Someone sent us this one on Facebook. Apparently, the picture was taken at the New York City Veterans’ Day parade. But this guy is so SEAL, he doesn’t need to work out any more. Or all of his work outs are the 1/4 pound lifts at that Burger King gym.
I’m pretty sure he’s legit, but I sent the photo to Chief Shipley to verify.
In case you missed the weekend post about our battle against spam, I was averaging more than 50,000 spam comments/day, and some of you were getting caught up in the spam filter and I got tired of reading all of the spam comments to find yours so I changed the settings on the blog to require that you use an email address when you make your comment – and you have to have a previously approved comment to make it to the forum. I also closed all posts over ten days old to comments. I hated to do that, but I’ll probably turn it all off after the holidays when the spam lightens up a bit.
If you’re having trouble getting the blog to accept your email address or sign in name, like MCPO and Pinto Nag, just email me the email address you’re trying to use and the screen name you want and I’ll set up a profile for you – that seems to cure the problem. But, you’ll still have to get your first comment approved. I’m sorry that we have to do this, but I was overwhelmed Friday and Saturday and had to do something drastic.
I hope you all understand.
The Washington Post‘s Fact Checker gives John Kerry three Pinocchios for his comment on ABC’s “This Week” a few weeks back when Kerry made the claim that the Bush Administration had “blew it” when Iran had made overtures to the US to slow or end the Iranians’ nuclear program back in 2003. Kerry was trying to make it look like the Obama Administration is just cleaning up the mess that the Bush Administration created by inactivity to sell the Obama Administration’s recent agreement with Iran. It turns out that the source of the overture was greatly in doubt. Is still in doubt.
Whether the missive represented a genuine proposal has long been the subject of debate. Some mid-level State Department officials had wanted to test Iran’s unorthodox approach, but then-Secretary of State Colin Powell never forwarded any proposal to the White House.
Condoleezza Rice, at the time the national security adviser, told Congress in 2007 she had never seen the fax.
“We had people who said, ‘The Iranians want to talk to you,’ lots of people who said, ‘The Iranians want to talk to you,’ ” she testified when she was secretary of state and pushing for talks with Iran. “But I think I would have noticed if the Iranians had said, ‘We’re ready to recognize Israel.’ . . . I just don’t remember ever seeing any such thing.”
[...]
Richard Armitage, told PBS’s Frontline in 2007 that not much weight was given to the fax because it did not match up with other signals at the time from the Iranian government.
[...]
[Mohammad Javad Zarif, then Iran’s U.N. ambassador and now Iran’s foreign minister] had had a secret meeting in Geneva with two senior U.S. officials — Ryan Crocker and Zalmay Khalilzad — just the day before the mysterious fax arrived at the State Department. It was the fourth such meeting that year — and came during a period of unusual and frequent discussions between Iranian and U.S. officials.
So the question arises: If Iran was serious, why would such an important diplomatic undertaking be transmitted in such a haphazard way through the Swiss ambassador when one of the supposed co-authors was already holding senior-level talks with U.S. officials? It’s possible Zarif was skittish about making such a “grand bargain” approach through official channels, but this puzzle has never been adequately answered.
As it happens, the May 3, 2003, meeting marked the end of those talks with Zarif. The Americans had asked Iran to interrogate al-Qaeda-linked individuals in Iran regarding intelligence about a possible terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia. The Iranians failed to do so, and The Washington Post later reported that U.S. officials concluded that the Riyadh attacks, which took place nine days later and killed 35 people, were planned by al-Qaeda in Iran and ordered from there. The Bush administration abruptly terminated the discussions, and then U.S. officials became mired in a contentious debate about policy toward Iran.
Given that the Post loves them some Kerry, I’d guess that he deserves more than three Pinocchios for this one. But there’s much more at the link that you should read before you just take a couple of cherry-picked paragraphs. They also have the original document that supposedly comes from the Iranians.
