BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL Thursday of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/22/seal-trial-jury-deliberates-iraqi-abuse-case/
The next 2 SEALs in this case will be released too. The prosecution of our military for piddly crap is ridiculous. Remember the prosecution of the Marines accused for the killings in Haditha?
Showing posts with label heroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heroes. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
And the Results are In....
...and as I suspected, the top spots were in no danger of seeing my name, but neither were the bottom spots. Overall, I ended up 21 of 29 shooters in the Production division. Production=stock, no major modifications. That isn't pretty, but with major screw ups on 2 stages in my first match, I guess I can't complain, but I definitely need to practice. I shouldn't have gone into this w/ 2 new mags and a new mag holster.
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And here's one from one of the best guitar pickers ever.
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And here's one from one of the best guitar pickers ever.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Uh-oh....not the change he was talking about.
I normally don't have much use for polls. I think you can make them say whatever you want them to say by changing up a few words in the questions / making them a bit confusing / less straight-forward. But we'll assume Rasmussen is reliable and respectable. Barry went negative for the first time a week or two ago, then hit -2, -3.... Now this week he's hit -5 and -8 in two straight days of reporting.
Is it the growing deficit for this year, the mounting national debt, the 2009 Euorpean/ Mid-East apology tours he's been on, the lack of transparency he's pushing with Crazy-Eyes Pelosi and Whorehouse Harry, the capNtax / Gorebal Warming nonsense, the Sotomayor nomination, the nomination (and confirmation) of transnationalist Harold Koh, paying back the unions big time with the GM and Chrysler bailout/nationalization/restructure/screwing of the primary creditors, pushing EFCA, agreeing to a nuclear disarmament deal w/ Russia, staying silent on the Iran protestors, but siding w/the Leftist would-be dictator in Honduras in record time (with Castro, Chavez, et al), etc. etc. Quite a list off the top of my head.
So, maybe, just maybe the American Sheeple and starting to wake up and say to themselves, "This doesn't seem right. Maybe this isn't what I bargained for when I flushed my vote down the toilet and let the patients run the asylum." I hope I'm right and the tide is turning. Only time will tell, but it may already be too late save the ship.
And some random notes from the news......
Holy crap. Big Nance did something I actually agree with. Don't know why she did it, and for now, I don't care. This Rep. Jackson-Lee is a whack-job. She's been pimping this resolution so much it is sickening. Check out this nice recap at RedState.com. As a bonus you'll get to see Rep. Peter King (R-NY) turn a nice little partiotic piece into a great tirade against MJ and the media. I don't agree with the guy on everything he says and does, but on this one, I think he's pretty much got it down.
Of course the money is going to those who put him in office. I don't necessarily think there is anything conspiratorial going on here. Like the article says, they are just signing checks and sending them out to whoever asks and maybe qualifies. If you look at a breakdown of the '08 Presidential voting like this one, with the county bubbles and county leaders filters, you see that Barry won in the NE, Midwest and West coast where there are large cities and mostly urban population centers. So if you ship the money off to big cities blindly, you end up giving the money to those who voted for you.
Dear lord! First he gets punked by Chavez in the whole sucker "book gift" photo-op at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, then he bows to the king of Saudi Arabia, bows the Putin, now he's glad-handing it with Qaddafi? WTF? I'm not buying this whole "repairing the US image around the world BS." You can "repair" our image without making us look like the class punk whose next in line to get his head flushed down the toilet after gym class. This guy doesn't know the first thing about earning respect. Kissing ass just gets you laughed at and used. If America has been so horrible that he needs to "transform" it, why have we been the lone superpower in the world for the last two decades?
