1
When they paroled Lawrence Singleton (The guy who chopped off the arms of the teenager he kidnapped and raped) in California after eight years, they tried to foist him off on many counties in the state but the locals made it clear it would be shoot on site so he spent his probation period in a trailer on the grounds of the prison (Later he moved to Florida and killed a woman there).
I don't recall the parole board ever trying to place him in any of their neighborhoods.
Posted by: Machinist at 31 July 2008@13:00:34 (4Jz8F)
Sad Thing Is, He'll Probably Get His Wish
Hugo Chavez is "anxious" at the prospect of improved relations with the United States once a new President takes office.
Chavez, who rejects traditional U.S. influence in Latin America and
has called the U.S. president 'the devil,' denied OPEC-member Venezuela
represented a danger to Washington.
"Whoever the next president is and whatever party they are from, we
aspire, we are anxious, that 2009 start with a new level of relations,"
Chavez said from an oilfield close to the Orinoco River.
With concrete evidence of his "relations" to FARC, the only improved ties the United States should establish is adding Venezuela to the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
More on what the FARC computers contained can be found here.
Lovely. Another brutal regime with associations with terrorists already stating that the problem with our country was not our beliefs in freedom or whatnot, but one man that held the seat of power. I can't wait until the "come back to us our wayward son" chants start being aimed at us from the international community.
This makes me sick.
Posted by: Old Iron at 15 May 2008@07:49:31 (tD0Cq)
This Is Supposed To Be A Surprise?
After being at war in Iraq for five years and almost seven years after 9/11, we're now seeing an increase in wounded veterans.
Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged
bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will
cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total
population of America's vets shrinks.
Because we're supposed to fight wars without letting soldiers get hurt I guess. As a disabled veteran (non-combat related), it's blindingly obvious to me that soldiers are going to get injured, especially when we're at war. The more injured you have, the more it costs to take care of them. Most of us accept that as the cost of preventing civilian casualties here at home, that's why we were in the military in the first place.
Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them.
Also, ironically, advanced medical care. Troops come home with
devastating injuries that might well have killed them in earlier wars.
1
Yes, I remember all that paperwork from my stepfather*, who claimed deafness, post traumatic stress (alhough back in his day they simply said he was "shell shocked"), and frostbite. (Chosin). He did what he wanted in the end, although it took him several years. And the VA has always treated him.
*ex-stepfather. The effects of the PTSD got to my mother eventually, and they divorced after five years of marriage.
No comment buttons. Are you playing around the site again?
Posted by: kishnevi at 12 May 2008@16:37:39 (DqtzB)
Not that I know of... what comment buttons? I dinna unnerstand Sir.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 12 May 2008@16:46:49 (Q5ggV)
3
Lemme see now. Years of warfare against an ideological enemy totally committed to our destruction and enslavement; and our casualties are 2/3% of our casualties over the same period of the Civil War...and less than a single day's rehearsal for the landings at Normandy during WWII.
It sucks, being dead. It bites, being disabled. But we did sign up, knowing what could happen. And yes, our youth and inexperience made us feel as though it could never happen to us (when we were younger), but as we got older and our mortality became obvious even to ourselves...we didn't shirk, we didn't flee. We trained harder, we trained better, we practiced until we did our job literally in our sleep.
I've never been shot at, never been blown up. So I can't speak for the guys who have...but somebody needs to grow up and get some perspective.
Because the ignorance on display is enormous.
Posted by: EW1(SG) at 12 May 2008@22:50:55 (YcNsA)
I agree with you EW1. I was a log guy in the Corps (means I was pretty much in the rear with the gear the whole time) but it was an understanding that even in serving the materials requirements for armed actions has this thing called inherent risk, and you could get hurt anywhere. We did things to minimize risk, but in the end you can't protect people from either "stupid" or "ignorance".
