VetVoice - Front Page

Video Surfaces of Blackwater Weapons Charges

Richard Allen Smith — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:59:31 GMT

As previously reported:

Employees of the CIA-connected private security corporation Blackwater diverted hundreds of weapons, including more than 500 AK-47 assault rifles, from a U.S. weapons bunker in Afghanistan intended to equip Afghan policemen, according to an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee. On at least one occasion, an individual claiming to work for the company evidently signed for a weapons shipment using the name of a "South Park" cartoon character. And Blackwater has yet to return hundreds of the guns to the military.[...] A Blackwater lawyer told [Senate Armed Services] committee staff that no one by those names has ever been employed by the company. Eric Cartman is the name of an obnoxious character from Comedy Central's popular "South Park" cartoon.

You aren't going to believe this, but video has actually surfaced of the incident:

H/t to Spencer Ackerman, who broke this story and thereby influenced tomorrow night's episode of South Park. I've got to believe that's going to be a bullet on his resume.

Army to Send Out Retroactive Stop-Loss Eligibility Notifications

Richard Allen Smith — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:15:00 GMT

The Army is now going to do what it should have done in the first place: notify Soldiers that they know are eligible for retroactive stop-loss compensation:

More than four months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay applications, nearly 100,000 eligible soldiers and surviving spouses have yet to apply.
That's prompting the Army to start sending direct mailings this to 50,000 people believed to have been stop-lossed, said Maj. Roy Whitley, project manager for the compensation program.
The mailings will have passwords that allow recipients to access a Web site that can expedite the claims process, Whitley said.

This is what I've said should be done since the beginning. The Army knows who it stop-lossed. Soldier's shouldn't have to prove their eligibility. They should be able to give relevant administrative data (name, DOB, SSN) and have the list checked. If you are the list, you get a check. If not, you don't. I'm assuming this is what the password system will do.

As always, it's nice to see the Army getting this right, but it'd be nicer to see them get it right in the first place.

Soldier, Hero Throws Back Gernade

Richard Allen Smith — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:48:19 GMT

This British Soldier is a stud:

Rifleman James McKie saved the lives of two of his comrades by throwing the grenade back off the roof where the men were coming under fire from three different directions.
The device exploded in mid air just metres away from where they were standing, sending shrapnel flying.
Rifleman McKie, of Reconnaissance Platoon, 3rd Battalion The Rifles, suffered injuries to his face and right arm.
Platoon Commander Captain Graeme Kerr was flown to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham after fragmentation hit his leg.
Speaking about the incident in Sangin on March 3, Rfn McKie said: ''My first thought was, 'I hope this doesn't hurt too much'. That, and I've really only got one chance to do this. If it fails, either way, doing nothing, I'm going to get the same amount of hurt. So I picked it up and threw it off the roof.
''We were in a high position on a compound roof. There was no way you could throw yourself off and not get injured, so I made a decision to pick up the grenade and throw it off the roof. And I threw it quite deliberately. I tried to throw it properly, to clear the roof.

Wow. Just wow.

Sometimes, in the midst of all the cynicism that exists in world and especially in the realm of security politics, we forget that there are still true, honest, heroes out there.

Rifleman McKie is exactly that. This guy's money should be no good in any bar in the world.

Glenn Beck--"Restoring Honor" or Exploiting the Children of Dead War Heroes

ridiamond — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:21:20 GMT

This piece was originally posted on March 8th, 2010 at HuffingtonPost.com

I received an email Monday morning that stopped me in my tracks. It contained a link to the seemingly noble organization called the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) (http://www.specialops.org) - a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt, federally registered charity whose own mission statement says:

"The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families."

As a veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom I thought, "what a meaningful charitable organization to give my support." But sadly, things are not as noble as they look.

Read a little further on the homepage of the SOWF website, under the "Latest News" column, and you will see a link to none other than Glenn Beck. Yes, that Glenn Beck.

SOWF, it turns out, is the designated charitable organization that will benefit from a rally Glenn Beck is hosting on August 28th on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC--it is being called the "Restoring Honor Rally." (http://www.glennbeck.com/828/).

Or at least that is what Glenn Beck and SOWF want you to believe.

What is actually happening--and what is so obviously wrong--is that the rally is not actually raising money for SOWF. SOWF is raising all the money to pay for the rally.

Don't believe me? Just read the plain-as-day, italicized font on the SOWF website:

"All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF."