Scotty sends us his research on one Michael James Jarrett who flashes a DD214 around that says he was a corporal of Marines but slotted as Gunnery Sergeant. Quite an accomplishment, heh? He didn’t award himself any medals which seems a little strange, except that he claims he has an “expert sniper” badge. Scotty says that there’s no such thing. Well here’s his DD214;
Especially interesting is the note in Block 18 that says that the Marine Corps needs to know where he is at all times so that if they need his irreplaceable skills, they can recall his valuable ass;
Well, the Records Center looked at the DD214 and said “Who? Huh?”
I guess we don’t have enough phonies ready for phony duty, so the Marines need some of them on a short leash, like special Mikey. By the way, his family reported that he was missing a few months ago, but then they discovered that he had “misused family funds” and his status went from “missing” to “wanted”. he’s been located and authorities extradited his ass back to West Virginia and he rests in the warm bosom of his family, or Bubba, whoever he’s sharing his cell with these days.
Richard sends us our feel good story this morning which happened in California. Two men identifying themselves as sheriff’s deputies forced their way in the house of a former sheriff’s deputy and were met with a hail of gunfire;
The men donned white ski masks when they broke into two homes in separate Lancaster neighborhoods within a matter of minutes Saturday night, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
In the first attempted robbery, the men falsely identified themselves as sheriff’s deputies to a man and his son. Upon entering the home on Avenue K-15, they forced the two down onto the ground, but then left the home, officials said.
In the second home invasion just moments later, the men unknowingly forced their way into the home of a former deputy of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Lancaster Station.
The former deputy fired shots at the men but missed, officials said. The two fled the scene and are still being sought by authorities.
“It is scary, because you never know how safe you are,” neighbor Alice Baldus said.
Officials warned residents to always question people identifying themselves as sheriff’s deputies or police officers.
Actually, that’s the exact scenario that I’ve been anticipating from a certain fellow who likes to pretend that he’s law enforcement. It’s unfortunate the former deputy has let his marksmanship skills deteriorate since he left the department. He needs some more range time so the police don’t have to search very far for the perps.
Associated Press reports that Iran, the greatest supporter of terror throughout the world, told Afghan president Hamid Karzai that they’re concerned about the “tension” caused by the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan and that Afghanistan should expel the foreigners as soon as possible so Iran can feel safer;
Earlier on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel laid out steps to beef up defense cooperation between states within the Gulf region, while at the same time insisting that America’s military commitment to the Middle East will continue.
[...]
Iran’s Defense Minister Gen. Hosein Dehghan called the remarks by his American counterpart “threatening,” on Sunday, adding that they pave the ground for mistrust toward the U.S. while revealing the influence of Israel — Iran’s arch enemy — on Washington.
Iran believes that countries of the Gulf are capable of managing security through regional security pacts.
Yeah, a regional security pact would do wonders, and Iran is probably the best choice to broker that pact for the region. Most of the Gulf States want the US to provide them with a missile defense system to protect them from Iran, so that makes total sense. I wonder why Iran would want US troops out of Afghanistan?
In a Stars & Stripes article, they report that when NATO troops left the Bamiyan province, the most peaceful region of Afghanistan until April, the insurgency moved in, a precursor for Iran’s vision of Afghanistan in 2014 when US troops are scheduled to leave the country.
Talk about your “dog bites man” story; congressional guests on CNN‘s “State of the Union” program told the two or three viewers that the threat of terrorism is spreading like a wildfire in the last few years and the reason, of course, are this Administration’s policies;
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, agreed that the Obama administration has lost ground in the ongoing battle with global terrorism.
McCaul said that though policies put in place as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks have prevented a similar large-scale event on U.S. soil, President Barack Obama is pushing a false narrative about the nation’s safety in the world.
“When the President of the United States talks about the, downgrades the threat, his narrative is that al Qaeda is on the run, and since bin Laden has been killed the threat is no longer existing – I think is a false narrative and premise because, as we see this threat all throughout northern Africa, as we saw Egypt fall, Libya, now Syria is a great culmination of the Sunni-Shia conflict.”
Well, it stands to reason, because there was virtually no threat of a terrorist attack in the mid-70s but by the time Jimmy Carter was voted out of office, he couldn’t step out of his armored limo. This administration has been able to extend the Carter Administration’s failed policies into the 21st century, all the while dismantling the military, again like Carter, and making military service less attractive to new recruits.
