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News/Politics 5-19-15

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread

1. A group called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which appears to be against actual religious freedom, is up in arms over remarks from a Christian Air Force general.

From FoxNews  “An Air Force general who recently spoke about how God has guided his career should be court-martialed, a civil liberties group is saying.

In a speech at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event on May 7, Maj. Gen. Craig Olson credits God for his accomplishments in the military, and refers to himself as a “redeemed believer in Christ.”

The Air Force Times reports that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has taken issue with Olson’s remarks, is calling for the two-star general to be court-martialed and “aggressively and very visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions.”

The group authored a letter to Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Walsh, arguing that Olson’s speech violates rules within the Air Force, which prohibits airmen from endorsing a particular faith or belief.

The letter, posted on the group’swebsite, begins, “This demand letter is sent to you on behalf of countless members of the United States Air Force who are utterly disgusted and shocked by the brazenly illicit and wholly unconstitutional, fundamentalist Christian proselytizing recently perpetrated, on international television (“GOD TV”), and streaming all over the Internet and in full military uniform, by USAF Major General Craig S. Olson on Thursday, May 7, 2015 during a VERY public speech for a private Christian organization (The “National Day of Prayer Task Force”: NDPTF) headed up by Focus on the Family founder, Dr. James Dobson’s, wife Shirley Dobson. “”

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2. Obama seeks to end immigration enforcement by local and state police…….. and anyone else for that matter. 🙄

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The administration issued a report Monday saying that in order to rebuild trust between police and their communities, the federal government should stop enlisting state and local police in most immigration enforcement, setting up another challenge as President Obama tries to please immigrant rights advocates while carrying out deportations.

The recommendations were part of Mr. Obama’s policing task force, set up in the wake of riots last year in Ferguson, Missouri, to suggest ways federal officials can help local police do their jobs better. The heart of the report called for curtailing transfer of heavy weapons and tank-style vehicles to state and local authorities, but the report also delved into the thorny issue of immigration, saying government must “decouple” enforcement from local police.

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security should terminate the use of the state and local criminal justice system, including through detention, notification, and transfer requests, to enforce civil immigration laws against civil and nonserious criminal offenders,” the task force said.”

Wanna rebuild trust Barry? Then stop race baiting at the expense of police. That’d be a good start.

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3. Worst idea about yet about how to “save” Detroit?

From TheNYTimes  “Detroit, a once great city, has become an urban vacuum. Its population has fallen to around 700,000 from nearly 1.9 million in 1950. The city is estimated to have more than 70,000 abandoned buildings and 90,000 vacant lots. Meanwhile, desperate Syrians, victims of an unfathomable civil war, are fleeing to neighboring countries, with some 1.8 million in Turkey and 600,000 in Jordan.

Suppose these two social and humanitarian disasters were conjoined to produce something positive.

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan, a Republican, has already laid the groundwork. In January 2014 he called for an infusion of 50,000 immigrants as part of a program to revitalize Detroit, and signed an executive order creating the Michigan Office for New Americans.

Syrian refugees would be an ideal community to realize this goal, as Arab-Americans are already a vibrant and successful presence in the Detroit metropolitan area. A 2003 survey by the University of Michigan of 1,016 members of this community (58 percent of whom were Christian, and 42 percent Muslim) found that 19 percent were entrepreneurs and that the median household income was $50,000 to $75,000 per year.”

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4. Shockingly, it appears Obama lied about Benghazi. Again. They knew Al-Qaeda was planning an attack before it happened, and yet did nothing to ensure the embassy’s safety.

From HotAir  “The date of the DIA conclusion (produced by a FOIA lawsuit from Judicial Watch) is remarkable for at least one reason. First, September 16 is an infamous date in the Benghazi timeline, as the date on which Susan Rice did a full Ginsburg to insist that the attack resulted from a spontaneous demonstration tied to an obscure YouTube video. Even though the DIA directly contradicted those talking points supplied by the White House to Rice, they continued to insist on using them for another two weeks, including Hillary Clinton. During that period, the Obama administration kept saying that they had no indication that this was a terrorist plot, even though the president of Libya insisted that it was a planned attack on one of the same shows on which Rice appeared.

As Catherine Herridge and Martha McCallum point out, the memo tells a lot more of the story than we knew before. The consulate and its intelligence operation nearby was keeping an eye on weapons transfers to anti-Assad forces in Syria, one of the proposed reasons why the US would have kept a consulate open in that city for so long. This was taking place at the same time that a number of American politicians were demanding more open support for rebels in Syria, a move that had support from Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta at the time according to Panetta’s memoir, but which Obama himself was reluctant to embrace — publicly, at least. Mike Morell insisted last week that the US took no part in that weapons movement, but did we need a consulate just to conduct passive intel on arms trafficking?