That's weird, I thought. I give $100 to SOWF and it goes to Glenn Beck first, college scholarships for children of deceased special operators (maybe) second? Why would Glenn Beck be using a charitable organization, whose mission it is to provide college scholarships to the children of deceased special operators, as the financing arm of his "non-political, non-partisan" rally?

Glenn Beck got paid $18 million last year (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-empire-of-glenn-beck-slideshow-2009-4). Surely, these kids need the money more than he does.

Should it not be the other way around? I would think you would donate to the rally and then they would donate the money to SOWF? I am a Navy veteran and not a lawyer, but does that not smell like someone exploiting a charity at the least, or money-laundering at worst?

Let's cut to the chase and stop being na?ve. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is now serving as a financial front man for the right-wing, Fox News demagogue that is Glenn Beck. This so-called "rally" has nothing to do with SOWF's stated (and noble) mission of giving college scholarships to children of deceased servicemembers.

We all know this rally is going to be nothing more than an anti-Obama, anti-government, pro-Tea Party hate-fest with Glenn Beck spewing his vitriol under the banner of "supporting our troops."

Well, as one of those troops, I am calling this for what it is--a deceitful and deceptive attempt on behalf of far-right extremists to profit off of the memory of my fellow servicemen and women killed in action. Nothing is more wrong or disgusting.

Similarly, why is the leadership of the SOWF putting at risk their tax-exempt charitable status by engaging in this activity? Why would they risk the good name and good work they have done in the past in order to support someone like Glenn Beck?

Oh, I see, SOWF's Board of Directors is stacked with right-wing ideologues like Erik Prince, the founder and head of Blackwater (yes, that Blackwater).

Do what you want, but I will keep giving my money to real charities like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (http://www.iava.org), Achilles International's Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans (http://www.achillesinternational.org/programs/freedom-team/overview) and The Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/)-- organizations that actually provide support to Veterans and their families who have earned and need the assistance.

I have no need to give my money to a multi-millionaire, hate-spewing faux patriot who has never served a day in his life in uniform, but would rather take money from those that have.

Shame on you Glenn Beck and SOWF. What a disgrace.

Open Thread

Richard Allen Smith — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:00:00 GMT

You guys filled the other one up.

Republicans: Liz Cheney's McCarthyism Crossed the Line

Richard Allen Smith — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Liz Cheney's Orwellian-named group "Keep America Safe", as I'm sure you've seen by now, has been seeking to blame attorneys for the crimes of those they have represented. For ensuring that all accused criminals receive adequate representation, a feature of the courts of liberal democracies the world over, Liz Cheney would have us believe that Justice Department attorneys have sympathies for al-Qaeda. I guess Liz would have us believe that public defenders who advocate in court on behalf of rapists, murderers and arsonists are rapists murderers and arsonists themselves. Or even that John Adams, POTUS #2 and defender of British soldiers in the Boston Massacre trials, held treasonous loyalties the crown.

The fallacy of Cheney's assertion has crossed a line to where even her fellow die hard Republicans have denounced them as unacceptable:

A group that includes leading conservative lawyers and policy experts, former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and several senior officials of the last Bush administration is denouncing as "shameful" Republican attacks on lawyers who came to the Obama Justice Department after representing suspected terrorists.
[...]
"We consider these attacks both unjust to the individuals in question and destructive of any attempt to build lasting mechanisms for counterterrorism adjudications," wrote the 19 lawyers whose names were attached to the statement as of early Monday.
[...]
The attacks on the lawyers "undermine the Justice system more broadly," they wrote, by "delegitimizing" any system in which accused terrorists have lawyers, whether civilian courts of military tribunals.

We'll be waiting for Cheney's acknowledgment that this ad campaign was a disgraceful attempt at McCarthyism. Something tells me, however, we'll be waiting a while for Liz Cheney to find her integrity.

The Best War Film of the Year

Richard Allen Smith — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:06:10 GMT

I tuned in to the Oscars last night in hopes of seeing my favorite film of the year clean up. Critics lauded the performances in my favorite film, a movie about a close-knit team with unique characteristics engaging in combat in a far away land. I liked the film because it wasn't like most war movies with explosions left and right. This movie had actual character development, and walked a way last night with some hardware to show for it.

Yup, it was nice to see Inlourious Basterds actor Cristoph Waltz win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

As for the other prominent war flick featured, I spent most of the evening wanting throw my empty bottles of stout at my flat screen as it seemed like every presenter came to the stage with the stated purpose of handing another statue to The Hurt Locker, and those recipients invoked the troops for their win. What was especially egregious was when the screenwriter accepted his award and rattled off some fudged troop numbers that in no way resembled the actual number of American service members in harms way. As best I could tell, we got those numbers the same way he wrote his movie: completely made up, with no basis in reality.

Of course, the same could be said of Inglourious Basterds. No one would argue that its an accurate portrayal of World War II and the holocaust, and that's exactly the point. No one ever claimed it to be accurate. Much of The Hurt Locker's praise, and indeed its marketing, was directed at its supposed "realism" and "accuracy". For example, look at this quote from the film's director, Kathryn Bigelow:

Bigelow firmly credits screenwriter Mark Boal for Locker's verisimilitude and accuracy. Boal spent seven weeks with a bomb unit in Iraq as an embedded reporter for Playboy, and his experiences there informed and shaped the story and characters portrayed in Locker.
City Paper: When did you get in involved with this project?
Kathryn Bigelow: From the beginning. I knew that when Mark came back from Iraq and had these extraordinary stories and information that I wanted to keep it as reportorial as possible-to keep it raw and immediate and visceral, to give the audience the opportunity to be inside this company, to be a real boots-on-the-ground look at combat.

Sorry, Kathryn. EPIC FAIL on that.

The inaccuracies have been well documented here previously. The movie isn't about your run of the mill EOD team. No, as Brandon put it, the movie is about something that doesn't exist: "an EOD/Ranger/sniper/commando/hero guy and his two sidekicks. Who apparently don't have access to radios. And who travel around Iraq by themselves. In fact, most of the scenes rely on oddly and unrealistically contrived situations to induce a stressful reaction from the audience."

That doesn't even discuss guys running through the streets of Baghdad at night in civies. Or James stating "Let's split up, we can cover more ground that way". Or Soldiers wearing ACUs well before they were ever issued. Or long out of service Vietnam-era Hueys flying MEDEVAC missions.

But those aren't even the worst inaccuracies. What is truly disrespectful of service members, and what I thought of each time one the movie's crew members thanked the troops last night, was the portrayal of the EOD team as undisciplined, boozing, fighting children with no discipline or respect for the chain of command. I'll never forget my jaw dropping when SGT Sanborn called SFC James, his superior noncommissioned officer, by his last name and then punched him in the face.

So as I depressingly lost most of my faith in humanity last night (this may be a bit of an exageration), that's what made me the sickest. Watching crew member after crew member get up and invoke the troops, as if they did something for us by making their fantasy tale of a movie. Yeah, they did something alright. Now, every person we encounter who hasn't served will think they understand us, because they happened to watch a work that is completely contrived fiction.

I'll be sure to tell them they should have watched Inglourious Basterds instead.

Iraqi Election Day

EyesOnly — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:22:19 GMT

Today was a historic day in Iraq. Yes, it was election day, and there are at least three lessons that I think that can be taken away from today's events. First, the Iraqis handled all of their own security needs. For those of you who have been deployed, that in and of itself speaks to the level of training that they have received, and how they have taken to it. I have to admit that I was pretty scared about how today would turn out, but as of tonight, I am pleasantly surprised. Second, don't believe everything you hear in the news. I think that there is a tendency to think that Baghdad is a small town. Just as a reminder, Baghdad has a population of approximately 7.4 million peoplehere. So, while there are bombings, and there is death, which no one should have to experience, there needs to be a lens by which to view. The BLUF (bottom line up front) is that up to 80-85% of eligible Iraqis were able to vote. Please know that is a rough estimate, with no journalistic support. And finally, seeing candidates with very different backgrounds being able to campaign. From religious to secular, male and female, the people of Iraq were able to make a choice in their future. And if this goes off as well as possible, I will leave here knowing that while the last few years have been tough, there is hope. And that is good enough sometimes.

Open Thread

Richard Allen Smith — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMT

To get you through the weekend.

KSM to be Tried by Military Commissions?

Richard Allen Smith — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:09:21 GMT

I used to really love the Peanuts comic strip. One of the recurring story lines, as I'm sure we all remember, was Lucy promising she'd let Charlie Brown kick a football, only to pull it back at the last minute causing Charlie to slip and fall on his fourth point of contact.

Looks like we just got the Charlie Brown treatment:

President Obama's advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.

I'm so happy that the Administration has capitulated to pure political pressure. Only three terrorists have been convicted in military commissions. Two of them are already walking public streets again. Meanwhile, the US has put over 300 terrorists behind bars through civilian courts.

Get used to the idea of KSM walking the streets of Karachi.

Soltz On our Ad

Richard Allen Smith — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:56:03 GMT

For those who frequent the Great Orange Satan, Iraq War Veteran and VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz is discussing our ad at Daily Kos. It seems as though our pointing out the obvious, that Iran benefits from our dependence on foreign oil, has angered some on the left.

