Author: TSO

Austin Statesman:

“I’m very upset. I’m at the point of tears,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, who lives in Austin.

“We warned the military about this. We warned the military about the need to increase the number of mental health care providers. We warned the military about lowering recruiting standards, about the medical exams for soldiers coming back from the war and needing mental health care and brain injury exams.”

“We have been working tirelessly to try to prevent this from happening,” he said. “This is so horrible. This is a tragedy.”

Never let a tragedy go to waste….

I guess nominally I am a Republican. More so I am a conservative. It is somewhat interesting that of all the Members of Congress I have met and talked to, my favorite ones are almost all Democrats. Jim Marshall for instance I almost never have a disagreement with. I also like Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who the first time I met didn’t identify herself as a Congresswoman and I almost hit on her. I also like Brian Baird, not for his politics, but just because he is a nice guy, and I liked how he stood up to MoveOn.org over the Surge issue. And (huge caveat here) despite what I consider legitamate concerns over obfuscating his war record (or lack thereof) I found Congressman Walz on Minnesota to be a very engaging fellow.

Anyway, somehow I ended up on Ciro Rodriguez’s email list. I know I never gave money to him, so someone else must have signed me up. Today I got this email:
(more…)

Have I read too many spy novels, or does our INTEL community not exercise proper discretion?

First, the background:

Judges in Italy are expected to hand down a verdict Wednesday in the first-ever trial examining the practice known as extraordinary rendition.

Twenty-six Americans, mostly CIA agents, are being tried in absentia. Together with seven Italians, they are charged with kidnapping a Muslim cleric who was taken to Egypt, where he says he was tortured.

I’m actually not a huge fan of rendition in general. I know we have to do it sometimes to get these assclowns off the street, and that the US can’t always handle what needs doing. Totally get it, don’t like it, but get it. This, however, kind of set me off:

Court documents showed that the Abu Omar kidnapping was expensive and sloppy. The CIA suspects were tracked down thanks to cell phone calls made near the abduction site, and credit card payments showing car rental and hotel bills totaling more than $150,000.

Prosecutors allege that the agents’ carelessness derived from their sense of impunity.

Everyone made a huge case out of the Plame thing, when she was “covert.” Putting aside that case, what the hell does covert mean anymore when Italien lawyers can track down the names of these guys? I thought Agents were supposed to be all secretive and shit? Call me crazy, but it seems that unfaithful husbands are better at disguising their tracks than these guys. Isn’t the idea to blend in? How long were they operating in the area to spend $150,000?

I have a buddy that works for an acronym agency. He says I would be shocked and dejected at the density of the morons that work there. So, someone tell me I am wrong. I know not every one of these guys and gals will be 007, but this seems absurd.

On a good note, at least Branum wasn’t defending them. They’d have been caned by now.

As VoteVets travels around the country in their bus touting the need for energy independance, this should come as good news, eh?

Doesn’t exactly gibe with what you hear most the time, does it? This from Human Events:

I’ve read about gas companies working with environmental groups to not only have the smallest footprint possible, but to actually aid the local ecosystem. I am in favor of such synergy in working for the environment and for the worlds population. Of course, VV’s tour ws never about anything but their master Soros, so I would suspect this is not good news for them.

Because these are applicable, and my favorite episodes of one of the best shows ever, I give you Bullshit!

From New Mexico’s Republican Candidate for the 3rd District, who also likes to store piss in the fridge:

Kokesh: What the Republican Party is doing with their take on the war in Iraq is spinning it in such a way that it’s about victory or death.  But they can’t face up to the fact that you can’t win an occupation.  In an occupation, everybody loses.  What we’re calling for is an immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq.

That from page 213 of The Will To Resist by Someshitdick Whocantwritewell.

The Republican Party of New Mexico can be reached at:

505.298.3662 (main) • 505.292.0755 (fax) • administrator@gopnm.org

Tell them that This Ain’t Hell says hello.

From Marcus Luttell’s would-be wife I got this:

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN – OCTOBER 12: Five-year-old Fatima is held by her mother Sabaro as her daughter recovers from an I.E.D attack where she was hit by shrapnel outside of Kandahar city along the airport road October 12, 2009 Kandahar, Afghanistan. A recent U.N. report has described 2009 as the deadliest year in terms of civilian casualties in Afghanistan ever since the start of the U.S.-led war against Taliban in the country. In his latest report presented to the Pentagon, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. top commander emphasized the need for winning the hearts and minds of the Afghans. The Taliban are now staging suicide attacks and IED blasts in densely populated areas to create a bigger impact as more of Afghan’s war wounded hit the headlines. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

There is no accomodation with people who would knowingly, willingly hurt a 5 year old.

Every article by Dahr Jamail brings me joy. Because he absolutely has to be fleecing the hell out of someone to survive. He’s supposed to be an independant journalist in the war zones, but every fricken article goes like this:

– Random IVAW Member being abused somehow
– Team of lawyers suggests it is a Constitutional Violation
– Other IVAW member corroborates first
– Insert lame ass excuse for miscreant here
– James Branum comes out of his parents basement, sees his shadow, gets 6 more clients
– Army refuses to comment on such weapons’ grade retardium
– Won’t you please help?

Seriously, a drunken monkey could write his stuff. In fact, I am 3/4 simian and hungover, and I just wrote his next piece. Anyway, here’s his latest bit of fecal flotsam, only brought to you in soundbites. When I get my new computer, I plan on doing pop-up videos of these assclowns.

Attorneys and veteran’s groups [sic, not a one is a veteran’s group]…alarmed…human rights abuses and violations of their constitutional rights…”Prisoner of Conscience,” resisted deployment to Afghanistan….in order to prevent his family from going homeless….James M. Branum…strip-searches…illegally monitored by guards….”The Fort Lewis Brig is violating the constitutional rights of my clients, namely their protections under the Eighth Amendment (the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment) and the Sixth Amendment (the right to counsel). This mistreatment must end.”

Seth Manzel…..Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Bagram in Afghanistan…..demonstrates how amazingly barbaric this system is….then chained to a “stress-chair” (with metal frames, but no seat) for 109 hours….Sgt. Kevin Benderman and Spc. Suzanne Swift…..

You get the idea.

In fact, this article is just a complete rehash of his last attempt to take the Browns to the Super Bowl.

The dude pops out one article a week, it is exactly the same as the one he wrote before, and he gets paid to do it. Who the hell does he think he is? TSO?

Just found a video of these morans as well: