by Rupe | Oct 13, 2011 | Mad Musings, Military-Political
Is America ready to make history by electing the first black president to replace a black president?
That is the question latest polls increasingly raise these days that show Herman Cain jetting to the front of the GOP pack.
Not since the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Courthas a black conservative so disrupted the order of things at the highest levels here in Washington.
Who could forget the blood-thirsty “high-tech lynching†the left assembled to thwart him from becoming the only sitting black member of the U.S. Supreme Court?
Twenty years on, the left still harbors a special hatred for Justice Thomas. Meanwhile, his accuser returns to Washington and is feted all over town like a conquering hero who somehow stood up for racial justice by trying to derail the Thomas nomination.
Click source to continue
Source: Washington Times
My Comments:
Aahhmm…if he can get me a $9.99 pizza deal; otherwise not a chance in HELL dude! Â
Additional Read
– Source: New York Times – Â Cold Pizza from Herm Cain
– Source: New York Times – Inside the Cain Tax Plan
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by Rupe | Sep 19, 2011 | Mad Musings, Military-Political, Money Matters
As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees.
Military pensions and health care for active and retired troops now cost the government about $100 billion a year, representing an expanding portion of both the Pentagon budget — about $700 billion a year, including war costs — and the national debt, which together finance the programs.
Click source link to read full article –
Source: New York Times
My Comments:
Aiight now…just don’t touch my check…thank you very much Stevie G.
by Rupe | Sep 19, 2011 | Military-Political
The Navy’s former top civilian has rocked the service in a military journal article by accusing officials of sinking the storied naval air branch into a sea of political correctness.
Former Navy Secretary John Lehman, himself a former carrier-based aviator, wrote that the swagger and daring of yesterday’s culture has given way to a focus on integrating women and, this year, gays.
Pilots constantly worry about anonymous complaints about salty language, while squadron commanders are awash in bureaucratic requirements for reports and statistics, he added.
“Those attributes of naval aviators — willingness to take intelligent calculated risk, self-confidence, even a certain swagger — that are invaluable in wartime are the very ones that make them particularly vulnerable in today’s zero-tolerance Navy,†said Mr. Lehman, who led the Navy in the Reagan administration.
Click source link below to read full article –
Source: Washington Times
My Comments:
As a naval officer who has worked mostly with aviators throughout my career, I see both sides of this debate. I do believe in the warrior ethos and the necessity of harnessing this spirit; but I also know that many have hid behind such words in practices unbecoming.Â
by Rupe | Sep 8, 2011 | Military-Political
I FIRST visited China in 1979, a few months after our countries normalized relations. China was just beginning to remake its economy, and I was in the first Senate delegation to witness this evolution. Traveling through the country last month, I could see how much China had changed in 32 years and yet the debate about its remarkable rise remains familiar.
Then, as now, there were concerns about what a growing China meant to America and the world. Some here and in the region see China’s growth as a threat, entertaining visions of a cold-war-style rivalry or great-power confrontation. Some Chinese worry that our aim in the Asia-Pacific is to contain China’s rise.
Click the source link to read the full article…
Source: The New York Times
My Comments:
This is a really great article on China by the Vice President. It outlines the reasons why the U.S should not worry about China’s rise.
by Rupe | Sep 1, 2011 | Military-Political, what the...?
As the Arab Spring drives change across our region, bringing the hope of democracy and reform to millions of Arabs, less attention is being paid to the plight of Iraq and its people. We were the first to transition from dictatorship to democracy, but the outcome in Iraq remains uncertain. Our transition could be a positive agent for progress, and against the forces of extremism, or a dangerous precedent that bodes ill for the region and the international community.
Debate rages in Baghdad and Washington around conditions for a U.S. troop extension beyond the end of this year. While such an extension may be necessary, that alone will not address the fundamental problems festering in Iraq.
Click source to read the full article…
Source: Washington Post
My Comments:
A pretty illuminating article from one time Iraqui Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. It raises several troubling points. It is really disconcerting what is still going on in Iraq. I am of the mindset that the ills of the entire region of SW Asia and the broader middle east is beyond repair…whatever repair means.
by Rupe | Aug 28, 2011 | Military-Political, Money Matters
It sounds like a pretty good deal: Retire at age 38 after 20 years of work and get a monthly pension of half your salary for the rest of your life. All you have to do is join the military.
As the nation tightens its budget belt, the century-old military retirement system has come under attack as unaffordable, unfair to some who serve and overly generous compared with civilian benefits.
That very notion, laid out in a Pentagon-ordered study, sent a wave of fear and anger through the ranks of current and retired military members when it was reported in the news media this month.
Continue reading by clicking source link below…
Source: Military.com
My Comments:
Hmmm…I am honestly slightly conflicted by this…. I absolutely would agree with a 401k type solution with a few more additionals. Â I think the current system of not providing much support for servicemembers who have served for less than 20 years is unfair. Â I don’t support support drawing parallels to civilian systems, it simply is not equivalent. Â And I do believe that Congressional Retirement benefits should be changed before we touch the military’s.
Is America ready to make history by electing the first black president to replace a black president?