Personally, I don't care who is angry. The ad is accurate and we stand by it.

Also, Jon Will be on The Ed Show on MSNBC tonight at 6:40 PM EST discussing our ad.

John Kerry: Listen to These Vets

Senator John Kerry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:17:40 GMT

The Senate needs to listen to these veterans:

Enough words have been spoken in Washington, with none as powerful as what these vets have to say. Let's keep it simple and straight. Politicians have talked for years about the link between foreign oil and global terrorism.

And these veterans are doing their duty once again when they remind politicians in Washington that it's not "tough" to vote for legislation that creates jobs, cuts pollution, and strengthens our national security -- what's tough is what happens when we don't and our troops shoulder that awful burden instead.

And it's true. Don't believe me? The Pentagon recently released their quadrennial defense review, and they included the instability from climate change as a factor that could cost the lives of the men and women who serve in our armed forces.

The Center for Naval Analysis brought together a blue-ribbon panel of generals and admirals who concluded that "climate change is a serious national security threat." And General Anthony Zinni said flatly that if we don't deal with climate change now, "we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives."

And these veterans know it already does.

The politicians don't have it tough. The troops do. End of story. Now the Senate needs to do its job -- for them.

The Army's New MultiCam Combat Uniform

Richard Allen Smith — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:00:00 GMT

Stripes:

MultiCams will be issued to units heading to Afghanistan starting in July. Those units include the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk, La.; the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo.; and the 2nd Brigade, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa Army National Guard, according to the Program Executive Office Soldier Web site.
Soldiers in Afghanistan had identified the need for a new combat uniform, according to Col. Scott Mills of the Army Logistics Directorate, who spoke to Stars and Stripes about the uniforms in December when they started testing them.

Two things:

Remember when the ACU was first introduced, and we were told how great it was that there was no black in the uniform?

I wonder if this will become the universal duty uniform, or if it will just be issued for combat in Afghanistan. If you can really wear it, as the article states, in "the mountains, cornfields, grape fields and urban environmentsl," why not save some money and just issue it to everyone and phase out the ACU?

Ex-Gitmo Detainee Running Afghan Operations

Richard Allen Smith — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:35:09 GMT

Replacing Baradar:

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan --- A man freed from Guantanamo more than two years ago after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials say.
Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press.

The torture enthusiasts and Liz Cheneys of the world will tell you that this proves that we MUST keep GITMO open. But really does that make sense? A Bush Administration system that is so flawed that it has returned high level Taliban commanders to the battlefield should be maintained?

Here's another option: civilian courts have successfully prosecuted and convicted over 300 terrorists, none of which have ever returned to the battlefield.

Which sounds like the better idea?

VoteVets Launches Powerful New Ad Campaign

Richard Allen Smith — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:32:23 GMT

Veterans New Ad: Oil Money Enabled Creation of Weapons In Iran, Used in Attacks on US Troops in Iraq
Clean energy legislation will defund terror, keep America safe

WASHINGTON - US war veterans today announced that they will commit close to a million dollars to an ad campaign -- running nationally and in eight states - which ties Iran's ability to create new and powerful weapons used against our troops to our addiction to oil. It calls on Congress to pass comprehensive clean energy legislation and defund our most dangerous enemies. The ad is paid for by VoteVets.org Action Fund in coordination with Operation Free.
View the national ad at www.billiondollarsaday.com and here.

