confirmed Father Cumming’s comment: " "I am delighted that our veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our awareness of God in our daily lives. In battle, they learned a great truth that there are no atheists in the foxholes."

Allegedly, 41 airmen at JBER complained about the title to Chaplain Reyes’s column, leading to the attack by the MRFF. COL Duffy has "profusely" apologized to the MRFF for what the MRFF described as LTCOL Reyes’s "anti-secular diatribe."

MRFF is now demanding that LTCOL be punished: "Faith based hate, is hate all the same . . . LTCOL Reyes must be appropriately punished."

MRFF is atheist activist Mikey Weinstein’s creation. Weinstein has been emphatic in his hatred of Christianity. He has deemed Christians "fundamentalist monsters" who seek to impose a reign of "theocratic terror" and the gospel as "spirtual rape". He has stated publically that Christians are enemies of the Constitution and their beliefs constitute sedition and treason. This is the man that SECDEF Hodges has met with and with whom the Obama DOD has consulted with over the last four years who has further stated that there is no legal bar to suppressing religious free speech in the military.

Congress has responded with a bill providing free practice of religion in the military. The Obama Administration is diametrically opposed to such legislation.

This is an incredible assault on the 1st Amendment and upon the faith of the majority of the troops who serve this country. LTCOL Reyes column is accessed by all who served at JBER and any who may visit the site from anywhere in the world. To believe that the title is an affront when the title plainly states it is about chaplains, military religious leaders, is simply outrageous. Apparently, COL Duffy has little understanding of the 1st Amendment.

The current Chaplain’s corner has a piece on keeping one’s financial house in order by Army CPT James Duran: http://www.jber.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123355549

COL Brian Duffy should be sacked and transferred to Shemya Is. where his primary duty should be to stand at attention each morning, noon, and at 1700 and to shout the Bill of Rights in his best command voice to the world. Then, he should be given a brush and a bucket and told to remove the sea gull excrement from the rocks. A sentence of six months of such duty would be appropriate. This man absolutely does not understand his soldiers nor his responsibilities as base commander. He is a puppet who puts his political masters above his oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Atheists and homosexuals are the root of this malignancy in our military. This is the outcome of the liberal experiment: "sit down and shut up, if you believe in God, are a patriot, are believe in heterosexual marriage and family, believe in the sanctity of life and of the unborn, and believe that our national borders should be inviolate, that our sovereignty and our culture are to be respected.

For more information:

http://www.jber.af.mil/index.asp

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/chaplain-ordered-to-remove-religious-essay-from-military-website.html

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/07/24/Military-Censors-Christian-Chaplain-Atheists-Call-for-Punishment

http://www.frcblog.com/

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Zimmerman-Martin Debate: the 17year old as a child myth debunked

Michael Yon, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, is a writer.  He is noted for his combat dispatches from Iraq and Afghanistan where he was imbedded with OEF forces.  He has reported on U.S. and British troops and operations in country at the spear point with these troops.  Yon’s reporting has been accurate and has led to the removal of at least one general officer for incompetence.
 
In 2011 and 2012, Michael Yon’s reporting also highlighted the Army’s outdated and controversial medevac policy of requiring armed escort for unarmed Army MEDEVAC helos.  The U.S. Army is the only member of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that operates unarmed casualty evacuation helicopters.  Yet, the USAF operates their armed HH60G Pedros for CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) missions and for MEDEVAC missions when the weather is too bad for the MEDEVAC UH60s to do the job.  On 18 September, 2011 Yon watched the unnecessary death of SPC Chazray Clark unfold as Clark was awaiting evacuation from a cold LZ.  Clark had been severely injured in an IED explosion.  Clark died just as the MEDEVAC helo reached Kandahar 69 minutes after the 9-line message requesting MEDEVAC for Clark was sent to the Bandit Tactical Operations Center (TOC). Yon was with 4th Battalion 4th Regiment 1st CAV (Bandit Troop) on an operation near Layadira Afghanistan that morning.  Since, a citizen’s advisory committee has been working to change this policy, suggesting arming the Army’s UH60s used for MEDEVAC missions, and removing the red cross denoting an unarmed helo.  BG Patrick Brady of RVN MEDEVAC fame has also given his criticism of the current Army MEDEVAC system.

Yon’s recent piece on his online dispatches points out that although 17 years of age, Trayvon Martin was eligible for military service.  Yon then goes on to point out the many examples of teens who joined the U.S. military at 17 and even younger.  Men who served their country with distinction and honor, including earning the nation’s highest award for valor in their teens.

