DAMN THE TORPEDOES?: An oped in the WSJ today by former Navy Secretary John Lehman

 

DAMN THE TORPEDOES?:  An oped in the WSJ today by former Navy Secretary John Lehman excoriates President Obama’s decision to nominate Admiral John Richardson to the post of chief of naval operations, thus moving him out of his current position as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP):

Working with the bipartisan leadership of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees and the secretary of energy, we constructed  . . . a position having executive power to prevent meddling from the layers of bureaucracy that were creating chaos in most defense programs. Importantly, we gave the new incumbent [director of NNPP] complete control of the selection and training of personnel. To ensure that such a powerful executive stayed long enough to execute programs and ensure accountability, a nonrenewable term of eight years was established.

That successful effort was put into an executive order by President Reagan that has worked effectively for 34 years. . . . [The NNPP has] been protected from the 970,000 Pentagon bureaucrats whose paralyzing bloat has made a hash of most Army, Navy and Air Force weapon programs. The reason for Navy nuclear success is because there has always been one strong experienced person in charge and accountable, standing like a stone wall against the bureaucratic onslaught.

Admiral John M. Richardson

But by far the most important benefit from this unique arrangement is the fact that there hasn’t been a single nuclear accident in the seven decades that the U.S. Navy has operated hundreds of nuclear submarines, carriers and surface combatants.

President Obama’s nomination of a current director of the Navy’s nuclear program to be the next chief of Naval Operations puts this unique record at risk. If Adm. Richardson leaves the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, which he has headed for less than two years, all that was accomplished by the executive order will be swept aside. The job will become one more rung up the career ladder, a perch for ambitious admirals to use to interact with and please the politicians who have the power to elevate them to more glamorous positions.

Worst of all, if the job is seen as a steppingstone, a fraying of the zero-defects culture may begin and the possibility of a nuclear accident within the U.S. Navy may increase.

Yikes.

Obama Torpedoes the Nuclear Navy 
 "Wall Street Journal — The president disregards a policy that for decades has ensured effective leadership of the nuclear fleet.
"President Obama, possibly unaware of the implications, has made a mistake by nominating Adm. John Richardson as the new chief of naval operations. Adm. Richardson likely would do a fine job in that important role, but by trying to move him from his current position as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the president has crossed a line and created a precedent that could have grave consequences for the effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear fleet." . . .

DOJ Takes Over Cleveland Police; Sharpton Will Attend

Sweetness & Light
 "Who knew so many cities run by Democrats could be racist? But Obama and Sharpton’s push to take over the local police is going gangbusters. Except they are on the side of the gangs.
First from a cheering New York Times:

Cleveland Reaches Settlement With Justice Department Over Police Conduct

By MITCH SMITH and MATT APUZZO | May 25, 2015
CLEVELAND — Cleveland has reached a settlement with the Justice Department over what federal authorities said was a pattern of unconstitutional policing and excessive use of force, people briefed on the case said Monday…

"Isn’t it amazing what is unconstitutional and what isn’t these days? But when you call something unconstitutional that opens the door to a federal takeover of the local police. (Which some might say is unconstitutional.)

The settlement, which could be announced as early as Tuesday, comes days after a judge declared a Cleveland police officer not guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a car’s two unarmed occupants, both of them black…

Read more...

Memorial Day, 1945

Memorial Day, 1945: A Commander Apologizes to the Dead  "One of the most unusual Memorial Day commemorations occurred in Nettuno, Italy, on May 30, 1945. Lt. General Lucian Truscott was dedicating the American cemetery where thousands of soldiers who lost their lives in  Italy were buried.
"About 3,000 of those American lives were lost during the battle of Anzio. Truscott commanded the 3rd Infantry Division at the time — the spearhead of the attack. The plan called for a combined British-American landing in January, 1944 at Anzio-Nettuno and a breakout from the beaches into the hills beyond where the allies would be able to cut off the German retreat from the Gustav line further south and eventually flank the German Winter Line.
"There were questions about the landings from the start, especially from Truscott who believed that unless the allies were to move quickly, they’d be cut to pieces by German defenders ringing the hills surrounding the beaches." . . .

http://randallhmiller.com/going-to-war-with-ernest-n-harmon-ii-of-iii/

Memorial Day, 1945; Holland 

The soldiers buried at Margraten died in battles from the D-Day landings in Normandy to VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day) in May 1945.
"Forty-eight of the 61 U.S. divisions that fought in Europe are represented at Margraten, including 3 Airborne, 9 Armor and 36 Infantry. The 29th, 84th and 102nd Infantry Divisions have the largest number of men interred at the cemetery, reflecting their prominent role in the fighting in 1944 and 1945. There are six Medal of Honor recipients buried at the cemetery. Four women are buried at Margraten, including two U.S. Army Nurse Corps Lieutenants and two female civilians, killed near the frontlines. There are 40 sets of brothers lying side-by-side in the burial plots, as well as twin brothers, one buried and the name of the other inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing, and there are the graves of 106 unknown soldiers. Their markers are inscribed with the words "HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD."

 A soldier's letter home on Memorial Day 1945  "For Amarillo Globe-News; Editor’s note: "

The following letter was written on Memorial Day 1945 by 19-year-old Howard Temple, a soldier stationed with U.S. troops in Germany in the waning days of World War II, to his parents and sisters back home in Axtell, Kan.
Memorial Day 1945 was somber for most Americans, who were still grieving the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt a month earlier. The war in Europe was over, but there was heavy fighting against Japan on the Pacific front.
The letter was submitted by Howard’s wife, Marlene Temple of Amarillo.

 "Dear Folks, . . .Full letter here.

Let's NOT have a conversation!

 

Claire Hawks  "Why don't we try, instead, looking for solutions?  Less talk, more action.  And by action I don't mean more riots and more looting.  Let's instead be honest about the race problem.   Racism is rampant in this country -- and most of it is blacks hating whites rather than the popular narrative about all those nasty, privileged whites out there hating blacks.  I do know a few white people who, for no reason they can articulate to me, don't like blacks, but if there are white mobs yelling that they hate black people I must have missed them.  The MSM is very successfully covering up for black mobs yelling racial epithets, attacking anyone who isn't black, looting, destroying property, etc.  For lots of examples of this read Colin Flaherty's great new book, Don't Make the Black Kids Angry.  It's great, but spoiler alert, it will make your hair stand on end at times.  And, give you a totally different perspective on racism.

"But, but, but, how can this be?  Didn't the former Attorney General, Eric Holder believe that only white people can be racist?  Another popular myth is that only white people can be privileged.  Hooey. "   

. . . 

. . . But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

 

How's that "pursuing them to the gates of hell" working out?

About those “moderate muslims”….  " ‘In a recent survey conducted by AlJazeera.net, the website for the Al Jazeera Arabic television channel, respondents overwhelmingly support the Islamic State terrorist group, with 81% voting “YES” on whether they approved of ISIS’s conquests in the region…’    Breitbart"

  Pelosi: We’ve made big “advances” against ISIS … on social media … kind of
 "Were you there for the Battle of Hashtag Hill? Nancy Pelosi attempts to make the case that the US strategy against ISIS is working somewhere in this exchange with newly minted MSNBC host Patrick Murphy, a former House colleague of Pelosi’s from Florida. The range of choices for examples of victory must be very, very narrow for Pelosi to claim victory — if indeed that’s what she’s doing at all:" . . .  Video

 More don't believe Obama, see ISIS winning

 

. . . "Obama's latest pronouncement on the reborn fighting in Iraq is a subtle but significant shift from the word "success" that his spokesman used earlier this week. Other Obama administration officials, including Joe Biden, have recently described the struggle to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the terrorist army as progressing and having halted ISIS.

"But in another long conversation with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg published Thursday, Obama said, "I don't think we're losing." Which is quite a bit different from being successful in war." . . .

Remember Joe Biden promising to follow them to the "gates 0f hell"?

The day President Bush's tears spilled onto a Marine's face at Walter Reed

Dana Perino

 Editor's note: The following column is excerpted from Fox News anchor and political analyst Dana Perino's new book, "And the Good News Is... Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side" (Twelve, April 21, 2015).

President Bush visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Pictured is Sgt. David Gardner.

. . . "The hardest days were when President Bush went to visit the wounded or families of the fallen. If it was tough for me, you can only imagine what it was like for the families and for a president who knew that his decisions led his troops into battles where they fought valiantly but were severely injured or lost their lives.
"He regularly visited patients at Walter Reed military hospital near the White House. These stops were unannounced because of security concerns and hassles for the hospital staff that come with a full blown presidential visit."
. . .