Local versions of the ad are running in eight states, calling on Senators to provide leadership on the issue by committing to the passage of a clean energy and climate change bill. Those states include: Alaska (Begich (D), Murkowski (R)), Indiana (Bayh (D), Lugar (R)), Maine (Snowe (R) Collins (R)) , Missouri (McCaskill (D)), Montana (Baucus (D) Tester (D)), North Dakota (Conrad (D), Dorgan (D)), Virginia (Webb (D), Warner (D)), and West Virginia (Byrd (D), Rockefeller (D)).
The ad features Iraq War and US Army Veteran Christopher Miller, who earned a Purple Heart as the result of an explosion from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Miller then highlights the destructive potential of a newer and more powerful explosive device, the Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP), which was brought to Iraq from Iran and then used against our troops. Photos and news clips show the deadly capability of the weapon.
Miller notes that every time the price of a barrel of oil increases $1, Iran makes another $1.5 billion, enhancing their ability to create weapons to be used against our troops. The World oil market depends greatly upon Iranian supply and the United States, as the top consumer of oil in the world, significantly drives up oil prices.
The ad concludes by telling Congress, "It's time to lead. Pass Clean Energy and Climate Legislation."
According to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a comprehensive energy bill passed by the House of Representatives last year could reduce America's dependence on foreign oil by 5 million barrels per day by 2040--cutting our imports in half, and make a real impact on the cost of oil on the worldwide market.
Last month, VoteVets.org Action Fund spent over $2 million on television ads in a number of states calling for passage of clean energy legislation, noting that money we send to some Middle East nations for oil gets funneled to terrorist organizations that target our troops and America. Operation Free's Veterans for American Power National Tour, a 16-state, 2-month, nationwide bus tour of veterans, is highlighting the connection between climate change and national security across the country, explaining how dependence on energy from hostile nations is funding terrorism around the globe.
VoteVets.org is a pro-military organization of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, dedicated to the destruction of terror networks around the world, with force when necessary. It primarily focuses on education and advocacy on issues of importance to the troops and veterans, and holding politicians accountable for their actions on these issues.
Operation Free is a coalition of veterans and national security organizations dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net.

Script and references below the fold.

Veteran: That's the type of IED that earned me a Purple Heart in Iraq six years ago.

Visual: Christopher Miller

Iraq War Veteran

Veteran: This is what our troops are up against today.

News Reporter: It can penetrate four inches of armor

Veteran: E-F-P's. Specially designed to pierce American military armor.

EFPs Can Penetrate Up to Four Inches of Body Armor. "EFPs are sometimes referred to as 'super-IEDs.' They are simple to manufacture and therefore can be built in almost any moderately equipped machine shop. Here's how they work: The heat and shockwave created by the detonation of explosives inside a shallow metal tube propels a metal plate mounted at the front of the weapon. That plate -- usually steel or copper -- forms a molten metallic 'dart' that travels at speeds of up 2,000 meters per second and can penetrate 4-inch-thick armor at a range of up to 100 meters. That means that not even the M1A1 Abrams tank -- the backbone of America's armored infantry -- can withstand a direct hit by an EFP. It also means that EFPs are more likely to kill or maim soldiers." [Salon, 1/22/07]

? EFPs "Can Pierce Almost Any Type of Armor." EFP's Meanwhile, insurgents are using larger numbers of a deadlier type of IED, known as an "explosively formed projectile" (EFP), that can pierce almost any type of armor. [Salon, 1/22/07]

Veteran: It's a devastating weapon, and it was created in oil-rich Iran.

Iran Exports Body-Armor-Piercing EFPs To Iraq. "U.S. military officials charged on Sunday that the highest levels of the Iranian leadership ordered Shiite militants in Iraq to be armed with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 American forces." [CBS, 2/11/07]

? Iranian-Made EFPs Have Resulted in Many American Deaths and Causalities. At a February 2007 Defense Department press conference, "officials spread out on two small tables an E.F.P. and an array of mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades with visible serial numbers that the officials said link the weapons directly to Iranian arms factories... For the first time, American officials provided a specific casualty total from these weapons, saying they had killed more than 170 Americans and wounded 620 since June 2004, when one of the devices first killed a service member." [New York Times, 2/11/07]

Veteran: And they're ending up in the hands of our enemies.

Intelligence Experts Conclude That Iran Has Supplied the Mahdi Army Militia With EFPs. "The experts, who spoke to a large gathering of reporters on condition that they not be further identified, said the supply trail began with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which also is accused of arming the Hezbollah guerrilla army in Lebanon. The officials said the EFP weapon was first tested there. The U.S. officials in Baghdad claimed the EFPs, as well as Iranian-made mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades, have been supplied to 'rogue elements' of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is a key backer of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki." [Fox News, 2/13/07]

Iran Has Supplied The Taliban With EFP's to Fight Coalition Forces in Afghanistan. In a September 2008 interview with the Telegraph, a Taliban commander said "'There's a kind of landmine called a Dragon. Iran's sending it,' he said. 'It's directional and it causes heavy casualties. 'We're ambushing the Americans and planting roadside bombs. We never let them relax.' The commander, a veteran of 30 years who started fighting when the Soviet Union was occupying Afghanistan, said the Dragon had revolutionised the Taliban's ability to target Nato soldiers deployed in his area. 'If you lay an ordinary mine, it will only cause minor damage to Humvees or one of their big tanks. But if you lay a Dragon, it will destroy it completely,' he said. A "Dragon" is the local nickname for a type of weapon known internationally as an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) or "shaped charge" and has been used with devastating effect in Iraq by Iranian-backed groups. It is shaped so that all the explosive force is concentrated in one direction - the target - rather than blasting in all directions and weakening its impact." [Telegraph, 9/14/08]

