Happy Thanksgiving!!

I want to take the time to thank our troops who are deployed overseas while we are here at home sitting on our fat butts enjoying time with our families and friends. Thanks Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coasties for fighting the war that some can no longer do and for those who won’t!!

Congress & Combat Related Injuries

I can't tell y'all JUST how ANGRY this makes me!!!

Idiotic: Revision of Law Passed by Democratic Congress Defines "Combat Injuries" for Vet Benefits to Exclude "Non-Combat" Injuries... Such as Being Blown Up in an IED Ambush
—Ace

I imagine this will get fixed. But what the hell?

Technically, this occurs due to a Pentagon regulation-- but that regulation itself was promulgated to be consistent with the Democrat-passed law.

I think this is all just a big mistake, and not intended by anyone, but can anyone imagine the screaming Keith Olbermann would be doing had it not been the Democrats primarily responsible?

Marine Cpl. James Dixon was wounded twice in Iraq -- by a roadside bomb and a land mine. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, a dislocated hip and hearing loss. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Army Sgt. Lori Meshell shattered a hip and crushed her back and knees while diving for cover during a mortar attack in Iraq. She has undergone a hip replacement and knee reconstruction and needs at least three more surgeries.

In each case, the Pentagon ruled that their disabilities were not combat-related.

In a little-noticed regulation change in March, the military's definition of combat-related disabilities was narrowed, costing some injured veterans thousands of dollars in lost benefits -- and triggering outrage from veterans' advocacy groups.

The Pentagon said the change was consistent with Congress' intent when it passed a "wounded warrior" law in January. Narrowing the combat-related definition was necessary to preserve the "special distinction for those who incur disabilities while participating in the risk of combat, in contrast with those injured otherwise," William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of Defense, wrote in a letter to the 1.3-million-member Disabled American Veterans.

The group, which has called the policy revision a "shocking level of disrespect for those who stood in harm's way," is lobbying to have the change rescinded.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon's "more conservative definition" limited benefits for some veterans. "That was not our intent," Levin said in a statement.

Thanks to Ace at Ace of Spades


This is utter BULLSHIT !!! These IDIOTS in Congress need to get a frikkin clue !!! (or get them stupid bastards out of there!!) If it's a direct result of enemy action, it should be COMBAT RELATED!!!

The End of Free Speech ??

It seems as if the Obama-ites have brought about an end to free speech. It is no longer acceptable to criticize Obama or his ilk. If one does, then they are labelled "racist" or some other nefarious name. We have "Joe the Plumber" that simply asked a question of Obama. His troubles began once he asked that simple question. His background was checked, without authorization, by several agencies. Next, Michelle Bachmann voiced her displeasure with Obama. She had to issue an apology. An apology ?? FOR WHAT ?!?!?!? Just because she stated the TRUTH ?!?!?!? Her opinion ?!?!?!? Sure, public officials should be careful how they ouch their words, but seriously?!?!? Bush has been called many bad things and by some of our nation's leaders. Have they been "investigated" ?? No. Then we had the incident in Missouri, which I touched on earlier. Surely, Obama wouldn't practice any type of censorship, would he ? After all, that would violate our First Amendment rights. Even the leftists always seem to say that "dissent is the highest form of patriotism" or some other justification of mandating the berating of our GOP leaders. Now, I read that apparently a couple of Durham police officers that posted something on their "MySpace" page. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it." That's what the investigators say. Later on they state, "Bonfield added that if the allegations are found to be true and officers posted racially charged statements, then an appropriate response by the department would be warranted." Ok, was it a racially charged statement or not ?? If so, exactly WHY are they investigating it? Is it because they offended Obama or is it because they are just investigating their own ? It just seems to me that Obama's militant faction is attempting to suppress free speech throughout the nation. I sure hope that I'm wrong, but if these are any indicators, we're in MAJOR trouble.

A Note to the GOP

It's time for the GOP to relocate it's roots. Let's discuss the McCain campaign and why it failed. As I see it, McCain really dropped the ball. He ran an impotent campaign. There were many times that he could have attacked Obama on the issues, but no, he wanted to "play nice". I'm sorry, but this election wasn't a time to "play nice". Palin was doing CPR to a dying campaign. The GOP needs to realize that had they let Palin loose, McCain might have been our President Elect.

On the issues: The border. McCain was softer on the border than Cottonelle toilet paper. He wanted to pander to the Mexican vote. From what I've observed and read, there are a good many Mexicans that are here LEGALLY and they are just as much against illegal immigration as the next person. Instead, the GOP had to pick McCain in fear that they would lose the Hispanic vote. I'm thinking that was one of the many mistakes.

On the economy.... well, McCain did that to himself. Something about him saying that the economy was "fundamentally strong". That showed just how much he was out of touch with the current situation. The economy hasn't been real good since 2005. Hello ?? I know this for a fact. The job market, at least for me, was pretty much non-existent. The Real Estate market was in the beginning of collapsing. My ex-wife, being an agent/ broker, I experienced this first hand. So, to say that McCain is out of touch on the economy is being kind.