"The president jumped up and rushed over to the side of the bed. He cupped the Marine’s face in his hands. They locked eyes, and after a couple of moments the president, without breaking eye contact, said to the military aide, “Read it again.”

"So we stood silently as the military aide presented the Marine with the award for a second time. The president had tears dripping from his eyes onto the Marine’s face. As the presentation ended, the president rested his forehead on the wounded warrior's for a moment."  . . .Read the full article.

Dana Perino currently serves as co-host of FOX News Channel's "The Five" (weekdays 5-6PM/ET). She previously served as Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. She is the author of the new book "And the Good News Is...: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side" (Twelve, April 21, 2015). Ms. Perino joined the network in 2009 as a contributor.

How a movie helped me understand sacrifice

 It’s often the most unexpected events that have the biggest impact

Legal Insurrection

"Memorial Day is always a bittersweet holiday for me. I enjoy having a day to partake in BBQ and beer (Texas BBQ though, not what Yanks call “BBQ”), while wearing my favorite, ratty, American flag t-shirt and watching war movies.

"As much as I love reflecting on this brilliant country a bunch of old dudes created a couple hundred years ago, there is a weight that lies heavy on my heart on days like Memorial Day. It’s the simple reminder that freedom is never free. Our freedom comes at inestimable price. More often than not, that debt is only satisfied with blood.

"When I was in high school “Saving Private Ryan” made its silver screen debut. Always a sucker for war movies, I went to see it on opening weekend. Completely unaware that what I was about to see would have a lasting impact, I sprung for cherry sours, a Coke slushy and found a seat.

"The first thirty minutes of the film were unlike anything I’d ever seen on screen and easily the most intense. At the time I was only vaguely familiar with the D-Day invasion. What I knew of D-Day I’d learned from 60s flicks like “The Longest Day.”

"Unlike the older World War II films where a bullet to the heart resulted in a theatrical fall sometimes accompanied by a bit of obviously fake blood and famous last words, “Saving Private Ryan” was the goriest movie I’d ever seen. A soldier reached down to pick up his arm that had been blown off and another lay on the ground, his guts strewn across the sand. The water was red with blood and soldier after soldier fell in similarly violent fashion, some never making it off the landing craft.

"When the movie was over, the crowd of tear-stained faces shuffled out in a heavy silence. For days I mulled what I’d seen — the pain, horror, and loss that nothing in this life can prepare you for. What was so obviously the terror of war was not what I had ever pictured as war. What I thought I knew about sacrifice and fairness was suddenly irrelevant and juvenile." . . .Full article...
Then there is this tribute from HBO's  The Pacific:

7 Heartbreaking Films of Military Valor

PJ Media   "Calling Memorial Day a “federal holiday” is a bit of a sacrilege. More than a day for big sales or a stretch at the beach, this is a time for remembrance.  Our freedoms are secured and preserved by those that serve. This is our day to honor their sacrifice—and our loss.  Over the years, Hollywood hasn’t been half-bad at recounting the nobility and the pain of war’s cost. These movies are particularly moving—unforgettable films where the sense of loss on the silver screen is just sometimes overwhelming." . . . Read more:

For the record, Michael Moore did NOT make any of these films.

UPDATE: Here is the world Mr. Moore inhabits:
PacSun Under Fire for Memorial Day Display Featuring Upside-Down Flag T-Shirt   "Angry customers have flooded the company’s social media pages to decry the “disrespectful” A$AP Worldwide T-Shirt, which was designed in collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky and features an upside-down flag on its front and the name “A$AP” and the number “06” on its back." . . .
"According to the New York Daily News, the PacSun Tanger Outlets store in Foley, Alabama, where the T-shirt was first noticed, has removed the item from its shelves. PacSun has not yet commented on the backlash, though USA Today reports that the company is expected to issue a statement on the T-shirt soon."

Remember this?

Marines Tell Obama To Buzz Off When Asked To Lower Standards

Viral Tater  Via Conservative Wisdom United.  Entire article quoted below.
"Well, it seems the Marines have drawn the ire of the Obama administration via the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dempsey.
"As reported by the Washington Times, “Two years ago, Army General Martin Dempsey, the nation’s top military officer, laid down an edict on the Obama administration’s plan to open direct land combat jobs to women: If women cannot meet a standard, senior commanders better have a good reason why it should not be lowered.
"Today, the “Dempsey rule” appears to have its first test case. The Marine Corps just finished research to see if female officers could successfully complete its rigorous Infantry Officer Course. The IOC diploma is a must to earn the designation of infantry officer. Of 29 women who tried, none graduated; only four made it through the first day’s combat endurance test.”