? Defense Officials Say There is "Irrefutable Evidence" That Iran is Supplying Taliban Forces With EFP's. The United States has "irrefutable evidence" that Tehran is transferring arms to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, a top U.S. diplomat told CNN Wednesday, noting that NATO forces have intercepted some of the arms shipments... EFPs use components manufactured in Iran and militants are trained in Iran to use them, the U.S. military has said." [CNN, 1/12/08]

Veteran: And every time a gallon of gas goes up a dollar, Iran gets another one-and-a-half billion dollars to use against us.

National Security Think-Tank Concluded That a $1 Increase in Oil Yields $1.5 Billion in Revenue. In 2010, the Truman National Security project concluded that based on 2008 production estimates, a $5 rise in the price of crude oil would yield $7.9 billion in additional revenue - this translates into $1.58 billion for each $1 increase in the price of crude oil. [Truman National Security Project, 2/17/10]

Veteran: The connection between oil and the enemy couldn't be clearer. We need to break that connection, by breaking our addiction.

The Department of State Declared Iran a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Since 1984, Iran has been designated by the U.S. Department of State as a "State sponsor of terrorism." According to the DOS, in 2008 "Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism. Iran's involvement in the planning and financial support of terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy." [Department of State, 1/6/10; 4/30/09]

? Bush: "Iran, is Today, the Leading State Sponsor of Terror." [CBS, 1/14/08]

? U.S. Officials Say They Have "Smoking-Gun Evidence of Iranian Support for Terrorists in Iraq." In 2006, ABC News reported that "U.S. officials say they have found smoking-gun evidence of Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq: brand-new weapons fresh from Iranian factories. According to a senior defense official, coalition forces have recently seized Iranian-made weapons and munitions that bear manufacturing dates in 2006. This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. 'There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval,' says a senior official. Iranian-made munitions found in Iraq include advanced IEDs designed to pierce armor and anti-tank weapons. U.S. intelligence believes the weapons have been supplied to Iraq's growing Shia militias from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is also believed to be training Iraqi militia fighters in Iran." [ABC News, 11/30/06]

Iran Earns $66 Billion Annually in Oil Revenue. [Jerusalem Post, 10/28/09]

In 2008, The U.S. Spent Nearly $12 Billion on Oil From Countries With Ties To Terrorism. According to the EIA, in 2008 the U.S. imported 1,399,245 barrels of oil from Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. During the same year, the average cost per barrel of oil was $92.61. [EIA, Domestic Crude Oil First Purchase Prices, 2008; EIA, Company Level Imports Historical, 2008]

Veteran: And we can. By passing a clean energy climate plan. It'll cut our dependence on foreign oil in half.

The House Climate Bill Could Cut U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil in Half. In 2009, the National Resources Defense Council authored a report concluding that the American Clean Energy and Security Act could reduce U.S. dependence in foreign oil by 50 percent. [NRDC, 9/23/09]

Veteran: Some in Congress say it's a tough vote.

Not as tough as what our troops are up against.

Visual: Tell Congress It's time to lead. Pass Clean Energy Climate Legislation.

BillionDollarsADay.com

The Washington Post Characterized Senate Deliberations for a Climate Bill as a "Tough Fight." "By brokering a climate deal in Copenhagen a week ago, President Obama has committed himself to a more daunting task: pushing for comprehensive climate legislation in the Senate next year." [Washington Post, 12/26/09]

Visual: PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND, INC.

1,150 Flag Officers: All Old, Some Reconsidered, A Few Disgraced

Richard Allen Smith — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:00:00 GMT

As we've pointed out here previously, that letter from 1,150 flag glade officer's in support of DADT is basically a sham. It's full of officers who never served in the modern era and are essentially out of touch with the culture and attitudes of the 21st century force.

