A Much Needed Irish Getaway

A much needed vacation is in order and I am jetting off to Ireland for a week.  Surprisingly enough, the Marine Corps now makes it three times more difficult to vacation in Ireland as they do to spend seven months in Afghanistan.  Below is an example of what the Marine Corps required a 40 year old man to do in order to be approved to take a week vacation to the Emerald Isle:

Registration on APACS (Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearing System)
Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Level 1 Certificate of Completion
SERE Level B Certificate of Completion
Country Threat Brief by Intel
Information Assurance Course Certificate of Completion
Copy of Birth Certificate
Copy of Passport
Commanding Officers Authorization Letter
Isoprep Confirmation Letter
Trip Registration with U.S. State Department
Copy of Flight Itinerary
Operational Risk Management Matrix

Retirement cannot come quick enough from an organization which requires this much red tape and paperwork for almost any activity one would participate in during their off-time.  There is no tolerance for anyone that might go out and make a mistake during their liberty time, and higher headquarters now blames the entire chain of command below them down to the troubled Marine's first line supervisor, so this is the result of everyone trying to CYA.  Once upon a time we held the individual Marine (grown adult, mind you) accountable for his actions, now the Corps expects the Marine's NCO, SNCO, and OIC all to answer for their Marine's lack of discipline and/or judgment.  It is an insane amount of wasted time that is hard to even accurately describe to those on the outside not experiencing it.  To any who are currently in the Marine Corps you know exactly what I am talking about.  It has gotten to the point that we cannot release our Marines for the weekend without first conducting a safety brief, having each of them fill out a "HARP" form (Holiday Accident Reduction Program) and conducting a vehicle inspection on their modes of transportation.  It is truly unbelievable and lacks any shred of common sense.  If an individual is a (pardon my French) dumbass then he is going to be a dumbass regardless of all the paperwork and inspections we make him fill out prior to sending him on his liberty.  All the safety briefs, vehicle inspections, and other stupid documents we are forced to waste our time having them fill out will not phase them, as they are the 10% that are destined to be screw-ups.  Contrary to the Corps new philosophy, they will not create some mistake-free  utopia with these methods, they will only create frustrated Marines at every rank and level who cannot wait to free themselves from the administrative chains they are shackled to.

I'm off to Ireland to unwind from all this madness...stay classy, Marine Corps.

My Military Police Platoon

Below is the video Public Affairs put together on my Marines who are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. This is the best platoon I have had the pleasure of leading in my 17+ years. They deserve every bit of recognition they get. They make my job easy!!

Ron's Naval Boating Adventure (21 Days on the Angry Pacific)

I thought it only fair to explain to everyone why I have not posted anything for the last three weeks. I was out getting in touch with the Marine Corps' oldest mission...defending Naval vessels. It was nonstop excitement and adventure...that was sarcasm. I had so much to do that I wrote a bit of a diary of the daily events on the ship. You may find them boring and choose not to read, but you will be missing out on high seas adventure. For those sick people who actually find this interesting, I will have pics and videos posted on my facebook of the entire ordeal. I bring you Ron's Boating Adventure...

Day One

We have been sitting in our vehicles all afternoon waiting for the ship to come back from it's test run. The base is conveniently having their own Antiterrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) exercise, which has caused everything on the base to be closed down. My plan to purchase Dramamine (just in case) has just fizzled. We finally boarded the ship around 1800. The humorous moment of the day came when we were walking through the security gate to the pier. Apparently, due to the exercise, the security guards are supposed to be stopping anyone coming through and having someone aboard the ship search their bags. I only know this because after walking through the gate with some other Marines to include a Ssgt from Crash Crew, the Base Commander rides up in the passenger side of a government vehicle and attempts to get our attention as we are walking away. “Hey there shipmates” I hear a voice behind us say. We pretend to ignore it, certainly he's talking to the gate sentries. We hear the same voice louder bellow, “HEY SHIPMATES!!”

We turn around and as we are turning the Ssgt says disgustedly (not knowing it's the Base Commander), “shipmates??” The Base Commander is not entertained apparently because he loses it and yells, “Yeah, I said shipmates! Do you have a F-ing problem with that?” I discover who he is and render a salute. He angrily tells us that all our bags have to be searched and one of the ship's crew needs to come down and start searching them. He then let's the gate sentries have it for not doing their job and rides off down the pier to impose his pleasant demeanor on other unfortunate souls. Now every time I see the Ssgt on the ship I call him shipmate.

