By BobbiV

Ya gotta love the Pentagon and the military.  The DOD has done one great job training these guys.  Now they say they can’t account for eight point seven billion dollars of money that was earned from Iraqi oil sales.  Seems to me I remember Paul Wolfowitz testifying before the House, or maybe it was the Senate, that the Iraqi oil revenues were going to pay for our expenditures in the war.  Actually, he said these oil revenues would more than pay for the war, so no harm, no foul,,,right?  We American citizens don’t have to worry though, because the DOD says the money was just lost due to simple accounting errors.

Noooo… fellas,  simple accounting errors would be a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars,even a million dollars in extreme circumstances.  But we are talking about eight point seven billion dollars. That is no accounting error or group of errors.  It is also most definitely not simple.

From Laurence Lewis at Daily Kos; (emphasis mine)

Now, let’s do the math. $8,700,000,000 divided by $9,100,000,000. That comes to 0.9560. Or 95.6%. Missing. Of the Iraqi oil revenue entrusted to the Defense Department between 2004 and 2007. Which would be during the Bush-Cheney administration. Which would be mostly during the tenure of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.

$8,700,000,000.

95.6%.

Unaccounted for. Gone. Missing. Poof. Like magic.

You can read the rest here.

Coming closer to getting the point now, guys?  It wasn’t just the American tax payers you ripped off this time.  We want the money paid back sooner rather than latter and everyone  up through Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld should have to cough up their share.  Out here in the reality based world that is just the way it is.

From The Los Angeles Times; (emphasis mine)

If more money is found to be missing, “Iraq will definitely try to get it back,” said Ali Musawi, a media advisor to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

Most of the money covered in the latest audit has been spent, but the study found $34.3 million that should legally have been returned to Iraq in 2007, when Iraq’s government assumed responsibility for its finances.

The Defense Department has not said what it intends to do with the money, which is “at risk” of being spent, the audit said.

In response to the audit findings, the Defense Department concurred with recommendations that it establish better guidelines for managing such funds. But a letter from U.S. Central Command emphasized that failure to establish deposit accounts for the $8.7 billion does not mean it all cannot be accounted for.

Read the rest of this article here.

Okay you guys, left…right…left…right…hup,hup,hup, get back in those little cubicles where you stick the bean counters and start accounting.  And do not stop until you find at least eight point seven billion dollars!

Just to let you know how serious we are about this, take a look at what is going on in Bell, California.  That is over a few million at most.  Imagine when we come after you for billions.  Wait, don’t imagine.  Its too gruesome even for a cardboard cut out, love to wear the medals but haven’t had to do any fighting Pentagon asshat.  It might mess with your sensibilities.

Get going, start accounting, right NOW!

Look how much we spend on you over inflated pieces of crap and this was in 2007. Find the money and stop the waste or we will send you where they don't spend very much at all on the military. To be clear that would be in the "Rest of the World" category on the pie chart. And yes, we will leave you there. Aw....don't cry.

Posted with permission from fluffy feet;

Most of the readers of this blog know I am crazy for Labrador Retrievers.  As a breed these dogs have done so much for people and yet they don’t get  enough recognition from us.  Individual Labs have been awarded tons of plaques, gifts and trophies, but just how do we thank these valiant animals for the lives they save?  Would anything ever be enough?

Labs are continuing their selfless devotion to man as IED sniffing dogs for troops in Afghanistan.  In case you do not know IEDs are bombs.  They are placed in ways that soldiers drive or walk through their trip mechanism and many of our troops have been killed by them.

These dogs are putting their lives on the line by seeking out these roadside bombs and making sure the soldiers get past them unharmed.  Of course the dogs are specially trained for this duty.  To get an idea of the esteem with which the military views these very special dogs, they are given a military rank one degree above their handler.  So who is the boss in tight situations?  It is the dog and in effect the handler takes orders from the canine.

From CBS News, follow 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines on patrol with their Lab named Tigger;

Lance Corporal Jordan Ridder never owned a dog when he was a boy. But he always liked dogs, and there were plenty around the neighborhood.

So when he joined the Marine Corps and they told him they were looking for dog handlers as part of a new program – a program designed to save Marines’ lives – he applied, and was accepted.

