US Military

Open Thread

Mark Noonan54 Comments

Randoland is a Twitter account which details the spending on those gigantic bills they pass out Congress. Example:

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $1.4 million to Florida State University for a CRT-related program called “TRANSFORMING HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH IN INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE: ANTIRACISM AS A DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION”

This is, of course, complete drivel. It is make-work and a complete waste of money – but only from our perspective. From the Left’s perspective, it is money well spent.

You see, what the Left gets out of this is yet more propaganda pushing their views and people with a vested interest in keeping it all going. After all, $1.4 million goes pretty fast. Next year or the year after, the people studying anti-racism as a disruptive innovation will either have to get a grant to provide more anti-racism or they’ll have to get a job. Guess what they’ll choose? And you can rely on it that if people are paid to fight racism they will never run out of racism to fight.

Knock on benefits for the Left here are donations (the people getting these grants will want to keep Democrats in office) and conversion…actual or feigned (and it doesn’t matter to the Democrats which it is: both are just fine): the more this stuff is out there, the more people feel like they have to go along with it. And yet others just decide to get in on the payday and find some racism of their own to fight against.

And this is a huge problem for us – there is so much money flowing out of government and into Leftist hands that we’re a bit overwhelmed. How can we compete with an institution which passes out trillions of dollars, almost entirely un-audited?

The answer is that we can’t. So, we must get in on the act.

It will prove impossible – at least any time soon – to get the Congressional GOP on board with cutting this kind of spending. But I do believe we can get them on board with spending money on us. Sure, I know: long term getting rid of the spending is best. But that’s a pipe dream at present…so, lets stick our hand out. Let’s provide millions of dollars for Conservative studies and programs (which would have the benefit of being something useful). A few million for lesbian poetry reading here, a few million for a laudatory biopic of Pinochet there. See where I’m going? The reason we have gay Superman is because we’re paying for it – so lets pay for a Superman who b*** slaps Commies. Guess which will be more popular, anyway?

That train derailment in Ohio has picked up the hashtag #OhioChernobyl – which does seem a little melodramatic to me. That is, I don’t think its as bad as some are claiming. On the other hand, it is clearly pretty bad. And it is also a tremendously telegenic disaster…it is the sort of thing which would get eyeballs glues to screens. But nobody is covering. Not in any big sense. Some people hadn’t heard about until they saw a social media posts on it. This just shows you that what is in the news is carefully curated. I can only assume that a massive train derailment and chemical spill isn’t in the script right now and so it is just being ignored. And that begs the question: what other big stories are just being ignored because they don’t fit the script? That is, which don’t help Democrats advance their Narrative?

Team Pudding Brain has gotten trigger happy over balloons of late – I guess they got their focus group results on letting the first wander across the country and it wasn’t good. Personally, I just don’t know – I certainly can’t believe the government on it, nor the MSM (which is a mere arm of government). The stories of aliens are probably exaggerated.

The military is having trouble recruiting. The brass says its just because kids are afraid of getting hurt but we all know that’s a lie. Its about the woke stuff. The active strength of the Army is under 500,000. In a nation of 330 million and 4.3 million men coming of military age annually, there there is no possible way we can miss recruitment targets…unless the men just don’t want to serve. And why should anyone? You don’t get to spend nearly enough time getting trained. You have to kowtow to woke garbage all day long – and your career in the military can be ruined if you say something that someone claims offends them. Then, if you go get into a fight, you’re commanded by timeserving cowards who don’t care how many of you die, but who will see to it you’re charged for war crimes if you kill the enemy the wrong way. Screw that! I would never tell a kid to join up these days. And I’m sure plenty of fathers and grandfathers are telling the kids, “its not what is used to be; stay out”.

The End of American Faith

Mark Noonan42 Comments

I believed, my friends. When I joined the Navy in 1983, my faith in America was boundless. And it stayed! I believed that the generals and admirals were good. I believed that most people in law enforcement and intel were good people. I swallowed the whole thing hook, line and sinker.

But I don’t believe any longer.

Back in 2011, I wrote this article arguing that if the Afghan government wouldn’t get on the side of civilization, it was time to abandon it. I was right! But, not nearly as right as I should have been.

We’re all rather stunned at the speed of the Taliban victory. We’ve seen the videos of Taliban with captured America equipment. But less remarked on is that the Taliban was able to mount this offensive this quickly…and then you see the Taliban clean, well fed…not like they’ve been hiding for 20 years in caves under intense pressure from a powerful enemy ready to strike hard at a moments notice. And then you ask: just what the heck were we doing there? Did we even fight them? Those videos we’ve seen of bombing attacks and claims of high value targets being killed…was any of that true? I just don’t know – and I can’t ask the government or MSM because they are all known liars.

And then you take a further step back from it…and place yourself in the boots of a battalion commander who wants to get his combat duty ticket punched but who also doesn’t want to wind up charged with a war crime it things get dicey out there and the troops kill the wrong guy, or even kill the right guy but on video which looks like (or can be made to look like) the shooting wasn’t justified. Given this, perhaps you just go through the motions? If an easy and clear targets serves itself up for you, fine: but getting down and dirty in it which might lead to a career ending mistake? Give it a pass.

And the senior officers probably won’t look too closely at it – they know the game, too. They played it years before and got through it with a star on their shoulder and now look forward to a post-military career as a lobbyist or TV talking head. Maybe even get a book deal out of it…with their picture on the cover in a uniform with more decorations on it than Patton and MacArthur combined had. Hold the pose: that stern look of command (the photographer will get the lighting right for that), eyes off into the distance. The viewer mentally hearing the Star Spangled Banner. Life is good! Don’t think about those guys who got nearly burned to death by an IED…

After really pondering it, I’ve come to the conclusion that it has all been utter sh**. Pardon the language but sometimes an old swabbie has to say it like it is. They never fought to win. Not the officers. Not the civilian leadership. None of them. They just wanted to be seen to be doing something which could be put up in public as brave…as they merely worked the system for advancement. The only person who cared about the troops, as such, was Trump…and you’ll notice that the senior officers, violating their oath (and they will stand before God one day to answer for that: mark my words), undermined him at every turn. He risked the game: the game of never win, get advancement, get rich.

I looked at the pictures of my father and grandfather yesterday – grandpa in his WWI Army uniform and dad in his WWII Marine uniform and I wondered what they would think about it? And then further wondered what they would do about it? Have we all become such cowards? I do think that dad and grandpa would have started shooting by now. People are dead. Thousands of them. Ours and theirs. And for what? So that defense contractors can make money and four star cowards can get rich? Admiral Byng was shot pour encourager les autres simply because he wasn’t aggressive enough against the enemy. What should be done with generals who weren’t aggressive at all? And the politicians who set it up that way?

How did we get to this? How cowardly did we have to be to allow this to happen? Was the bribe of a big screen TV and a Super Bowl enough? Sadly, it was. Using fake money the Ruling Class allowed us to purchase amazing luxuries to keep us distracted while they sold us out. Look in the mirror, folks, to find who is responsible for this.

But, now we know. We can’t go back: the lies have been exposed. We know. We can’t be fooled anymore. Now it turns about and becomes the responsibility of very specific people who are trying to keep this con going. And we, in our turn, must hold them accountable. They must be punished for what they have done. We have been betrayed by the very people we placed our faith in. Time will tell if these traitors get their proper wages.

Open Thread

Mark Noonan36 Comments

Tucker Carlson pointed out that, for instance, a pregnant soldier is not combat-ready and the entire military Establishment dropped on him like a ton of bricks – demonstrating that the senior officers and enlisted of the United States Armed Forces are heavily politicized and they are on the side of the Left. This is just terrible – but not surprising.

There was no chance the Left was going to leave the military alone – and we’ve seen over the years as the military has lowered standards and spent time on woke training rather than combat readiness that the Left has deeply infected the military. As far as it goes, it is lost to us. I’m confident that most of the lower ranks are with us, but they are largely commanded by people who have made the conscious choice that pleasing the Establishment is the way to go for promotions. Over the years, this has merely meant that we’ve had a gigantic negative-feedback loop where those officers who are the worst – ie, most willing to bow to whatever is fashionable on the Left – have risen the highest.

First off, it means we can’t win a war. Anyone who wants to fight us now can do so with certainty that our military leadership lacks any ability to fight for victory. They don’t know how – they don’t even know what it is. They didn’t rise because of their expertise in military affairs but because they knew how to say the right things. Secondly, it means that if we get power back, we have to purge the military brass. A lot. They can’t be trusted. Also, and this is something I’ve said before: we should reduce the size of the Army. Make it 100,000 troops and then revive the State militias. No more large bodies of troops for forever wars and, also, no body of troops large enough to control the United States.

