DEFENSE SEC'Y PANETTA FILES HOME ON OUR DIME

I know I get more conservative and out-right cantankerous on subjects as time goes by. An article at TheHill.com drew my attention, because during these times of economic strife, green energy, carbon footprints, and the growing debate surrounding the anticipated reductions in the Defense Department budget, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s excessive use of Military Aircraft is simply wrong.

Secretary Panetta flies every weekend to his home in California where his wife runs his Panetta Institute, since his government appointment requires that he recuse himself from that venture. He can and will return to that job once he leaves Washington again. Here is the link for your further perusal:

http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/operations/196993-lawmakers-shrug-at-pentagon-chiefs-weekend-flights-to-california?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

Your Commander finds it very troubling that Panetta and the Washington based government operatives think nothing of freely spending the taxpayer’s money just because they can get away with doing it. If Panetta and Congressional members want those jobs, they should not have the right to fly home on the taxpayer’s dime every weekend. How about flying the wife and family to Washington at your own expense when you can afford it and/or traveling to your home/district in the same manner.

This is the kind of crap the American taxpayer is getting really sick and tired of hearing. Our government servants expect they are due certain excesses because of their position. I do not agree and I am certain you support my position on this issue, too.

I suspect if we learned how much all the weekend DC travel costs, many of us would have a fatal stroke. This seems to be an excellent place to begin cutting excessive expenses.

A million here and there becomes a billion here and there, and we might come up with a trillion or two!

COMMANDER GRANGER

FAST AND FURIOUS LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY

Everyone has now heard of the ill-conceived Fast and Furious plan that backfired on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and is directly responsible for the death of brave U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry. Investigations have lingered in the Halls of Congress but thus far no one has been held accountable or responsible for this ill-conceived plan.

I urge you to read Katie Pavlich’s article at the Townhall.com link below that provides important insight into this sickening development.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/02/fast_and_furious_justice_department_submitted_knowingly_false_information_to_congress/print

I read another Katie Pavlich article that reports the DOJ has been laundering millions of dollars in dirty, bloody Mexican Cartel profits and here is the link to that story:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/04/obama_justice_department_laundered_millions_of_dollars_in_mexican_cartel_profits/print

After reading these articles I do not understand how Attorney General Eric Holder or any of those directly involved in Fast and Furious can continue to retain their office/positions, and even worse not be held accountable and responsible for this program. It is obvious that our Department of Justice, under the Obama Administration will hold you and me accountable and responsible for our actions, but that same standard does not apply to them.

That line of reasoning is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

COMMANDER GRANGER

NOTRE DAME QB CRIST LEAVING

Your Commander tips his hat to the Sports Department of the Chicago Tribune who scooped all the local media in South Bend in announcing the departure of Notre Dame Quarterback Dayne Crist to greener pastures. Here is the link to the Tribune’s article posted at 12:29 AM early this morning.

http://news-chicago.info/chicago-top-stories/qb-crist-is-leaving-notre-dame.html

Brian Hamilton’s early morning posting provides suggestions where Crist may enroll to play football with his one remaining year of eligibility. I personally hope he has a successful year after a red shirt year, several injuries, and harsh treatment by petulant Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly. It is important to note that the ND players held Crist in high regard, while it is a pity that his coach placed his own agenda before the loyalty shown by an outstanding scholar athlete.

Being a resident of the Notre Dame area, I am shocked that the so-called “Dean of Local Sports,” WNDU-TV’s Jeff Jeffers, missed this story, but on the other hand I wasn’t surprised since the word apparently came while he was at home.

Thanks, Dayne Crist, for your dedication to your school and the sport of football and good luck for future success where ever your journey takes you in life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

FAITH AND OUR NATION'S FOUNDERS

I may be old, but I was not around when our Founding Fathers toiled so brilliantly back in 1776 to establish the foundation of this great American adventure. But, certainly we can readily agree that they did their work on a sound basis that led this country to become the envy of the entire world. Admittedly there are detractors, but I believe most of those country’s motivations are really based upon jealousness and self-preservation of their questionable way of governing or dictating.

Once again I call upon all of us to look back at our history to better understand what has been successful and exactly where we have fallen short of our goals. Some modern-day forces tend to poo-poo the Founding Fathers as out of date, but I disagree with that premise. In the current edition of the American Patriot’s Almanac there is an excellent review of the Faith of the Founders. Here is a summarization of the seven truths about the founding of America:

1. The Founders believed that we are creatures of God, and that God endows us with our
inalienable rights.

2. The Bible was an indispensable source of inspiration for the Founders

3. The Founders believed that God created humans to be free.

4. The American concept of equality is deeply rooted in the Judaic tradition.

5. The Founders regarded religion as a pillar of American democracy.

6. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion in order to encourage faith.

