Cop The Truth

Veteran's Day

May God bless you all. You are not forgotten.

Happy Birthday Jarheads!

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Marines were born. 

234 years later, they have evolved into one of the finest fighting forces on the face of the Earth. They aren't Army Paratroopers, mind you, but they sure try hard! Their contribution to our freedom can never be fully measured.

So happy birthday, Marines. Thank God for you. And thank you for your service to our great nation.

Impeach Congress

Ah, what a refreshing look into the inner workings of the United States Government yesterday was! It's astounding to me that our elected "leaders" would ignore the will of the majority of Americans, completely disregard what's best for the future of this nation and  make backroom deals with one another - late at night and on the weekend, no less - in order to pass legislation that will utterly, if passed, bankrupt this nation. Thankfully, the entire episode was a colossal waste of time. The Senate will never act as poorly.

If you think this bill is about improving healthcare in America, you're sadly mistaken. It is about one thing, and one thing only: power. Specifically, the power of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. With no bill, their political clout is gone, and it's likely the end for Pelosi and Reid. Passing one, however, means that they can continue to pursue their Liberal agenda for a few more months, with the support of the other Liberal nuts who are funding them.

I wonder what it takes to buy another politician? What do you bribe them with, Mr. President? More power? More taxpayer money? Do you promise to make their friends rich, as you have made your friends rich? Offer support for some pet project that might help them get re-elected? A few rounds of golf or a stay in the White House? And can any of them look you in the eye when they accept your bribes?

Looking at these people makes me sick. Many of them are facing ethics investigations that will be quietly swept under the rug by their friends in the "Ethics Committee." An astounding number of them are millionaires, and add millions more to their bankrolls every year. They all are liars, more concerned with staying in office than in serving the people of this nation. They are snobs and crooks, drunks and drug addicts, opportunists and con men, totally disconnected with the average citizen that they are supposed to be speaking for. And I, for one, am tired of it.

To suggest that one party is better than the other is absurd. Clearly, any of them can be purchased for the right price. And more just like them are infesting the upper echelons of agencies like the FBI, the CIA, DHS, etc. When the heads of these agencies place political positioning over their professional responsibilities, as is clearly happening now, we are doomed. The one-time monitors of such corruption, the media, have now gone the same way.

It's a scary day when the government - and those who run it - can do anything they want without fear of repercussion or challenge. When they deny us the truth, when they lie, when they threaten those who speak out against them, when they ignore the demands of our citizens, when they spend our money without a care, we must be the ones to hold them responsible.

Be informed. Speak out. Fight back. Speak the truth. Vote your conscious. Never give up. If you don't, our children will know a nation radically different from the one we grew up in.

Support Our Troops this Christmas

The USPS has posted their annual guidelines for delivery by Christmas of packages being sent to troops overseas. Get those packages in the mail and let our troops know that they aren't forgotten this Christmas.

If you don't know any deployed servicemembers but would still like to share your love with them this holiday season, here are some other options:

The USO accepts donations and provides a variety of services to our troops overseas. Love those guys!

Operation Gratitude-Support Our Troops sends CARE packages to our troops and is another great organization.

AnySoldier.com also sends packages overseas.

You can also donate to my favorites: the Wounded Warrior Project or the Special Operations Warrior Foundation or the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Finally, the Project Valour IT Fundraiser continues through Veteran's Day. Visit the website and make a donation to TEAM ARMY! Remember, every little bit helps.

Give 'til it hurts, people!

Call Hasan What He Is: a Terrorist

While President Obama's initial response to the shootings at Fort Hood yesterday was both troubling and woefully inadequate, he is right in saying that we should wait for all of the facts to come in before we jump to conclusions about what happened. Maybe he actually learned something from the last time he made that mistake.

I find it unbelievable, however, that people like the Fort Hood commander, Lieutenant-General Robert Cone, would say that there's nothing to suggest that this was a terrorist attack.

Hasan complained about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and reportedly expressed support for those Muslims who attack U.S. troops with suicide bombs. He apparently posted on and frequented radical Islamic internet sites. He shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he began his attack. He clearly made preparations to die before he started shooting - whether by his own hand or at the hands of responding police, we may never know - indicative of a suicide attack. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck... well, you know.

Although terrorism may not have been the only factor in the attacks, Hasan's radical beliefs clearly played a major role. Maybe he didn't want to go to Afghanistan, but why shoot 50 people as protest? Maybe he was berated for being a Muslim but why punish those who hadn't offended him at all? Maybe he was disturbed and depressed by what he heard while counseling wounded soldiers - a serious problem among mental health professionals - but why punish the innocent for that? Hopefully, the ongoing investigation will yield some answers.

Finally, we must agree that the U.S. Army bureaucracy has one again failed our soldiers. How could this clearly troubled doctor, who was reportedly under surveillance by the FBI for the last six months, still be allowed to interact with some of our most vulnerable troops? How could we allow him to continue to espouse his anti-war views to our wounded, many of whom had just suffered catastrophic wounds and injuries, at the most critical time in their lives? This is completely inexcusable.

I also find it sadly ironic that the Army brass gave us a talk during one of the press conferences today about the strides we are making in treating our returning soldiers with PTSD. Are you fucking kidding me? How long has it been since we invaded Afghanistan? How long have the suicide and domestic abuse numbers been climbing? Better still, how long ago was the Vietnam War? And we still haven't learned those lessons? Shame on us and shame on the Army for sending these people off to fight and die, yet not doing everything we can to heal them when they return to us.