Day Two Thursday

Due to the AT/FP exercise, we had to stand up our armed security team on the ship, even though we are still tied up to the pier. We stoop up our first shift at midnight and I have established three, eight hour shifts. We have four, brand new, still in the box .50 cal's. This would normally sound great...brand new weapons, woohooo!! However, when these crew served guns are new like that, they come with a heavy layer of packing grease coating all of it's parts. We spend the better part of the first evening and this afternoon cleaning this glue-like substance off of the guns. WE find out that we are not leaving the base until Friday morning now. We also are informed of a pretty bad storm coming our way Friday and Saturday. This boat could be a-rockin.

Day Three Friday

Busy day, All of our crew served guns are on their mounts and we stand up the entire security team, to include myself and the Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) for our trip through the San Diego Harbor and out to sea. Small security boats escort us through the harbor, and are the primary security element, keeping civilian watercraft away from our ship. You'd be amazed how many people think they can do whatever they want in that harbor, including run their boats right up to our ship. The security boats do a great job of shielding them away from us and past the point where they drop off and head back into the harbor. We are now the primary security element for the ship. The chow is now greasy foods each meal. I am told that it helps people to not get seasick. We started with ominous cloudy skies but they have broken now and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue. It's a rough life out here.

Day Four Saturday

Time seems to be flying by. Hard to believe day four is in the books. Today we conducted our first crew served weapons shoot. We gave a brief overview of the .50 cal and a safety brief to our captive audience of civilian crew members who wanted to shoot the weapon. They all seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone I noticed walking away after shooting had a smile on their face. All of a sudden we are the public relations wizards of this vessel!! The highlight of the day was a little old vietnamese lady who cooks on the ship. She cannot be taller than 4' 8”, so imagine her in a Marine flack and kevlar behind a machine gun that is mounted almost as high as she is tall. It was quite a sight to see!! Top it with the fact she has never handled a firearm of any kind in her entire life. Instant classic!!

Day Five Sunday

What can I say about today? Before I weave a tail that the entire crew of the ship is still talking about, I will begin with the best thing that happened all day. The ship moved in close enough to shore that we had cell phone signals. I was able to call home to the family and send a few photos from the trip so far. Okay, on to the excitement of the day. As mentioned before, we are the armed security forces aboard the ship providing “real world” security while they participate in the exercise. We have very specific rules regarding implementation of deadly force and a ladder of escalation of force we must follow. Anyone in law enforcement knows exactly what I'm talking about, but you don't really need to be well versed in this to enjoy this story. Put simply, other vessels on the water have to stay a certain distance away from our ship. If they get too close there are steps that are taken to alert them of their error. The first is a large horn blow by the ships Captain, and immediate attempts to reach them on radio. At any time we hear this horn we spring into action wherever we are and react, by throwing on our flack and kevlar and manning the crew served weapons we have mounted in various areas of the ship. At around three-thirty or so this afternoon a boat came toward our ship at a decent rate of speed. The horn sounded, we reacted, the boat ignored the horn and radio communication attempts, and continued directly toward us. The horn sounded again and the ship ignored the command and continued directly at our ship. Two people on this vessel are authorized to fire warning shots in the area of a boat that enters our danger zone at about one hundred yards, myself and the Chief Warrant Officer I work for. He commandeered one of my Marines M-16's and I went topside to take up post on the .50 cal machine gun. The boat continued approaching, and I was wondering to myself if we were really about to experience what; in my mind, had about a 1% chance of happening the entire time we were to be out here. The boat closed in to about 100 yards and I attempted to wave them off for a last time before we had some serious decisions to make. The boat slowed, turned to the side, and stopped abruptly, but did not leave. Instead, as the CWO and I waited with our weapons aimed in on the boat and its occupants, two young ladies, obviously intoxicated, walked out to the side facing our ship and treated everyone to a “take a look at what God blessed me with” show. Mind you, this show was not over in five seconds. They continued to parade themselves around and show us their gratitude for quite a few minutes. They have no idea how close they were to having their day ruined in a big way.

