We have entered the tortured, Orewellian world of Animal Farm with the charges filed today against Dzokhar Tsarnaev in Boston:

The Justice Department said Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. It said he is “specifically charged with one count of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (namely, an improvised explosive device or IED) against persons and property within the United States resulting in death, and one count of malicious destruction of property by means of an explosive device resulting in death.” The department said in a news release that the bombings resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to more than 200 others.

Are they joking? Since when is the ability to kill three people worthy of being labeled a “WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.” Fewer than 40 pounds of explosive is not a WMD.

This abuse and misuse of the language underscores that even the supposedly liberal Obama Administration is more keen on using lies and deception and fear to manipulate the masses than they are on seeking justice. Don’t get me wrong. Tsarnaev probably deserves the death penalyy. Read the rest »

The hysteria bandwagon is up and running. Leading the crazy crowd are the likes of Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham. They are all for foregoing Constitutional protections in the name of fighting terrorism. See, in their bizarre world, the threat posed by Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union and Tojo’s Japan were nothing compared to the threat we face from Muslim terrorists.

Oh sure, Hitler, Stalin and Tojo accounted together for more than 60 million deaths while Muslim terrorists, since we started keeping records in the 60s, are responsible for the deaths of less than 10,000 Americans. GODDAMM IT, they are a threat and we must be prepared to suspend our Constitutional freedoms and respect for human rights just because we are afraid.

Then we have the baseless assertion that “the Muslims attack us” because they hate our freedom. Again, no foundation in fact, just a wild claim made by uninformed and uneducated folks who are not willing to take time and make the effort to think carefully and critically about what motivates these various groups and individuals to do the things they do.

I have thought alot about the question of targeting as a consequence of spending the last 20 years scripting terrorist exercises/scenarios for US military Special Ops forces. Read the rest »

It is now clear why Tamerlane planned and carried out the attack in Boston–he was angry over the rejection of his application for US Citizenship. While he sought solace and training in the ranks of Chechen muslim extremists, the triggering event came in the aftermath of being charged with assault of his girlfriend.

Tamerlane Tsarnaev boxed at Camp Get Right Boxing in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Worcester Telegram has the story:

Tsarnaev, of Cambridge, represented New England in the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in 2009, and would have done so again in 2010 after beating Worcester heavyweight Bryan Daniels in the New England final.

But because the Golden Gloves was an Olympic qualifier that year, and Tsarnaev was not yet a U.S. citizen, he was barred from the nationals, so Daniels went in his place as runner-up.

A 6-foot-1, 201-pound heavyweight during his prime, Tsarnaev also sparred against current USBA super middleweight champion Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez and super heavyweight amateur Owen Minor, both of Worcester. Tsarnaev defeated Daniels twice in the Golden Gloves.

While Tsarnaev enjoyed success in the ring in 2009, his personal life was in turmoil. Read the rest »

President Putin and his national security team, out of public view, probably are chortling over the karmic justice being visited upon the United States. In Russia, Putin and his team considered the folks we dubbed “Chechen separatists” as terrorists. And with good reason. The terrorist attacks carried out over the last two decades by the Muslim Chechens bedeviled and bloodied Russia. Bombings of subways, planes and theaters was fairly common. And there was the horrific takeover of an elementary school in Beslan in September 2004, that left more than 300 children dead. Yet, from the perspective of America, we never took a hardline against these folks and, as we now see, would grant some of them political asylum. They were not terrorists, they were “refugees.”

So, from Putin’s perspective we are getting a taste of his world and do not like it. Blood and carnage is a bitter meal.

What are we to make of these two? Was this just a family thing? No. The older brother, Tamerlane, left the USA for six months last year and spent the time in Russia. I will guarantee you that he was in the Chechen/Dagestan region and linked up with a training camp run by Muslim militants. Six months is enough time to learn how to be a competent, capable bomb builder.

Did he return to the USA with specific direction to attack the Boston Marathon? Read the rest »

Kiss immigration reform, along with gun control, goodbye. All thanks to two despicable Chechen immigrants who decided it would be a swell idea to set off two bombs at the Boston Marathon. Too bad for the liberal meme. These guys were not Tea Party supporters. They were not registered Republicans. Nope. They were actually registered as Democrats. Oh yeah–they were Muslims.

