Chris Kyle's Own Words

Chris Kyle was a seriously flawed individual. Kyle was also known to be a public pathological liar.

Kyle claimed he punched out Jesse Ventura. A court ruling revealed that the incident never took place. Kyle's widow has to pay Ventura a 1.845 million for libel.

Kyle claimed he went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and killed 30 armed looters from a rooftop. Police told reporters they never heard of any sniper related homicides. The story is pure bullshit.

The real Chris Kyle was a guy who bragged about shooting Iraqis. How much of his war experience is true is up for debate.

A man who grew-up in Texas and served 4 tours in Iraq isn't going to have an enlightened view of Iraqis. Kyle's unfortunate racism is almost expected. That doesn't explain or excuse his pathological lying.

Update: Another sickening quote from Chris Kyle.

Chris Kyle, a US navy Seal from Texas, was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and claimed to have killed more than 255 people during his six-year military career. In his memoir, Kyle reportedly described killing as “fun”, something he “loved”; he was unwavering in his belief that everyone he shot was a “bad guy”. “I hate the damn savages,” he wrote. “I couldn’t give a flying fuck about the Iraqis.” He bragged about murdering looters during Hurricane Katrina, though that was never substantiated.

Chris Kyle should not be anyone's role model.

Quote of the Day

"I've had people say, 'Hey, you know, there's nothing wrong with gays in the military. Look at the Greeks.' Well, you know, they did have people come along who they loved that was the same sex and would give them massages before they went into battle. But you know what, it's a different kind of fighting, it's a different kind of war and if you're sitting around getting massages all day ready to go into the big, planned battle, then you're not going to last very long. It's guerrilla fighting. You are going to be ultimately vulnerable to terrorism."

Louie Gohmert

Apparently, Gohmert believes that U.S. troops in places like Afghanistan weren't be trying to stop terrorists from killing them because they will be too busy getting massages. I wonder if Gohmert did his military research from watching lots of gay porn. I am really starting to wonder about this guy.

Graphic On Drug Dependency of U.S. Veterans

This graphic was posted by Human Rights Watch.

Bill O'Reilly: the Pen is Mightier Than Military Service

The Daily Show can't top this. This is the funniest thing I have seen in ages.

Bill O'Reilly was during his usual War on Christmas nonsense. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation successfully lobbied to have two nativity scenes removed from Guantanamo Bay. Mikey Weinstein pointed out to O'Reilly that complaints about the religious displays came from active members of the military. O'Reilly then went ballistic by comparing himself to combat veterans.

"I covered four wars with the pen!" O'Reilly ranted.

"You’re an aggressive bully and an arrogant idiot, Weinstein retorted.

WEINSTEIN: When you’re in the military, it’s not like working at Fox or at Costco. It is an incredibly tribal, adversarial, communal and ritualistic place. There are Department of Defense directives, instructions and regulations in place that absolutely make this clear that this was wrong.

O’REILLY: It was a cowardly decision by the base commander… because this is a depiction of a secular holiday that was signed into law. That’s what it was. And if somebody’s offended by it, I want to know why. And your guys don’t have the courage to stand up and tell me. That’s the fact.

WEINSTEIN: Bill, please don’t call our members of the military cowards. The majority of them were Christians. Because if you want to start getting ad hominem, at least they joined the military and they’re prepared to fight. …They understand what their rights are. And your Christian personal rights will always be trumped by the civil rights of your fellow Americans.

O’REILLY: You know what? Mr. Weinstein, you just - and with all due respect to your parents – are just a bloviator. You don’t answer the questions and I’ll tell you what: I covered four wars with the pen! (He defiantly held up his pen)

WEINSTEIN: You’re an aggressive bully and an arrogant idiot!

O’REILLY: …Cut him off, he’s a jerk. I covered four wars with a pen, OK, Mr. Weinstein? So don’t impugn my courage ever again. You’re a weasel.

I know that O'Reilly covered The Granada war for ABC News. Whether he ever actually got near combat is another question. O'Reilly certainly didn't go into the field for Fox News or Inside Edition. There are no media reports of O'Reilly facing the same kind of near death experiences covering combat that Lara Logan had to endure. O'Reilly is full of it.

Veterans Day

Political cartoonist Paul Combs did this fantastic Veterans Day strip. There is something touching about Captain America paying Tribute to real soldiers.Combs explains his reason for drawing the strup.

Hollywood gives us many portrayals of what an American hero should be -from John Wayne to Chris Evans. Not that I'm against a good action movie, but let's keep it in proper perspective. As we head into this Veteran's Day weekend, please take a moment to thank a REAL American hero, and remember that their service and sacrifices have given us the freedom and prosperity that we all cherish. Furthermore, as a USO volunteer who has traveled the globe, I can honestly report that America is in great hands and that our young warriors are the best in the world.