Posted by: Old Iron at 13 May 2008@11:49:02 (tD0Cq)
5
Old Iron sez:
"I was pretty much in the rear with the gear the whole time"
Mebbe. But it seems to me that the Corps spends just a bit more time than anybody else making sure that everybody is a rifleman.
Posted by: EW1(SG) at 13 May 2008@15:36:35 (YcNsA)
6
I don't remember hearing that the Corp asked Marines who wanted to go forward and who wanted to stay back. If you served you faced the risks, and deserve a heartfelt salute from the rest of us. Just my opinion.
Posted by: Machinist at 13 May 2008@15:51:09 (yFIK0)
7
Reminds me of what a Marine recruiter told me:
"The Corps will decide what you're best suited for, and it may have nothing to do with what you think you're best suited for."
My respect for the Corps immediately increased because of that outbreak of honesty.
Posted by: kishnevi at 13 May 2008@20:54:53 (2Fuir)
Isn't It Time They Got A Real Job?
People must get addicted to protesting. Or it's a social function. Maybe just a mental illness. Whatever it is, they just can't seem to give it up.
"People walk past and say, 'I'm glad you're doing something,' " said
Marty O'Malley, a Forest Hills council member who has attended more
than 100 anti-Iraq war events, as he stood in front of Democratic U.S.
Rep. Mike Doyle's Downtown office last week with the small gathering of
activists.
"I want to shake them and say, 'Why aren't you doing something!?' "
Right back atcha Marty. There were only three of you and nobody remembered to bring the petition? FAIL!
"[The candidates] are talking about Iraq," said Tom Andrews, a former
Democratic congressman from Maine and the national director of Win
Without War. "Unfortunately, the press coverage seems to be more
focused on lapel pins than on the war."
That should tell him that the war is going very well thank you. If it wasn't, the media wouldn't let 30 seconds go by without saying something about it.
1
"Support the Troops. End the War. Win NOW!"
Fixed that for her.
And I agree, we need a new President. Would have loved the entertainment value of Jeb running. Oh well, always 2012.
Posted by: EW1(SG) at 11 May 2008@19:50:21 (YcNsA)
Clerics To Ahmadinejad: "Umm.. Shut Up! M'Kay?" (Loose Translation)
Iranian clerics have told Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to stick to worldly matter and stop talking about the "hidden imam".
Two leading clerics retorted that
Ahmadinejad would be better off concentrating on Iran's social problems
-- most notably its double-digit inflation -- than indulging in such mystical rhetoric.
"If Ahmadinejad wants to say that the hidden imam is supporting the
decisions of the government, it is not true," sniped Gholam Reza
Mesbahi Moghadam, the spokesman of the conservative Association of
Combatant Clerics.
"For sure, the hidden imam does not approve
of inflation of 20 percent, the high cost of living and numerous other
errors," he said, according to the Kargozaran daily.
Ali
Asghari, a member of the conservative Hezbollah faction in parliament,
told the president not to link the management of the country to the
imam.
"Ahmadinejad would do better to worry about social
problems like inflation ... and other terrestrial affairs," Etemad
Melli daily quoted him as saying.
If you're familiar with the military, this is known as advice to "Stay in your lane", and WWE fans might remember the Rock saying, "Know your role, shut your mouth". Same thing. Did anybody else notice that the AFP was careful to link "conservative" to Hezbollah? That's their role I guess.
That's What They Can Prove Anyway
The Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates told Pentagon reporters today that between 5 and 10 percent of those released from Guantanamo return to the fight.
"I was told today that the recidivism rate ... those who
return to the battlefield, is probably somewhere between 5 and
10 percent -- maybe 6, 7 percent, something like that," Gates
said.
"We don't have a lot of specific cases. We're talking about
one, two, three dozen that we have data on," he told reporters
at the Pentagon.
"We do as careful a vetting job as we possibly can before
releasing these people," he said.
