(Via BizPac) A retired veteran, already up in arms over a budget deal cutting veterans’ retirement benefits, couldn’t believe what he got in his email inbox — a fundraising appeal from one of the deal’s architects.
Chuck Wooten, a retired chief master sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, exploded on U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.,in a scathing letter posted on his Facebook page. […]

Congressman Ryan,

Please note that this request by you for a cash donation from me is extremely unfortunate and very ill-timed. You see sir, I am one of the military retirees your “bipartisan” budget just impacted. You and every Republican (both in the House and Senate that voted to pass this travesty betrayed and broke trust with me and everyone like me. You may not know us by name, but we’re the people, Congressman, who answered our Nation’s call, some of us at a very early age to willingly serve YOU and others LIKE YOU so you could safely attend college and pursue your personal ambitions without fear of harm. (more…)

New York Times – […]  After running into a problem at a checkpoint — many of which are run by local militias — they were detained and later moved to the Ministry of the Interior, said administration officials who asked not to be identified because they were discussing internal reports.

Photographs of two American passports and embassy identity cards were later disseminated on Twitter. It was not known if the passports belonged to any of the four military personnel.
The buzzing sound of drones filled Tripoli’s sky for hours as rumors spread through the capital that four Americans were missing. Drones are not usually heard in Tripoli, although the sound is familiar in Benghazi.   (more…)

Venezuela, in a squeeze for hard currency, devalued its currency for foreigners another 44%, following an initial devaluation of 32% by Chavez in February.  The move is seen as a necessity to keep Venezuela from defaulting on sovereign debt when reliance on excessively high levels of public spending has been the tool of Chavez and his successor, Maduro, to maintain their grip on power.  It is the 6th such major devaluation in a decade.
The move is essentially a bookkeeping sleight-of-hand – it allows the Venezuelan central bank to balance its books by “earning” more Bolivars for its oil export sales, at a time when overall sales volume has decreased dramatically.

Rotten week to be advance deployed……  Grrrrr….  and some leftist idiots say our fine MAGTF guys are paid too much – or afforded more regard than they deserve.  {spit}   Keep them all in your prayers.

WASHINGTON DC – About 150 Marines arrived in Djibouti on Monday to be ready to quickly protect U.S. interests amid the growing South Sudan violence.
U.S. Africa Command said the Marines were deployed from Morón Air Base in Spain to the U.S. base in Djibouti, Camp Lemonnier, so they could better guard against potential threats to U.S. personnel and facilities in South Sudan. (more…)

For followers of the Libyan fiasco, and we are not talking about Benghazi, the irony behind Dear Leader and Susan Rice’s recent statements on South Sudan is, well, beyond rich.

[…]  In a letter to Congress, Obama said that about 46 U.S. troops were deployed Saturday to help evacuate Americans. That’s in addition to another 45 troops deployed to reinforce the U.S. Embassy in Juba.

[…]  Earlier Sunday, Obama was briefed by advisers on events in South Sudan following a meeting that his national security adviser, Susan Rice, held with national security aides and U.S. personnel still in South Sudan.

[…]  “I may take further action to support the security of U.S. citizens, personnel, and property, including our Embassy, in South Sudan,” Obama wrote. (link)

I’m just going to cut this down to brass tacks.
The latest international storylines seem to be revolving around chaos reigning supreme in South Sudan.    Over the weekend four members of the U.S. military were shot by machine gun fire as they attempted to evacuate the R2P crowd of U.S. do-gooders.

Fair enough.    But why is the media avoiding the brutally obvious?    Oh yeah, wouldn’t want to actually connect dots and seem all conspiracy minded.
Then again, failure to talk about the 20,000+ missing Libyan missiles, and massive stockpiles of missing WMD (gas et al), does not protect you from the reality of it. (more…)

CALIFORNIA – A war of words has broken out over police force in California getting a new armored vehicle built more for a state of war than patrolling in the Golden State.

The Salinas Police Department recently issued a news release proudly announcing the arrival of the armored truck built to survive minefield explosions, which it got compliments of federal taxpayers as part of a program to convert military equipment to law-enforcement use. (more…)

WASHINGTON DC –  […]  The congressman explained that the lack of air support was clear to all CIA  employees working in Libya because of a 2011 CIA memorandum sent to employees  after NATO forces ended their mission in support of the Libyan revolution.
“It basically told people in Benghazi…if you are attacked, you get your  ‘package’ (the personnel they are charged with protecting) and you get out,” he  said.

There's been NO justice for this woman yet. #Benghazi scandal doesn't seem "phony" to her. #JusticeForBenghazi4 #tcot pic.twitter.com/mPGNKbhBgi

— Michael Nöthem (@mikandynothem) December 15, 2013

A senior intelligence official confirmed that the CIA officers on the ground  in Benghazi responded to the diplomats’ call for help by trying “to rally local  support for the rescue effort and secure heavier weapons.” When it became “clear  that this additional support could not be rapidly obtained,” the team moved  toward the diplomatic compound. The intelligence official spoke on condition of  anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the attack publicly by  name. (more…)

May I ask why this is such a controversy ?   We all knew the impetus for OBL’s hatred of The United States was driven, in part, by his anger about being ostracized in Saudi Arabia for his vocal opposition to Saudi asking the U.S. for help when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and visibly threatened to drive his Republican Guard South into Saudi Arabia.

OBL was angry with the kingdom’s decision to align with the U.S. for protection – OBL was a Saudi National with massive internal support within the region.   So why would it be a shock that those OBL aligned elements within the house of Saud would be part of the 911 attacks?

The bigger question is: who, or what, benefits from this public discussion being injected into our body politic at this specific moment?

(New York Post)  After the 9/11 attacks, the public was told al Qaeda acted alone, with no state sponsors.

But the White House never let it see an entire section of Congress’ investigative report on 9/11 dealing with “specific sources of foreign support” for the 19 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.

It was kept secret and remains so today. (more…)

PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea on Friday announced the execution of Kim  Jong Un’s uncle, calling the leader’s former mentor a traitor who tried to  overthrow the state.

….”Wait,…. Wait,…. Wait…., Annnddd FIRE” !…..
…..”See,…. I tell you uncle Dog Boy run fast”…

The announcement came only days after Pyongyang announced through state media  that Jang Song Thaek — long considered the country’s No. 2 power — had been  removed from all his posts because of allegations of corruption, drug use,  gambling, womanizing and leading a “dissolute and depraved life.”

The state news agency KCNA said a tribunal examined Jang’s  crimes, including “attempting to overthrow the state by all sorts of intrigues  and despicable methods with a wild ambition to grab the supreme power of our  party and state.”
(more…)

INDIANA – An Iraq veteran who thought he was buying an iPad as a Christmas present after responding to a Craigslist posting, has been shot dead in an Indianapolis parking lot by the fake sellers.
New-dad Jim Vester, 32, was lured to an address on Wednesday in the west side of the city and brothers Tyron Kincade, 19, and Tyshaune Kincade, 18, have been arrested after Vester was shot dead leaving behind his one-year-old son, Gavin and wife, Jamie.

In the wake of the senseless murder, nearly 1,500 people have donated $58,000 to a YouCaring.com fundraiser set up by Vester’s family for the man described as a ‘great cook, loving father and faithful man.’ (more…)