Why keep up the pretense? Obama was in the middle of an election, and didn’t want to acknowledge that he’d been caught with his pants down. And he may well have wanted to avoid answering questions about secret arms programs to anti-Assad rebels, especially given how that turned out in Syria and Iraq.

Speaking of which, the part about the rise of ISIS is even more interesting. The DIA tried to warn Congress about the threat in January 2014, which is when Obama compared them to the “jayvees.””

JudicialWatch has the whole story here. 

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Meanwhile, Gowdy keeps digging. 

From TheNYTimes  “When the Clintons last occupied the White House, Sidney Blumenthal cast himself in varied roles: speechwriter, in-house intellectual and press corps whisperer. Republicans added another, accusing Mr. Blumenthal of spreading gossip to discredit Republican investigators, and forced him to testify during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.

Now, as Hillary Rodham Clinton embarks on her second presidential bid, Mr. Blumenthal’s service to the Clintons is again under the spotlight. Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a Republican who is leading the congressional committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, plans to subpoena Mr. Blumenthal, 66, for a private transcribed interview.

Mr. Gowdy’s chief interest, according to people briefed on the inquiry, is a series of memos that Mr. Blumenthal — who was not an employee of the State Department — wrote to Mrs. Clinton about events unfolding in Libya before and after the death of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. According to emails obtained by The New York Times, Mrs. Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time, took Mr. Blumenthal’s advice seriously, forwarding his memos to senior diplomatic officials in Libya and Washington and at times asking them to respond. Mrs. Clinton continued to pass around his memos even after other senior diplomats concluded that Mr. Blumenthal’s assessments were often unreliable.”

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7 thoughts on “News/Politics 5-19-15”

  1. #1. This seems to us like a silly first amendment non-issue.
    But these people are serious. And I suspect they got 501(c)3 status immediately.
    It could be that this generation will see “freedom of religion” turn into “freedom of worship”.
    We don’t want to offend anyone.
    And some are easily offended..

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  3. The local lady in our church who sends out prayer notices just sent a notice about Maj. General Olson
    She also sent this:
    As the Lord leads, please pray:
    • For General Olson and the strength of his testimony for Jesus Christ to remain unwavering.
    • For the Air Force Chief of Staff and others in the Pentagon not to be swayed by the demands of the organization pushing for General Olson’s court martial.
    • For a wall of protection around religious freedoms and the freedom of speech in America.
    I understand that it is important to pray for the General. But he is a two star. Remember, General Petraius’ punishment is that he is not allowed to reveal any secrets for two years. Not much they can do about Gen Olson. What this really is about is the implication for every Christian who doesn’t have stars on his shoulder.

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  5. Good question Michelle, but you won’t like the answer. You can’t transform the military into a gay friendly social experiment unless you remove obstacles to your agenda. Obama has been doing just that. I’ve posted numerous examples of this here on News/Politics as well, if you feel up to searching the archives.

    As of 2 years ago, the number was 197.

    http://www.standupamericaus.org/breaking-news/obama-purging-the-military-197-officers-in-5-years/