7. The Founders believed that America plays a special role in God’s plan.

The real purpose is to get you to think about these seven foundational principles, and then question whether we have gotten into our current state because we failed to follow our Founding Father’s intensions and guidance.
I suggest that a good case can be made for that contention. What do you think?

COMMANDER GRANGER

WASHINGTON'S DOUBLE SPEAK LANGUAGE

Our nation’s capital has long been renowned for oratory consisting of Washington “double-speak,” saying one thing and meaning something else. Those of you who follow this blog may remember me telling the story about an old southern Senator’s remarks being challenged by a reporter and the Senator in response said, “Son, just because I said it doesn’t mean it is so.”

Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney responding in June of this year to questions about the Bush tax cuts stated, “I just want to be clear that when some folks are throwing up a lot of ‘gorilla dust’ to confuse people about what they’re ruling out.”

The term ‘gorilla dust’ was a new one to me and upon checking the web site DoubleTongued.org I learned the definition to be “bluffing, posturing, or hollow attempts at intimidation.” That definitely sounds like all the talk coming from both sides of the aisles of Congress and the White House Oval Office to me.

Here are some catchwords I spotted on that same web site that have been introduced into the language of Washington too: macaroon technique, sorry gift, break the ton, ghost shift, stock, startle factor, hair crunch, seagen, rollup, simming, nimbleton, skuke, broccoli journalism, parclo, and dittoism. Not knowing what in the hell these words really mean I doubt few others do, and that is one of our basic problems in Washington because I’m not sure they do either.

If you want to check the definition of these words just hit this link:

http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gorilla_dust/

I like the basic explanation for ‘gorilla dust’ from “Hinduism Today” in 1998, “When two male gorillas confront each other, they’re too canny most of the time to actually fight, so they resort to the tried-and-true political tactic of intimidation. Both scurry about in frenzy, grimacing menacingly, beating their chests and tossing clouds of dirt into the air. It’s a serious encounter, full of powerful and primitive energies, a test of testosterone. Soon one becomes convinced that the other could win the threatened physical engagement and retreats.”

Sounds oddly familiar, doesn’t it?

COMMANDER GRANGER

BLOCKADE OF WEST COAST PORTS

Let me draw your attention to Townhall.com’s very disturbing article that reveals ex-Obama White House Green Energy Tsar, Van Jones, is calling for the Occupy Movement to blockade major West Coast sea ports December 12th in Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, and Anchorage. With the American economy on a shaky foundation already, any disruption will only acerbate the flow of commerce further and delay economic recovery.

The Townhall.com article, written by its News Editor, Katie Pavlich, goes so far as to call Jones a Communist. Here is the link to her article if you want to read more:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/02/van_jones_calls_on_occupiers_to_block_major_ports

If this information concerns you, I suggest you take a look at the Wikipedia report on Van Jones, because his background and activities should raise a red flag of concern regarding his true political agenda.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones

If you are still not concerned, Mr. Jones is a VERY close personal friend of President Obama and has been for years.

While your Commander is a strong advocate of our 1st Amendment rights to free-speech, I believe that Van Jones is deviously intent upon bringing down the American form of government. Operatives such as Jones (again, remember he is an Obama pal) represent a disruptive force functioning under the guise of ‘good vs. evil’ or a ‘Sheep in Wolf’s’ clothing’. Reading Jones’ Wikipedia mention, I wonder how much of Jones’s Princeton University salary is being paid by the American taxpayers or is a left-wing liberal advocacy group backing his earnings there through a funded chair?

Your Commander certainly does not suggest a return to 1950s McCarthy era witch hunts, but in my opinion individuals like Van Jones represent a clear and present danger to the American way of life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

MAINSTREAM MEDIA AWOL ON BOEING SETTLEMENT

Were it not for my morning scan of various internet sites, I would not have found the report of a settlement of the well-known Boeing Aircraft negotiations with the contentious Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union. When I saw an article on Townhall.com I then searched major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times but did not find so much as a mention of the lengthy labor dispute that led to the problem with the National Labor Relations Board withholding approval for Boeing’s new Dreamliner plant in Charleston, S.C.

Further investigation revealed coverage by The Wall Street Journal and the Politico.com site (Politico link below). What I found most interesting was the fact that it seemed only conservative sites reported the labor settlement, which should lead to the NLRB approving Boeing’s important new Charleston operation in a Right to Work State.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=DBBDF4A0-2A26-40B0-97BE-8CEC8639DDD5

In the interest of fair and balanced reporting extensive coverage of the Boeing labor settlement does exist in the morning editions of both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Seattle is home to another Boeing plant and is also the company's former headquarters. Boeing is now headquartered in Chicago.

Your Commander wonders just why the mainstream media outlets did not address this important labor settlement with even a small announcement, but it was sufficiently significant to be carried on right-wing conservative media? Do the words LIBERAL POLITICAL BIAS and LABOR SYMPATHIES come to mind?

COMMANDER GRANGER