The biggest threat to U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan – as in Iraq – is from IEDs, improvised explosive devices. To counter IEDs the military uses metal detectors, ground penetrating radar, electronic jamming signals, mine rollers attached to the front of vehicles and pretty much anything else they can think of that might be an effective counter-measure. Now comes a four-footed addition to the fight against IEDs – specially-trained dogs who can sniff out explosives under the ground before a Marine gets close to the danger zone.

Read the rest of this article here.

The Marines in Afghanistan are in good paws with these wonderful dogs.  Let’s hope both two footed and four footed soldiers come home safely.  Fluffy feet would like to give a big salute to all the military dogs who are serving now or have served before.  There are not awards big enough to express the thanks of this nation and the families of the troops you keep safe.

Devoted and beautiful and they save lives. What more could you ask? Labrador Retrievers deserve our love, gratitude and respect.

By BobbiV

Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson from Florida is truly a rare jewel amongst a bunch of rocks.  He draws no punches and speaks out whenever or wherever given a chance for what is right, even if it isn’t the current inside the beltway group think.  Grayson seems to draw his ideas, ideals and progressive thinking from what he feels is the right thing to do in a situation instead of what is expedient in politics at the moment.

I would be hard pressed to find another elected representative who I look up to more than Alan Grayson.  I find him to be as refreshing as a cool drink of water on a sweltering day and as courageous as an angry mama lion in the way he backs down to no one when he believes he is right.

What I particularly like about Alan Grayson is the fact that when someone tells an untruth while talking to him (like Republican Michele Bachmann on CNN) he calls them on it.  And he doesn’t use the correct political speak like, ‘I think my friend from Minnesota misspoke.’  Oh no, Grayson comes out and says ‘that is not true.’  If the unfortunate on the other side debating Grayson continues with the falsehoods he will then even be bold enough to say ‘that is a lie.’

How refreshing is that, and yet how sad to feel its refreshing.  Everyone in office should be saying what is true and what they believe in rather than pussy footing around  issues that are very important to the American people.  We shouldn’t have to guess or infer what our representatives believe.  They should tell us straight out.

If I never again hear a spinmeister say ‘what the representative meant to say’ or ‘what the president meant to say’, it will be too soon.  No, that isn’t what they meant to say, that is your interpretation of what they said or its you trying to think hard and talk quick to cover both their ass and yours.  Sorry talking heads and press secretaries, I want a representative who is intelligent enough and responsible enough to speak for themselves and say what they mean.  If they cannot or will not then they deserve to be thrown out of office.  They are far too dumb and cheesy to represent Americans.

Lately Alan Grayson has been speaking out against the country’s never ending war and what it is costing us, not only in lives but also in reputation and money.  As is his usual way, Grayson is not drawing punches and speaks eloquently about the human cost of these wars and the harm they are doing our military and our country.

Below is a video done by a group including Martin Sheen and other Hollywood types.  They want everyone to get behind Alan Grayson and support him with time and dollars.  Watch to get an idea of their view of the ceaseless war.

My view is there couldn’t be a much better investment than Alan Grayson.  His being in the House of Representatives will pay off far better than any investment you could make on Wall Street.

It seems our government just cannot get along any longer without the help of military contractors.  What this says about our country and our politicians lack of faith in the ability of our own military is more that a bit disturbing.

Not long ago our military was a fine tuned machine.  It could provide security for our bases and embassies around the world, call the wrath of our nation down upon any corner of the globe and provide everything from cold beer to pizza ovens to our combat units.

True, greed and wasteful spending were problems but when these problems were discovered they were dealt with.  Crime is also a problem in the military and they have their own courts and prisons to charge, try and sentence criminals.  The military has always had a code of conduct and has always expected every solider from PFC to Five Star General to follow that code or face the consequences.

Crimes like a drunken rampage resulting in the cold blooded murder of unarmed civilians in a foreign country would not be tolerated in the military.  Other crimes like using taxpayer funds to fly in prostitutes from around the world, the bribery of foreign officials to cover up the troops crimes, use of child sex-slaves, drug smuggling , or the theft of weapons from national armories (in the name of a cartoon character no less) would result in swift punishment for those involved.