Charles Rangel Wants to Bring Back the Draft

The last time Charles Rangel pushed to reinstate the draft, Rangel ended up voting against his own bill. Rangel is once again talking about bringing back the draft. In Rangel's defense, ge is a military veteran.

"I strongly abhor and condemn the news that chemical weapons were reportedly used by the government of Syria. However, I strongly urge the President to seek an affirmative decision of Congress prior to committing any U.S. military engagement to this complex crisis.

Before we commit our military personnel to another war, we must reinstate the draft. Reinstating the draft and requiring women to register for the Selective Service would compel the American public to have a stake in the wars we fight as a nation. We must question why and how we go to war, and who decides to send our men and women into harm's way.

Military engagement should be our last resort. If we must go to war, every American should be compelled to stop and think twice about whether it is worth sending our brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters to fight. Currently less than one percent of America's population is unfairly shouldering the burden of war."

Neither party will support legislation for a draft. Republicans and Democrats will stop gap enlisted men and women abd have them do several tours before they will vote on restoribg the draft.

Bill Nelson Questions Air Force on Sexual Assault Case Reversed

During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Bill Nelson asked military officials if they have ever decided to not prosecute an accused enlisted man or officer because of an outstanding service record. Nelson didn't completely buy it. Nelson asked Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh about a sexual assault conviction that was reserved by Lt. Gen. Susan Helms. Ignoring her own legal advisers, Helms overturned the conviction of a captain. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has let Gen. Welch know her displeasure of the Air Force's handling of sexual assault cases.

At a widely watched committee hearing last month, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, narrowed her eyes with disdain as Michael B. Donley, the secretary of the Air Force, expressed regret about recent assault cases. She then excoriated him and Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the chief of staff of the Air Force, when they suggested that they were making progress on the problem.

“I do not think you should pat yourself on the back,” Ms. Gillibrand admonished them. Sexual assault, she said, is “undermining the credibility of the greatest military force in the world.” She has since introduced legislation that would give military prosecutors rather than commanders the power to decide which sexual assault cases to try. Her goal is to increase the number of people who report sex crimes without fear of retaliation.

Pay no attention to the happy talk by generals at the Armed Services Committee hearings. There is still much work that needs to be done to make women safe in the military.

The Misunderstanding Saxby Chambliss has on Sexual Assault

At the Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Saxby Chambliss can't tell the differences between consensual sex and sexual assault. Chambliss asks a sensible question about if there was a study to find out the pregnancies of first women serving on aircraft carriers were the result of consensual sex or sexual assault. Chambliss then inserts his foot in his mouth.

“The young folks coming in to each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23,” he pointed out. “Gee-whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur. So, we’ve got to be very careful on our side.”

Chambliss understands that not enough is done by the military or Congress to stop sexual assault. Chambliss is smarter than most of his Republican colleagues. Unfortunately, Chambliss partly attributes sexual assault to kids and their crazy hormones. Rape is about one taking power over another person. That has nothing to do with kids wanting to hook up.

U.S. Military Spending Compared to Other Nations

Mother Jones has a chart comparing United States military spending to that of other nations. Needless to say, no other country comes remotely close to the U.S. in spending.

Rep. Paul Ryan unveiled his budget plan that would increase military spending.

The Ryan plan also increases national defense spending to $554 billion in 2013, an increase of $8 billion over the $546 billion that was agreed to under the Budget Control Act.

That would reverse some of the $487 billion in cuts that the Pentagon has planned to implement over the next decade. Over 10 years, the Ryan budget would spend $6.2 trillion on defense, which is higher than the $5.97 trillion level set under the Budget Control Act.

Ryan would do well to listen to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's famous "military industrial complex" speech.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Picture of the Day

Two gay Marines share a kiss. I sent this photo to Tampa anti-gay activist Terry Kemple. I hope Kemple enjoys it.

Truman National Security Project Roundtable

The Truman National Security Project will hold a press availability. The even will be held on Monday, at 4:30 PM, the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. Afterwards there will be a roundtable discussion with mititary veterans and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Information about the event is below.


WHO: Florida military veterans:
Leo Cruz, US Navy veteran
Eric Arens, US Navy veteran
Reamonn Soto, US Marine Corps veteran

WHERE: In front of 1002 E. Palm Avenue (Children’s Board of Hillsborough County) Tampa, FL 33605

WHEN: Monday, January 30, 2012 at 4:30 PM Eastern

Occupy Tampa Protesting the National Defense Authorization Act

Sen Carl Levin said on the floor of the Senate that President Barack Obama asked Congress to write language into the National Defense Authorization Act that would give the President the power to detain people indefinitely without a trial. The military will have the power to detain United State citizens on American soil.