“Marine Corps public affairs said it did not have the data on which tasks proved the toughest for women. But one particularly demanding upper-body strength test is climbing a 25-foot rope with a backpack full of gear. A candidate who cannot crawl to the top fails the test. Traditionalists see the 0-29 performance as a call to arms by those inside the Pentagon who are determined to have significant numbers of women in the infantry. They are on the lookout for standards they believe are no longer relevant in today’s battlefield.”
“The pressure is on the services from the White House’s politically correct crowd vis-a-vis Obama’s Pentagon appointees, who will force the services to accept degraded standards,” said Robert Maginnis, a retired Army officer and author of the book “Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women Into Combat.”
So will the U.S. Marine Corps be forced to justify why its IOC training is so hard? Will they have to go before the Sanhedrin of the Pharisees of political correctness and explain why anyone needs to be able to climb a rope with a full gear pack? Will the Commandant of the Marine Corps be called into General Dempsey’s office and be forced to explain every single standard of the Marine IOC and justify its existence? Will the Corps be forced to surrender its standards of excellence?
“General Dempsey laid down the law this way: “If we do decide that a particular standard is so high that a woman couldn’t make it, the burden is now on the service to come back and explain to the secretary, why is it that high? Does it really have to be that high?”
Am I making this stuff up? Sadly, no.
“Capt Maureen Krebs, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, said the ongoing review of standards is a double-check to make sure each one is specific to a particular job, is relevant to the operation and is “gender-neutral” — meaning each one must be the same for men and women. “We’re looking at all of our standards for the ground combat arms right now to ensure that they hit all three of those requirements,” she said.
There you have it folks, we are moving towards a military that is gender-neutral — the objective of social egalitarians. To them, the military is just like any occupation. Everyone should have equal outcomes and equality of access regardless of the mission. Anything else just isn’t fair.
What is not fair is that we have a bunch of absent-minded civilian ideologues who want a ground-breaking, historic moment. You can just bet there will be a female to pass Army Ranger School — and she will be on the cover of Time magazine, all over the mainstream media, and of course will get a Rose Garden ceremony. Recently I spoke to a young man, an Infantry officer, who was to attend Ranger school but was told there wasn’t an available slot. I wonder why?
ISIS is beheading Christians and driving civilians from Ramadi. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is questioning the standards for the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course.
Unbelievable.

 The fate of women captured by ISIS

 ISIS cruelty: Youngest and ‘prettiest virgins’ fetch higher prices 

 "After attacking a village, [the Islamic State] splits women from men and executes boys and men aged 14 and over. The women and mothers are separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and examined for breast size and prettiness. The youngest, and those considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to Raqqa, the IS stronghold.

The woman who was burned alive for refusing to engage in an ‘extreme sex act.’ 

 “The brutalisation of women and girls is central to their ideology,”

Mike Ramirez on Memorial Day, 2015; a tribute from the Tunnel Wall

Mike Ramirez on Memorial Day, 2015; a tribute from the Tunnel Wall 

 

More commentary on the Duggar issue Updated

We know the family is supportive of Josh and one prays especially that they have done much to heal those whom he molested.

Josh Duggar and the left's schadenfreude      "In a statement, Duggar admitted wrongdoing and apologized.  He also resigned from his position at the Family Research Council.  As for the Duggar family’s television show, well, it may get canceled.

"Not surprisingly, the liberal media are having a field day with this story.  Remember: if you’re outspokenly conservative and desire to be in the public eye, you’d better be squeaky-clean.  The left will still despise you, but at least they can’t ruin you." . . . More...
Inside Edition seems to love this.

Update: The Liberal Demonization of Josh Duggar  "When it comes to sexual orientation, abortion, and childhood sexual exploration, the left demands to arbitrate the rules.  The problem for the rest of America is that if one dares express an opinion alien to the guidelines set forth by the left or risks imposing moral standards via a chosen lifestyle, liberals focus like a laser on obliterating the offender."
"That’s exactly what Josh Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting is living through right now. "
. . . 
 "Speaking of Arkansas, don’t the Duggars hail from the same state as a former president who, as far as we know, never fondled his alleged half-sister Sharon Lee Blythe but was accused by several women of rape, molestation, exposing himself, and preying upon White House interns? 