Day Six Monday

Today we had a big .50 cal shoot. We fired off 4000 rounds in less than two hours. We were definitely cooking barrels. This reminds me of the phrase of this trip so far, and no, it is not “shipmates”. Believe it or not that word has been outdone in a big way by the phrase, “killer tomatoes”. For those of you who have done a tour of recruiting duty, I am not speaking of the term used to describe the old retired Marine Corps League guys that show up to parades and such in their red uniforms. No, I speak of large orange, inflatable targets which a certain civilian GS-oh my goodness on the ship is fascinated with to the point of us wishing him to be inside of the floating target during an upcoming shoot. Since we boarded this ship six days ago he has spoken of nothing but these “killer tomatoes” every time we talk about shooting. At every time of the day, in every meeting, in hallways, nooks, crannies, and every where in between, killer tomatoes...Killer Tomatoes...KILLER TOMATOES!!! He has made us want to vomit with his insistency that we use these targets, to the point that I specifically don't want to use them, if, for no other reason, just because he wants to. This morning I finally busted one out of it's box and noticed it is made out of a type of plastic. Having been briefed days ago about what can and cannot be thrown in the ocean from our ship, I remembered that plastic was a big No-No. I went to one of the ships crew and he confirmed that we could not shoot it and sink it. We determined that we had to retrieve it if we were going to use it. My evil plan to not use this had a chance!! I asked the crew about ways to retrieve and we were pretty much limited to lowering one of the smaller boats from our ship to go get it after the shoot or tying it up to a rope behind the ship and pulling it in after we finished. The ships crew stated that they truly did not wish to lower their boat into the water to retrieve this 14' by 14' monstrosity and if we were to tie it up we would need to find about a mile long rope for it to work. I love it when a good plan comes together!! No Killer Tomato!!

Day Seven (Tuesday)

I played my first game of chess in about fifteen years today. One of my Marines talked me into playing him and it took a while to knock the rust off, but after making a few stupid mistakes early, I fought him to a draw. Since this opener, I have won two straight games of chess. One of which I won without losing a piece. I have decided I shouldn't play any more chess on this float, as now I can tell my Marines that I never lost a game to them.

Day Eight (Wednesday)

Observation of the day...today we pulled in close enough to land that the Marines could use their cell phones and make calls. There is really only one area of the ship where everyone can gather and get a signal, outside on the back. I went out there to try to get some sunset photos and found the Marines' behavior very entertaining. I would have to estimate that about 50% of the Marines were having casual conversations with loved ones, 30% were arguing somewhat discreetly with their significant other, and 20% were making open idiots of themselves yelling at their wives/girlfriends. Some, you could tell, were just trying to sound like toughguys to the others around the ship, that they perceive, via their narcissism, are listening to their conversation. Brainless macho bravado like, “don't raise your voice to me!” and “because I'm your husband, that's why!” cause me to shake my head and realize that in some areas of life, it is better to get older. Having no internet is really starting to make me feel lost in the political arena. I have no idea what is going on in the news. It will take me forever to catch up once I'm off the ship.

Day Ten (Friday)

Well, a three star General came aboard today to see the ship. We had stand up the whole team on the crew served weapons for his visit. I never tire of these “dog and pony” shows and all the “pomp and circumstance” that goes with them. The truth of the matter is that most generals I have met during my time in the Marine Corps are very down to earth. They know all of the trouble that is created everytime they go somewhere and I am guessing some are actually embarrassed by it. I know I would be if I were in their shoes. I would call Unit Commanders ahead of time and tell them not to have their Marines doing any stupid preparatory work or participating in any symbolic duties beyond what they normally do from day to day. The word came down to me after the General had left that he was very impressed with my AT/FP setup...whatever.

Day Eleven (Saturday)

It is Cinco De Marcho today. A made up holiday on our ship created to give the Marines some excitement and a change from the boring monotony of ship life. They have planned out many exciting events for the day. There will be a fishing expedition at 1500, a pinata ceremony at 1900, and dancing bears at 2000...okay, I might have made up the dancing bears portion. The fishing expedition starts off well enough until someone gets the idea to take an entire 25 pound turkey and put it on a hook created especially for the turkey in one of the machine shops below...that's right...I believe this to have been premeditated. Watching three Marines using various methods in an attempt to shish-ka-bob the turkey onto the hook just lend further credibility to my theory that all the stupid safety standdowns a command could possibly have will not stop Marines from doing crazy stuff...it's in the blood. So I watch as they manage to get the hook through the turkey, and can hardly believe I'm actually watching Marines lower a 25 pound turkey into the ocean to fish with. As of 2200 the turkey has been unable to entice any of the ocean fishes. The pinata ceremony was entertaining in it's own right.