In the video, Levin says that the President asked that the language to exclude United States citizens from detention by the military on U.S. soil.



LEVIN: The administration asked us to remove the language which says U.S. citizens and lawful residents would not be subject to this section. Is the Senator familiar with the fact that it was the administration asked us to remove the very language which we had in the bill? Which passed the committee, and that we removed it at the request of the administration...

How much clearer can Levin be?

Here is the language in the bill that allows for indefinite detention of U.S. citizens.



The language in the bill says "indefinite detention." According to Levin, the Obama administration objected to the language that would have legally protected the Fifth amendment rights of American citizens.

Amendment 5

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The Iraq war is officially over. We have a timetable to leave Afghanistan. Exactly how does President Obama and Congress justify holding U.S citizens without due process?

Update: Occupy Tampa will protest in Ybor City at 5 o’clock at Centro Ybor today. WMNF has a report on the upcoming protest.

Occupy Marines Join Occupy Tampa

Military veterans have joined Occupy Tampa.

Occupy Marines (OMC) is now in the Occupy Tampa movement officially. We are veterans of ALL branches of the military. We use our knowledge of leadership, discipline, and honor to facilitate the Occupy movement wherever we are needed. We all took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, from all enemies foreign & domestic. The Right of the People to peaceably ...assemble, guaranteed by the very First Amendment to the Constitution, is under attack everyday. As of writing this 2,500 protesters have been arrested, many wounded (most egregiously Lcpl. Scot Olsen of Occupy Oakland). Our oath did not end upon release from our contractual obligations. Therefore your presence is requested to stand, once more, and fight for your Nation.
Mr. Robert Mello is the liason. Any questions or concerns should be directed to him.
Semper Fi
Robert W. Mello

Adm. Mullen DADT Press Relead

Adm. Mike Mullen statement on officially ending the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

“I believe the U.S. armed forces are ready for the implementation of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I conveyed that opinion yesterday to the President and to the secretary of defense, and today we certified this to Congress.

“My opinion is informed by close consultation with the service chiefs and the combatant commanders over the course of six months of thorough preparation and assessment, to include the training of a substantial majority of our troops.

“I am comfortable that we have used the findings of the Comprehensive Review Working Group to mitigate areas of concern and that we have developed the policy and regulations necessary for implementation -- consistent with standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.

“Certification does not mark the end of our work. Ready though we are, we owe it to ourselves and to the nation we defend to continue to train the remainder of the joint force, to monitor our performance as we do so, and to adjust policy where and when needed.

“My confidence in our ability to accomplish this work rests primarily on the fact that our people are capable, well-led and thoroughly professional. I have never served with finer men and women. They will, I am certain, carry out repeal and continue to serve this country with the same high standards and dignity that have defined the U.S. military throughout our history.”

Louie Gohmert Channels Robert Byrd

Rep. Louie Gohmert claims repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" threatens the existence of America. Never mind that Israel allows gays to openly serve in the military. I doubt Gohmert would tell pro-Israeli conservatives that Israel's existence is about to end. The general consensus is Israel has a formidable military.

GOHMERT: To my friend who said that history would judge us poorly, I would submit if you would look thoroughly at history -- and I'm not saying it's cause and effect -- but when militaries throughout history of the greatest nations in the world have adopted the policy that "fine for homosexuality to be overt" -- you can keep it private and control your hormones fine, if you can't, that's fine too -- they're toward the end of their existence as a great nation.

Gohmert is making the same argument that the late Sen. Robert Byrd made to President Bill Clinton about ending the ban of gays in the military. Byrd gave a rambling spiel to Clinton about Tiberius and Caesar and the fall of the Roman empire. George (Stephanopoulos documented Byrd's exchange with Clinton in his book "All Too Human.") Byrd is also a well known bigot and former member of the Klu Klux Klan.

Gohmert might want to use a more orignail talking point.

The poll results shows solid support for repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Which makes it insanely stupid for Democrat Carl Levin to be negotiating with John McCain to strip the DADT repeal language from the defense appropriations bill. You know Levin has miscalculated when Joe Lieberman is on the right side of the issue.

“The Senate has passed a defense bill for 48 consecutive years. We should not fail to meet that responsibility now, especially while our nation is at war,” Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “We must also act to put an end to the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy that not only discriminates against but also dishonors the service of gay and lesbian service members.”

I agree with Matt Yglesias that Republicans filibustering the defense appropriations bill would be a politically losing proposition.