I think the numbers are much higher if you count planning and facilitating. These numbers only include those who have been captured, killed, or announced themselves in the media (yeah, it's happened). more...
This last one the blew himself up isn't the first one they've tried to claim that. There are at least a couple more "peaceful sheepherders" who turned to jihad because of their "torture".
Load of crap. (and dpud, I don't think that handle is going to raise my curse-o-meter rating up from zero. Just sayin'
)
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 08 May 2008@19:49:02 (Q5ggV)
3
Well, if you want help with that too, I'd be happy to oblige...
Posted by: doubleplusundead at 08 May 2008@23:38:30 (ZuzXA)
4
I try not to curse very often (shhhh... it's a secret shame) but dpud knows it doesn't bother me when others do it. I don't have a problem telling someone to go "self-sooth" when it's called for, but it has more impact when it's something unusual.
You'll see it now and again here, from me and others, but probably not very often. I didn't even curse over at The Hostages... and they still treated me well.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 09 May 2008@09:39:11 (Q5ggV)
You're Bugging Me
Battlefield Intelligence may get an small assist soon... and I do mean small. The idea is to send in these guys first. Developed for British troops, a trial run with prototypes is hoped for before the year is out. I'm not sure how practical it is, but it's pretty darn cool. How soon before the nutroots complain that our government will want them for domestic use?
Posted by: Veeshir at 07 May 2008@12:54:01 (zXUuJ)
2
Yep, some serious crazy there. If we could power cars using just leftist paranoia, San Francisco would become the New Motown while most of the Middle East would turn back into desert.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 07 May 2008@14:56:28 (Q5ggV)
Need A New PenPal? They Need You
Mike over at Cold Fury has gotten the story and it's starting to spread. I found out about it from dpud who also has a quick write-up about it. My kids are going to start writing and see if any of their church friends want to join in.
Let me tell you, not getting mail when you're deployed sucks. Even when you've got other things that can take up your free time, getting mail always raises your spirits. Even if you only send one letter, you've done something special that will get talked about a dozen times after they get home.
1
I give you one better; go on over to www.soldiersangels.org and adopt a soldier who is deployed. You must agree to send at least two packages a month, and letters & e-mails (if the soldier shares the e-mail)
Posted by: DagneyT at 04 May 2008@13:48:30 (X0oOL)
2
We got great support from Operation Shoebox for our mental health staff and the guards. They were fantastic! Everything came very quickly and the troops were thrilled with all the little goodies and notes. It was very nice to say the least.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 04 May 2008@14:04:05 (Q5ggV)
An American Hero
Via Badgers Forward, DRJ over at Patterico's brings us the story of a True American Hero, Master Sergeant Brendan O’Connor, getting the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan.
Incredible story that everyone should read. Talk about the real deal! Even 60 Minutes covered it. If the MSM doesn't ignore military heroism, you know it's something very special.
2
Never a problem DRJ... the Stash-a-lanche probably generated hundredsdozens two or three hits for you, but it's a great story and thank you for covering it.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at 04 May 2008@17:26:33 (Q5ggV)
Sites are added to the Moronosphere and Gerbil Nation blogrolls by request. I got everyone on there who was there when they were made, so email me if you know of a new addition. Some of these are on the main blogroll as well and will remain duplicated.
The main blogroll is at my own discretion. I gratefully accept suggestions by email, but I don't do blogroll exchanges. If a site is there, it's because I personally recommend it. If it's one that is not updated often, check out the archives and you'll probably see why it's there. I will rarely remove a site from the main blogroll once it's there.
Recent Comments
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*rustle, rustle* **looks around empty thread** SQUEaK! entry
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About Me
I am a Psychiatric Nurse who retired from the Army after 24 years total service. I started out as a Private E-1, made Sergeant E-5 in 23 months, then went to nursing school and ROTC to get commissioned. I am interested in politics where I lean heavily conservative, movies, music, and books. Hopefully you will enjoy what you see and come back often.
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