    “Grand Total: 197 Officers

    Year: 2013 (9, so far).
    1. Marine Col. Daren Margolin – Quantico – Oct. 18, 2013. Was in charge of Quantico’s Security Battalion.
    2. Marine Major General C.M.M. Gurganus – Oct. 12, 2013. Commander Regional Command Southwest and I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in Afghanistan.
    3. AF Major Gen. Michael Carey – Oct. 8, 2013. 2-star commander of 20th Air Force. 3 wings of ICBMs. 450 nukes. Covered 3 AF bases across nation.
    4. Navy Vice-Admiral Tim Guardina – Oct. 9, 2013. 3-star vice-commander all US nuclear forces (land/air/sea). Relieved of command. Demoted in rank to 2-stars.
    5. Marine Major General Gregg A. Sturdevant – September 2013. Director of strategic planning and policy for U.S. Pacific Command and commander of the Aviation Wing At Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
    6. Marine Col. James Christmas – July 18, 2013. Commanded 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Also, commanded the new Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response Unit.
    7. Army Brigadier General Bryan Roberts – May 2013. Commander, Ft. Jackson, SC.
    8. Marine Gen. James Mattis – May 2013. Chief of CentCom.
    9. Army Major General Ralph Baker – April 2013. Commander of Joint Task Force Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa
    Year: 2012 (Overall total – 4 +24 = 28 Final total).
    1. Marine General John R. Allen – Nov. 13, 2012. Commander, ISAF – International Security Assistance Force.
    2. Army General David Petraeus – Nov. 9, 2012. Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). Director of CIA from September 2011 to November 2012.
    3. Navy Rear Admiral Charles M. Gaouette – Oct. 27, 2102. Commander, USS John C. Stennis strike group. Relieved within a day or so of Benghazi.
    4. Army General Carter F. Ham – Oct. 18, 2012. Commander, AFRICOM. Relieved during Benghazi from direct command of AFRICOM.
    Naval Officers (all in 2012): Total – 24
    1. Cmdr. Derick Armstrong, Commander, guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans.
    2. Cmdr. Martin Arriola, Commander, USS Porter.
    3. Capt. Antonio Cardoso, Commander, of Training Support Center San Diego.
    4. Capt. James CoBell, Commander, Oceana Naval Air Station’s Fleet Readiness Ctr. Mid-Atl.
    5. Cmdr. Joseph E. Darlak, Commander, USS Vandegrift.
    6. Cmdr. Franklin Fernandez, Commander, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24.
    7. Cmdr. Ray Hartman, Commander, amphibious dock-landing ship Fort McHenry.
    8. Cmdr. Jon Haydel, Commander, USS San Diego.
    9. Cmdr. Diego Hernandez, Commander, ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming.
    10. Cmdr. Lee Hoey, Commander, Navy Drug Screening Laboratory, San Diego.
    11. Cmdr. Dennis Klein, Commander, submarine USS Columbia.
    12. Capt. Marcia “Kim” Lyons, Commander, Naval Health Clinic New England.
    13. Capt. Chuck Litchfield, Commander, USS Essex.
    14. Capt. Robert Marin, Commander, USS Cowpens.
    15. Capt. Sean McDonell, Commander, Seabee reserve unit Naval Mobile Const. Battalion 14.
    16. Cmdr. Corrine Parker, Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 1.
    17. Capt. Lisa Raimondo, Commander, Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Md.
    18. Capt. Jeffrey Riedel, Program manager, Littoral Combat Ship program.
    19. Cmdr. Sara Santoski, Commander, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15.
    20. Cmdr. Sheryl Tannahill, Commander, Navy Operational Support Center Nashville.
    21. Cmdr. Michael Ward, Commander, USS Pittsburgh.
    22. Capt. Michael Wiegand, Commander, Southwest Regional Maintenance Center.
    23. Capt. Ted Williams, Commander, Mount Whitney.
    24. Cmdr. Jeffrey Wissel, Commander, of Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 1.
    Year: 2011 Total – 1 + 157 = 158 overall
    Army Major Gen. Peter Fuller – May 2011. A top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
    157 Air Force majors. Military advocates decry ‘illegal’ early terminations of 157 Air Force majors
    Year: 2010 Total – 1 ( total)
    1. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal – June 2010. Overall commander Afghanistan. Replaced by Gen. Petraeus.
    Year: 2009 Total – 1 (total)
    Army Gen. David D. McKiernan – 2009. First 4-star relieved since Truman relieved MacArthur. Commanded in Afghanistan.”

    And there have been many more since then.
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    And again, this is 1 1/2 years old info.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/12/gordon-transforming-the-us-military/

    “It seems that every week since President Obama took office in 2009, we’ve been hearing that another top leader has been summarily fired, despite his decades of loyal service and valuable experience in protecting the nation. Statistically speaking, it’s actually closer to one every 8.8 days, a staggering 200 military brass shown the door in less than five years.

    The Pentagon has offered up a grab bag of reasons for these dismissals — from a simple “loss of confidence,” to more descriptive “insensitive remarks,” “sexual misconduct,” and even “counterfeit poker chips.””

    “With massive defense-budget cuts amounting to $1 trillion planned over the next decade including sequestration, a shrinking military that includes axing 10 percent of flag and general officer positions worldwide, and 20 percent of headquarters positions at the Pentagon and top operational combatant commands, it seems entirely plausible that the steady stream of firings plays into the Obama administration strategy of military attrition.

    Rather than giving these officers the benefit of the doubt, let alone having their back, there appears to be a rush and a push to get rid of them.”

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  6. Here’s more, and it’s a more recent story. Now granted some of these are probably legitimate, but most are questionable.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/the-administration/221979-mccains-insult-sparks-debate-over-obamas-military

    “The White House is implementing $1 trillion in defense cuts over this decade hollowing out the military like during the 1970s; President Obama admittedly broke the law by failing to notify Congress as required about releasing the Taliban’s 5 top leaders from Guantanamo in exchange for Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl; the Pentagon’s offensive to degrade and destroy the Islamic State is not even close to sufficient; the president and Secretary of Defense fail to even acknowledge that the Islamic State is “Islamic;” roughly 200 of the military’s top officers have been purged under Team Obama; the administration continues to force one social experiment after another on the military; and the list goes on and on.

    It’s clear that military men and women swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and the President was duly elected by the American people. Thus they follow orders from the White House on down. As it should be.

    Yet it’s disheartening to see uniformed military officers lending their trusted credibility to back political decisions that are so severely undermining national security.”

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