I really appreciate the White House sending this to me today.  I needed a catharsis.  As always, my comments are in italics.

President Obama spoke to service men and women at MacDill Air Force Base yesterday about the U.S. strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL — a terrorist organization that is killing innocent, unarmed civilians in both Iraq and Syria. ISIL, also known as ISIS or the Islamic State, is also responsible for the brutal murders of American journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Yep, nothing like using service-members as a backdrop.  I didn’t like it when Clinton did it, or Bush, but this administration must have a duty roster for who gets to be Photogenic Military Guy #37 this week.

Here are the key points the President made yesterday regarding ISIL and our strategy to defeat their forces:

1. ISIL is threatening America and our allies.

Our intelligence community has not yet detected specific plots from ISIL against our homeland, but they have repeatedly threatened our core interests, including our personnel, our embassies, our consulates, and our facilities in Iraq, Syria, and in the broader Middle East. “If left unchecked, they could pose a growing threat to the United States,” he said.

Yes, they’re making Internet videos of threats and beheadings, and have found a few useful idiots to take pictures of American landmarks.   Booga Booga.  But let’s be honest here.  I’ve seen true threats to America.  They usually come from real governments who have, you know, nuclear weapons and stuff.  These doofuses are, at best, as much of a threat as a jackal has to a bull elephant.   Annoying, maybe even able to inflict some damage, but not a threat. 

Oh, and if you’re looking to avenge the two Americans who were murdered by these trolls, how about we turn the tables on them and go all Carthage on their butts?  Nothing says “Don’t mess with us” like a graveyard full of the other side’s people and shattered cities.   Of course, that would require you admitting that Americans’ lives are worth more than the lives of cavedwellers and goatherds, so I won’t hold my breath.

2. The U.S. continues to conduct targeted airstrikes against ISIL.

The U.S. Air Force has conducted more than 160 airstrikes against ISIL, successfully protecting our personnel and facilities, killing ISIL fighters, and giving space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. “They’ve helped our partners on the ground break ISIL sieges; helped rescue civilians cornered on a mountain; helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children,” the President said.

Yes, we’ve given the Iraqi’s space to reclaim territory they abandoned right after they dropped their rifles, left their artillery pieces, and took off their uniforms.  As allies, we’d have been better off if we enlisted the Brownie Scouts.  They at least know how to march.

3. American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.

“As your Commander-in-Chief, I will not commit you, and the rest of our Armed Forces, to fighting another ground war in Iraq,” the President told servicemembers. Along with our airstrikes, U.S. forces will train, equip, advise, and assist local partners on the ground “so that they can secure their own countries’ futures.”

Just like our advisors in Vietnam didn’t have a combat role.  Tell that to Tom Davis, who died in Vietnam four years before the Tonkin Gulf incident.  Oh, and we spent the better part of a decade training and equipping those local ‘partners’, and look what we have to show for it.  Training the local yokels will accomplish about as much as setting the money and equipment it takes to do it on fire.

4. This is not and will not be America’s fight alone.

The U.S. will lead a broad coalition of countries who have a stake in this fight. France and the UK are already flying with us over Iraq, and other countries have committed to join this effort. Saudi Arabia has agreed to host American efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces. Australia and Canada are going to send military advisors to Iraq, while Germany is sending paratroopers to help offer training. Arab nations have agreed to strengthen their support for Iraq’s new government, a key ally in our strategy to defeat ISIL.

Ahahahahahahaahaha!  Wait, you’re serious?  Come on, Sparky, be honest.  Our allies, outside of the Anglosphere, have been as worthless as tits on a boar hog since about 1945.  The French and Italians couldn’t even sustain bombing in your unauthorized war in Libya without our help, and you can almost spit from their southern most points and hit Benghazi. 

Giving guns and basic combat training to the wogs in Iraq is going to do nothing but make us look foolish when we start noticing that some of our dead are shot with 5.56×45 instead of 7.26×39 in a couple of months.   The easiest way to equip ISIS in December is to equip the ‘moderate’ forces in the region in October.

International partners will help us cut off ISIL funding, gather intelligence, and prevent foreign fighters from entering — or leaving — the Middle East. And nearly 30 nations have joined American humanitarian relief to help civilians, including Sunni, Shia, Christian, Yezidi, or other religious minorities, that ISIL has driven from their homes.