And a good story to end the day. Video of a guy who fought off a car jacking punk in Florida. It's great to see the good guy win!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Random Thoughts on the World's Craziness
Sotomayor Wrong Again
This New Haven, CT firefighters case is ridiculous. These firefighters studied their asses off and passed a test that was created by specialty firm, hired by the city, then tested and validated to be an effective and accurate tool to determine who were the best of the bunch and who would make the best candidates for promotions. Why the hell did the city then penalize them for playing by the rules that they set? To avoid a "potential" lawsuit from civil rights groups. So they screwed one group of people to "help" another? Sounds like Barry redistributing the wealth.
Why didnt' the city stand up for itself when they were right? Unless they didn't want to be right, or they were plagued by "white guilt" like so many in government are. It is absolutely ridiculous.
I don't want people in critical positions in my own company who only got where there are through the help of a numbers game instead of on their own skill and merits. Not to mention jobs where lives can be at stake, such as police, firefighters, auto mechanics, pilots, construction workers, Supreme Court Justices....
Sotomayor is a self-admitted product of the affirmative action system. She claimed her test scores coming out of college were not the best, but she still got into a top law school. She said in the early 1990's that she is "...a product of affirmative action" and her "test scores were not comparable to my colleagues at Princeton and Yale." And now we find out this isn't the first time she's been on the side of the "oppressed." In the 1980's she helped hispanic police officers challenge a promotions exam in NYC while part of a Puerto Rican legal advocacy organization. Shocking!
Past colleagues and lawyers who have argued cases in front of her speak negatively of her professional demeanor and approach to cases, her opinions are described as short, weak, and poorly thought out. She has been accused of showing blatant disrespect to and belittling of lawyers. Her opinions lead to more centralized power with the Fed and less power for the states- exactly opposite of what the country needs now.
But alas, she will still get in because the Dems are blind to right and wrong, and the Repubs are weak and won't stand up for principle and the best for the nation. It won't change the make up of the court - Souter was no conservative or centrist. It is the next 1, 2 or 3 that Barry may get to appoint that will screw the country for decades.
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More from across the vast web of news.
Story of the day - good for this homeowner, bad for the burglar. Ouch!
Barry waits over a week to say anything about the Iran uprising against dictators, but rushes to the teleprompter to speak out against the Honduras gov and military removing their President when he tried to grab power through unconstitutional additional terms in office. He is on the same side as Castro, Ortega and Chavez. Is anyone surprised by this?
Holy cow, I hope this isn't true, but you can put the pieces together and decide. What about this one? Pamela Gellar over at Atlas Shrugs is no nonsense. She puts it all out there to read and see.
All for now. I can't read anymore tonight. Sleep tight.
This New Haven, CT firefighters case is ridiculous. These firefighters studied their asses off and passed a test that was created by specialty firm, hired by the city, then tested and validated to be an effective and accurate tool to determine who were the best of the bunch and who would make the best candidates for promotions. Why the hell did the city then penalize them for playing by the rules that they set? To avoid a "potential" lawsuit from civil rights groups. So they screwed one group of people to "help" another? Sounds like Barry redistributing the wealth.
Why didnt' the city stand up for itself when they were right? Unless they didn't want to be right, or they were plagued by "white guilt" like so many in government are. It is absolutely ridiculous.
I don't want people in critical positions in my own company who only got where there are through the help of a numbers game instead of on their own skill and merits. Not to mention jobs where lives can be at stake, such as police, firefighters, auto mechanics, pilots, construction workers, Supreme Court Justices....
Sotomayor is a self-admitted product of the affirmative action system. She claimed her test scores coming out of college were not the best, but she still got into a top law school. She said in the early 1990's that she is "...a product of affirmative action" and her "test scores were not comparable to my colleagues at Princeton and Yale." And now we find out this isn't the first time she's been on the side of the "oppressed." In the 1980's she helped hispanic police officers challenge a promotions exam in NYC while part of a Puerto Rican legal advocacy organization. Shocking!