Now, I don't usually like to print extensive blockquotes. But really, this DC Agenda is a thing of beauty, and should go down in new media textbooks as an example of a near perfect "take down" piece:

"Only a small fraction of these officers have even served in the military during the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' period, much less in the 21st century military," Nicholson said. "How can these flag officers honestly claim to know how accepting and tolerant 18- and 21-year-olds are today when most of them haven't been that age themselves since the 1940s and 1950s?"
The report found the average age among is the officers is 74, the oldest living signer is 98, and several signers died in the time since the document was published.
At least one signer, Gen. Louis Menetrey, was deceased when the letter was published and didn't sign the document himself. According to a footnote on the letter, his wife signed the document for him after his death using power of attorney - six years after Alzheimer's disease robbed him of the ability to communicate.
Servicemembers United findings also indicate the letter doesn't represent the viewpoints of some officers who purportedly signed it. One signer said they no longer want to be a part of the letter, writing to the organization, "I do not wish to be on any list regarding this issue."
Others said they never agreed to sign in the first place. One general wrote, "I never agreed. To represent either side of this issue." Another wrote, "I do not remember being asked about this issue."
DC Agenda independently found one general who acknowledged signing the letter, but said he now believes gays should be allowed to serve in the armed forces so long as they adhere to the code of conduct.
"I do not believe there should be any limitations based on sexual orientation," said the general, who asked not to be identified.
In addition to signers who say the letter doesn't represent their views, others were involved in scandals tarnishing their careers. Nicholson said the number of scandals in which signers have been involved "jumps out" as a major component of the report, adding some officers made "heinous failures of judgment and leadership."
The report identifies seven officers that were involved in such incidents:
? Brig. Gen. Eddie Cain was in the early 1990s director of the Pentagon agency in charge of the anthrax vaccine administered to troops and testified before Congress the vaccine was safe and tested. Later reports showed it was neither. Cain was revealed to have known his testimony was inaccurate, and wrote in personal e-mails that if Congress found out, he'd be "in big-time trouble."
? Brig. Gen. David Boland in 1994 was executive director of a "boot camp" for at-risk children at Camp Wiecker, Conn., that was mired in problems and later discontinued. According to the New York Times, gang recruitment, sexual relations between students and faculty, drug use, gambling rings and widespread violence and fighting - including one fight that resulted in 14 arrests - took place at Camp Wiecker under Boland's supervision. Boland later stepped down to "pursue other interests."
? Rear Adm. Riley Mixson in 1993 received a career-ending letter of censure from then-Navy Secretary John Dalton for involvement in the 1991 Tailhook scandal, during which he failed to take action against allegations of sexual misconduct. According to the New York Times, "Mixson was cited for failing to take action when he saw a woman drink from a dispenser made to look like a rhinoceros' penis and men shaving women's legs."
? Gen. Carl Mundy made several statements in 1993 on CBS' "60 Minutes" that racial minority soldiers "don't swim as well" or perform other duties as well as white troops. He also once unilaterally banned married recruits from joining the Marine Corps, a move Defense Secretary Les Aspin rescinded the following week.
? Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle was head of Marine Corps Aviation in the late 1990s, during the design and test phase of the V-22 Osprey. He oversaw cost overruns and allegedly falsified records - all while praising the aircraft. McCorkle now works for and sits on the boards of several companies that manufacture Osprey components.
? Brig. Gen. Gary Pendleton was named in a lawsuit in 2008 for unlawfully discriminating on the basis of race against an employee in awarding her a lower annual bonus than her co-workers. Pendleton was also said to have fired the employee in retaliation for her complaints.
? Brig. Gen. Darryl Powell oversaw in 1985 a spike in malpractice lawsuits as commander of Madigan Army Medical Center. In one case, a woman was injected with formaldehyde instead of medication, killing her and her unborn child.

My previous challenge still exists: Please, someone, give me one legitimate reason why this law should still exist.

The Early Bird: We're on to Fox's WikiJournalism

Richard Allen Smith — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:47:36 GMT

Last night, on his Facebook page, VetVoice alum and Army of Dude author Alex Horton flagged a Fox News story where his review of The Hurt Locker was quoted. The problem was it was clear that the author of the Fox News article lifted the quote:

Alex Horton, for example, wrote on the ARMY of Dude blog that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," but he added that it was still "the best Iraq war movie to date."

directly from The Hurt Locker's Wikipedia entry:

At the blog Army of Dude, infantryman and Iraq veteran Alex Horton noted that "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," though he went on to call the film "the best Iraq movie to date."

The same Fox News article referenced our own Kate Hoit's review of the film as described in the wikipedia article:

For example one critic charged that the movie was ruined for her because the soldiers were wearing combat uniforms that weren't being used in 2004, when the movie takes place.

After seeing that article and checking it against the Wikipedia entry, I planned to cover the story this morning, being that my recent illness has left me with little energy or time out of bed. Well, apparently I should have written the article last night because this bird has missed the worm. Sometime between mine and Alex's conversation on Facebook/Alex's writing of a post on the ordeal and now, someone, presumably from Fox News, has edited the section of The Hurt Locker's entry to less resemble Kate's review.