International partners are the main source of ISIS funding, you dolt.  The biggest mistake Bush made on September 12, 2001, was to not cut off all relations with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and declare a moratorium on trade with anyone who did trade with them.  And if you want to stop foreign fighters from getting into the Middle East, maybe you ought to be talking to the British and the French.   It appears that a lot of their civilized young men have decided to grow their beards out, hop a flight, and get their jihad on.  I guess you can ask RyanAir to stop offering cheap flights to Ankara, but then again, it’s only a couple of days drive from London to Damascus.

As for giving aid to true refugees, yeah, I can get behind that.  Just as long as they don’t do it in Arkansas.

5. Congress should provide the authorities and resources the U.S. military needs to succeed.

The President has called on Congress to support our military with the necessary resources to train and equip Syrian opposition fighters. As he has said, America’s leadership position is strongest when the President and Congress work together and show a united front.

Training and equipping the Syrian opposition is the wrong thing to do.  Let me make this clear:  Assad is going nowhere, and even if, by some miracle, he was deposed, whatever replaces him is going to hate our guts.  There is no benefit to the American people by getting involved.  Quit diddling around in other people’s wars.

“Sending our servicemembers into harm’s way is not a decision I ever take lightly,” the President said. “It is the hardest decision I make as President. Nothing else comes close.”

Actually, I’m not convinced that figuring out whether to use a 9 Iron or not on the 13th hole isn’t a bigger decision for you.  You obviously didn’t have to think too long before detailing 3000 servicemembers to spend Christmas in either West Africa or quarantine to make sure they don’t bring Ebola back with them.

But this strategy will require the best military force in the world:

Frankly, there just aren’t a lot of other folks who can perform in the same ways — in fact, there are none. And there are some things only we can do. There are some capabilities only we have. That’s because of you — your dedication, your skill, your work, your families supporting you, your training, your command structure. Our Armed Forces are unparalleled and unique. And so when we’ve got a big problem somewhere around the world, it falls on our shoulders. And sometimes that’s tough. But that’s what sets us apart. That’s why we’re America. That’s what the stars and stripes are all about.

“In an uncertain world full of breathtaking change, the one constant is American leadership.”

Actually, the only constant we’ve had in our military since January 2009 has been either politicized social experimentation or distractions from whatever it is you’ve been up to.  Guess which one this falls into?

And, because of the strength and dedication of America’s military, the President made clear that we will send an unmistakable message to ISIL:

Whether in Iraq or in Syria, these terrorists will learn the same thing that the leaders of al Qaeda already know: We mean what we say; our reach is long; if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. We will find you eventually.

Tough talk. If only he had a track record of crying havoc and letting slip the dogs of war, instead of sniveling loudly and jerking our chain to back it up.

Military Experience

1. Are you a veteran of or currently serving in the Armed Forces, to include the active, reserve, and National Guard components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and/or Coast Guard?  If not, skip the rest of this section.
2. Select the range of service years that best describes your military career:
   1. Less than 2 years
   2. 2 to 4 years
   3. 4 to 10 years
   4. 10 to 20 years
   5. More than 20 years
3. Were you enlisted, officer, warrant officer, or some combination thereof?
4. Did you earn an honorable discharge on the date of your ETS?
5. Were you given a less than honorable discharge, even if it was amended to honorable?
6. Were you ever punished under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice?
7. Were you ever court-martialed?
8. Did you attend a service academy?
9. Were you ever deployed overseas from a domestic base for more than 30 days, not to include Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY)?
10. Were you ever stationed overseas as part of a multi-year permanent change of station (PCS)?
11. Are you a combat veteran?
12. Have you earned any of the following awards?
    1. Purple Heart
    2. Bronze Star with a “V” device
    3. Silver Star
    4. Service Cross (Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Coast Guard Cross)
    5. Medal of Honor
13. Have you been given a disability rating by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs?
14. Do you now, or have you ever, utilized VA health benefits?
15. Are you a member of any military-service related organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion?

Well, we’re coming to the final stretch of the 2014 election cycle, and the 2016 election cycle is warming up in the paddock.  I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the candidates and issues, and I’ve come up with something I wish everyone who seeks elected office would answer.

There are several sections, which I’ll be putting out over the next few days.  Suggestions and comments are always welcome.

Personal

1. Are you a college graduate?
2. How many jobs in the private sector have you held since your 18th birthday?
3. What was the last year in which you held a job in the private sector?
4. How many years of government employment, in any form, except for military service, do you have?
5. Do you now, or have you ever owned a business?
6. Have you ever worked for minimum wage?  At what ages and for how long?
7. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job?
8. Have you ever been on welfare, or used unemployment benefits?
9. Have you ever worked more than one job at the same time?
10. Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of a labor union?
11. Have you ever held elected office before?  Please list them and provide dates.
12. Have you ever worked on a farm, either as a child or as an adult, for more than 30 days?
13. Have you ever been arrested?
14. Have you ever been convicted of a crime?