Past colleagues and lawyers who have argued cases in front of her speak negatively of her professional demeanor and approach to cases, her opinions are described as short, weak, and poorly thought out. She has been accused of showing blatant disrespect to and belittling of lawyers. Her opinions lead to more centralized power with the Fed and less power for the states- exactly opposite of what the country needs now.
But alas, she will still get in because the Dems are blind to right and wrong, and the Repubs are weak and won't stand up for principle and the best for the nation. It won't change the make up of the court - Souter was no conservative or centrist. It is the next 1, 2 or 3 that Barry may get to appoint that will screw the country for decades.
--------------------------------------------------------
More from across the vast web of news.
Story of the day - good for this homeowner, bad for the burglar. Ouch!
Barry waits over a week to say anything about the Iran uprising against dictators, but rushes to the teleprompter to speak out against the Honduras gov and military removing their President when he tried to grab power through unconstitutional additional terms in office. He is on the same side as Castro, Ortega and Chavez. Is anyone surprised by this?
Holy cow, I hope this isn't true, but you can put the pieces together and decide. What about this one? Pamela Gellar over at Atlas Shrugs is no nonsense. She puts it all out there to read and see.
All for now. I can't read anymore tonight. Sleep tight.
Self Defense and Home Security
This picture was taken by a local police department down in Texas.
The back story is that a woman was abducted and taken into this home where she was held captive and assaulted. The first officer responding could hear her screaming as he approached the house. He quickly decided to not wait for back-up and rammed the door with his shoulder. This cop is the brother of a coworker. Apparently, he’s a pretty big guy and his shoulder is still pretty bruised and sore a few days later. The woman was rescued and the bad guy is in custody.
Several points came to my mind regarding this story. First is, I should probably check my external doors to make sure the frames and/or walls won’t give way like this one did. Obviously this was an older house and not very well taken care of, but how many older homes out there were flipped to look pretty nice and may or may not have had much, if any updating / securing done to the doors.
Other thoughts: Quick reactions are critical. This cop didn’t know what was going on in that house and waiting for back up could have been a really bad decision for the woman inside. But, if you are not trained properly, going it alone in any situation can be an equally bad decision for the responder or you if a similar position. Obviously you won't necessarily have the choice to wait for support in most situations, so quick decisive action is a must. I don't know how this woman was abducted, but more than likely if you give in early to a kidnapper and they move you, it's bad news. They aren't moving you for any reason other than to protect themselves from outside eyes seeing what they intend to do. You're better off fighting and every study I've seen supports that.
Second, be aware of your surroundings and people acting strangely. One should always try to stay out of questionable situations or parts of town, etc. There are four levels of readiness: Unaware, Aware, Alert and Alarm. It’s no good to go through life on Alert or Alarm as this would seriously erode your quality of life and make you nuts (if you aren’t already), but one has to be Aware. One good thing I’ve noticed about trying to maintain Awareness, is all the stuff you notice that you never would walking with your head down, with the iPod on, texting, etc. An expression I have heard several times (and ignored repeatedly in my youth) is that “nothing good ever happens outside after ten o’clock at night.” If you do happen to be out late, be sure to run your OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act).
Three: Acquaintances. I don’t know, or pretend to know, who the perpetrator was in this case. Most likely, though, it was an ex- or someone she knew. Avoiding sketchy characters will certainly reduce the odds that you’ll get caught up a bad situation. Random acts of violence aren’t always random. Another old axiom: “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”
Four: Home security is not as simple as locking your doors, but that is an important step. Building in layers and zones of security is important. Keeping your hedges and trees trimmed away from doors and windows to limit hiding places for the bad guys, keeping on outside lighting at night (I’m guilty of not following this one), some combination of door locks, jams, alarms, etc., and a sturdy door frame. If your home is older or was mass-produced by certain builders putting up cookie cutter boxes should consider an inspection of their frames. Establish zones in and around your house and a plan for protecting your property and family. How do you want to confront someone standing on your lawn or in your car, if at all? What if they are stealing your TV and on their way out the door? Etc. etc.