Furthermore, though they may be very religious men in their personal lives, our nations military leaders are usually smart enough to know that our military is used for defense of our nation and our way of life.  They realize that the United States is not a nation that engages in ‘holy’ wars.  They have and I am sure will continue to call on God to guide them to victory and to spare the lives of their soldiers, they do not claim those same soldiers are ‘christian warriors’.  Given the fact that every faith in the world is represented in the ranks of our military that would be a untrue and downright stupid statement.

Sadly private companies do not follow these same rules and guidelines, nor do they even claim to have any form of a code of conduct comparable to that of our military.  A company like Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, is run as a for profit corporation.  Their only interest in our national security and our nation’s reputation is what it costs their bottom line.

As a company, Blackwater is accused of what could only be called a laundry list of crimes against our own nation, the governments of other nations and the numerous families of innocent civilians their so called soldiers have murdered in cold blood.  They also like to play even bigger games with our own and international law by moving their workers from nation to nation to avoid prosecution for their criminal activity.

This company is so corrupt and operates so far outside our laws that I would place them in the same category as a drug cartel or nationwide gang like the Bloods.  It has gotten to the point that the former owner of Blackwater, a devout ‘Christian solider’ is planning on relocating his family to Dubai. a nation known for hosting war merchants and arms dealers and that has no extradition treaty with the United States.

Given the criminal history and failure to comply with our nations laws this company has, you would think they would soon be out of business.  But if that is what you think then you are dead wrong.

As we have recently reported Blackwater is getting ready to open a chain of retail ‘security’ stores across the United States.  If that is not bad enough, our own government has given this firm permission to destroy even more of our national reputation while we, the American taxpayer finance their actions.

With new financial backing from our government in the amount of $220 million dollars there will be no end to the damage this company can do to our nation.  Murder, smuggling, rape, theft and selling weapons to groups that fight our country be dammed.

The CIA has granted Blackwater a contract of $100 million dollars of our money.  To learn more about this, read the Washington Post here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062305255.html

In addition to that it seems that our troops in Afghanistan need the big brave Blackwater corporation to protect them.  Aside from the CIA contract the criminals at Blackwater have been awarded an additional $120 million dollar contract to provide security services in Afghanistan.

To learn the details on this read the CBS News story here:

 http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20008238-10391695.html?tag=nl.e879

I am left to wonder: What Xe Hell?
Listen and watch as Keith Olbermann tells you more about this.

According to CBS News, Arlington National Cemetery has major problems and scandal is looming over this sacred burial ground.

The scandal at Arlington National Cemetery is one of those “say it ain’t so” stories.

The investigation by the Army’s Inspector General which will be released later today reveals a dysfunctional management system behind what is arguably America’s most sacred ground – everything from missing remains to lying under oath to sexual harassment. A handful of cases, about five, have already been identified in which remains were misplaced – a casket found in what was thought to be an empty grave, a burial urn dumped in a landfill, remains moved without the knowledge or permission of the next of kin, among them.

Read the rest here.

This is shameful and it doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democratic, you should be outraged.  This thing should go beyond politics. political loyalties and religion.  Whatever you feel about war and the military, no mater your political leaning, you must agree that our military dead deserve far better than this.

What I would like to know is who is in charge here anyway?  Has this cemetery, like so much during the Bush Administration been turned over to government contractors?  If so we must ask, is nothing sacred?

The graves just seem to go on and on at Arlington. Let us hope for a day of no more war.

Will this be the Blackwater Pro Shop Logo?

It was during the Bush/Cheney Administration that we all first became aware of and familiar with Blackwater.  They are the religious friends of W that he sold the military to.  The founder of the lets pretend military group believes, like Bush, that the end is near and he wanted to do everything in his power to hurry it up.

W played his little game of religion and politics with the Middle East and we have all been required to pay for it.  When many of us found out the true nature of the paramilitary group and the travesty of what they had done to our troops, we wanted someone to hang for it.  So, of course, Blackwater changed their name to Xe and went on about their business of nabbing government military contracts.

