This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Military issues

  • Yes, there is a Canada Free Press

    I had the distinct pleasure to meet one of the few remaining conservatives in Canada while I was at Walter Reed last weekend. Her name is Marinka Peschmann and she writes for the Canada Free Press and and this is the article that resulted from her visit;

    On the eighth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack on America, a band of patriots were on a special mission at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, DC, with America’s wounded warriors. Their mission, the brainchild of 69-year old, decorated Vietnam veteran, George Samek, was to help the wounded warriors’ recovery by providing them with donated laptops with webcams.

    For some of America’s wounded warriors who have risked all in the defence of freedom, the recovery may be swift. For others who have lost precious limbs or endured near death burns at the hands of terrorists and insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, their challenging recovery may span months, to years, to a lifetime.
    The donated laptops serve not only as a window to the world but will also enable America’s wounded warriors to do something most take for granted—and that is to be able to say “goodnight” to their loved ones and keep in close touch with their families who often live in different states.

    It was a joy to discuss politics with Ms. Peschmann and the article she wrote reflected the respect she had for our wounded and for the folks who donated time and money to help them. Do her a favor and click over to the article and read the whole thing – and then thank George Samek for the work he does with Gathering of Eagles and our wounded troops.

  • Orly Taitz news

    NHSparky dropped off a link to this about the Orly Taitz saga;

    Apparently Taitz’ client Captain Connie Rhodes didn’t authorize Taitz to appeal the decision the other day according to the Columbas Ledger-Examiner;

    Army Capt. Connie Rhodes, who filed a complaint Sept. 4 in U.S. District Court that sought to stop her deployment to Iraq by arguing that President Barack Obama can’t legitimately hold office, says in a Friday letter that she never authorized her attorney to appeal a Wednesday ruling against her.

    Additionally, Judge Clay Land – who denied Rhodes’ request and threatened sanctions against her lawyer, Orly Taitz, a national figure in the “birther” movement – states that Taitz has two weeks from Friday to explain why he shouldn’t impose a $10,000 penalty against the California lawyer.

    Rhodes has come to the realization that she’s been a tool all along;

    “I became aware on last night’s local news cast that a motion to stay my deployment had been entered on my behalf,” Rhodes’ Friday to Land states. “I did not authorize this motion to be filed.

    “Furthermore, I do not wish for Ms. Taitz to file any future motions or represent me in any way in this court. It is my plan to file a complaint with the California State Bar due to her reprehensible and unprofessional actions,” Rhodes states.

    Rhodes says she is currently deploying to Iraq, and that it’s evident her initial complaint was “full of political conjecture, which was not my interest. I had no intention of refusing orders nor will I. I simply wanted to verify the lawfulness of my orders.”

    So now Oily Titz is filing lawsuits in other people’s names without their permission. Where are all of her defenders these days? I hope any other Army officer will take notice before they start challenging their orders on political grounds.

    CPT Rhodes, just go and save lives like you’re trained and leave the conspiracies to the civilian cranks.

    Since this pipeline is drying up for Oily, she’s decided to branch out according to her blog;

    there is a case being heard by a 3 judge panel in DC. An employee of the State Dep is suing Hillary Clinton, saying he cannot serve under her, since it would violate his oath of office. It has to do with an obscure requirement, where one cannot get an office, where she voted to increase salary for that office. As a senator Hillary voted to increase the salary of sec. of state, therefore she cannot occupy this office. I forgot the last name of the plaintiff. It is a long name, something like Rodomar. Can someone find it. I need to get actual caption and holding on standing.

  • Immigration policy bass-ackwards

    Earlier this week, President Obama said that if we want to give health care to illegal immigrants, we should have a policy in place to make them all legal, according to the Washington Times;

    President Obama said this week that his health care plan won’t cover illegal immigrants, but argued that’s all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.

    He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered – a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.

    Yeah, that’s fine – but my 32 years experience of dealing with US immigration laws and immigration officers tells me that the government is more concerned with immigrants who shouldn’t be here than they are with immigrants who have a legal and moral right to be here. For example, another story in the Washington Times about a military widow who is having problems staying here;

    Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents’ Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he’ll never meet, a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away.

    Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the U.S. military does.

    It seems to me that the government would go out of it’s way to help a mother and child who, in their short lives have sacrificed more than most citizens will ever sacrifice in their entire lives. But, just like security procedures at airports are designed more to harass average passengers than actually catch potential terrorists, our immigration officers are more focused on harassing potentially legal immigrants than halting the influx of illegal immigrants.