Chechnya has been the breeding ground for some of the most violent, ruthless, cold hearted Muslim terrorists. Chechens carried out a heinous attack on an elementary school in Beslan back in 2004. These guys were not members of Al Qaeda, but I would wager they were certainly sympathizers.

Here is Tamerlane (named for a 14th Century Muslim war lord).

These two were not a sleeper cell. The key question is where did they get their training. The attack they carried out had been rehearsed and they had tested the devices. Odds are high that they had other support. Read the rest »

Boy. What a display of crocodile tears by Barack Obama in the wake of the gun control debacle in the Democrat controlled Senate. He was a tad bit testy.

The dishonesty of Obama, Joe Biden and Harry Reid on the issue is startling. Not one damn thing they pushed would have prevented the horror that unfolded at Newtown, when a mentally ill young adult stole his mother’s weapons, killed her and went on his massacre of children. Registering weapons and doing backgrounds would not have prevented the crazy kid from getting his hands on the weapons he used that terrible day.

Obama, Biden and their cronies do not grasp this simple concept. Read the rest »

After I seven year hiatus I was back last night on Hardball. Judge for yourself:

I met a new Chris Matthews last night. It is true he is one of the most partisan voices on TV today and, on many occasions, drives me to madness. But I saw something last night off camera I have never seen before.

I first appeared on Hardball on September 12, 2001. It was the day after 9-11. Chris back then? A sullen, pompous, self-absorbed ass. Although I was sitting only three feet away from him back then, I could have been on the moon. He didn’t look at me. Barely acknowledged me. And he was the same way towards his staff.

I saw a new man last night. Read the rest »

If Boston Police had done their job properly, it is likely that the dead and wounded from the bombing would be alive and well today. The Police did not do proper security. The picture is damning and telling. Boston Police, charged with securing the route of the Boston Marathon, allowed at least two bundles to be placed on the ground in full sight of security personnel and did nothing. This is not Monday morning quarterbacking on my part. Look at the photo yourself:

In the top photo, immediately to the left of the mailbox, on the ground in front of the security barrier, is a bag of something. Based on the subsequent photo it is clear that the bag hid the bomb. This should not have happened. Read the rest »

If these reports are correct (and that is the key assumption), then the devices used yesterday point to originating from Pakistan/India. This type of device has been tied to muslim extremists and Maoists.

Take a look at this picture:

And then, read what appeared 7 years ago in
THE HINDU, a Delhi newspaper:

NEW DELHI: Terrorists in camps purportedly operating along the Baluchistan border between Pakistan and Afghanistan are being trained in making and exploding pressure cooker bombs, which were used in the Delhi blasts last year and at least in two explosions in Varanasi this past Tuesday. Read the rest »

Going with the principle that first reports are usually wrong, the visuals from the finish line of the Boston Marathon point to a likely coordinated terrorist strike. I held out hope that this was a natural gas explosion, but after watching the video it does not appear likely. This will be a rapidly moving story for the next six hours. For now, the Boston Police Department has the lead on the investigation and the response. I’m sure that the alaphabet soup of Federal agencies will be lining up to offer their assistance.

Funny how nonchalant, not-give-a-shit we are when this happens in other countries, like Iraq and Syria. We sort of assume they deserved it.

Insurgents in Iraq deployed a series of car bombs as part of highly co-ordinated attacks that cut across a wide swath of the country today, killing at least 55 on the deadliest day in nearly a month.

The assault bore the hallmarks of a resurgent al-Qaeda in Iraq and appeared aimed at sowing fear days before the first elections since U.S. troops withdrew. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but coordinated attacks are a favourite tactic of al-Qaeda’s Iraq branch.

Why should we care about 55 sand niggers? More important to hit the panic button at home. Read the rest »

The following circulated on the internet a couple of monte past but I missed them. They are worth recycling in light of the trial of the mass murdering abortion doctor in Philadelphia–Dr. Gosnell. Liberals in America have no problem giving a young girl the right to end the life of an unborn baby without any interference from their parents or the state. But when it comes to the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms? Mother of God. You cannot do that unless the State/Feds say it is okay.

Anybody see a contradiction here?

So, which of the following images do you like best?