The original founder of Blackwater has reportedly left them and I’m waiting to hear when he will be indicted .  But as with all good Capitalists, this corporation needs to make money in order to survive.  What were they to do in light of all the negative attention that had been brought to them?

This comes to the point where Blackwater really began thinking outside the box.  They decided to open a retail chin of stores called Blackwater Pro Shop.  Yes really,…no kidding.  Sounds like somewhere to buy golfing equipment, doesn’t it?

So just remember all you mercenary wannabees, before your next day of raping, pillaging, plundering and torture, stop by the Blackwater Pro Shop and get the needed equipment.  I hear they even have water boarding equipment to match their outfits.

From Mother Jones;

Hey, remember when Blackwater killed all those Iraqis in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, and billed the government for prostitutes, and probably assassinated people was enlisted in an aborted US plan to maybe assassinate people, then got in trouble, then changed its name to Xe™ and attempted a rebranding campaign? To hell with all that, the company now says: It’s time to market the Blackwater brand of clothing! After all, as M.I.A. just told the New York Times, “The best sportswear is on Blackwater operatives!”

Read the rest here.

A quick question.  When in hell did this country go completely bat guano crazy?  Please answer me because I would really, really like to know.

This is a warning to Israel!  Do not screw with the Irish!

The next ship running your unhumanitarian blockade of the Gaza Strip is an Irish flagged vessel.

A word of advice for the Israeli commandos, do not attempt an act of war on an Irish vessel in international waters.  I do not think the Irish government would be as forgiving as the United States government.

The government of the United States is very forgiving of Israel, indeed!  As the passengers of a private vessel in international waters resisted Israeli military commandos boarding their ship with weapons an American citizen was killed…….  let us take a moment.

OK, the commandos came down from helicopters on ropes.  Fact.

The passengers of the ship resisted them. Fact.

The commandos were only armed with paint ball guns.  LIE.

As the video that Israel showed the world proves, the passengers of this ship had metal pipes they tore from the deck chairs, some pepper spray and a pocket knife or two.  As a former resident of Los Angeles and a totally non-commando like dude, that just sounds like a rowdy weeknight Hollywood party to me.

Now like any good American citizen I hate it when a good party gets broken up.  I might fight a cop and truth be told, if I thought it was a bogus bust I might resist with pepper spray or a handy pipe.

On the other hand, when the SWAT team comes busting through the door in full body armor and toting machine guns my resistance would crumble….. that is until they started shooting people in cold blood.  Then by God, I would fight for my life.  I would rather die fighting than cowering like a puppy.

That is exactly what happened to one American citizen.  Somehow he was shot multiple times with real guns by these Israeli commandos who were only armed with paint-ball guns.

Imagine that!

These body armored, paint ball gun toting Jewish commandos managed to shoot and kill an American citizen.  He was shot four times in the head at close range…. let me repeat that, FOUR TIMES IN THE HEAD AT CLOSE RANGE.  As if that was not enough they pumped one more round in his chest, also at CLOSE RANGE.

Well folks let me share a fact with you.  I have been in a paint ball war or two over the years and there is no paint ball gun powerful enough to mimic the effects of an assault rifle.

Hence the major ‘eff’ng lie of the Jewish government.

The major disappointment I have at the moment is the response of the government I share with the five times shot American that was killed.

Our government forgives Israel for the cold blooded murder of one of our citizens.

I do not think the Irish will do the same.

As a person of Scottish ancestry I certainly hope they do not.

Perhaps Israel should consider changing their national flag to the above motif. It seems quite fitting.

Votes Vets is a great group.  You have probably seen their ads about oil drilling and the relationship it has to war and the deaths of soldiers.

They hit the nail right on the head, because as we all know, big energy companies combined with our thirst for a greater percentage of the worlds oil than any other country definitely do aide our enemies by paying them billions for their product.   We do this while our military is doing battle with theirs.  Seems like we are paying them to kill us, doesn’t it?

Now Vote Vets has put out another ad.  This one combines their support for clean energy along with the Gulf Oil Disaster.  It again hits the subject head on with a big dose of truth.

Take a look at the video and see if you agree.  It is high time we clean up our environment, improve our economy and break our dependence on fossil fuels.