Category: Veterans in the news

The government of Saudi Arabia doesn’t much like the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) because it makes them liable for the events that occurred in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia on September 11, 2001. So, according to some military veterans and the New York Post, the Saudis are using veterans to lobby Congress on their behalf and many of those veterans aren’t aware of the fact that they’re lobbying for the Saudis.

Vets complain they’re not only being misled but openly lied to. During one recent trip, an organizer denied any “Saudi involvement” in sponsoring the trip, even though federal filings show the organizer has a $100,000 contract with the Saudis and is a registered foreign agent for the kingdom.

In their recruiting pitch to vets, the Saudi lobbyists, who pose as veteran advocates, claim that JASTA exposes them as well as “150,000 [US] military personnel stationed in over 150 countries” to “retaliatory lawsuits” in foreign courts — even though international law experts note that JASTA deals only with the immunity of foreign states, and poses little if any risk to individuals.

[…]

Former [Marine Sergeant Timothy Cord, who served in Iraq] said the trip leader, Jason E. Johns, shot down any concerns about Mideast sponsorship as soon as the vets arrived in DC. “He stood up the first night to announce that ‘there are rumors going around about Saudi involvement, and they absolutely aren’t [involved].’?”

Johns’ bio describes him as president of No Man Left Behind Veterans Advocacy Group. But federal records also list him as a registered Saudi agent making $100,000 to mobilize vets to lobby against JASTA. The primary registrant on his disclosure form is Qorvis MSLGROUP, the Saudi government’s top PR firm in Washington.

The Saudi government pays for transportation to and around the nation’s capitol as well as footing the $560/night bill at Trump International Hotel, meals and drinks. In return, veterans are expected to “storm” Congress and convince members to weaken the bill in favor of Saudi government interests, all the while veterans aren’t told the story of who is providing for their trip to the halls of Congress.

Last week, Adam Purinton, a Navy veteran submariner, shot Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, Alok Madasani, 32, and Ian Grillot in a bar in Olathe, Kansas. Kuchibhotla died in the shooting. After the incident Purinton drove 70 miles to Henry County, Missouri and told a bartender at the local Applebee’s restaurant that he had just shot two Iranians. Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani are in fact Indians (dot not feather) who were employed by Garmin, the GPS people.

From the Associated Press;

Andy Berthelsen, a neighbor of Purinton’s for the past 15 years, told the AP that Purinton had become “a drunken mess” after his father’s death about 18 months ago. He said he doesn’t believe the shooting stemmed from hatred, and that it likely resulted from Purinton’s physical and mental deterioration.

Initially, police authorities told reporters that they didn’t think that Purinton’s Navy service contributed to PTSD thus causing him to shoot what he perceived as Iranians. I’m not sure how many submariners have contact with Iranians, anyway. But, you know, reporters are just so accustomed to blaming veterans’ PTSD for their bad behavior, they just can’t let it go, according to Fox 4;

When asked by reporters about the gun used in the shooting, the argument that led up to the shooting, or whether Purinton, a Navy veteran, suffered possible PTSD, the prosecutors and investigators said they could not comment.

Alcoholism can’t account for bad behavior, but PTSD fits nicely into the media’s narrative.

Mike Pomeroy left his home during the Oroville Dam spillway emergency last week. In his absence, thieves broke into his home and they stole his medals. Several of you sent us links when it happened.

Well, the medals have been recovered and the thieves arrested, according to Fox News;

Police had been keeping track and receiving reports of a blue pickup truck that had been parked at the Yuba City St. Isidore Catholic Church’s parking lot. The medals had allegedly been seen being placed inside of a planter in the back of the truck.

The truck’s owner was unaware that the stolen medals had been placed in his vehicle. When he discovered them he delivered them to the Yuba City Police Department.

Two women and a man have been arrested in connection to the case. Their identities and involvement in the burglary have not been reported at this time.

NBC4 New York City took the opportunity that Esteban Santiago, a Puerto Rico National Guardsman, shot people in Ft Lauderdale last week to highlight 11 incidents of veterans and eleven “high profile mass shootings” over the last twenty-five years. Yes, eleven incidents in twenty-five years deserves scrutiny.

Some of the veterans listed in the slide show were deployed to war, but most weren’t. The ones who did deploy weren’t in military occupational specialties that would have trained them in their nefarious endeavors.

They include Nidal Hasan without mentioning that he was actually a terrorist on a jihad at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009. In fact I wonder if they have a slide show for folks that singles out mass shooters of the jihadist variety.

The list includes Micah Johnson, who even the New York Times admits “had an affinity for Black Power organizations”.

Wade Michael Page was dishonorably discharged for being a racist more than ten years before his crime, but he makes the list for shooting Sikhs at their temple. Aaron Alexis, the Navy Yard shooter is on the list, but he had his military career cut short because of his mental problems, again several years before he committed his act.

Regardless, eleven incidents in twenty-five years is not an epidemic – nothing more than click-bait for low-information voters.