Or this? Read the rest »

Civilian ignorance of the military is deep and dangerous. I was reminded of this today while discussing with an old warrior a recent recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. It was awarded posthumously to a young man who conducted himself with great bravery but died because he made a bad decision–he let three prisoners go and continued with his mission. Previously, I had ascribed the poor decision making to his youth and inexperience. But my wise, seasoned mate reminded me that the young officer probably had another fear in the back of his mind–if he had ordered the three shot in order to protect his unit and continue the mission he probably would have faced prosecution. Fear of that kind of ignorant civilian oversight puts our troops at risk.

The gulf between the civilian world and the military world widened recently when an Air Force General overturned the guilty verdict issued by members of a court-martial panel in a sexual assault case at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Lt. General Craig A. Franklin reviewed the case brought against Lt. Colonel James H. Wilkerson III and tossed it. The media reaction, based entirely on emotion, insisted that this was just one old boy winking and nodding at one of his boys having some fun with a loose woman.

Predictably, the PC crowd started its feigned outrage. Typical of this was the idiotic comments of Missouri’s Senator Claire McCaskill, who decried the right of a military commander to act this way and vowed to propose legislation to remove such power from any military commander. She sent a letter to the General’s bosses at the Pentagon that included the following screed:

As a former prosecutor who tried many challenging rape and sexual assault cases, I was appalled to learn of Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin’s decision to dismiss the charges in the Air Force case United States vs. Wilkerson, charges that had resulted in a conviction. As you are no doubt aware, the defendant in the case had been convicted and sentenced by a duly-appointed military jury, and had begun to serve his sentence. It has now been reported that Lt. Gen. Franklin, as the Convening Authority in the court martial, subsequently decided to dismiss the charges against the defendant, doing so, according to reports, contrary to the advice of his legal team. As a result of Lt. Gen. Franklin’s action, the defendant was reinstated to the Air Force and made eligible for promotion. This stunning decision demonstrates a total disregard for the survivors of sexual assault and for the findings of the military justice system at a time when holding sexual predators accountable is critical to our military. Read the rest »

The passing of Lady Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a grocer, evoked quite a response from the looney left. While I like to think I am tolerant of genuine differences of opinion, the idiotic gibberings of morons like MSNBC’s Martin Bashir makes me want to toss foreign assholes like him back into the ocean:

There was a reason Maggie stood up to the leftist controlled unions in Great Britain–they were bankrupting the British economy. It is astonishing how much vitriol is directed against Lady Thatcher for having the temerity to espouse freedom, liberty and free markets as guiding principles for governing.

She was a giant on par with Reagan. Read the rest »

My old friend, Colonel (retired USAF) Dick Brauer was up at the crack of dawn today talking with Fox and Friends about the letter that Special Operations Speaks is sending to the House of Representatives calling for an investigation into the unanswered questions surrounding the terrorist strike on our intelligence outpost in Benghazi, Libya last September.

Here is the letter with all of the signatories:

To: Members of The U.S. House of Representatives

Subject: The Benghazi attacks on 9/11/ 2012

The undersigned are a representative group of some 700 retired Military Special Operations professionals who spent the majority of their careers preparing for and executing myriad operations to rescue or recover detained or threatened fellow Americans. In fact, many of us participated in both the Vietnam era POW rescue effort, The Son Tay Raid, as well as Operation Eagle Claw, the failed rescue attempt in April of 1980 in Iran, so we have been at this for many years and have a deep passion for seeking the truth about what happened during the national tragedy in Benghazi. Read the rest »

The latest dismal job numbers tell a dark and disturbing story. The labor force has shrunk dramatically by more than 10 million people since 2008. According to BLS statistics, the number of people no longer in the labor force at the end of 2008 waas 79,501,000. Today? That number stands at 89,967,000. Do the math–that is 10,466,000 people. That’s more people than the Nazis exterminated in death camps. It is an enormous number.

It is as if the entire population of New York City was wiped out; erased from the face of the earth. This is not a story of aging baby boomers who are rolling in dough deciding to go sit on the Florida beaches when they are not hitting golf balls. These are productive, smart people that have been shut out of the economy.