Today is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack at Beslan.  Right now, relations with Russia aren’t very good, but I think we should pause to remember that the fanatics that want to kill us also lash out at other great powers.

————-

Here in the U.S., we are preparing for the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  But we are not alone in remembering savagery against innocents this week.  In Russia, families are remembering the hundreds who died at Beslan.

C.J. Chivers over at Esquire did an excellent write-up of the attack back in 2006.  It goes beyond the dry facts to show the small, heroic acts by ordinary people that saved lives.  Every person who thinks about personal security and the lengths that barbarians will go to in order to incite terror should read it.

As a parent, I cannot imagine the shock and anguish of knowing that no matter what you did, your children were probably going to die.  I also dread the thought that our schools are just as wide open and unprotected.

For my friends in Russia, I remember the innocents of Beslan.  They were not soldiers, they were not politicians, they were school-children, parents, and teachers.  I hope that your leaders have learned from the experience, and I hope that my leaders at least think about the possibility of something similar happening here.

Got another email from the White House.  Seriously, it was easier to get off those NSFW email lists one of my buddies put me on when I first got on-line than it is to get off of this one.  My comments, as always, are in italics.

———————-

The House of Representatives just took a vote — and it wasn’t to raise the minimum wage, put in place equal pay, create jobs, or reform our broken immigration system.  Was it for unicorns?  Or maybe a program to put men on the moon again?  Oh, wait, it was a program to put men on unicorns on the moon, wasn’t it?  

Instead, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives just voted to sue the President for using his executive authority. This lawsuit will waste valuable time and potentially millions of taxpayer dollars.  Oh, well, no unicorns.   So they’re suing the President, huh?  Yeah, probably a political stunt, because no court is going to touch that with a 10 foot gavel (Nancy Pelosi has one, ask her).  But if you’re going to hit them for wasting time and millions of dollars, let’s talk about President “What I did on my summer vacation”.

This is the least productive Congress in decades. And instead of doing their job, they are suing the President for doing his.  Sparky, let’s talk about that.  The President has the job of executing the laws as written, assuming that they are constitutional.  He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.  He isn’t supposed to be rewriting the laws, selectively refusing to enforce parts of a law that he himself, the President, el Jefe Grande, signed into law and pushed long and hard for, or just making it up as he goes along.

The President is committed to making a difference for the millions of hardworking Americans trying to do right by their families and communities. While Republicans in Congress continue to waste taxpayer money, this President is going to keep doing his job.  Unless, of course, you don’t think that his job is to work on not pulling his putt, racking up those sweet Air Force One frequent-flyer miles, and having photo-ops as far away from the Mexican border as possible.

President Obama remains ready and willing to work with Republicans in Congress if they decide to get serious and do something for the American people. But he is also committed to acting even as Congress won’t. You’ve seen that time and time again this year — from raising the federal minimum wage on new federal government contracts, to expanding apprenticeship opportunities and making student loan payments more affordable.  Which is why when I am elected in 2016, the first thing I will do is rescind each and every one of these things.  Executive orders are supposed to be rare and extraordinary.  He’s put out more of these things in the past couple of years than I have pizza orders.  If Congress won’t act, then you go on TV and bad mouth Congress.  Get people to step on their neck a little, and watch how the legislation starts to flow.  Of course, if he could get Harry Reid to allow votes on things that aren’t right out of his grimoire, maybe a little compromise legislation might make its way to the President’s desk.  Heck, he might even get away with signing or vetoing legislation on the back of his golf cart.

The President is not going to back away from his efforts to use his authority to solve problems and help American families. In fact, tomorrow, President Obama will announce his next executive action to crack down on federal contractors who put workers’ safety and hard-earned pay at risk. It’s just the next in a series of steps this Administration will be taking this year to make sure that American workers are getting a fair deal, and he has pledged to take executive action to deal with our broken immigration system in the months ahead.  Let me try this again.  The Congress makes laws, the President implements laws, and the Courts interpret the laws.  That’s how it’s supposed to work.  If he wanted the job of making laws, he should have stayed in the Senate longer than it takes a good coat of paint to dry.  If he wanted to interpret laws, then he should have paid attention in law school and become a judge.  As for giving us a ‘fair deal’, the only deal I’m looking for is for my employer to give me the pay and benefits he promised me when I hired on.  If I had hired on at poverty wages with no job security because I didn’t think it was a good idea to pay attention in school and get some marketable skills, then that would be a shame on me, now wouldn’t it?  