Did I forget anything? Do I have something wrong? Let me know. I am always looking for suggestions, ideas and facts.
The back story is that a woman was abducted and taken into this home where she was held captive and assaulted. The first officer responding could hear her screaming as he approached the house. He quickly decided to not wait for back-up and rammed the door with his shoulder. This cop is the brother of a coworker. Apparently, he’s a pretty big guy and his shoulder is still pretty bruised and sore a few days later. The woman was rescued and the bad guy is in custody.
Several points came to my mind regarding this story. First is, I should probably check my external doors to make sure the frames and/or walls won’t give way like this one did. Obviously this was an older house and not very well taken care of, but how many older homes out there were flipped to look pretty nice and may or may not have had much, if any updating / securing done to the doors.
Other thoughts: Quick reactions are critical. This cop didn’t know what was going on in that house and waiting for back up could have been a really bad decision for the woman inside. But, if you are not trained properly, going it alone in any situation can be an equally bad decision for the responder or you if a similar position. Obviously you won't necessarily have the choice to wait for support in most situations, so quick decisive action is a must. I don't know how this woman was abducted, but more than likely if you give in early to a kidnapper and they move you, it's bad news. They aren't moving you for any reason other than to protect themselves from outside eyes seeing what they intend to do. You're better off fighting and every study I've seen supports that.
Second, be aware of your surroundings and people acting strangely. One should always try to stay out of questionable situations or parts of town, etc. There are four levels of readiness: Unaware, Aware, Alert and Alarm. It’s no good to go through life on Alert or Alarm as this would seriously erode your quality of life and make you nuts (if you aren’t already), but one has to be Aware. One good thing I’ve noticed about trying to maintain Awareness, is all the stuff you notice that you never would walking with your head down, with the iPod on, texting, etc. An expression I have heard several times (and ignored repeatedly in my youth) is that “nothing good ever happens outside after ten o’clock at night.” If you do happen to be out late, be sure to run your OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act).
Three: Acquaintances. I don’t know, or pretend to know, who the perpetrator was in this case. Most likely, though, it was an ex- or someone she knew. Avoiding sketchy characters will certainly reduce the odds that you’ll get caught up a bad situation. Random acts of violence aren’t always random. Another old axiom: “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”
Four: Home security is not as simple as locking your doors, but that is an important step. Building in layers and zones of security is important. Keeping your hedges and trees trimmed away from doors and windows to limit hiding places for the bad guys, keeping on outside lighting at night (I’m guilty of not following this one), some combination of door locks, jams, alarms, etc., and a sturdy door frame. If your home is older or was mass-produced by certain builders putting up cookie cutter boxes should consider an inspection of their frames. Establish zones in and around your house and a plan for protecting your property and family. How do you want to confront someone standing on your lawn or in your car, if at all? What if they are stealing your TV and on their way out the door? Etc. etc.
Did I forget anything? Do I have something wrong? Let me know. I am always looking for suggestions, ideas and facts.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell
Earlier this week I had the honor of attending an event to hear Marcus Luttrell, fellow Texan, Navy SEAL, and author speak about his experiences that are documented in his book “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.”
I have never been one to seek out people to meet, talk to, listen to, gawk at, etc. This was the first book event I’ve ever attended and the first time I’ve waited in line just shake someone’s hand. I am glad I took advantage of the opportunity and honored to have traded a few words and a handshake with him. For those who say there aren’t American Heroes anymore (does anyone still say that?), I say they need to read this book and meet this man if they have the chance.
I have never been one to seek out people to meet, talk to, listen to, gawk at, etc. This was the first book event I’ve ever attended and the first time I’ve waited in line just shake someone’s hand. I am glad I took advantage of the opportunity and honored to have traded a few words and a handshake with him. For those who say there aren’t American Heroes anymore (does anyone still say that?), I say they need to read this book and meet this man if they have the chance.
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