So, let it be known, Fox News, we're on to you and your lazy WikiJournalism. As I told Alex, I stopped sourcing blog posts from Wikipedia long ago. A traditional media outlet like Fox News should hold itself to the same standard. Or, as Alex put it more eloquently:

Bang up job, Ed Barnes. What would get me an F in an English essay passes as journalism these days.

US V. Hasan Update

Richard Allen Smith — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:43:38 GMT

As reported by the AP via Stars and Stripes, MAJ Hasan is preparing to be transported from Brooke Army Medical Center to Bell County Jail outside of Fort Hood. The jail has medical facilities necessary to treat MAJ Hasan's injuries. The move is to allow MAJ Hasan better access to his attorney in preparation for his upcoming Article 32 hearing.

Hasan's attorney, Jim Galigan, is opposed to Hasan being housed in the jail:

Galligan said prosecutors rejected his request to move Hasan to Fort Hood's hospital or to an on-post house with security, two options that would ensure that his medical needs are met. Galligan said Hasan recently fell while trying to move from his wheelchair to a hospital bed, but that a hospital staffer caught him.
"I still see him as a person in need of treatment. Tell me where the threat is," Galligan said Monday from his Fort Hood-area office, about 150 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

What Galigan doesn't understand, or rather what he probably does understand but ignores while making his case to the media, is that it isn't about a threat. If Hasan is not held in a secure facility, he will have to be placed under guard 24 hours a day, producing undue hardship on the units that receive the tasking. Not only that, but at least one guard on each shift must outrank Hasan. How many units have a spare O-5 to hang out in military housing or at the hospital for a day, much less finding an officer for the task each and every day.

Also the AP drops the ball on part of their reporting:

Hasan will be moved from San Antonio to be closer to his attorney and Fort Hood, where his Article 32 hearing will be held June 1. Sometime after the hearing, which is similar to a grand jury proceeding, the military judge will decide if sufficient evidence was presented to show that Hasan should stand trial on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

Wow. What a terribly wrong description of an Article 32 hearing. The Army does have an actual publication on how an Article 32 hearing is conducted, or the reporter could have read Article 32, UCMJ to find out for herself. But I guess lazy "journalism" won the day for Angela K. Brown, the author of the piece.

Allow me to correct the record. A neutral and detached officer will be appointed to act as the hearing officer. Note that this is NOT a military judge. This officer will hear evidence presented at the hearing, which is not subject to rules of evidence. That's not really important to this case, but I like it as a nerd for USMJ because it means an Article 32 hearing is "no holds barred".

After the hearing, the hearing officer will submit a report to the appointing authority (the Commander who appointed the officer to conduct the hearing) with a recommendation as to the disposition of the case. The recommendation will include whether and to what type of Court-Martial the case should be referred. I think it's a safe assumption that this 32 is simply a formality, the officer will recommend a General Court-Martial and that recommendation will be approved.

So, to all you lazy journalists out there, the answers on this stuff aren't hard to find. They are in publicly available military publications. Also, I'm always available for comment, although I'm sure your local SJA is as well and they will know far more than me. Figure it out, or get used to coming here after your piece is published to find out why you were wrong.

Open Thread

Richard Allen Smith — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:51:41 GMT

Sorry for being MIA today. I'm deathly ill. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be back to at least 60%.

A little rant

EyesOnly — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:40:27 GMT

I will apologize up front for this one. I have had some time to think, and as the elections here in Iraq come closer, I am reminded of the friends I have lost here, and the hope that I have that this time will be the last time that I am downrange. Yes, Iraq has gotten better, and yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but I am just amazed at how we have poured so much of ourselves as a country into both Iraq, and Afghanistan, and yet there are leaders in the military who are not sure what to do with themselves without it. Imagine, becoming a leader in the military during the last eight years. All you know is preparing for and deploying to either Iraq or Afghanistan. I, for one, am happy to see this drawdown, but am amazed at how there are those who feel like they "just missed" the "real" Iraq. What is that!! Guess what, Iraq is not like Call of Duty 4 that you were playing in college while me and my buddies were out on the roads earlier in this war. There is no regeneration button when you get hit with an IED. This thought process makes no sense to me what so ever, yet I still hear it. As if being deployed is not enough, they want "the hard stuff."

I am thankful for this venue to be able to write these thoughts down, and to those of you who read it, thank you. It may sound strange, but it helps to vent to the world sometimes.

I am hoping that my next blog will actually have some thought to it, rather than just the sound of my head banging into a wall.