This is not and should not be a partisan issue. Unfortunately, we have to endure the stupidity of Obama apologists who, like the banned Lola et.al., insist I know nothing about economics and everything is swell. Things are not okay. These numbers are shocking. Read the rest »

Although the saber rattling bombast and threats emanating from North Korea’s boy ruler, Kim Jung Un, are grounded in North Korea’s domestic politics, they are producing an unsettling international reaction that carries the growing risk of sparking a war. A war between North and South Korea must be avoided at all costs. This is not a school yard contest between the spoiled, petulant North Korean bully and the wimpy kid from Hawaii who wants to project strength internationally to pander to his own domestic audience of sycophants. This could escalate dramatically and embroil the United States in a direct conflict with China and Russia that would change the course of history, and not for the better.

Fortunately, some at the Pentagon have awakened to the fact that U.S. posturing in response to the North Korean threats have heightened tensions:

Recent announcements of American military deployments in response to belligerent statements by North Korea may have contributed to escalating tensions between the two countries, Pentagon officials told CNN on Thursday in explaining an effort to reduce U.S. rhetoric about the reclusive state. Read the rest »

When I first heard of this from a friend who had first hand knowledge, I was still skeptical. What did I hear? The CIA is conducting weekly polygraphs of officers who work in paramilitary activities (I knew it as Special Activities Division back in my day) and were involved in supporting the operations at Benghazi, Libya last September. So, I asked another friend to run his traps. He reported the same plus that the Intelligence Officers are being pressured to sign an additional Non-Disclosure form.

This kind of bullying and pressure is unprecedented in my memory. You only do this when you have something to hide. As I have written before, the Obama Administration decided more than a year ago to get in bed with the Saudis and help them arm rebels aspiring to depose Syria’s Bashir Assad. The full details of this operation are shrouded in mystery. We know that there were CIA personnel and CIA contractors operating at the so-called Annex. We know that members of the Global Response Staff, a CIA entity, deployed from Tripoli to Benghazi when the fighting erupted around the ostensble “Consulate.”

We also know that weapons were loaded on cargo ships in Benghazi and sent to Turkey, where they were off-loaded and transferred to groups affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq. What we do not know with great detail is this: Read the rest »

It is fascinating to watch the implosion of the Greek Cypriot economy. Despite the fact that Cyprus is a tiny country with a tiny economy, it is having a gigantic effect on the Euro and global confidence in the European banking system. The headlines in today’s Financial Times tell the story:

Emerging markets dump euro reserves

The euro’s challenge to the international status of the US dollar has been set back a generation as new data show developing countries dumping the European currency from their official reserves.

Eurozone SMEs struggle to access finance (an “SME” is a “Small and Medium Enterprise”) Read the rest »

Rising temperatures, broiling deserts, surging oceans. Cats and dogs–living together. The apocalyptic predictions that the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be accompanied by soaring temperatures–i.e., man made global warming–has proven to be a delusion and a dark, unrealized fantasy. Who says so? How about “The Economist?”

OVER the past 15 years air temperatures at the Earth’s surface have been flat while greenhouse-gas emissions have continued to soar. The world added roughly 100 billion tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere between 2000 and 2010. That is about a quarter of all the CO₂ put there by humanity since 1750. And yet, as James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, observes, “the five-year mean global temperature has been flat for a decade.”

Temperatures fluctuate over short periods, but this lack of new warming is a surprise. Ed Hawkins, of the University of Reading, in Britain, points out that surface temperatures since 2005 are already at the low end of the range of projections derived from 20 climate models (see chart 1). If they remain flat, they will fall outside the models’ range within a few years.

Man, too bad these chuckleheads did not realize this 10 years ago. Would have made it impossible for Al Gore to flim-flam the world as he parlayed his fear-mongering into a personal fortune. Read the rest »

Bombast is the order of the day in North Korea. They reiterated today that a “state of war” exits with South Korea. Well, duh! That’s been the case for more than 60 years. The escalation in North Korean threats comes against the backdrop of a military exercise in the South and a new, untested leader in the North who is grasping for opportunities to earn his “street creed” as a tough guy in order to solidify his political position domestically.

If you are looking for a first rate analysis of the situation, I recommend you read the piece by Andrea Berger, Viewpoint: What is driving North Korea’s threats?:

US bombers, fighter aircraft and submarines have made their way to the region in an effort to “enhance the security and readiness” of South Korea.

Those exercises are seen as a visible way for Washington to reassure Seoul of the reliability of its alliance and extended deterrence commitment. Read the rest »