Author Topic: Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey Calls On Civilian Re Film (WTF?) + other mil  (Read 5567 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

famousdayandyear

  • Guest
Mil-links
Posted By McQ • [September 15, 2012]

~I may be thick as a brick about such things but since when does the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff take it upon himself to call a private American citizen and urge him to curtail his rights of freedom of speech?  Especially after this same CoJCS sent a message to the Armed Forces telling them to refrain from involving themselves in domestic political activities? 

    General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pastor Terry Jones by phone on Wednesday and asked him to withdraw his support for a film whose portrayal of the Prophet Mohammad has sparked violent protests - including one that ended with the death of America's envoy to Libya.

    "In the brief call, Gen. Dempsey expressed his concerns over the nature of the film, the tensions it will inflame and the violence it will cause," Dempsey's spokesman, Colonel Dave Lapan, told Reuters.

Can you say, "mixed signals"?

~The House has passed the new Stolen Valor Act.

    Those who lie about military service or make false claims about receiving military medals with the intent of benefiting from those claims would be committing a crime under legislation passed by the House Wednesday.

I.e. those who perpetrate fraud are prosecutable.  However:

    Following the lines of the [Supreme] court ruling, it exempts from punishment those who simply wear military medals or decorations that do not belong to them.

You're still left with only ridicule and shame in that regard.  The guys at Ranger Up help with that task:

 

 

~In other news, If you're going to fling poo you need to be right or it is liable to come right back at you.  Meanwhile in the real world.

~Is the former Navy SEAL who wrote "No Easy Day" in for some official action?  Seems completely possible given these words by the SecDef:

    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is suggesting that a retired Navy SEAL be punished for writing a book giving an insider's account of the U.S. raid that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

    Asked in a network interview if he thinks the writer should be prosecuted, Panetta replied, "I think we have to take steps to make clear to him and to the American people that we're not going to accept this kind of behavior."

We'll see.  It seems as no one in government is ever held accountable, but this guy may be.  Meanwhile, where are we on the "leaks" investigation?

~Meanwhile in Yemen:

    An elite Marine rapid response team arrived in Yemen's capital Friday in the wake of violence and protests at the U.S. Embassy, the Pentagon said.

    Pentagon press secretary George Little said the decision to dispatch about 50 Marines to Sanaa was partly in response to the violence and partly as a precautionary measure.

    The Marines are members of a platoon from a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team, a specially trained and configured group that makes short-notice deployments in response to terrorist threats and to reinforce security at U.S. embassies.

Hopefully they'll be allowed to carry live ammuntion.  You can read more about the FAST teams here and here.

~And, under the title of "I want what this guy's smoking" we get the quote of the week:

    But money is not a problem, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Before his grilling on sequestration in Congress yesterday, Carter went on week-long swing through Asia in which he told allies repeatedly that getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan would leave the Pentagon with “abundant resources.”

Seriously?  16 trillion in debt, already cutting 500 billion with 500 billion to come via sequestration?  Abundant resources.  We're broke Mr. Carter.  And the plan seems to be to attempt to balance things ... as much as they can be balanced ... on the back of the military.

The context of the quote is in support of the "Pacific pivot" and assuring Asian allies we'll have more than enough to carry it through.

~Finally, I recieved an email from the Obama campagin alterting me, as the title of the email said, that "Vets Condemn Romney Advisor's Statement on Egypt and Lybia."

Attached was a press release from VoteVets.  In the VoteVets masthead was the statement "The Voice of America's 21st Century Patriots".

First, VoteVets does not represent all veterans.  In fact, it is a progressive front group that has some veterans among it.  And it is entirely a creature of politics. My guess is that in actuality it represents very few veteran voices.

You might remember the dishonest ads it did about body armor and Vietnam era flak jackets.  When called on it and confronted with facts, they refused to pull it.

They're no more "the voice of America's 21st Century Patriots" than this Middle Eastern meltdown is about a movie. 

Enjoy your weekend.

~McQ

Offline Rapunzel

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 71,613
  • Gender: Female
Re: Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey Calls On Civilian Re Film (WTF?) + other mil
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2012, 06:20:05 am »
JMHO, but I don't trust Dempsey.
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776