Day Twelve (Sunday)

Twas a busy day today. We were scheduled to run a 240G machine gun shoot starting at 1300 today. I had my security team fire M16 and M14 first, and we were to end with 4000 rounds through the m240's. What a debacle it turned out to be! The first half went without a hitch but the 240's had been on this ship for four years and were in horrible condition. We worked and worked on them, but they ended up being basically worthless. What a waste of a couple of expensive weapons. The ship poker tournament starts tonight and of course I could not pass up this opportunity. We have 18 signed up and the structure will be one table of 6 players per night for three nights. Each table will play down to the final 2, who will move on to a final table of 6 on the 4^th night. The buy-in was $10 with the top 3 getting paid. I am slated to play my preliminary on night 3. I like my chances.

Day Thirteen (Monday)

Okay, I'm now officially bored. I have read all three books I brought and watched as many movies as I can stand. It's time to get off this floating prison!!!

Day Fourteen (Tuesday)

I played my preliminary table in the poker tournament and played quite horribly. Needless to say, I did not make the final table. Have I mentioned yet that I am ready to get off this stupid boat?? Watched The Wedding Singer for the 20^th time. I also did run 4 miles on the treadmill in 27:57. I'm starting to get my running back in gear.

Day Fifteen (Wednesday)

Okay, the thrill is officially gone! I need to get off this ship!!

Day Sixteen (Thursday)

Seriously...I am considering lowering one of the life boats and rowing to shore!!!

Day Seventeen (Friday)

So the day started off with a bang when we heard about a massive earthquake that hit Japan. The rumor started floating around that we were all in danger of a tsunami, but logic is telling me that we'll be just fine. It seems to me that if you throw a rock in the water or push start a wave with your hands in a pool that the wave gets smaller as it goes away from the initial force that started it. If this life-ending tidal wave is to hit our ship I am guessing it will be about a foot tall by the time it gets to us from Japan. Nonetheless, I am praying for the safety of those caught up in this disaster.

This may sound cruel, but sometimes it can be really fun to start a rumor for the mere pleasure of seeing how fast it spreads. Today I thought of the idea of mentioning to a couple people that it was possible we would be staying out past the end of this exercise on the 15^th and that the ship will possibly be heading directly to Japan to help out with disaster relief efforts. It's amazing how fast you can get everyone stressing out.

Day Eighteen (Saturday)

The final machine gun shoot!! We fired off the remaining 1800 .50 cal rounds and yes, the Killer Tomato made it's debut!! If only you could have seen GS-Moron after it was released into the water on the starboard side of the vessel. He followed it along the railing of the ship as though it were a train leaving station with his wife on it. I think I even saw tears in his eyes at one point...idiot!! The only satisfaction was watching one of the Marines take a shot which appeared to land very low on the floating bounce house. It immediately canted severely to one side and began sinking rapidly. I am guessing the trajectory ripped a large hole in the floor of the mighty tomato...the tomato is down!!!!

Day Nineteen (Sunday)

The remaining strategy for these next two days is to find anything that will consume my time and prevent boredom from overcoming me.

Day Twenty (Monday)

You have to be kidding me!! Now all three treadmills in the gym are broke!! Apparently some brainchild thought it would be a good idea to run on them in boots and utes. I had to use the stairclimber today and the stairclimber is nothing more than a modern, legalized method of torture. I have to get off this ship of horrors!!!

Day Twenty-One (Tuesday)

I'm finally getting off this ship and going home today. Wooohooo!!!

What Protects Our Right To Vote Out The Crooks In 6 Weeks

Lord give me the wisdom to never take for granted the sacrifices needed to preserve freedom.

Concerning Strange Bedfellows (repost)

I am reposting this as I have noticed many crazies have once again grabbed the coattails of conservatism.

Concerning Strange Bedfellows

In my daily attempt to shed light on the liberals statist agenda that seeks to convert our fine republic into a socialist doormat for the world, I come across a great many characters with quite a few interesting viewpoints.