PFC Milton Olive III, age 18, United States Army, B Company, 2 Battalion, 503 Infantry, 173 ABN Brigade, was awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself by falling on a grenade on an operation near Phu Cuong, RVN on 22 October, 1965 to prevent his fellow soldiers from being injured or killed.  PFC Olive III was a black American soldier.  Olive’s citation reads:
  “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Olive was a member of the 3d Platoon of Company B, as it moved through the jungle to find the Viet Cong operating in the area. Although the platoon was subjected to a heavy volume of enemy gunfire and pinned down temporarily, it retaliated by assaulting the Viet Cong positions, causing the enemy to flee. As the platoon pursued the insurgents, Pfc. Olive and four other soldiers were moving through the jungle together with a grenade was thrown into their midst. Pfc. Olive saw the grenade, and then saved the lives of his fellow soldiers at the sacrifice of his by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body. Through his bravery, unhesitating actions, and complete disregard for his safety, he prevented additional loss of life or injury to the members of his platoon. Pfc. Olive's extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Instead of remembering heroes like PFC Olive III, there are acts of violence and destruction in the name of Trayvon Martin.  There are “knock out games” and “polar bear hunting” to encourage violence and disrespect in black youth.  Yet, there are so many who serve, so many who have families, who contribute and live law abiding and honorable lives.  No mention of them, just Trayvon Martin.

There is a park at 500 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago named after Milton Olive III.

To President Barack Hussein Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson: Where are the parades and marches in HONOR of PFC Milton Olive III?

The youngest Medal of Honor recipient was Willie Johnson, a Drummer Boy in the Union Army in the Civil war serving with Company D of the 3d Vermont Infantry.  Johnson enlisted at age 11 on 11 December, 1861.  He was 5ft tall.  His father was also a member of the same regiment.  Johnson was cited for bravery during the Seven Days of Retreat during the Penninsula Campaign from 25 June-1 July 1862.

2LT Audie Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18 after being turned down the USMC and the Army paratroopers for being underweight and too small.  He had 5 years of schooling and was orphaned at age 16.  He was 5ft 5in tall and weighed 110 lbs upon enlistment.  Audie Murphy earned the Medal of Honor for a defensive action on 26 January, 1945 in the Bois de Riedwihr near Holzwihr, France.  He led the 18 survivors of B Company against vastly superior German forces.  Audie  Murphy was the most decorated U.S. soldier to come out of WWII.  Murphy wrote that “War is a nasty business, to be avoided if possible, and to be gotten over with as soon as possible.  It’s not the sort of job that deserves medals.”  Murphy went on to a film career after the war.

Yon gives many examples of young Americans who decided to serve their country at a young age.  Some, dying at a young age.  Many of those listed went on to become notables in this country’s history.

Michael Yon points that Scott Halverston became the youngest member the U.S. Navy Seals at age 17.   No one has since matched that feat.

How many black Americans remember much less honor PFC Milton Olive III’s sacrifice for his fellow soldiers and his country?

Contrast the heroes above who have served and sacrificed for this country with the protests over Trayvon Martin’s death.  The race baiters, liberal media and liberal politicians march in protest to a trial that was conducted under the most intense media and political scrutiny and still howl for a different outcome in the face of the facts.  They continually mischaracterize Martin as a mere “child” who was unfairly killed, instead of the 6ft 2in gansta wanna be of questionable character that he was.

The question the parents of Trayvon Martin need to ask themselves, given the number of black American soldiers who’ve sacrificed their lives in the service of their country and those former service members and those still serving, why did they not point Trayvon in that direction rather than the path to destruction that he was most certainly headed down the night of his encounter with George Zimmerman?

Martin was already bragging about his tendency towards violence, and his drug use is a fact.  His Skittles and tea the night of his death were not childish treats, as the media would like to proclaim, but part of the ingredients for a drug called “lean” or “purple drank”, popular with the hip hop culture.  All he needed to finish the concoction was Robitussin or another prescription cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine.

Yon’s piece paints a different picture for what Martin could have become.  He further shatters the media myth that a 17 year old is a ‘child’.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
MICHAEL YON’s Race Baiting and Lies in America
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/race-baiting-and-lies-in-america.htm
ARMY’s MEDEVAC POLICY:
http://medevacmatters.org
PFC MILTON OLIVE III:
Information about PFC Milton Olive can be found at:   http://corregidor.org/heritage_battalion/moh/olive.html
http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent?file=ML_olive_bkp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_L._Olive,_III
http://aavw.org/served/homepage_olive.html
http://www.virtualwall.org/do/OliveML01a.htm
http://theirfinesthour.blogspot.com/2011/10/tfh-1022-pfc-milton-l-olive-iii-usa.html
Willie Johnson:
http://www.medalofhonornews.com/2011/02/columnist-doug-dickerson-recently.html
http://vermontcivilwar.org/museum/moh/bios.php?input=3349
http://www.civilwarnews.com/archive/articles/2012/may/moh-051206.htm
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs013/1102264498897/archive/1110285733162.html
2LT Audie Murphy:
http://www.audiemurphy.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy
http://www.texastribune.org/2013/07/18/lawmakers-trying-again-award-medal-audie-murphy/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/18/3506979/house-moves-to-honor-wwii-hero.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2011/06/audie-murphy-dies-in-plane-crash-june-1-1971.html
http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/audie_murphy_study_guide/audie_murphy_information/the-biography-of-audie-mu.shtml

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Non-disclosure agreements for Benghazi survivors; COL George Bristol is not retired

The survivors of the attack on the U.S. Mission at Benghazi on September 11, 2012 have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding their knowledge of the events. Aside from withholding the location of these people so that they cannot be served with Congressional subpoenas, the NDAs place the State Department, CIA and private contractor employees in jeopardy of civil and criminal repercussions were any to testify and divulge what they know. Such extreme, and cynical measures to avoid obeying the law and to keep the facts of the attack secret is simply outrageous. However, this conduct has become the hallmark of the Obama Administration.