The White House seems to be getting the message. It is amazing how the Obama administration wants to cater to the base after a bruising midterm election. This is why I continue to say progressives shouldn't be Democratic apologists. The only way to get good legislation passed is to put pressure on Democratic leaders. Remember, the White House killed a DADT repeal amendment when it had super-majorities in 2009.

DADT Victory

Via Skippy: The Advocate reports good news on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

During a 25-minute hearing, U.S. district judge Virginia A. Phillips issued a tentative ruling denying the government's request for a stay of the injunction against DADT, but she will issue a final ruling on the matter by Tuesday morning.

Phillips, who ruled DADT unconstitutional in September, wasted no time in rejecting the government's position that ending the policy immediately would be an undue burden on the military, calling the arguments "vague" and "insufficient."

How Obama Is Ducking DADT

"Absolutely I will filibuster or stop it from being brought up until we have a thorough and complete study on the effect of morale and battle effectiveness."

Sen. John McCain, promising to filibuster any attempts by Senate Democrats to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Meanwhile, former Obama deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand recently said, "The White House applied no pressure to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Obama has the Justice Department appealing the ruling of Judge Virginia Phillips. The New York Times editorial board put the dishonesty of Obama's position in context.

To hear the administration tell it, lifting the prohibition on gay men and lesbians openly serving in uniform would undermine global combat operations. In truth, the real potential for harm is to gay service members if the injunction is held in abeyance.

Phillips ruled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is unconstitutional. Obama could let the ruling stand and start letting gays and lesbians serve openly. It would be hard for Republicans to turn the tide once the new policy is in place.

Obama said he wants Congress to approve the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Obama is only saying that now because he knows Democrats do not have the votes to end the policy. Last year Congressman Alcee Hastings had an amendment in the Defense Department bill to end the policy. Democrats had a filibuster-proof majority. The White House reaction was to force Hastings to drop the amendment. Hastings said this himself.

"Due to pressure from some of my congressional colleagues and from the White House, I have withdrawn my amendment," he said. "I would, however, like to note that it is most unfortunate that we are not addressing 'don't ask, don't tell' at this time."

It certainly was. That was the window of opportunity. Obama is terrified of being faced with the prospect of having to sign or veto a bill that ends "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Obama is a man who had gay basher Rick Warren at his inauguration. Obama threw the pro-choice and feminist movements under the bus by signing an executive order making it harder for women to get an abortion. Obama simply does not care about social issues. The President looks at progressive positions on social policies as an impedment to his political survival.

ODonnell's Bizarre DADT Argument

Christine O'Donnell said it is not up to Congress to decide if "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should be changed. O'Donnell claims only the military should make that decision. The one problem with that is Congress passed the "DADT law. O'Donnell is making the legally bizarre argument that the military can ignore the branch of government that makes its rules.

Congressional powers over the military under the Constition.

To make Rules for Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces.

The military can not just ignore the laws Congress makes for it. That would be unconstitional. Instead of O'Donnell having the guts to say she supports DADT; she makes a lagally unsound argument. The woman doesn't even know what a Senator does in office. That doesn't stop her from running for the Senate.

Al Franken DADT Speech

Al Franken gave a stirring speech on the Senate floor about the insanity of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Franken recounts during a USO show in 2006 and making a DADT joke. After the show, female soldiers came up to Franken and him they were gay. Franken is moved nearly to tears giving the speech.

Let me also briefly tell you about my experience. Before I was a Senator, I did a number of USO tours over the years. And on each tour, I was more and more impressed by the men and women of our military.

I always did Don't Ask Don't Tell material, and over the years that I did the tours, you could feel the change in the military.

I was on, I think, my seventh tour. As we always did, we had an eclectic show, and it was a long show too. Most of the troops would be standing for four hours during the show, though I remember during this one particular show at one of our bases, there was a group of female soldiers sitting in the bleachers who were particularly enthusiastic.

The troops loved the show, probably because otherwise they spent all of their time either in danger, or incredibly bored.

So I got to my Don't Ask Don't Tell material. "One thing I don't get," I'd say, "is Don't Ask Don't Tell. The bravest serve. Take your commander, for instance. He's one of the bravest men ever to serve in the U.S. military. And he's also one of the gayest. General, stand up, thank you!" The troops loved this, they thought it was hilarious, everyone was cheering and laughing - maybe especially those female soldiers up in the bleachers.

And at the end of the show, there was a very moving performance of a patriotic song, which was always very emotional. The commander gave each of us a flag that flew over the base - I still have it in my office - and he told me, "Al, keep telling those Don't Ask Don't Tell jokes." And that group of female soldiers up in the bleachers came up to me after the show to tell me how much they loved my Don't Ask Don't Tell material, and that it was personally important to them.