"One Of The Finest Fighting Forces"...WTF?

By Blitzkrieg

Not to be too critical of the Moron-in-Chief, but WTF does he mean when he says that he is honored to be commander-in-chief of "one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever known"?

Hey asshole, you have the honor to be commander-in-chief of the BEST fighting force that has ever blessed the surface of this damn planet!
The fact is that even as you lie through your teeth and want to blow smoke in the eyes of the feeble American crowd that still supports you, you cannot even bring your sorry self to address the United States Military for what it really is.
Your dislike for anything that represents the most honorable part of our country is so blatant that you cannot even qualify it for what it is. You cannot digest the fact that the United States Exceptionalism has been such because of the ability of the US Military to project its power by inflicting death and destruction on the enemies of the Nation and at the same time being able to conduct the most sensible, compassionate missions of assistance to those in need.

Obama hates the country he has been elected to lead, and naturally it is impossible for this guy to recognize the importance of its Military.

Well, Mr. President, the dishonor is all ours!

Blietzkrieg - hit them hard and fast!

Is This Woman For Real? DNC Chairmoron Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

By Semperpapa

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, newly appointed chairperson of the DNC, and one clear representative of what liberalism is all about: activism and distortion.

During some comments about immigration reform, this dim witted idiot had this to say:

“I think the president was clearly articulating that his position — the Democrats position — is that we need comprehensive immigration reform. We have 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country that are part of the backbone of our economy. And that is not only a reality but a necessity. And that it would be harmful if — the Republican solution that I’ve seen in the last three years is that we should just pack them all up and ship them back to their own countries, and that in fact it should be a crime and we should arrest them all. I mean that was the legislation that Jim Sensenbrenner advanced a couple of years ago.”

So, in reality, it looks like Wasserman-Schultz is shocked by the fact that Republicans, and might I add many Americans in general, consider illegal immigration illegal.

The progressive mentality is one that does not define the criminal invasion of millions of people into our country in violation of the laws regarding immigration, as a criminal act. Not surprising at all as idiots like this woman have no real use for the laws of the land as long as it advances their agenda. The illegal aliens she is referring to are those she and her cronies consider more like the new breed of democrat voters, so in order to swell up the ranks of those who champion the destruction of America by keeping morons like her in power, they are ready to change the rules of the game and refuse to qualify criminal behavior as criminal.

What is with the DNC leadership? Is a clear state of insanity and double digit IQ a pre-requisite for the chairmanship position? Let us not forget that Howard Dean was chairman of the DNC.

And there is always the never-ending hypocrisy of the Left.

In an interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz leveled these accusations against the Republicans who opposed the Obama bailout of GM and Chrysler:

“If it were up to the candidates for president on the Republican side, we would be driving foreign cars; they would have let the auto industry in America go down the tubes,”

Of course what she made sure not to mention was that she own a personal vehicle built by the Nissan luxury brand, Infinity.

I guess I should be used to the “do as I say, not as I do” approach to governing that the current politicians are so good at, but the level of hypocrisy demonstrated by the current regime and its cronies, and several so-called RINOs might I add, remains an infuriating fact that makes me despise all politicians, with very few exceptions.

Wish someone would tell this woman to STFU!

Just my thoughts!

More Eco-Terrorism In California: Kill 4th Of July Celebrations

By Semperpapa

Another eco-terrorist attack against America comes now in California.

On Friday, 27 May, Superior Court Judge Linda Quinn said that the La Jolla, California, Fourth of July display of fireworks must be evaluated for its environmental impact under the rules of the California Environmental Quality Act. A legal challenge against fireworks display had been brought up by an environmental group, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation in Encinitas, against the City of San Diego, charging that the fireworks display the city of La Jolla conducts annually, has a detrimental impact on the environment.

What the ruling does, if not overturned in appellate court, is to place the additional cost and time delay upon any municipality that engages in firework shows for any occasion. The California city of Chula Vista has already cancelled its annual Independence Day show due to lack of funds and the expenses related to environmental challenges.

It is hard to believe that the attack from the environmental nutjobs against America could get to be as blatant as this one, and that there would be an activist judge who would actually take such an absurd case seriously, but these days everything appears to be possible in the land of freaks and loons that the state of California has become. And the freaks and loons are in charge!

The ruling has the environmental miscreants jumping for joy, for they were able in one swift move by Quinn, to advance their irrational agenda and to place one more nail in the coffin of American traditions and customs.

The city of San Diego issues about 400 permits for special events and about 20,000 permits for small park-type events. While the court decision was directed to the La Jolla event, it will also impact all the smaller gatherings that everyday citizens engage in to advance a sense of community among the citizens.

The lawyer for the environmental group, one Marco Gonzalez, was ecstatic about the ruling, saying that the judge’s decision was a vindication for his client and for the environment, because the suit had been deemed frivolous by the opponents who sought its dismissal.

Gonzales summed up the basis of the suit:

“There are a whole host of impacts that we know occur from fireworks shows, from marine mammals to marine birds to water quality to traffic to noise to the air. We want it studied and we want it mitigated.”

Which in reality means that this idiot and the group of idiots he represents, want the government to have the control over the ability of the American people to celebrate Independence Day as they have done for over 200 years. The approach of these eco-terrorists is shrewd and cunning, as it uses the out-of-control court system, the out-of-control environmental cultism to intrude in American lives and to undermine the traditions of our land.

In this case, eco-terrorism affects the American people’s right to celebrate American traditions, once again activism of a minority being able to trample the will of the majority. It would be interesting to see what the reaction of the people of San Diego would be if they were actually allowed to weigh into the controversy. I would bet my bottom dollar that the citizens would rail the environmentalist douche bags out of town.

But just as in the case of the Sacramento smelt, activism is out to destroy people’s lives and the voices of the majority is institutionally ignored.

The day will come that all these absurdities will just be a memory. I have to believe so, because the alternative is too disturbing to contemplate. In the meantime, I will keep on pointing out the excesses of the progressive movement, be it political or environmental.

We must stand up to these idiotic measures of control that a government gone wild is placing upon us and reject them. The voice of the people must be heard.

Just my thoughts!

Academia Was Once The Locus For Free Speech

By Semperpapa

It is a fact that the very purpose of Academia is, or at least it should be, the sharing and analysis of opinions. University folks have historically prided themselves in being inherently progressive in their approach to thinking, self appointed guarantors of the freedom of speech we all enjoy in this country.

But in the pursuit of such progressivism, something appears to have gone terribly wrong.

In my previous post http://semperpapa.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-world-of-academia-really-is-today.html

I showed how university crowd, both students and faculty, seem to have a very selective idea regarding the First Amendment, at least those who actually know what the First Amendment is and guarantees.

Here is another telling video, which I am sure the apologists for Academia denounce as a slanted, partisan misconstruction of reality.

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/dc-liberals-sign-petition-ban-conservative-websites

Just another nail in the survival of the Republic, compliments of a basic anti-American culture that the Left has been able to foster in the halls of Academia.

Hypocrisy or brain washing? I believe a little bit of both.

Free speech is an absolute right in our country, guaranteed by the United States Constitution. I understand that for the Left the Constitution is a “living, breathing” document, but in reality such position is dictated by an underlining rejection of our founding document.

The Bill of Rights is not a changeable set of rules, but it is a very specifically defined guarantor of liberties that are at the foundations of our entire Nation. And they are rights that millions of Americans paid with their lives for their enforcement. By addressing those rights as elements that are subjected to arbitrary changes according to anyone’s socio-political agenda, is in reality a denunciation of the entire document.

Our political system allows the amendment of the Constitution via a very specific process, designed to guarantee that the change to the Constitution is a change that is supported by the majority of the American people, not just by the political elite.

Changing the Constitution by allowing activist judges to impose their radical views is a violation of the oath that such individuals took when appointed to the bench.

The First Amendment is not to be interpreted as selective, provided that we agree with the message.

There are few people on the face of the Earth I despise more than the scum from the Westboro Baptist Church, few people I would not cry over their sudden and complete disappearance. If the ground would open and swallow the lot, never to be seen or heard from, it would cause me to celebrate. On the other hand, even those poor excuses for human beings have the right to express their vile message as long as they do not cause harm to anyone.

The moron who wanted to burn the American flag and about whom I wrote my past blog http://semperpapa.blogspot.com/2011/05/case-of-flag-burning-at-lsu.html may be deserving of all our contempt and rejection, but, as I wrote, he still has the right to commit the act as long as he uses his own property.

Just because we loath the message does not mean that we have the right to curtail someone else freedom of expression, a concept that the Leftist Academia is conveniently steering clear from in their brainwashing of the young, brainless students.

In the video from Georgetown University, we saw examples of two of the basic cancers afflicting America today: indoctrination and apathy.

Indoctrination is creating a generation of spineless youth who cannot think on their own if their lives depended on it. Kids who are ready to disregard the basic principles of our country in favor of a progressive approach to the Marxist Utopia their indoctrinators impose on them.

Apathy, showing up in the form of a complete detachment from the issues that are afflicting our Nation, has dire consequences for the future of our country. We heard one student who stated he was interested only in sports and not in politics. But these are individuals who go cast their ballots without any understanding of the consequences their ignorance may cause.

The First Amendment has been violated for years now by the scourge of humanity called Political Correctness. This practice has been used by minorities and activists to curtail the freedom of expression of the people, in clear violation of the Amendment.

When political correctness imposes rules upon freedom of expression it is a direct attack against our liberties.

May it be the removal of religious symbols, only Christian symbols to be specific, from school commencement ceremonies to the removal of a lonely memorial cross in the middle of the Mojave Desert, political correctness has violated the freedom of expression of the American people via the new concept of being “offensive” to someone.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but it does not safeguards the Individual from being offended. All it takes these days to violate someone right is a complaint on the part of someone to have been offended. I say: if a Cross offends you, don’t look at it!

I find Rosie O’Donnell highly offensive. Would I be justified in wanting her removal?

I find many leftist drones offensive. Would I be justified in wanting them to be silenced?

The principles of Academia have gone hopelessly wrong. It used to be a place where opinions were discussed and analyzed, where thought and ideas could be discussed, debated. Now it has become just another venue for the enemies of our country to attack our basic rights, institutions and principles.

Just my thoughts!

Women Driving In Saudi Arabia To Be Beaten

By Semperpapa

Finally something from Saudi Arabia I can get behind. A Facebook page in the Saudi Kingdom is calling for young Saudi men to beat women who are found driving cars in public. According to the laws of the kingdom, women are forbidden from operating a vehicle, having instead to count on male drivers for their transportation.
This "controversy" was sparked by a woman who filmed herself driving a car and who was arrested and jailed by the authorities. She is still in jail, pending prosecution or release.

I travel the freeways of Southern California extensively every day, over 100 miles in heavy traffic, and I can actually support the Saudi law, especially when it comes to women driving while putting their makeup on with one hand, holding a cereal bowl in the other and talking on their cell phone, while traveling at 50mph steering with their knees.

Ok, I am joking so stop running around with your hair on fire!
Joking aside, this is the situation for women in Saudi Arabia. Those who will attempt to defy the ban by driving in an upcoming demonstration will be beaten by Saudi males and will receive no help form the authorities. As a matter of fact, they will be probably prosecuted for their actions.
It is the M.O. of Wahhabism, the perfect society promised by Sharia law.
I wonder how would the feminists in America react if the ever present government would institute such a restriction on women. Would the description of "religion of peace" still hold?

Just my thoughts!

…And The Hell With The Constitution!

Written by Blitzkrieg for Semper America

It is a fact that Obama and his cronies despise the United States Constitution and everything that it stands for. The proof of it is evident, from the White House to the Supreme Court to the various activist judges across the nation.

We, American Patriots, have been screaming about how Obama is continuously challenging our Sacred Document in order to increase his own power and in his effort to establish a Marxist dictatorship in America, accompanied by a flavor of Sharia law that would make the bozo feel right at home.

March 30^th was the 30^th anniversary of the assassination attempt against President Reagan. In that attack, James Brady, one of Reagan’s close advisors, was shot in the head and suffered a life changing injury. Ever since that day, James Brady and his wife Sarah have been on a crusade to eliminate the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

They have worked tirelessly to insure that the tragic event of that day would be used to negate one of the basic Rights the American people have to protect themselves from a despotic government and potential foreign enemies.

Does Sarah Brady really believe that killing the right to own and bear arms would have prevented the events of March 30^th, 1981? Is she really that naïve?

Millions of guns in America have not killed or injured anyone. None of my guns have ever killed or injured anyone. But what these weapons are still guaranteeing is the freedoms we have against usurpers like Obama and his minions.

On the anniversary of the assassination attempt against Reagan, Obama joined the Brady bunch and made the following statement:

“I just want you to know that we are working on it. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

How do we know this? Sarah Brady herself recounted Obama’s words!

What does it mean? Simply put, it is a demonstrated intention on the part of this jackass in the White House to circumvent the Constitution and Congress and take the executive steps necessary to infringe upon the constitutional rights of the American people, something that this guy and his throng of activist jurists is very dedicated to achieve in every aspect of our lives.

Just before the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the surprise attack, had told Tojo and the Imperial Japanese War Council that the invasion of the United States was impossible. In Yamamoto’s opinion, one that was dictated by his extensive, personal knowledge of American culture, an invasion of the United States would only succeed if the Japanese forces would be able to march all the way to Washington D.C. and be able to dictate the terms of surrender in the White House. In his opinion the American Spirit was such that there could be no partial occupation of the West Coast like they had done in China. Why? Because Yamamoto stated that invading forces would face “a gun behind every blade of grass” citing the freedom of American people to own firearms.

While Tojo ignored Yamamoto’s opposition to attacking the United States at Pearl, he fortunately listened to his admiral’s opinion on an invasion.

Because history is a teacher of life, it is the Second Amendment, among other factors, that is keeping our country free from the scourge of suicide bombers and other jihadist attacks. On 9-11-01 the hijackers chose airplanes for their vile attack, mostly because they were guaranteed that there was not going to be any firearm on those aircafts.

And yet, the current communist in the White House is bent on reneging such people’s right in order to guarantee his complete control over the citizens of the United States. And if his agenda requires using cunning, anti-American ways, so be it.

As far as folks like Sarah Brady, I can understand the motivation behind their crusade from an emotional point of view. She and James Brady have been called heroes for their activism and their handling of the tragic event that they were victims of, but I consider short of heroism to use a personal tragedy, a high profile one at that, to campaign for the removal of a constitutional right from an entire population.

As much as I may feel for the terrible cards they were handed, I have contempt for their attempt to infringe upon my rights as an American citizen.

Blitzkrieg – hit them hard and fast!

Taxpayers’ Money At Work

By Semperpapa

Well, what do you know? The federal government wasting taxpayers’ money. I am shocked!

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Ok) just released a report on the National Science Foundation. This is a federal agency that has the task to conduct research for the advancement of scientific and engineering knowledge. While historically the agency has been probably one of the most forthcoming in keeping records clean and transparent, the report from Coburn shows that maybe the pedestal the agency has been standing on is not as high as previously thought.

It appears that the NSF has been very liberal with the use of its annual $6.8B budget.

Mentioned in the report, taxpayers’ money have been used by NSF researchers to study shrimps working out on tiny little treadmills; studying the social site Facebook players of Farm Ville; studying behavior of those who post pictures on Flickr; studying why the same basketball teams from the same universities make the finals of the NCAA tournament.

These may be all worthwhile endeavors that greatly enhance the knowledge of the public at large, or maybe not. I understand that I may not be as sophisticated as some of the academic elite, but I failed to see the contribution that such “research” may represent for the advancement of technology.

I am an engineer by trade, spent all my professional life for the last 30 years in mechanical design, trying always to push the envelop for materials, processes and applications. And yet the significance of some of the governmental intrusion into the field of research just plain escapes me.

Sen. Coburn reports also talks of a $1.5M grant given by the NSF to some scientists to produce a robot that can fold laundry. Is such a research really enhancing the quality of life for mankind?

I realize that the realization of a robotic system that can operate a complex task as folding a towel could have great implications in the development of robotic technology for much more important tasks, but it would be more useful to address a problem of greater impact for research.

For example, if the research was directed to build a robot that would improve security of our soldiers in the field of battle, or the safety of police officers or fire fighters in the conduct of their business, I could justify the program. If the research was improving the medical field efficiency and success, I would be all for it, but systems for these purposes are already being worked on by other entities, mostly private companies. So the NSF endeavor is practically useless.

What Coburn report is highlighting is at the national level and one agency only. But wasteful spending of this type is present at every level of government. I am reminded of a $4M spent by an individual here in California, for the study of wind power generation. The grant was given by an obscure community college board in the state, meaning financed by Californians, to research the application of wind generated energy. $4M later, the impressing results were one wind turbine powering one 60W light bulb.

It is safe to deduce that the waste of taxpayers’ money is present at every level of government intrusion, once again showing that we the people can always count on government inefficiency in handling our tax money.

But the story does not end there, because free handing over of money by the government brings unethical and illegal activities to the surface too. Coburn report also points out that some of the money allocated for the NSF was used by some of their researchers to go on vacation, to pay for Jell-O wrestling, to purchase alcohol and video games.

Apologists are running around trying to justify the actions of the NSF by stating that waste is present in every government agency and that the NSF is actually one agency that takes ethic research more seriously than others. Well that is the problem. The mentality today is that “yes, we have problems, but we have less problems than others” as if that is a more acceptable excuse.

Together with the report from Coburn, the Government Accountability Office issued a report indicating that several government programs are redundant with others and that government agencies are failing to search, identify and address duplication of efforts.

For some teachers’ training programs, for example, the GAO found that 44 of 47 programs were a duplication of “at least” one other program.

While it has become fashionable to attack corporations for their greed and, at times, unscrupulous business tactics, it still remains clear that the pursue of profit on their part is still based on the principles of free market. The only time corporate greed takes a life of its own is when these businesses are so big and powerful that they become a tool of the government, as in the case of General Electric, General Motors or Chrysler.

In these times of austere economic conditions, with high unemployment and unimaginable deficit, the promise Obama made as he was campaigning in 2008, to go through every spending item and eliminate waste, has gone down in flame like the majority of his promises. But for the Obamadroids, it’s all good, because every other president has similarly failed it in the past. So much for hope and change.

Just my thoughts!

Celebrity Scum At The Cannes Film Festival

By Blitzkrieg

Yes, it is time to take a little excursion to the Cannes Film Festival, the yearly congregation of celebrity pukes taking place in the always fun French city.

This year the attempts to push the limits of decency even further have been successful with film directors openly praising Hitler to the showing of “films” who were so outrageous and disgusting that even the most hardened progressive and forgiving Cannes audience run out of the theaters in total horror.

But the best of the best must be given to one Peter Fonda, and not because of any work he did on a movie set, but for some of the best crap that has ever spilled from the mouth of a liberal.

Few days ago, Peter Fonda called President Obama a “fucking traitor”, statement that I agree fully with, although for totally opposite reasons than the sibling of the infamous Hanoi Jane.

For Peter, Obama is a traitor for selling off to special interests or something like that, blah, blah, blah.

For me, Obama is a traitor because he is purposely destroying our Nation for personal gain in his desire to turn the United States of America into the Socialist States of Amerika.

But good old fart Peter was not done. In an interview with some media puke, Peter Fonda made the following statement:

“I’m training my grandchildren to use long-range rifles. For what purpose? Well, I’m not going to say the words ‘Barak Obama’, but…”

Then added:

“It’s more of a thought process than an actuality, but we are heading for a major conflict between the haves and the have nots. I came here many years ago with a biker movie and we stopped a war. Now, it’s about starting the world. I prefer to not to use the words, 'let’s stop something’. I prefer to say, 'let’s start something, let’s start the world”

So what the rethread is saying is that he is calling for “something” to be started in America, calling for the violent expression of the dissatisfaction that he and his progressive scum feel toward the failed Messiah.

I wonder if the brilliant words of Peter Fonda will warrant a visit from the Secret Service and some heavy duty questioning.

As Semperpapa wrote about in a recent post about America turning into a police state, the Secret Service paid a visit to the school of a 13-year old for posting something on Facebook that was not threatening in the least, questioning the boy without the parents even being present. The words of Fonda should buy him a nice trip to the nearest Secret Service office the moment this piece of shit tries to re-enter our country.

We shall see.

In the meantime, I have this message for Fonda: careful what you wish for, douche bag!

Blitzkrieg – hit them fast and hard!

Memorial Day, 2011: In Memory Of LCpl. Rick Centanni

By Semperpapa

A year has gone by already since the last Memorial Day. Time flies.
A year ago, we were celebrating the return home of our Marine from Afghanistan and we were finally able to catch a breath after being on edge for a long seven months.

The true meaning of Memorial Day has never escaped me, ever since I arrived on American soil in 1979. It was always a somber celebration for me, as I understood the deep significance of this day. No, it is not the attractive sales or the long weekend or the beginning of the Summer season, but a much more important reason for pondering, reflecting and understanding the sacrifices that those who paid the ultimate price in the service of our Nation for our freedom have made since the inception of this socio-political experiment called America. And it is also the day when we pause, or at least we should, to support and pray for the thousands of Gold Star families that live everyday the painful void left by their fallen loved ones.

Memorial Day was officially designated as such by Gen. John Logan in 1868. Logan, who was the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, decreed that May 20 would be the day when the graves of soldiers fallen in battle would be decorated. In the first celebration as Memorial Day, May 30, 1868, flowers were placed on the graves of fallen Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.

The day calls for a time of reflection upon the memory of those who gave their lives in the protection of the Nation while wearing the uniform of our Armed Forces. It is the time of realization of what millions of men and women gave up in the defense of our country.
The most appropriate way to celebrate such day is to pay a visit to your local National Cemetery. I do so at the Riverside National Cemetery, where many of the fallen I had the honor to escort as a Patriot Guard Rider, have found their last resting place. I still remember many of their names.

In April 2006, I had the fortune of being in Washington D.C. and was able to get a glance of Arlington Cemetery. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Cemetery on the only day we were there, the gates were closing and I was not able to see the Tomb of the Unknown or much of the Cemetery, but what I saw, just rows of very poignant headstones, was enough to leave me with a somber sense of gratitude for those whose sacrifice granted me the right to enjoy my beautiful country.

When I visit Riverside National Cemetery on Memorial Day, I have some specific places I prefer to go to. One of them, this year, is very new.
It is the site of U.S.M.C. LCpl. Rick Centanni. Rick was killed on 24 March 2010 while on patrol in the Helmand Province of Southern Afghanistan. He was the driver of an LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) of the 4th LAR (Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion, based in Camp Pendleton, California. He was just days shy of his 20th birthday.
The vehicle Rick was driving also carried the Battalion Sgt. Major Robert Cottle. The vehicle hit an IED and both Rick and Robert were killed instantly.

Sgt.Maj. Robert Cottle (left) and LCpl. Rick Centanni
Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Rick returned home to a hero's welcome, thousands of citizens from his hometown Yorba Linda, California, lining the streets as the procession of family, friends, police officers from both Santa Ana Police Department (Rick's father Jon is a Sargent for that agency) and LAPD (SgtMaj Cottle was a SWAT officer there) and hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders, honored the price of freedom that this young man, not even old enough to buy a beer, had paid.

The death of Rick Centanni was a hard blow for me and my family also, even if I never met him, as Rick is a good friend of my son, who was still finishing up his deployment in the barren sands of Afghanistan. My son had stood with many of his Marine brothers in honor of Rick as his remains left COP Payne for the last journey home, and I felt an even greater connection with my boy: he was there at the beginning of Rick's final voyage home and I stood to honor him at the end of it.

Of all the 60+ "missions" I attended as a Patriot Guard, this was the most emotional, even though every one of them leaves a definite void in my heart.
For one thing, Rick was a friend of my son, so I could imagine the pain he and his Marine brothers were feeling at that time. I could only imagine, as having never served in the Military I do not have first hand knowledge of the bond these men have with each other.
Moreover, the death of Centanni and Cottle had hit very close to home, as I was battling the anxiety on knowing that my own son was still there.

Thankfully, my son and his unit returned home on 27 May 2010, and with them also returned an immense relief in our family. We were breathing again.

Semper Fidelis, Rick!

I went to visit the burial site of Rick Centanni just last December, in occasion of the annual Wreaths Across America celebration, and I had the honor to personally place the wreath dedicated to Rick on his grave.
This Memorial Day I will go see Rick once again, to pray for his eternal peace and to thank him again for the sacrifice he made for my freedom. Just an miniscule attempt on my part to keep my persona promise to all the killed and wounded warriors to never forget.
I have met Jon Centanni, Rick's dad, a man of incredible strength and courage. A grieving father who joined the rest of us the day the 4th LAR returned home, a day I can only imagine must have been excruciatingly painful for him. He still wanted to see his son's brothers home, even if his beloved Rick was not going to be on that white bus. I seriously doubt I would have had such strength of character.

It may be a reality that the true meaning of Memorial Day has been lost from the consciousness of many Americans, but it still remains vivid among the millions of Service men and women deployed across the world and most certainly in the hearts and minds of the millions of families living everyday with the understanding and the fear for their loved ones in uniform.
And what can be said about the Gold Star families. They have earned and most definitely deserve the appreciation for the price they paid for the freedoms American enjoy everyday. They carry the emotional burden of pain and void that all Americans should attempt to understand and honor.

So on this Memorial Day weekend, while we enjoy the time off from work, while we enjoy the beer and the food, please pause in remembrance of why we are free to do so.
Reach out to a Military family in your neighborhood; search memorial web sites for the over 5,000 fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan and leave a message of condolences; pay a visit to a National Cemetery. Or even hold a minute of prayer as you are enjoying your family's company.
What it comes down to is to show that we really care for the trials and tribulations these families are enduring, to show our appreciation.

We are the Nation we are thanks to those who have stepped up and endure the horrors of combat across this globe. America owes a debt of gratitude to men like Rick Centanni that we will never be able to repay, so the least we can do is to remember their sacrifices. Never Forget!

Just my thoughts!

Lock And Load In California

By Semperpapa

The United States Supreme Court issue a decision that will force the State of California to release about 46,000 prison inmates due to violations of federal statue regarding overcrowding. The decision was split, 5-4, with three of the dissenting justices, Scalia, Roberts and Alito, issuing two separate dissents.
Scalia warned of dire consequences in the release of so many felons back onto the streets, while Alito and Roberts wrote that the action of SCOTUS is in violation with another federal law which limits the power of federal judges over the release of prisoners.

But what does this really mean for us Californians? In three short words: "Lock and Load" as these prisoners will now be roaming the streets and, considering the low probability that they will be go straight and seek honest employment, will be looking at new opportunities to enhance their criminal records (and even if they were willing to seek honest employment, there are no jobs out there anyway).

Clearly, the safety of the citizens is of no concern for those justices on the Supreme Court who voted for this. Easy for them to sit in their plush offices in Washington and be protected by federal guards when they venture out. Under those circumstances it is easy to climb upon the pedestal of self righteousness and condemn who knows how many innocent citizens to be victimized.
Are the people of California going to be able to hold the deciding justices liable for crimes committed by any of these freed inmates? Of course not!
And if any of us will exercise our right to self defense, it will be the same justices that will use our reaction as a reason to take away our 2nd Amendment right.
All this in the name of political correctness and ill placed concern for the lowest members of our society.
Yes, time to lock and load!

Just my thoughts!

Two US Soldiers Die In Iraq

By Semperpapa

the Department of Defense announced that two US Soldiers were killed conducting operations in central Iraq.
The names of the KIAs have not yet been revealed as the families are being notified.

They are the first deaths in Iraq in the month of May, while 15 KIAs were recorded in April.

How could that be? Didn't Obama win that war, correcting all the mistakes of his predecessor?

I wonder if the media will be able to spin this. On the other hand, the media doesn't give a rat's ass about Military deaths, unless they can use it against George Bush.

Just my thoughts!

More On The Killing Of Jose Guerena

By Semperpapa

This is the latest that is appearing on ThisAintHell.com

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=23538

It appears that the piece of shit lawyer engaged by the Sheriff Office of Dupnik is increasingly grasping for anything he can to make their case. Trashing Jose reputation and family is the latest, and I totally agree with TAH in the conviction that the lawyer should just go away before he compromises even more the deputies that participated in the raid.

Yes, the were multiple ways that the LEO could have collared Jose for an investigation of whatever they were alleging his criminal activity could have been. Terrorizing him and his family and ultimately taking his life should have not been the chosen solution.

The story keeps on changing and the Sheriff Office has been going the route of accusing Jose of drug offenses, even if no evidence was supposedly found in the home, to involvement in some sort of home invasion ring.
The mentioning of body armor and partial LE uniform is nothing more than again grasping for straws when the evidences, still kept secret, are damming against the operation.

It is time for the Justice Dept. to look into this tragedy and hold the responsible parties accountable for the action that took a husband and father away.
In no way I am contending that Jose was not guilty of anything, after all I have no knowledge either way. But in this country the assumption is still of innocence till proven guilty.
Until Dupnik and Holder are going to succeed to change that, at least for those they considered to be a threat to the new American ideology, even people like Jose Guerena are entitled to Constitutional rights.

Just my thoughts!

What The World Of Academia Really Is Today

By Semperpapa

I have been writing at length about the hypocrisy of the left and also of the indoctrination that today’s academia is perpetrating against American youth. The brainwashing is utterly astonishing and highly disturbing.

In the mix of those few who actually recognize the true danger that the indoctrination of the new generation represents for the future of our Republic, are some young people who have founded a web site where they demonstrate the hypocrisy, contorted and ignorant results of years of control that the progressive movement in America has held over the university system.

The web site is www.exposingleftists.com and it is very interesting, yet discouraging.

Their latest video is an eye opener, or at least it should be, for those who still maintain that the alarmist words spoken by many, including this writer, about the danger that lurks in the hallways of American universities and about the erosion of American traditional values that is forced by progressive docents upon the impressionable masses of students.

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IaqB_EGDLVg

It is evident that the principles upon which the First Amendment is based on are not very clear in the minds of the left (not to even mention the guy who is for freedom of speech but does not know what the First Amendment is. Really telling revelation of the “quality” of education imparted upon students today).

What the video shows is practically that the liberals in academia, from the docents to the students, are all for freedom of speech, but only when the speech is in agreement with their political leanings.

Contrarily, when the content of speech is dissenting from their beliefs, it immediately becomes hate speech that should be banned from public domain.

The very same types of students are all in favor of re-distribution of wealth, but fervently against the re-distribution of their grades. They are ready to take away from individuals their right to benefit financially from their hard work, but absolutely opposed to be denied the fruit of their hard work in school to benefit those who are not as willing to put their time in.

The main problem is that academia has been taken over by radicalism for decades, resulting in a generation of Americans more interested in the transformation of our society into a utopian Marxist system that is “fair” to all. In reality, it all comes down to control: control of the mind, control of the system, control of the wealth and control of the dissemination of information. If enough time would be dedicated to explaining what really Marxist systems are by showing the truth about the Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and what those regimes represent for the freedom of the individual, maybe the results would be different, albeit contrary to the agenda.

What higher education is based on is no longer the teaching of facts and knowledge, but instead it is based in the teaching of hypocrisy as a way of life. Everything can be justified, including violence and rejection of the Constitution, if one can find the right cause to get behind.

Why do we not hear students call out the hate speech of someone like George Schultz or Bill Press?

Why do we not hear the protestation of students against the racial speech of despicable individuals like Al Sharpton and Jessy Jackson?

The answer is in the fact that those professors who are part of the educated elite in the indoctrination camps that our universities have become, agree with the contorted premises of the above mentioned characters, so they espouse their messages and therefore they propagate them, while dissent becomes immediately hate speech.

To aggravate the issue is the presence of many Middle Eastern professors, very well planted moles in the university system for the propagation of anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda. It is a clear case of political correctness gone wild, with the elevation of radical anti-American individuals to positions where they have free reign over the manipulation of what students are exposed to. It all works very well toward the ultimate goal of creating an even more radicalized generation of young people, one even more extreme in their hate for the country than their parents, the Woodstock generation.

The whole thing is a danger that common Americans cannot or are not willing to see. They get behind the idea of more young people having access to higher education, even going to the extreme of agreeing with the false notion that a college education is a right.

Reality is that college education is not a right, but a choice. Choice, a concept that liberals only associate with abortion, but reject in regard to everything else, opting instead for the Marxist concept of the government being in control of every aspect of their lives.

So, when we hear Obama and his cronies stating that a higher education is a right of everyone, we should look beyond the feel good façade of the statement and understand that the driving force behind those words is the goal of a despotic regime to gain control over the youth of America.

I am not convinced that the trend can be reversed anymore without drastic and unpopular action, but I still hope that it can be slowed and possibly halted. American conservatives sure have their work cut out for them.

Just my thoughts!

Is Our Country Turning Into A Police State?

By Semperpapa

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall be issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Does anyone know what these words are from? Yes, these are the textual words of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. It is one of the Amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights as intended by James Madison when he introduced them to the first United States Congress in 1789.
The purpose of the Fourth Amendment is t safeguard the American people from a government that would conduct house to house searches without warrants and probable cause. It is intended to protect individuals from intrusion on the part of the authorities that are not properly documented as necessary in the interest of national security and/or public safety.

The disturbing trend that is showing up these days is an increasingly disregard of the right guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment.

Just last week, the Indiana Supreme Court, in a 3-2 decision, basically destroyed the Fourth Amendment rights of the people of Indiana. The justice who wrote the decision tells, among other things that
"...modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence makes the common law right to resist unnecessary because civil remedies are available through the courts..."

In other words, the common law the judge, Steven David, is ready to negate the people is that of self defense should a police officer decide to enter a home uninvited.
Moreover, David also wrote that
"...Allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest..."

which means that in his infinite wisdom, Steven David considers the God-given right of an individual to protect oneself and one's family and property not a right at all, but an hindrance to the goal of the State.
The decision sparked widespread outrage not limited to Indiana but Nation wide. Indiana State Senators are already drafting legislation that will overturn this horrible miscarriage of justice.
(On a side note: Judge Steven David was nominated to the Indiana State Supreme Court by Gov. Mitch Daniels. If this represents the ease with which Daniels can be bamboozled, or if this is in line with Daniels' agenda, than Mitch Daniels better stay the hell away from Presidential Campaigning. We already have a President that tramples the Constitution on a daily basis, we do not need another one!)

Following the Court decision, Newton County, Indiana, Sheriff Don Hartman Sr. declared that the ruling would now allow law enforcement to conduct house to house random searches, which he said he would conduct, and that the people would actually welcome them if it meant catching criminals.
It looks like Sheriff Hartman, just like his colleague Dupnik in Pima County, Arizona, do not feel that the adherence to the U.S. Constitution is a necessity. They must be of the opinion, spreading around elected officials nationwide, that the portion of the Oath of Office "...protect and defend the United States Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic..." was just place in the oath for the sole purpose of wasting time.

As I continue to follow the tragic event in Tucson of the death of Jose Guerena, I keep on finding other examples of what appears to be a move of some of our law enforcement units toward what can only be considered as a police state behavior.
And there was a strange case in Tacoma, Washington, where a 13 years old boy was yanked from his class during school and interrogated for 30 minutes by the Secret Service. The reason was that the child, Vito LaPinta, had posted something on Facebook that the Secret Service considered as threatening to the President. In the aftermath of the killing of bin Laden, Vito wrote that the President should be careful about possible terrorists out for revenge.
Yes, that was the threat against the President from a 13-year-old boy!

We have Hamas, Hezbollah and CAIR in America; the Saudi Medrassas in Virginia; university professors supporting terrorists; anti-American illegal aliens associations plotting the overturn of our republic; we have former Presidents and former Congresspeople visiting enemy nations and attacking America; we have government entities leaking secret information that could cost American lives. And the Secret Service is grilling a 7th grader? And without his parents present?

All the rights that are being granted to the enemies of America, from the terrorists in Guantanamo that Eric Holder wants to try in civil courts, to the favoritism afforded to illegal alien students over American citizens, are demanded by those who are most interested in transforming the Country into a Marxist entity.
Decisions like the one in Indiana are nothing less than an affront to the Constitution and to the law abiding citizens of this country. They are just individual steps in the grand scheme of rendering the Constitution, and all the rights it gives us, null and void. Starting with giving law enforcement absolute power, especially if exercised against those of us who dissent, is just another attempt at controlling and coerce the population into submission. What would stop a law enforcement agency to "visit" the home of someone who has legally registered weapons and confiscate them? That would work just perfect for the progressives who see the common American as the only obstacle to their total overtaking of the Nation.

This may be the lighting of the fuse that will allow the American people to finally stand up and say: NO MORE! As for me, I sure hope nobody ever decides to come into my home uninvited. I will not take the time to ask if there may be civil remedies available through the courts!

Just my thoughts!

The Usual Hypocrisy Rant Against Liberals

By Semperpapa

Very interesting turn of events regarding Obamacare in this article from HotAir.com:

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/17/1-in-5-of-latest-obamacare-waivers-went-to-nancy-pelosis-district/

Yes, 200+ new waivers and 20% of them conveniently going to businesses in the Ugly Witch of the West, Nancy Pelosi.
Many of the rest going to more unions and healthcare businesses.

Pelosi reacted to the justifiable indignation by saying that the opposition was politicizing the issue. Considering that the Left has made a career for the last 10 years to politicize the sacrifice and blood of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it appears a clear case of the pot calling the cattle black, no racial pun intended.

The provisions of the waivers are temporary, expiring at the end of 2012, just in time for Obama to be re-elected and after that most of these waivers will expire and the benefactors will be hit by the additional costs. Of course, a good financial contribution to the Whore of San Francisco may actually buy you a permanent waiver. That is the way totalitarian regimes operate.

This is plain shameful, but I would not expect anything less from the Hairy One.

Just my thoughts!

Marine Killed In Arizona

LCpl. Jose Guerena

By Semperpapa

United States Marine LCpl. Jose Guerena was killed in Tucson, Arizona, last Thursday morning. A two-deployments Veteran of the Iraq War, Guerena was killed when officers of the Sheriff Department of Pima County raided his home and shot him 70 times.

I started following this case since it first appeared on the Internet, because it did not make the national news.

My tendency is to first give the law enforcement officers the benefit of the doubt, as I know first hand the level of pressure that is inherent with the job and the evil they encounter on a daily basis.

What made this case peek my interest was the fact that the Sheriff Office keeps on changing the story. Initially the situation developed when the SWAT team raided the home where Guerena lived with his wife and 4-year-old son. According to Vanessa Guerena, wife of Jose, she woke her husband up when she noticed the shadow of a man with a gun through one of the home window. Her testimony is that Jose told her to hide with the child in a bathroom closet while he grabbed his AR-15 rifle and checked what they thought may be an attempt at a home invasion and robbery (we must consider the location of the raid, Tucson, where illegal aliens home invasions are not rare).

As the SWAT officers broke down the door they found Jose crouching with his rifle and started to shoot. 70 shots later, Guerena was down. Vanessa also contends that the officers pulled her and her child out of the home while her husband was still alive in the front room, and yet it took one hour for paramedics to be allowed to enter the home and tend to Jose.

If this was not suspicious enough, Vanessa Guerena also states that the Sheriff Deputies never identified themselves as such before breaking down the door, while s spokesman for the Sheriff had stated that the raid had been conducted with marked patrol cars, lights and sirens.

Why is this suspicious? Mostly because the story keeps on changing. Initially it was stated that Jose fired first, than it was found that while his weapon had a chambered round it was still on safe. And the fact that a SWAT raid for alleged narcotics violations would be conducted with “lights and sirens” on is against every police protocol I have heard of in the past for such type of operations.

The Sheriff’s Office also stated that the search of the home netted some evidences of narco conspiracy, but all evidences have been sealed after the action, including the warrant information, which all smells of cover up and leaves me with painful ambiguity.

If all the evidences of the raid substantiate the actions of the SWAT unit, the public should be allowed to clearly see them to show that Jose Guerena represented the risk that warranted his killing. Keeping everything hidden, considering that Jose had a honored service record and no criminal record whatsoever, brings up painful questions. Did the officers have the wrong house? Were they predisposed to their conduct by whom Jose was? Did they overreact and are now hiding the facts?

The answers to these questions may never be fully found, but the fact that the deputies are from the ranks of Sheriff Dupnik, makes the situation even harder to digest. Who is Dupnik, for those who may not remember? Dupnik is the character that achieved national notoriety, at least his fifteen minutes of infamy, in the aftermath of the shooting last January in Tucson that left six people dead and House Rep. Gabrielle Giffords wounded. Dupnik is one of those political hacks who took advantage of that situation to advance his liberal agenda for the subversion of the First and Second Amendment of the Constitution.

In following this tragic story, my thoughts went straight to the report that Janet Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security put out in 2009 identifying as a domestic terrorist source, returning right wing war Veterans that may have hostility toward the government. Did such mentality on the part of the government paint a huge target on the back of Jose Guerena?

This appears to be a case in desperate need of independent investigation, but as of today, no word has been uttered by either the ACLU or the Justice Department. Not that I expected anything from either source as Jose Guerena did not fit the protected section of the population: he was not black nor a Muslim.

The raid that cost the life of Jose Guerena is a stark contrast with the cultural sensitivity that federal agents demonstrated in raiding a Florida mosque to arrest one Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, the mosque imam who is under federal indictment for providing financial support to al Qaeda. Under the new rules of engagement for federal agents, rules instituted by the Obama regime to demonstrate cultural sensibility toward Muslims, the officers waited for prayer time to be over and even removed their shoes as they entered the mosque to execute the arrest warrant. Amazing how culturally sensitive we are required to be in the handling of Islamic terrorists all the while not even consider human sensibility when dealing with a young man who also happen to be a Marine War Veteran.

Our country is truly in a world of hurt!

Just my thoughts!

Oh Bill! You Are Funny Man

By Semperpapa

What is with former and current Presidents trying to be comedians?
Bill Clinton is calling for an international agency dedicated to policing the information appearing on the Internet. Sort of a Truth Ministry that would have the scope of analyzing what appears on blogs and come up with counter opinions. Funny!

And Clinton added that it should be a clearly impartial agency, fully transparent in its funding (just like the Obama administration?), with credibility like National Public Radio or the BBC, which is even funnier.

But probably the funniest part of Clinton's idea is that the US government should pair up with the United Nations in the founding of such agency. Yeah, because when I think of impartiality, the first thing that comes to mind is the United Nations!

I am sure that Slick Willie would love to have a leading role in such agency. Just think about it: he could have access to young women of multiple nationality, bolstering his diversity image, and at the same time come out publicly denouncing any wrong doing, backed by the unimpeachable international agency.

OK, I got my laugh for the day.

Just my thoughts!

Dictatorship Obama Style: Feds Interfering With Business

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

By Semperpapa

This situation has been quite interesting to follow because it clearly demonstrates once again that the current government is quickly positioning itself to institute a dictatorship in our Republic.

Obama and his cronies are laying down the fertile ground for a federal control of business in America.

The Boeing Company has just opened a new factory in South Carolina for the assembly of the new 787 Dreamliner commercial jet. The Seattle-based Corporation selected South Carolina, among many reasons, because that state is a right-to-work state, where the company does not have to unionize its workers.

The facility, for which Boeing invested $1B for its realization, is employing about 1,200 workers.

In an effort to exercise its despotic power upon Boeing, Obama is allowing the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) to file a lawsuit against Boeing in the attempt to force the aerospace giant to shut down the facility and move the 787 assembly line back to Washington State, where the company is forced to hire union workers.

What may be the consequences of this unprecedented intrusion of the federal government into a company business practices? According to Michael Lutting, VP and counsel for the Boeing Co. such legal precedent would impact business decision for any company seeking to expand their operation in other states of the Union with the potential loss of thousands of jobs. Moreover, it would also push even more companies to seek expansion overseas rather than being forced to submit to crippling union contracts.

The NLRB is suing Boeing under the accusation that the company is using coercive tactics against its union workforce, while the CEO of Boeing is sustaining that the company has to address their survivability in an ever increasing competitive international market.

Boeing management is rightfully concerned about the consistency of union actions in the form of strikes. As Rich Lowry points out in National Review Online, the aerospace giant was subjected to labor disputes in 1977, 1989, 1995, 2005, and 2008 with strikes that were designed to adversely impact the operational ability of the company. Inflicting pain upon the organization was the goal.

In its headquarters in Seattle, Boeing has created thousands of good jobs. This legal action on the part of the federal government is nothing less than the attempt to install a Soviet Union style control upon the ability of a company to conduct its business in the most profitable and self sustaining manner possible. The intentions of expanding their operation in other locations, therefore creating even more good paying jobs in those locations, should be heralded by a government that is tragically struggling with a depressed economy.

And in this dispute, what about the 1,200 jobs in South Carolina that would vanish?

The truth of the matter is that the Obama administration is not interested in the job loss that would result from a legal victory for the NLRB. As a matter of fact, it would be a political victory to punish a state that elected Nikki Haley, a TEA Party Republican, as their governor. It would be a clear intimidation move for all who may consider another Conservative victory in 2012, a message that the federal government can reach into the free exercise of business and control the labor market. Punish conservative South Carolina in favor of liberal Washington State.

Not a surprise, but still greatly disturbing, is the hold that unions have achieved over our government, a true communist bonanza. The actions of the NLRB are probably inspired and counseled by none other than one of the biggest thugs in the corrupted world of the American unions, Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, who boasts that he is in direct contact with the White House almost on a daily basis. I am sure every freedom loving American is gratified by the influence that this communist is exercising on the President.