"Yet many of Josh’s critics adore America’s infamous saxophone-playing pervert, because letting someone like Bill get away with using a cigar as a sex toy must somehow subdue the sex-induced self-reproach liberals apparently feel. 

"For Josh, admitting his indiscretions and actually changing his behavior underscores the message that although our weak carnal natures tend toward wanton depravity, and despite attesting faith in Christ, no one is exempt from the need for God’s forgiveness. 

"Secular liberals can’t have that!" . . .

In reality, for the left, Josh Duggar’s greatest offense wasn’t molestation; it was showing remorse after the fact, which imposed unwelcome conviction on a segment of society that is often guilty of worse.

 Left publishes fake quotes supposedly from Josh's supporters

. . . There’s no sign that Ted Cruz actually said anything publicly about Josh Duggar.

"There are also memes with fake quotes from Michele Bachman, Sarah Palin, the Duggar parents (who definitely did not say “if you follow our advice on family values, you too can be the proud parents of a sexual predator”), and Josh. There are also memes claiming that Josh is getting a new show called 19 Victims And Counting co-starring the cast of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

UPDATE: Jessa Duggar's father-in-law has spoken out in support of Josh Duggar and his parents amid calls for the sacking of the police chief who released the molestation report that exposed the TLC reality star.

 . . . "'He has to the present day attested to the reality of his repentance and faith by living above reproach. 

" 'In their efforts to salvage the wreckage that these transgressions brought, and bring healing to all involved, Jim Bob and Michelle are to be commended.

"'It pains me to see that they are now having to relive the nightmare that had been laid to rest well over a decade ago with Josh’s repentance and reformation, but I feel compelled to bring some context and reason to the bloodletting that many are engaging in and to come to the aid of our dear friends and family.' " . . .

ISIS rises, the economy falters, and Obama’s legacy falls apart

"Unavoidable when one is totally unprepared for the job."  Lucianne

NY Post

 

. . . "Obama manufactured what Rhodes called an opportunity by pursuing a deal with Iran and dangling all kinds of carrots in front of the mullahs.

"And why? Because he wants a foreign-policy legacy to match the size and scope of his key legacy in domestic policy.

"And who can blame him? After the failure of the Arab Spring, the collapse of Libya, the failure to act on his self-imposed “red line” in Syria, Russia’s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and the terrifying rise and forward march of ISIS, the only unmitigated positive on his foreign-policy spreadsheet remains the killing of Osama bin Laden.
 . . .
"If you answer these questions in the affirmative, then you are likely to be the sort of person who’s kept your 2008 Obama “Hope” poster on your wall and your 2012 Obama bumper sticker on your car.
"Alas for America and the world, a poster and a bumper sticker do not a legacy make."

Bob Woodward: Bush Didn’t Lie About Iraq & Obama Blew It (VIDEO)

You can make a persuasive argument there was a mistake. But there is a kinda line going on that Bush and the other people lied about this. I spent 18 months looking at how Bush decided to invade Iraq. Lots of mistakes, but it was Bush telling George Tenet the CIA director, don’t let anyone stretch the case on WMD. He was the one who was skeptical. If you try to summarize why we went into Iraq, it was momentum. The war plan kept getting better and easier, and finally at the end, people were saying, ‘Hey, look, it will only take a week or two.’ Early on it looked like it was going to take a year or 18 months, so Bush pulled the trigger. A mistake certainly can be argued, and there is an abundance of evidence. But there was no lie in this that I could find…

 More ... 

Remember Obama's "Office of the President-Elect" Seal?

 "I recall from a few months ago that there was much concern in the conservative blogosphere over the Obama campaign seal.  I understood what the campaign was trying to do – they wanted the people to get used to the idea that Obama could be president.  Of course, The Weekly Standard opined that this seal was somehow a misappropriation of the seal of the President of the United States, and thus, a violation of 18 USC Sec. 713.  In actuality, it was simply a stylized seal.
 The same cannot be said for the seal of the “Office of the President Elect”, pictured in the image [at right]:
. . . 
" Looking at that seal, and the logo present on the change.gov non-government web site, it is clear that the seal presented is actually the Great Seal of the United States."