While Hasan's radical beliefs may not have been the only factor in yesterdays events, we certainly can't pretend that they aren't related. He hated the war, he hated our warriors and he made that hatred clear. Emotionally disturbed, clearly, but his planned attack was against those whom he hated most, American soldiers, and he clearly intended to die in the end. He offered a prayer to his God and then carried out the worst attack on a CONUS base in U.S. history.

Make no mistake, Hasan is a terrorist. Now let's set aside politics and hold him responsible for it.

America's Youth Unfit for Military Service?

I found this piece interesting.

The latest Army statistics show a stunning 75 percent of military-age youth are ineligible to join the military because they are overweight, can't pass entrance exams, have dropped out of high school or had run-ins with the law.

So many young people between the prime recruiting ages of 17 and 24 cannot meet minimum standards that a group of retired military leaders is calling for more investment in early childhood education to combat the insidious effects of junk food and inadequate education.

That's an astounding number, especially when you consider the current fiscal and job crisis that would traditionally see enlistment rates rise as unemployed Americans seek employment where it's always available.

The overweight thing seems easily remedied: we need a special fat kid boot camp where enlistees can start eating right and attending PT sessions until they are deemed fit to attend traditional boot camp with other recruits. Fail that and you're on your own, with no one to blame but yourself. Besides, we all know that there's nothing like boot camp to help you drop a few pounds!

The other three issues are much more problematic. The educational issues can be remedied, but have to be pursued by the potential enlistee on their own. We can't be granting waivers to people who fail to meet the absolute minimum standard. And believe me, the entrance exams aren't really that tough.

The military issues criminal arrest waivers to more and more volunteers in an effort to meet recruiting goals, but when we do so, we increasingly end up with soldiers who are gang members, drug addicts and thieves. The numbers of drug and gang related incidents have skyrocketed since 9-11 and there are huge numbers of gang members now serving on active duty. When they get out, they return home, rejoin their gangs, which in turn benefit from members with military training that they can share. However, it should also be noted that there are success stories, as well, so this just has to be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Drugs and gangs are also a cultural issue that cannot be addressed by the military. Too much MTV and hip-hop, not enough parenting, ever-present peer pressure and the worshiping of "heroes" who all too often are abusers themselves lend to a problem that military service can never fix. Hell, when a drud addict can grow up to be POTUS, when politicians on the Left are trying to legalize drugs as we speak, how can you convince your kids that drugs are bad for you?

Society, parents, teachers, all need to take a greater interest in our kids. They need to know that serving their country in the military is a noble and honorable thing. Weed out the bad ones, surely, but do everything possible to recruit and keep the good ones. The future of our country depends upon it.

RINO Scozzafava is a Double Loser

After withdrawing from the New York 23rd Congressional District special election race because Conservatives refused to back her far-left positions, Rino Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava threw a fit and has chosen to support Liberal candidate Bill Owens, instead.

"It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same."

"It’s not in the cards for me to be your representative, but I strongly believe Bill is the only candidate who can build upon John McHugh's lasting legacy in the U.S. Congress. John and I worked together on the expansion of Fort Drum and I know how important that base is to the economy of this region."

Clearly, this proves what Conservatives like Michelle Malkin have been saying about Scozzafava all along. It also illustrates why I won't give another penny to the Republican Party until they stop forcing these pathetic - in this case, bailout, gay marriage, abortion, tax, ACORN-friendly, just to name a few - RINO candidates on us. Get back to the basics of what made our Conservative Party great, or you can forget about my support. And my money.

Why doesn't Scozzafava complete her Arlen Specter transformation and just switch to the Democratic party, where she clearly longs to be, and save herself the embarrassment? At least then I'd respect her honesty.

As an aside, I wonder what Newt Gingrich thinks of her now?

Keni Thomas Leads the Way

Keni Thomas gets around.

A veteran of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, winner of the Bronze Star with Valor for his service in the famous 'Blackhawk Down' mission in Somalia in 1993, JumpMaster, EMT, Special Forces Combat Diver, one of only a few Americans to complete the Belgium Commando Course, motivational speaker, national spokesperson for the Hero Fund and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, frequently found on USO tours overseas.

Oh, and he's a very successful Nashville recording artist.

On Wednesday, Keni got the call of the lifetime. From the Yankees, no less. A few hours later, he was singing the National Anthem at Game 1 of the World Series in New York. Nervous, naturally, but he turned in a great performance!

Keni's current album Gunslingeris rapidly climbing the charts. Go give it a listen and support our SpecOps warriors.

Also:

An Interview with Ranger Keni Thomas

China Spying on U.S.?

Surprise! China is spying on us (via Blackwater Tactical Weekly).

Looking to gain the upper hand in any future cyber conflicts, China is probably spying on US companies and government, according to a report commissioned by a Congressional advisory panel monitoring the security implications of trade with China.

The report outlines the state of China's hacking and cyber warfare capabilities, concluding that "China is likely using its maturing computer network exploitation capability to support intelligence collection against the US government and industry by conducting a long term, sophisticated computer network exploitation campaign." In other words, evidence suggests the Chinese government is using hacking techniques to steal US government and industry secrets.

Go read the whole article, it's well worth your time. Quite sobering, especially when you consider the indecisive, inexperienced and surrender first POTUS that is currently serving as C in C.

Project Valour IT Fundraiser - Team Army

It's time, once again, for the Valour IT fundraiser, and I am proud to be on the Army Team for the third straight year. The fundraiser runs through Veteran's Day, so please donate if you are so inclined.

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of October 2009, Valour-IT has distributed over 4100 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery.

These brave men and women need our love, support and encouragement as they learn to cope with their battlefield injuries. They are our heroes and we cannot - we will not - let them down.

Remember, every little bit helps. Please donate today.