Throughout 2009, as President Obama and the liberal congress made it increasingly obvious that the oath they swore to uphold the Constitution of The United States meant nothing to them, a movement began which has been dubbed the “Tea Party Movement.” As the movement grew and gained popularity as a strong attempt to reclaim conservative values based upon the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets, many different viewpoints and, in some cases “fringe” elements have attempted to attach their causes to the coattails of this movement. Let’s examine some of the different schools of thought I come in contact with daily:

Those that contend the President and the liberal-run congress support policies that are socialist in nature, and therefore are not supported by our Constitution. I would say the vast majority of conservatives, myself included, believe this is true.

Those that contend the President and the liberal-run congress are enacting reckless spending policies on purpose in order to cause a catastrophic failure of the free market in order to enact a new socialist government…see Cloward/Piven Strategy. Quite a few are beginning to accept this theory, and I consider it to be a possibility. Whether you believe this is true or not, the problem here is that this thought process begins to lend itself to the conspiracy theorist crowd, which loves to take a small fact or truth, and run with it to the point that it becomes laughable.

The libertarian school of thought has been more widely accepted as of late, and a great many conservatives find themselves having “common ground” with the libertarians’ strict views of limited government and personal liberty. The problem with becoming too cozy with libertarian philosophy is the broad spectrum it encompasses. Some libertarians take limited government and go so far as to desire the abolition of the state completely. This school of thought seems to vilify all government representation as evil and an enemy of individual rights. Their “live and let live” philosophy is a close cousin to pacifism, which is typically espoused by liberal fringe groups…thus, completely perverting the initial belief system 180 degrees, and allowing persons who do not represent conservatism in any way a perceived voice in the discord.

For example, I have made many friends in the last year writing my blog and have utilized facebook as a mechanism for keeping up with these alleged like-minded thinkers. I recently witnessed disturbing articles and videos from some of these self-avowed fellow tea party patriots which were in no way based in conservatism or the Constitution. Everything from anti-war veterans speaking of how evil corporate fatcats forced them to take part in unjust wars to schizophrenic 9/11 “truthers” were included. Needless to say they are no longer on my friend list.

Overall, the Tea Party Movement has done a great deal to fight the statist policies that threaten to bring this wonderful republic to its knees. I am a staunch supporter of it and would march in every event they coordinated if my status as a U.S. Marine allowed for it. My concern in this article is to point out that as this movement continues to grow at such a brisk pace, it will be important to ensure that the leaders of the movement are policing the ranks for those that would misrepresent the principles the movement stands for.

SERIOUSLY!?!? This Moron is a Congressman!!!

This guy is honestly worried about Guam tipping over!!! He represents you, Georgia!!! You elected this bumbling, stumbling idiot. I can't believe how professionally the Naval Officer handles it. That is why I stayed an enlisted man...I would have lost it on this dope. I would still be laughing at him. I told one of my friends today that if the military guys get bored on Guam they should get some really big oars and row over to Hawaii.

Concerning Strange Bedfellows

In my daily attempt to shed light on the liberals statist agenda that seeks to convert our fine republic into a socialist doormat for the world, I come across a great many characters with quite a few interesting viewpoints.

Throughout 2009, as President Obama and the liberal congress made it increasingly obvious that the oath they swore to uphold the Constitution of The United States meant nothing to them, a movement began which has been dubbed the “Tea Party Movement.” As the movement grew and gained popularity as a strong attempt to reclaim conservative values based upon the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets, many different viewpoints and, in some cases “fringe” elements have attempted to attach their causes to the coattails of this movement. Let’s examine some of the different schools of thought I come in contact with daily:

Those that contend the President and the liberal-run congress support policies that are socialist in nature, and therefore are not supported by our Constitution. I would say the vast majority of conservatives, myself included, believe this is true.

Those that contend the President and the liberal-run congress are enacting reckless spending policies on purpose in order to cause a catastrophic failure of the free market in order to enact a new socialist government…see Cloward/Piven Strategy. Quite a few are beginning to accept this theory, and I consider it to be a possibility. Whether you believe this is true or not, the problem here is that this thought process begins to lend itself to the conspiracy theorist crowd, which loves to take a small fact or truth, and run with it to the point that it becomes laughable.