The conduct on the part of the Obama Administration cannot be interpreted as other than a blatant attempt to conceal, misdirect, and otherwise avoid Congressional oversight. This is a direct reflection upon the integrity of the President of the United States.
 President Barack Hussein Obama promised a transparent and open administration. Thus far, as with Obamacare, the economy, and his foreign policy, he has failed. His conduct with Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal, the seizure of reporters’ phone records just to mention a few of the many scandals uncovered regarding the conduct of this President’s Administration, certainly render him vulnerable to an impeachment move by the House after the 2014 elections.

In another interesting revelation, COL George Bristol who was the former Commander Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara during the attack on the Benghazi Mission has not retired after all. The Pentagon had previously reported to Congress that COL Bristol had retired and that they did have any information regarding his whereabouts. "Col. Bristol was not invited by Congress to testify before he retired," stated Air Force Maj. Robert Firman, a DOD SECDEF spokesperson. "The DoD has cooperated fully with Congress and the Accountability Review Board since the beginning of this investigation, and we will continue to do so." COL Bristol’s retirement from the USMC is not effective until 1 August.

The lies of the Obama Administration continue to accumulate.

COL Bristol’s testimony before Congress might clarify the issue of whether or not the U.S. military was ordered to stand down rather than go to the aid of those under attack in Benghazi that night. Further, COL Bristol could certainly clarify what ground assets might have been available to send to Benghazi that night.

COL Bristol’s unit was involved in missions in 12 African countries. Regarding the rising threat in Africa from Islam during the change of command ceremony for his unit, COL Bristol stated " . . . an evil has descended on Africa and it is up to us to stomp it out . . . Africa is not the next ridgeline. It is where the enemy is now. And, we are going to do something about it."

COL Kenneth Sipperly, USAF, succeeded COL Bristol as commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara on 13 March, 2013.

COL Bristol has been a sniper and martial artist. He is credited with establishing the USMC martial arts training program. COL Bristol spent 38 years in the USMC with 18 years overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Serbia. He accumulated over 60 months of combat tours during this period.

Congress needs to continue its pursuit of the truth in the Benghazi affair, the dead Americans deserve better than the cover up undertaken by the Obama Administration to cover cynical treatment of this travesty.

For more information:

http://www.stripes.com/news/europe/special-operations-in-africa-task-force-changes-commanders-1.211699

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130717/NEWS05/307170039/Despite-Pentagon-claims-Marine-colonel-sought-Benghazi-investigation-not-yet-retired

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/congressman-benghazi-survivors-forced-sign-non-disclosure-agreements_739975.html

http://www.examiner.com/video/benghazi-attack-footage

http://www.examiner.com/article/benghazi-a-plot-to-exchange-prisoners

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Senator Begich responds to my letter about S. 744 Illegal Alien Amnesty

Follows is Senator Mark Begich's response to my letter regarding my opposition to S.744.
Read his letter, then read my post in this blog which follows post.  I believe our Congress suffers a complete disconnect with the desires of the American people.  Begich is up for reelection in 2014.  He is trying to rebrand himself as a blue dog Dem.  He is not a conservative anything.  His response shows an absolute disregard for the law, the federal government's constitutional obligations regarding border security and national security.--LDW



"July 11, 2013
 
Dear Mr. Wood:
Thank you for contacting me about S.744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. 

As you may know, S.744 passed the Senate on June 27 with strong bipartisan support. I know we disagree, but I voted for this bill because it includes the right mix of increased border security, enforcement on employers, and a clear path to citizenship for immigrants who have played by the rules. 

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what this bill would do, and I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight. This bill does not provide amnesty to illegal aliens, which is automatic citizenship for people who are in our country illegally.  This bill is far from a free pass.  To begin with, potential immigrants must pass a background check, pay any back taxes, and pay penalty fees. The bill also contains specific triggers which ensure that illegal immigrants cannot receive green cards until at least 10 years after the enactment of the bill and clear measures on border security are in place, making the total pathway to citizenship at least 13 years. 

S.744 takes unprecedented steps to secure our border and make sure illegal immigrants can't get jobs.  This bill contains funding for more fencing and security equipment, along with an additional 20,000 Border Patrol agents.  This surge more than doubles the current force and allows the Border Patrol access to the tools they need to do their jobs more effectively.  In addition, S.744 will keep illegal immigrants from getting jobs in the first place by requiring employers to use an employment verification system known as E-Verify.

Finally, this legislation cracks down on those who overstay their welcome in our country.  With 40 percent of illegal immigrants resulting from visa overstays, the bill requires the federal government to begin the removal process for 90 percent of visa overstays and will hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable for failing to enforce the law. 

Thank you again for contacting me on immigration reform.  Please feel free to contact me again on this or any other subject. 

Sincerely,
Mark Begich
U.S. Senator
"