  • Another birther officer slapped down in court

    Orly Taitz, DDS Esq. is doing her best to surpass James Branum‘s record in court. Ohio judge Clay Land put Ms. DDS Esq. on notice for her antics in court, according to the Ledger-Enquirer;

    Land also put attorney Orly Taitz, who represents Capt. Connie Rhodes and is a leader in the national “birther” movement, on notice by stating that she could face sanctions if she ever again files in his court a similar “frivolous” lawsuit — a document that at one point the judge states that a middle school student could find irony in.

    “(Rhodes) has presented no credible evidence and has made no reliable factual allegations to support her unsubstantiated, conclusory allegations and conjecture that President Obama is ineligible to serve as president of the United States,” Land states in his order. “Instead, she uses her complaint as a platform for spouting political rhetoric, such as her claims that the president is ‘an illegal usurper, an unlawful pretender, [and] an unqualified imposter.’”

    Yeah, this is the second Army officer to get involved in Orly Taitz’ antics – the first being Major Stefan Cook. Of course the judge didn’t just Rhodes off with a warning;

    Land ordered that the defendants — who include Obama, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Col. Thomas MacDonald, Fort Benning garrison commander — will recover any costs from the complaint from Rhodes.

    Rhodes wasn’t being deployed, she just finished medical school that we, the tax payers, funded. Just like Branum is using soldiers at Fort Hood, Orly Taintz is using soldiers to build herself a law career. Proof? She did an interview with Talking Points Memo and she’s willing to watch her client go to jail for Taintz’ antics;

    And if Rhodes is open to continuing the fight, would Taitz go along?

    “Oh absolutely, absolutely,” she said. “Listen, Nelson Mandela stayed in prison for years in order to get to the truth and justice.”

    Sounds just like Branum doesn’t she?

    Other sources say that Taitz was back in court today;

    Attorney Taitz therefore requests the Court to vacate (annul) its Sept. 16th Dismissal against Rhodes, and grant a stay of deployment to Rhodes, pending further hearing of the case.

    Me? I’d just like Army officers to act like Army officers and not allow themselves to be used by fringe cranks.

  • Evil doin’s at Fort Hood

    Apparently Fort Hood has become the focus of the anti-war and “soldier resistance” movement. You’ll remember that we wrote about Victor Agosto who was shipped off to the Bell County jail in texas after he refused to deploy with his unit. When he finished his 30 day sentence, he was celebrated as a returning hero by about 50 Leftist clowns according to an article in Socialist Worker;

    On an unusually pleasant 95-degree afternoon at Under the Hood Café, the G.I. café just outside Fort Hood, there was a celebration for a hero, a barbecue and fundraiser, and a rally to continue the fight for the other men, women and families victimized by the war machine and inspired by Victor’s courage.

    Sweet, huh? I wonder how many of Agosto’s fellow soldiers get the same treatment when they return from their deployment – will Victor greet them with the amenities that he got upon his “return”?.
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  • Where in the world…?

    If you’re wondering where TSO is today, he’s at the Medal of Honor Convention in Chicago (you might have noticed the banner in our sidebar). Blackfive is there, too, read about the convention at his place.

    OK, Caroline, stop reading here.
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  • Gordon Duff defines “military service” for us

    gduff_01

    I’ve run into Gordon Duff’s writings occasionally on the internet. He’s about as prolific as that Jim Staro guy that TSO likes so much, and Duff is about as literate as Staro. He’s the “senior editor” of a website misnamed “Veterans Today” – it’s been my experience that Veterans Today is just another propaganda mouthpiece for the Democrat Party.

    I always chalked Duff up under the “harmless crank” column and went looking for better targets. The other day, 1stCavRVN11B sent me a link to one of his columns published in a local newspaper disparaging the service of Congressman Joe Wilson thusly;

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  • Troops at Bagram Airbase remember 9-11

    bagram-9-11-run

    The AP and Stars & Stripes report that the folks at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan remembered 9-11-2001 with a 9.11 km run today;

    About 1,000 service members ran 9.11 kilometers (5.5 miles) at the main U.S. base, both to commemorate the anniversary and remember troops who have died in nearly eight years of fighting.

    The U.S. and its allies first invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to oust the Taliban regime for sheltering al-Qaida leaders who planned the attacks. The Taliban were quickly routed, but the militants regrouped and have mounted an increasingly strong insurgency over the past three years.

    Organizers of Friday’s race, which also was held at two other bases, called it an act of defiance against insurgents who have killed more American troops this year than in any other since the beginning of the conflict. August was the deadliest month for U.S. troops so far, with 51 killed.

    Now, if we only had an administration which found value in acts of defiance.

    There’s more on remembering 9-11 at Blackfive; one post by Mr. Blackfive and another by Uncle Jimbo. More from Mr. Greyhawk and Mrs. Greyhawk.

    ADDED: El Marko has a really excellent photo essay of 9-11-2001 at Looking at the Left.