The libertarian school of thought has been more widely accepted as of late, and a great many conservatives find themselves having “common ground” with the libertarians’ strict views of limited government and personal liberty. The problem with becoming too cozy with libertarian philosophy is the broad spectrum it encompasses. Some libertarians take limited government and go so far as to desire the abolition of the state completely. This school of thought seems to vilify all government representation as evil and an enemy of individual rights. Their “live and let live” philosophy is a close cousin to pacifism, which is typically espoused by liberal fringe groups…thus, completely perverting the initial belief system 180 degrees, and allowing persons who do not represent conservatism in any way a perceived voice in the discord.

For example, I have made many friends in the last year writing my blog and have utilized facebook as a mechanism for keeping up with these alleged like-minded thinkers. I recently witnessed disturbing articles and videos from some of these self-avowed fellow tea party patriots which were in no way based in conservatism or the Constitution. Everything from anti-war veterans speaking of how evil corporate fatcats forced them to take part in unjust wars to schizophrenic 9/11 “truthers” were included. Needless to say they are no longer on my friend list.

Overall, the Tea Party Movement has done a great deal to fight the statist policies that threaten to bring this wonderful republic to its knees. I am a staunch supporter of it and would march in every event they coordinated if my status as a U.S. Marine allowed for it. My concern in this article is to point out that as this movement continues to grow at such a brisk pace, it will be important to ensure that the leaders of the movement are policing the ranks for those that would misrepresent the principles the movement stands for.


Tomorrow I will go more in depth on Pacifists, as I have some very strong viewpoints on this crowd.

PRIME TIME PREZ IS PROUD IT TOOK THREE MONTHS TO DECIDE

I wrote an article two months ago calling the President to task for his indecisiveness in responding to General McChrystal's request for 40,000 reinforcements in Afghanistan. I was pretty annoyed that the alleged "leader" of our country would take so long with a decision that was costing my fellow military men and women's lives each day he delayed. Little did I know at that time that this colossal failure would delay an additional two months in finally making a decision to send 30,000, instead of 40,000, combat troops. Does anyone else get the feeling that he altered the number being sent just so he wouldn't have to explain why it took him three months to agree and grant the request of the far more experienced General on the ground?

Let's put this in a little perspective. On August 30th General McChrystal requested 40,000 additional combat reinforcements in Afghanistan. In his letter he detailed that these troops were necessary immediately stating,

"Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible."

So the almighty Obama, in his infinite wisdom and military experience, was told by the expert on the ground, a General he appointed to this position, that they needed troops and they needed them now to win this war in Afghanistan. Note that Obama ran his campaign on the premise that this was the righteous war that Bush had ignored and if he were elected he was going to set the ship straight and concentrate on Afghanistan. With all of these facts in line the POTUS spent three months questioning and analyzing the General's request, rather than granting it. Three months of the twelve in the quote above, which, according to General McChrystal were the key months they needed them in order to regain the initiative. Does anyone else have a problem with this??? Does anyone else have a problem with Obama (no military experience whatsoever) spending three months analyzing a military commander's request for troops, along with a group of his fellow politicians, none of which have enough military experience to pick up the General's uniform from the dry cleaners. This reminds me of a great quote from Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men...

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way."

There are more things wrong with this scenario than I can even touch on in one article. It seriously blows my mind. Who are they to hem and haw for three months over a request that was sent by the "duty expert" that he himself appointed to the position?

Why am I talking about all of this today, you ask? I write this today because arguably the most disgusting aspect of this entire chain of events is that when the almighty finally came to his decision, he, rather than be ashamed at his horrific display of incompetency, was so proud of himself that he had to go on national TV (again), to announce it to the country. A lot of people laughed of the "Obama-Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic" article written by Dr. Sam Vaknin last year, but his behavior thus far in his young presidency definitely supports this theory.

One more point of idiocy in this whole debacle. If we are going to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan for a push, why would our President make this announcement on national TV and detail it as much as he did? Maybe we should send the Taliban a list of all of the units which will be going, their dates of arrival, manpower, and all tables of equipment and weaponry as well. I hope that I don't annoy Americans by saying this, but this type of transparency is detrimental to the mission. There are a lot of things the general American public doesn't need to know about what my fellow military members are doing in Afghanistan. To be quite blunt, this type of knowledge in the enemies hands gets our brave men and women killed. Last night the Taliban, without needing to use any type of intelligence assets, found out that 30,000 reinforcements are coming to take back control from them. Additionally, and more importantly, they time tables from the President. They now know he plans to start pulling my comrades out of there in 18 months.

