What a Tangled Web we Weave

Just to clarify-I am not puffing my chest or singing my own praises. I recently blogged on the mess in Benghazi and how uncovering the facts surrounding this event has become a world class case of obfuscation. Now we have the Generals (one of which was the director of the CIA) directly involved in the cover up of this incident involved in a sordid mess of their own. Apparently the brass has been having affairs and keeping concubines. As more and more comes to light, we find out that the whistle blower on the Petraeus affair was a woman who herself was involved with a General Officer. Apparently one hussy felt threatened by another, didn't want her poaching in her territory, and expressed her displeasure via e-mail. I can’t make this stuff up folks. You should know that military men and women have been “sowing their oats” around the world for ages. General Chenault, for example, famously provided booze and women to the pilots of the Flying Tigers back in the day. General Eisenhower never made any pretense of the fact that he was carrying on with his driver during WW 2. How do you think Mata Hari got all her information? Should I go on?

Conveniently all this has come to light just as Petraeus was set to testify on what he knew about Benghazi. Pardon me while I adjust my foil hat. This morning we had Senator McCain further solidifying what I had said all along and calling the President a liar; among other things. Additionally he called out the Secretary of state to be more forthcoming and stated her designated successor to not be worthy of the office. Can you hear the world smirking and laughing at our expense? So, with the star witness out of the way, the powers to be have inadvertently stirred up another hornet’s nest. Now at least one of the women has been shown to have sensitive and even secret documents in her possession. Again, I can’t make this up!

Is anyone listening out there? If so, at what point do you get mad enough to say something? Did the majority of you really want this administration and its clowns back in office? All of us conspiracy theorists who hold a deep distrust of our government keep seeing more and more of our “outlandish” allegations bear fruit. Amongst other things we need smaller government along with a viable third party. This belief that the government should support you from cradle to grave has to stop or we will see the eventual demise of our great country.

One more thing for all of us to ponder. How did such intelligent people believe that their e-mail was inviolable? Just so you know-everything you produce in your e-mail is on a server somewhere. This includes your drafts, trash, inboxes, etc. 

R/C Toys

We have a hobby that began as a way to keep us active and busy. It started with a remote control Jeep from WalMart that proved woefully inadequate for the terrain in South Texas. A trip to the World Wide Web revealed a slew of alternatives. As is my custom I began an investigation to uncover the best choice of remote control vehicle at the best price. I found a 1/10 scale Traxxas Short Course truck that works off of powerful motors and rechargeable batteries. They are borderline child’s toys that require adult supervision. They are also programmable to limit the top speed, which can easily exceed thirty miles an hour. Short course trucks are an actual form of racing and the Traxxas models are faithful to their inspiration. There is a touring series for both the models and the actual race trucks. There are both two and four wheel drive models. They come with working shocks and springs, driveshafts, gear boxes-most everything that a real vehicle would have. It quickly became apparent that four wheel drive is the way to go on the caliche surface that surrounds us. There are professionals and fanatics out there that modify the machines/models in every way imaginable. For us simply bashing (that’s what it’s called) around the gate area is a load of fun. Now we have discovered helicopters! I was extremely leery of any flying model. Lord knows I have destroyed my share. As a kid, frustration set in and the models would often meet an untimely death after sustaining damage inflicted from my inability to control them. Like the cars, you should do some thorough research before making the plunge. Our final choice had a retail price of over $130 and we paid a third of that. My leeriness helped cause my search to last well over a year. The reviews were more confusing than helpful. Gyros or not, how many channels, what company, what style, what size, etc. Once I finally committed, I found myself terrified that I would damage this marvel of engineering. It is beautiful and much larger than I expected. After several failed attempts to get the thing airborne, I got the idea to purchase a small indoor helicopter. Voila! I was soon flying the little helo around the motorhome. I’m not an expert or anything, but at least I could get airborne. The next trial was to apply what I had learned outside with the big copter. Wind is your enemy-little or no wind is a requirement to safely fly a model helicopter. Anyway, I am happy to report that I was able to get the thing off the ground-and land with no damage. For less than an hour’s practice, I am happy with my progress. What a load of fun and what a mental challenge. I highly recommend remote control cars, trucks and helicopters to while away the hours.

A Smell in Benghazi

The big spin machine that is politics in this country couldn't have churned up a timelier smoke screen than the one that has enveloped the terrorist assault of our Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Why more folks aren't upset about this is beyond me. Our government has controlled the release of any and all information concerning this horrific event. It has also squelched any efforts to reveal the truth that surrounds this event. It turns out that there were many requests to increase the security at the Consulate. All denied because some politico thousands of miles away couldn't find any intelligence that supported the request. Obviously our intelligence has been lacking in the Middle East for some time now. The investigative team from the FBI sent to find out exactly what happened took weeks to get over there. By that time any evidence surely must have been corrupted or gotten rid of. News teams got there faster. Included in the little information we did get was the fact that the security personnel were not only former Seals; they were actually CIA employees. Marines sent soon after to protect our interests were refused entry into Yemen. How does this stuff happen and no one seems to take notice? My curiosity is not that of a witch hunt. I have no desire to obtain sensitive information that might further compromise our interests (something others in this electronic age should consider). I also don’t want endless, inane questioning by the blowhards in the Washington committees. I’d like someone to accept responsibility and have a concise, truthful expose of the event(s) that occurred. Neither this or any of the major intelligence/operational failures of late has seemed to raise the ire of the public or the folks that should be holding the people responsible. Oh; did we forget? A helicopter full of Seals shot down in route to support their brothers in arms-all of them perished. A brazen attack on a Marine Air Support squadron which resulted in the death of their commander and the destruction of many Harriers.  I wonder who had perimeter duty that day? I understand that this is not a war with a predefined goal. I also understand that years from now little or nothing will have changed in the Mid East. Go ask the Russians. While you’re at it, ask the French about Indo China. You might also want to have a chat with Obama and Romney since they haven’t mentioned the war on terror in weeks. Happy birthday to all my fellow Marines out there! Happy (I hope) Veterans Day to all those who are serving and have served. There are a lot of us out here that support you and have your best interests at heart

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