That’s what this President is focused on. If you want to see it continue, and are sick and tired of stunts like the House Republicans’ lawsuit, then say so: <Insert Link to Propaganda Page Bought And Paid For With My Tax Dollars>.  Here’s what I want the House and the President to do.  I want them, along with the Senate, to meet as co-equal members of our government, hammer out real legislation, and then get on with life.  I prefer gridlock to the last 15 years or so of ideologically driven crap that’s come out of Washington, no matter who’s in the White House or controls the Congress.  

Thanks,

Dan

Dan Pfeiffer
Senior Advisor
The White House
<Twitter Link So We Can Get Even More Of This Drivel>

No, thank you, Dan.  Enjoy the next 30 months of hanging out with the world’s busiest scratch golfer.

I received an email today from the White House about a great new idea they’ve had:  a White House Maker Faire:

We’ve got another big first happening at the White House tomorrow, and our guests are making a lot of things besides history:

President Obama will celebrate innovators, entrepreneurs, and tinkerers of all ages from across the country at the first-ever White House Maker Faire.

What do we mean by “Makers,” exactly?

New technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and easy-to-use design software are enabling more Americans to make and build almost anything these days.

Tomorrow’s Maker Faire will feature new and innovative projects, inventions, and designs that are sure to amaze — and some of these projects may very well create industries and jobs of the future.

We here at DaddyBear News Network, where if we can’t find it out, we make it up, are pleased to give you a brief, exclusive sample of the projects and technologies you’ll see tomorrow.

Andy Acetlyene, an accountant and tinkerer from Albuquerque, will be demonstrating his technique for using a plasma torch to cut holes in the very fabric of the Republic.

Lisa Lignin, a materials engineer and textile artist from Leadville, has volunteered to show the Secretary of State how to knit together a coherent foreign policy out of llama wool and wishful thinking.

Kristy Kraftmacher, an administrative assistant and amateur inventor from Kalamazoo, will be showing us how to use all that military gear being used by small police forces to make giant robots for…. things.

Wally Windmeyer, a lawyer and volunteer lobbyist from Washington, has everyone excited with the news that he will be using his 3D printer to grow a spine for the President.

Tune in tomorrow for these and other amazing demonstrations of how we can use technology to make a better tomorrow!

Earlier today, Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Democrat candidate for Senator in Kentucky, released an open letter to the 40% of Republicans in the Commonwealth who voted against Senator Mitch McConnell in this week’s primary election.  In it, she expressed the following items as places where she has common views with those of us who aren’t in her party but are sick and tired of the status quo:

I, too, believe Washington, D.C. is not working for Kentucky.

I, too, believe that the federal government should help or get out of the way.

I, too, want Republicans and Democrats to work together to cut spending and to help Kentucky businesses create jobs.

I, too, believe we should close the tax loopholes that encourage big corporations to ship our good-paying Kentucky jobs overseas.

I, too, believe that we should balance the budget, protect our veterans, and work to leave the next generation a better country than the one given to us.

She asked us to keep an open mind, learn about her positions, and then make our own decision as to whether or not to support her election bid.

So, in the interests of finding common ground, here are the things I need Mrs. Grimes to do in order to get behind her campaign:

1. Publicly repudiate President Obama’s efforts to circumvent the Constitution by governing through executive fiat and changing what the law means and requires without Congressional action.
2. Fully support repeal of the Affordable Care Act.  I’m willing to discuss replacement of the act once it’s gone, but first it must go.
3. A commitment to fully and impartially investigate the misuse of our countries intelligence organs to indiscriminately and unconstitutionally gather data on the communications and lives of law-abiding citizens without a warrant.
4. A public affirmation that the Constitution is the highest law of the land, that it is a limiting document on the government and not the people, and that she will block any legislation that seeks to abridge the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
   • This should come with a commitment to block the nomination of any person who does not demonstrably support this position.
5. A commitment to work to balance the budget by cutting the fat out of entitlements and government waste, not by raising taxes on those of us who bother to roll out of bed in the morning, put on our game face, and work to keep the wheels on.
6. A commitment to only seek reelection once.

If I can get these things from Mrs. Grimes, we’ll discuss whether or not I’ll consider voting for her.  Until then, all I can do is wish her luck and ask her to look elsewhere for support.