Wow!!! I wonder what they'll do??? Does anyone else with an IQ above 80 think they might blend back in with the populace and/or into hiding for about...hmmm...thinking of a figure...thinking...18 months???

The truth is, with decision making and leadership such as this, Obama has no plan or desire to win this war. Every decision he makes is made with politics in mind, not the good of the nation. Being a U.S. Marine, I find this behavior to be despicable. 30,000 of my brothers and sisters are now going to be sent away from their families, many before Christmas this year, to perform an act of symbolism for the Narcissist in Chief over the next year and a half...but you know what, those brave men and women will do it proudly, as they are the only honorable Americans in this charade.

Leader of the Free World's Indecisiveness Proves He's Not A Leader

So I've learned many things in my young life...well, maybe not so young anymore. Nonetheless, I have learned enough from 16 years in the Marine Corps to feel confident discussing some of the finer aspects of leadership. I attempted to give our POTUS a heads up with an article I wrote earlier this year, but he must not have gotten the memo. He's probably still using the old cover sheets on his TPS reports as well (for the Office Space crowd).

Watching the current "leadership abortion" take place with the decision making in Afghanistan has caused me to once again give our Commander in Chief a lesson in leadership. If you want to read the first lesson I still have it archived here:

http://silentnomoremajority.blogspot.com/2009/05/military-lesson-in-leadership-for-potus.html

This lesson involves a simple period of instruction on decision making. Decisiveness is one of the 14 Leadership Traits which are stressed and instilled in it's leadership. Decisive, as defined by Webster's Dictionary:

Main Entry: de·ci·sive
Pronunciation: \di-ˈsī-siv\
Function: adjective
Date: 1611
1 : having the power or quality of deciding
— de·ci·sive·ly adverb
— de·ci·sive·ness noun

"Having the power or quality of deciding." So, at least according to Webster, not the little TV midget from the 80's (sorry PC police, I meant little person), this would require that the person decide, i.e. make some sort of decision!!

Let me simplify this a little more for you, Mr. President. As a leader you are faced with many decisions. By far the worst decision you can make when faced with each dilemma is no decision at all. When you are facing a tough decision and you actually have the fortitude to stand up and make a choice, one of two things happen:

A. The choice will be correct and you will receive positive feedback, a little more clout, experience, and trust among your superiors and subordinates.

B. The choice will be incorrect, you will receive negative feedback and be educated on the proper way to complete the task next time. You will take a hit on your clout and trust, albeit temporarily, as long as you continue to be decisive and gain experience your correct decisions will begin to outweigh your incorrect ones.

The lesson here is that even when you make a decision and it turns out to be incorrect, you still gain experience, knowledge, and wisdom for future decisions. What do you gain by making no decision at all? Well, as a politician, by not committing strongly to one side or the other, he is able to "straddle the fence" and attempt to keep both sides of a debate on his side, thereby helping his re-election campaign. Other than that, there is nothing to be gained by making no decision. Making no decision gives you no clout, trust, experience, wisdom, etc. It will award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul (for Billy Madison fans).

So, as my military peers wait in Afghanistan for much needed reinforcements, and their families lose sleep at night wondering if you, The President of The United States, are going to do anything to protect their loved ones, I request you take this lesson (this one is free of charge) and utilize it. Send the reinforcements or pull them the hell out of there...but DO SOMETHING because your current indecisiveness is costing young American "leaders" lives.

Associated Press Disregards Family Wishes for Deceased Marine’s Photo

The Associated Press has released a photo of Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, which graphically portrays the Marine shortly after being hit by a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) during a firefight in the Helmland Province of Southern Afghanistan. LCpl Bernard later died from the injuries suffered in the attack.

The parents of LCpl Bernard were shown the photograph from embedded reporter Julie Jacobson, who had been following the unit. LCpl Bernard’s father, John Bernard, specifically requested that the AP not release the photograph, citing that it was disrespectful to his son’s memory.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates described the decision to release the photo in spite of the parents’ wishes, “appalling” and later wrote to the wire services CEO Thomas Curley, stating, “Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right — but judgment and common decency.”