Related: they’re gonna dump gender neutral fitness tests. Because the only way to have women in combat units is to lower physical standards.

Meanwhile, Democrats continue to push HR1, which would totally destroy the American political system. We’ll see if the GOP has the guts to really fight it.

Cuomo continues to be hammered – not on his killing of people, but on his sexual harassment. Make no mistake about it: he won’t be forced out and he’ll likely be re-elected next year. All of this is just keeping him out of the 2024 contest which is being gift wrapped for Kamala.

Open Thread

Mark Noonan6 Comments

Well, Matt and I decided to write another book. Started working on it just yesterday and we hope to publish right around the 1st of November, 2019. Two guesses what the overall subject will be. Matt is actually doing double-duty as he’s also working a solo political book project. Meanwhile, I keep working on the third draft of the novel; which I think is getting to be a splendid story.

Bill Maher does the right thing: defend Alex Jones’ free speech rights. Most people on the left are simple partisans…but a few of them understand that unless all are free, none are free. Maher gets it.

Here’s a real problem:

Here’s the arithmetic: one in three potential recruits are disqualified from service because they’re overweight, one in four cannot meet minimal educational standards (a high school diploma or GED equivalent), and one in 10 have a criminal history. In plain terms, about 71 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds (the military’s target pool of potential recruits) are disqualified from the minute they enter a recruiting station: that’s 24 million out of 34 million Americans. The good news is that while the military takes pride in attracting those who are fit, educated, law abiding, and drug-free, they’re having difficulty finding them—manifestly because fewer of them actually exist.

Adding to the failure of many to meet requirements is the fact that in our now-booming economy, the military has less appeal to young men starting out in life.

But I’m not in a mood to despair over this. The overweight thing can be fixed, of course – and, in fact, 8 to 10 weeks of basic training would help just about anyone trim down to fighting weight. I’m also not too worried about the kids not having a high school diploma because having one doesn’t actually indicate being educated. The criminal history thing is a problem, but it is also not a 100% problem: in fact, a stint in the ranks might just be what the doctor ordered for a troubled youth who still hasn’t gone down the road to doing something truly horrible. We don’t want to lower standards, but I think that a revision of standards will allow us to get what we want…out of a nation of 317 million people with more than four million men reaching military age annually, we should be able to find the people to fill the services.

As long time readers know, I’m not in favor of conscription – not even in war time. If a nation can’t get volunteers to defend itself, then it isn’t worth defending. Revise the standards on weight to “what can a strict regime do for this kid’s weight in two months?”. Perhaps even start a pre-boot camp for the hefty kids: you can join if you drop X pounds by your induction date. Revise the high school diploma to a test to see if the kid can read, write and do basic sums. If he can, I don’t care if he failed to finish the third grade. Revise the criminal history thing to “as long as you weren’t convicted of a felony or ever charged with rape or murder”, you can join. Revise the drug use to “don’t care if you were high when you signed up, don’t do any more now that you’re in”. And then just train the hell out of the kids – push them, hard. All branches – everyone runs for miles, does lots and lots of pushups, learns how to use a rifle, how to fight hand to hand. Everyone, that is, becomes a warrior…or, they drop out of training and go home. No one is forced to stay: quit whenever you want. After they become lean, mean fighting machines, then they can learn their actual job in the military (be it remaining a lean, mean fighting machine in a Marine infantry battalion, or loading up missiles on the deck of a carrier. eg). And then keep the standards high – everyone has to requalify in physical fitness on a periodic basis…anyone who can’t cut the mustard: out. Do all this, and I think we’ll get just what we need.

The whole #MeToo thing ended just as soon as a senior Democrat got caught up in it during an election year. Always remember: Democrats don’t give a damn about people being harmed…all they care about is whether they can use something against a Republican.

As we’ve said for years, take all polls with a grain of salt – but there’s a poll out there saying Trump is more trusted than the Democrats. Here’s what I’ve been saying of late: if the MSM Narrative about Trump were true, CNN would be the highest rated cable news outfit.

Cutting Military Benefits

Mark Noonan14 Comments

I’m posting this from a former ship mate of mine – we served together on board the USS Conolly way back when.  Joe became a lifer dog, of course, while I got out after four years – but that just puts him in an even better position to understand these things. 