The Stars & Stripes report that Pfc. Melissa Czarnogursky, Pvt. Degraff and Pvt. Larissa Schwerin, the first female fire directions specialists have all reported to their unit, the 41st Fires Brigade at Fort Hood, TX. As with most Fort Hood units, they immediately went to the field;
The women arrived at Fort Hood about a month ago, and almost immediately went into the field for a training exercise that lasted about a week and a half. They said they were happy to get a quick immersion into the unit, and learn new aspects of their job. But Degraff said she was also surprised at how friendly everyone was.
“They showed us the ropes,” she said of her fellow soldiers. “They just wanted to show us how to do our jobs the best way.”
Czarnogursky said the unit made an effort to make sure the women fit in and didn’t feel separated from the rest of the soldiers.
Still, Degraff said it was kind of strange to arrive and have everyone already know who they were.
“I don’t see us as different than anybody else,” she said. “The only thing different is where we go to the bathroom.”
The three women said the job can be challenging, but nothing a woman couldn’t do.
Well, that was painless, I guess, well, except for the social engineers who were hoping for some difficulties so they can throw fingers and call someone some names. But, then being a fire directions specialist is just barely combat arms. But, nonetheless, I’m proud of these ladies because they did what no one before them has done, and they’re not complaining about it.
Washington Post‘s Robert McCartney writes about Graciela Saraiva, who was an enlisted sailor a few years back when she popped hot on a piss test. Apparently, she was on prescription pain killers for some recent dental work and the Navy knew that when they booted her for the urinalysis results. After three years, the Navy has corrected her records and is willing to allow her back into the Navy;
“I’m so excited. I’m really relieved that it’s finally over,” Saraiva said. She may try to rejoin the military, possibly as an officer, when she graduates from college in a year or two.
The Navy kicked out Saraiva, a junior logistics specialist (E-3 rating), after her urine tested positive for codeine and morphine. It wouldn’t let her back, even after it conceded that she failed the test only because she was taking a prescription painkiller after oral surgery.
Saraiva credits media attention, here and elsewhere, for reversing the decision — and the Navy memo admitted as much. It said the Navy didn’t look good barring her reenlistment while conceding that she hadn’t abused drugs.
McCartney blames recent policy changes which make the services more eager to spit out military personnel than to retain their expertise using minor, or as in this case, nonexistent, offenses to meet DoD cuts in spending. Of course, this has happened before. I remember in the early 80s a DWI some time during a soldier’s last enlistment would earn him a bar to reenlistment, prior to that, a DWI was treated like a parking ticket. The overweight program, after six years of waiverable excuses was suddenly enforced – we lost a lot of Vietnam experience on that one.
But, Ms. Saraiva’s situation is totally beyond the limits of common sense. Should troops avoid taking medication prescribed by their military doctors just to avoid popping hot? Apparently, the troops are guilty until they prove their innocence under the military’s administrative system. I’m glad that this worked out for Ms. Saraiva, but I have to think there are more cases out there like this who don’t have the benefit of the Washington Post’s megaphone.
Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.
Fox News reports that Dayna Morales, the waitress who lied about being stiffed on a tip because she was a lesbian, who also lied about being in an IED attack in which she was the sole survivor, who also lied about being a cancer survivor, and ultimately lied about turning over the proceeds from telling the first lie to Wounded Warrior Project has been fired by her employer.
The restaurant announced on its Facebook page Saturday that it had conducted its own internal investigation, and although it was “inconclusive,” the eatery said it had come to a mutual agreement with Morales that she no longer work there.
“In light of the investigation and recent events, both Ms. Morales and Gallop Asian Bistro have made a joint decision that Ms. Morales will no longer continue her employment at our restaurant,” said the Facebook post, which did not specify the conditions under which she left. “We wish her well in the future.”
Yeah, well, it’s great that they reached a mutual decision, but given the negative attention that she brought to her employer, I’m afraid that I would have made a unilateral decision, if it was my business.
There’s enough information there that she might become a top seed in our next Stolen Valor tournament.