I know the liberal trolls will be screaming about the big evil corporations and their greed for profits, but it is a fact that these evil corporations provide millions of good jobs for Americans.

In the usual hypocritical way, I hear people who work for large corporations complain about their employer, crying about being just a number, about how the company does not care for the employee, all the while enjoying a paycheck and a multitude of benefits. I ask: if you are so unhappy, why work there?

In our country we still have the freedom to change job, to seek happiness somewhere else. The truth is that in many cases the pay and benefits received from the evil corporation is such that changing job is “not practical.” How convenient.

What the federal government is attempting to achieve through the NLRB is to create an atmosphere of control over the business activity in America and to strengthen the power of the unions, all for the purpose of political advantage. Unions give legitimate and illegitimate support to the designs of the progressive crowd roaming the insulated and elitist corridors of every building in Washington, D.C., as they act like the labor army of an ever increasing despotic federal government.

It will be interesting to see if the NLRB will be successful in its legal action. If so, the repercussions will be vast and painful for the Nation’s economic development. But I am convinced that that fits perfectly in the Obama grand scheme of things.

Just my thoughts!

Unsung Heroes Of Our Armed Forces

By Semperpapa

This is a double bonanza for me: combining my love for the Military and for man's best friend.
Business Insider has a great story regarding Military dogs with some great pictures:

http://www.businessinsider.com/combat-dogs-2011-5?op=1

There are some issues with bringing these dogs back to America after their service is completed. It looks like many of them are left where they served and face an uncertain future.
For more information on how you can help check out www.spcai.org

These animals are the unsung heroes of the War on Terror. They serve in very dangerous environments in Afghanistan and in Iraq. They also serve valiantly and selflessly with law enforcement agencies across our Nation.
The most impressive part is that they place their trust so totally in their handlers' hands and perform the most dangerous tasks without any complaint or hesitation, only happy to help and gratify their masters. They are exceptional assets for our forces who just want some food and water in return and the always welcome tennis ball.

Just my thoughts!

The Price Of Loose Lips

By Semperpapa

Probably the most searched term on the Internet these days is SEAL Team 6, thanks to their incredible performance in the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden. It is easily understandable that the American people, living through such a challenging historical time, would react with enthusiasm to a bit of good news and that the authors of such tactical victory would be hailed as heroes, as they deserve.

The problem is that the efficiency of the unit, just as the efficiency of every Special Force unit in our Armed Forces, is directly connected to the anonymity of the warriors. Keeping their identities, tactics, weaponry and capabilities secret is essential in their ability to keep the enemy oblivious and off balance.

I share the satisfaction over the achievement of the so called SEAL Team 6 and I would be the first who would love to sit down with any of the members and hear a first account of the operation, but one important element that must be understood is that the safety and again efficiency of the operators should remain undisclosed. In other words, the safety and operational effectiveness of these men is way more important than my or anybody’s desire and even right to know.

That is where I get disgusted with the whole thing.

Ever since the operation took place and the results became known, the publicity over the Special Force detachment has been relentless. I do not mind giving recognition to those who conducted the operation, but I believe that it would have been much more sensible to just call them Special Forces, leaving it at a general level that would guarantee the secrecy of these folks’ operational abilities. It would have been preferable for two reasons.

First, for the safety of the unit members and especially their families. Sec. of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at the Marine Corps base in Camp Lejeune was asked what security measures were being taken to safeguard the team members, who were being hunted by the media. Gates responded that some additional steps were being taken to keep the identities hidden and to provide additional security for their families.

It should have never gotten to this point!

Gates also stated that at the time of the operation, the consensus among those in the War Room was that no operational details would ever be disclosed. That was on Sunday, May 1^st. By Monday, May 2^nd, the whole confidentiality thing had fallen apart. And keeps on getting worst.

Secondly, we are faced with a very cunning enemy, one that is very good at disappearing in the fog of war, one that is very good at hiding behind women and children and master at propaganda. One of the most valuable assets that a Military force has is the ability of performing surprise actions. Security is imperative in maintaining the element of surprise and throwing details about the operation and the operators to the four winds allows the enemy to take measures that could make the next operation costly for our men and women.

Analyzing the reasons for such lack of operational secrecy is even more disturbing. I have expressed my praise for President Obama for authorizing the raid. No I do not call it gutsy, like so many others have because I do not consider gutsy for a President to send our sons and daughters into battle. Mostly, I believe that should not be out of guts that that decision should be taken, but out of the necessity to address a National Security issue. Taking out bin Laden was a necessary action that will possibly pay some good dividends to our Nation in the War against radical Islamic Terrorism.

The President decision should be based on clear cut data and intelligence, not to mention National interest. To me the word gutsy is synonym with gambling, and I do not want to even consider that a President would gamble with the lives of so many.

The problem with Obama in this situation is that the calculations he made were purely political. Killing bin Laden was going to be a feather in his National security cap in the case of a successful completion of the operation, and a disastrous mark if it had failed. The President took 16 hours, as reported, to give the go ahead to his Military command, time that was surely well utilized by his confidants, Samantha Power and others, to analyze all the possible political ramifications of the action.

Thankfully, the operation was a success. And while the American people celebrated in the streets the well deserved demise of a monster, while many of us rejoiced at the news that no American casualties were suffered, I am sure that Obama took a sigh of relief to have escaped a potentially crippling political liability.

Then there is the always sickening main stream media. The same folks who just few years back would go to unimaginable extents to jeopardize the lives and reputation of our Military so to score political zinging at President Bush, are today exalting the actions of the Special Forces, but mostly the actions of the Commander-in-Chief. The hatred that the folks at the LA Times or the NY Times or the Washington Post have for anything Military is still there, just overtaken by the fact that their professionalism and sacrifice handed Obama that foreign policy victory that he is so skillfully using.

From his victory tour at Ground Zero to the visit with the SEAL Team 6 at Fort Campbell, Obama is basking in the success of the operation, while well placed leaks from the White House keep on spewing unnecessary details to the always ready Media.

While the President does his victory dance, the Media is foaming at the mouth trying to find out the identities of the Special Warriors involved in the action. Be it for the always pressing orgasmic desire to be the first or so that huge targets would be painted on the backs of these hated American heroes and their families, the hunting goes forward. If NBC can identify the SEALs so could al Jazeera, which would translate in our enemies having that information, regardless of what Hillary Clinton may say.

The information leaks can be easily traced and they should, because the price of loose lips is too high in the current environment of global communications. On the other hand, the Media could score a victory of its own against the Military while still exalting their leader Obama.

Just my thoughts!