I couldn’t agree more with the Defense Secretary. It is disgraceful that the Associated Press would not honor the wishes of the bereaved family. What kind of an organization wouldn’t go the extra mile to see that a family facing such hardship were comforted in any way possible, given the opportunity to do so, much less to disregard the one request they made from the organization.

This selfish, business first mentality, degrades human decency and serves no purpose other than to garner attention for themselves at the expense of a mourning family. That, Mr. Curley, is simply evil!

I’m not sure on the legalities involved in such a move, but if it is possible, the Pentagon should consider revoking the imbedded reporter privilege that the AP currently abuses. They have obviously shown they are not responsible or decent enough to responsibly utilize them.

Remove Charles Rangel From Office New York!!! All Military read!!

I started working on an article earlier this morning about Representative Charles Rangel and his attempt to throw the race card into the healthcare reform debate. In researching past quotes of Charles Rangel, I came across a quote of his which makes me want to immediately fly to New York or Washington DC, wherever this uneducated toolbag is at, and confront him about it. The quote reads:


“Meanwhile, our young men and women whose economic circumstances make military service a viable career choice are dying bravely in a war with no end in sight.”


For those who do not know me already, I am a United States Marine. I have been a United States Marine for over 15 years. I say that not to receive accolades or “thank you’s” from anyone. I did not join the military due to some “economic circumstance” which, according to your wording, made me settle for such a second-rate career.


As I try to respond to this I am so flooded with anger and disbelief that I can’t even properly put my thoughts together. This is an elected official representing the United States of America!! The same United States that successfully defeated a far superior, better funded, British Army to gain their independence. The same United States that fought to defeat Hitler and the Nazis in Europe. The same United States that maintains the best trained, most powerful, most educated ALL VOLUNTEER fighting force this world has ever been witness to!!


New York allows this man…this weak, ill informed, uneducated, hate-mongoring, instigating coward to represent to represent them??? Either he should be removed from New York or the Statue of Liberty should be moved from New York to a State which is accurately represented by what she stands for!!


Let me give you a bit of education Mr. Rangel, scratch that…I don’t have enought respect to call you Mr. Rangel, Chuck.


I have served my country honorably, as so many other military members have in the past, the present, and will continue to well into the future. There are many reasons I joined the Marine Corps Chuck. Let me introduce a few new words to your vocabulary, which you obviously have little knowledge regarding:


LIBERTY- It is freedom at the center of why people join the military, Chuck. Sure some are attracted by other things as well, but the vast majority of the military is filled with freedom loving Americans who want to perform a job each day that they can be proud of. As hard as it is for me to admit this, I am proud to defend your right to say and act as you please, as ignorant as you may be, you are free to do it.


PATRIOTIC- I am as patriotic as they come. I still get a little choked up at times when I see our nations flag and hear our national anthem before a sporting event. I feel so strongly about liberty and our constitution that I want to do my part to preserve what we have in this great nation


HONOR- There is no more honorable act a man or woman can do in this country than to volunteer to defend the rights and liberties of the citizens of this country. There is an honor those of us who serve get to experience that others do not.


FREEDOM- We believe in freedom so strongly that we are willing to lay our lives down in order to preserve it. I understand that this type of dedication is certainly foreign to you, Chuck.


Liberty, Patriotism, Honor, Freedom!!! This country does not oppress it’s inhabitants to the point that they are forced to join the military, Chuck. You would love to think that true though, wouldn’t you Chuck? That would allow you to preach your hateful words and split this nation along racial lines. After all, that’s all you have to keep you in office, isn’t it Chuck? If you didn’t have the race card to play everyday, and the curtains were opened to reveal any real substance or qualifications you have to perform the job title you have, this nation and the State of New York would find you sorely lacking!


Liberty, Patriotism, Honor, Freedom!!! These are words which are like a foreign language to you. After all, these terms aren’t regularly mentioned when discussing the investigations by two House sub-committees into your personal finances and fund-raising, which have revealed that you failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income. Not a lot of honor going on in that, is there Chuck?


New York, please do this nation and yourselves a favor and remove this undeserving cretin from office, and relocate him, preferably to a prison cell.