Sorry if this offends anyone but I feel I need to post it.

Mr. President and US Senate,

I just want to say, Thank you , and You are welcome for the service of my self and my brothers in arms, who sacrificed 20+ years of our lives, enduring years of deployments out of CONUS assignments, 24+ hour days in conditions most Americans would consider not fit for an animal to work in, endless hours of waiting for the next order to get underway or move out, the letters from our families that state they miss us, don’t want to worry us, but we are not sure if we can make the rent this month or the light bill, least of all the grocery bill. Thank you.
We left our families on a moments notice to engage an enemy, right a wrong, supply disaster relief, chase an unseen enemy for months on end during the cold war, to protect embassy’s against people who hate us, but need us there to make sure the relief money keeps rolling in from the US, and keep the Sea lanes open, air space free, and our shore lines protected from those that would want to cause us harm. We did it because we love this country.
We did it for you and for our fellow Americans because we felt it was a our duty to give back to this great country for all that was given to us. All we asked for was a paycheck (and that was not much: most of us qualified for food stamps and public housing, but we were to proud to apply for it, and actually at times forbidden to apply, so as not to embarrass the US Government with the fact we were so poorly paid), and for the vision of the retirement we were promised, when we finished.
Now the comments coming from Washington are that we have to give it away because we really don’t need it, if we are of working age.
Pleased can you explain to me why you let welfare run rampant with fraud and do nothing, why you let SSDI run rampant with fraud and do nothing, why you let Medicare and Medicaid run rampant with fraud and do nothing. Why are you giving cell phones and calling plans away for nothing, public housing availability without drug testing, and the list goes on and on.  Yet when it comes to the Military who daily put, and are to this very second, place or have placed their lives on the line.  Please Sirs, let me know why, you feel it is ok to take from us, to cut back on what we were promised, because you consider it an “entitlement”, yet other entitlements are off limits.
To the citizens of this country, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity o serve and defend this great country. To the US Government thank you showing your gratitude for all that we did for you, time and time again. By stating it is my duty to give back so that others may take what they did not earn, and in a lot of cases do not want to earn.

I love this country and what it stands for, I will defend it to my death, gladly and without hesitation, all over again if asked.

God Bless America and those that have defended and those that continue to do so.

Leo P Leonard Jr. RMCS(SW) USN Retired
Richard W. Schuerch Jr. BTC USN Disabled Vet
Joseph J. LaPenna Jr. OSCS(SW) USN Retired

A Hero Recognized

Mark Noonan54 Comments

From a White House press release:

On May 16, President Barack Obama will award Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry.

Specialist Sabo will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in combat on May 10, 1970, while serving as a rifleman in Company D, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Se San, Cambodia.

On that day, when he and his platoon were ambushed by a large enemy force, Specialist Sabo immediately charged the enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers.  He then assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat.  While securing a re-supply of ammunition, an enemy grenade landed nearby.  Specialist Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded a wounded comrade with his own body – absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade’s life.  Although wounded by the grenade blast, he continued to charge the enemy’s bunker.  After receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker.  The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Sabo’s life.  His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members.

Specialist Sabo’s widow, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown and his brother, George Sabo, will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service and sacrifice.

We are a nation as long as we can find men like Sabo among us.

The Enemy Strikes Hard in Afghanistan

Mark Noonan22 Comments

From the AP:

A military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy SEALs unit that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, along with seven Afghan commandos. It was the deadliest single incident for American forces in the decade-long war.

The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with rocket fire while it was taking part in a raid on a house where insurgents were gathered in the province of Wardak late Friday. It said wreckage of the craft was strewn at the scene. A senior U.S. administration official in Washington said the craft was apparently shot down by insurgents. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the crash is still being investigated…

Hopefully the reaction will be to go very hard after the Taliban unit responsible for this…we dare not let them think they have scored a victory; make them pay a price all out of proportion to our losses.

This is a good time to remind ourselves that while we sit fat, dumb and happy, young men and women are still laying it all on the line for us.  What is our budget debate or debt downgrade or the 2012 election compared to what the armed forces are doing, day after day, with little thanks or note from us?  We have allowed ourselves to be too distracted … and I hope President Obama gets a grip on the Afghan campaign, and brings it back to the forefront of public consciousness.  It is time to win this campaign and then come home…whatever it takes, do it, and let’s have done with these savages in the Taliban.