The Base.... McCain totally forgot about his base, and kept pandering to the left. To many Conservatives out there (and I am one of them) wanted a candidate that would bring the base together. There IS NO reason that ANY conservative should have voted for Obama, but they did. Why ?? Because the base didn't feel they were comfortable with our candidate. I didn't like McCain from the beginning. He wasn't my first pick. As a matter of fact, he was towards the bottom of my list. There were other candidates that could have brought something to the table, but they were essentially ignored by the GOP AND the media.

McCain was strong on the anti-terrorism bit. That was a good thing. Where else was he strong at ?? He wasn't super strong on the 2nd Amendment. If anything, he was "lukewarm". He would have been strong on Defense, at least that's what I believe. He did have some religious convictions and that was good.

In the future, GOP, you need to select a candidate that WILL bring the base together. The party needs to stick together, too. Let loose the Dogs of war !! I just read today that Jindahl was asked about considering the possibility of filling the empty seat of the VP back in July/ August. He declined. Now we see WHY he declined. After what's been done to Sarah Palin, it's a good thing to stay FAR away from mediocre candidates.

So, listen up, GOP, get back to your roots!! Let's get some candidates in office that are solid conservatives, not RINOs like McCain. I look forward to 2012, when we may have a chance to rid ourselves of the bonds of a "ruler" and get some people in office that will do some GOOD for the country. Perhaps a Palin/Jindahl ticket ??

Obama, Obama, Obama

Now that the citizenry has spoken, I wonder what is it to become of this country? I really never liked either one of our major candidates. I preferred McCain over Obama, but I didn't get excited about the McCain campaign until Sarah came along. She breathed new life into an impotent and dying campaign. Obama's election is certainly historic, as he has been the ONLY black to actually succeed in getting elected. There were those before him,
(e.g.: Alan Keyes, Jesse Jackson), but they could never garner enough of a following to even be competetive.

I have had my reservations about Obama since his selection as the Dem candidate. Too many corrupt affiliations, questionable citizenship, socialistic policies, etc. The typical Conservative complaints, I suppose. I'm still waiting on the results of Berg v Obama. That could prove interesting as there seems to be a few people from Kenya claiming that Barack Obama was born there, including his grandmother and a religious figurehead. I wonder if the Obama-ites will accept his disqualification easily, should it be proven? I kind of doubt it.

What bothers me more about Obama, since his election, is the fact that he and his handlers have resorted to using the term, "Rule" and "Ruler". I'm sorry, but America does NOT have "rulers". We have Presidents, Commanders-in-Chiefs, and leaders. This causes me great consternation.
Secondly, he's already started in with his anti-gun policies. To re-instate the 1994 "Assault Weapons Ban". That was a failed anti-gun legislation that was little more than a feel good proposition. A good synopsis of the failed legislation is Here Furthermore, assault weapons have comprised less that 1% of ALL gun crimes. I wouldn't waste any more of our representative's time. I would, instead, focus on punishing the criminal that uses a gun in the commission of a crime. Of course, our courts seem to have a revolving door, at least in some areas of the country.

Next, we have the massive handout programs that Obama campaigned on. Excuse me, but, just HOW is Obama supposed to raise this money to enable these massive handout programs ? There is only one viable alternative, raising taxes. While I'm an unemployed, retired military veteran, these increased taxes might actually benefit me. However, I'd LIKE to think that I have a broader view of this country than just myself. I can see it affecting many people by increasing their taxes, elevating the unemployment levels, and in general, doing more harm than good. History PROVES that every time taxes are raised, bad things happen. Anybody old enough to remember the Carter regime will remember just how life was back then.

One of the other items that bother me is that other free countries are starting to become concerned about Obama's continued support. That's telling me that the entire world, especially major nations, doesn't have the confidence in the Obama Presidency. They are preparing for the worst. Of course, as the old adage goes, "If you want Peace, prepare for War". Russia and China are rattling their sabres and the US is sitting idly by. I'm fairly certain that nothing much will happen until AFTER Obama is sworn in.

As we observed during the campaign, Obama is ready to walk all over the First Amendment. He wanted a controversial advertisement removed from the airwaves in Missouri. That, in itself, should show EVERYBODY what Obama is up to. Furthermore, he doesn't consider the US Constitution a viable document in this day and age. This makes me question as to just what else he has in mind for "our rights"? I'm certain that the rights violations that the Bush regime has committed will pale in comparison. I pray to God that I'm wrong !!!

Another thing that disturbs me is the blind following that Obama has recruited & obtained. His followers seem to have been brainwashed. The don't seem to be paying attention to the truth, his intentions, or anything brought to light about him. It's as if they've drank "the Kool-Aid". Now they want to have an actual holiday for Obama. WHAT THE HELL ?!?!?!?!? The man hasn't even taken office yet !!! A HOLIDAY ?!?!?!? Come on..... let's get real. That would equate to having a special holiday for JFK, Reagan, or any of the other historic presidents, even before they've made history or had a successful tenure in office. Honestly, I'd rather see a holiday for Rosa Parks. At least SHE deserves some recognition !!! What else I think is that his followers are going to be sorely disappointed when he fails to do everything he's promised to do. This story just shows that he's already making excuses and trying to forestall the inherent disappointment of "his people". Already, he's quickly editing his website, www.change.org, in order to minimize expectations.

All in all, I hope & pray for this country and that we will survive his tenure in office. I'm pretty sure that we, as humans, will survive his "leadership", but I'm not so sure that the America I grew up in, served, and have come to love, will.