Reduce Defense Spending ... Are You Serious?

According to Money Magazine (October 2012, p. 85), 68% of those polled (Republicans AND Democrats) think the United States should cut defense (military) spending. Military Times has reported on numerous occasions that the Department of Defense (DoD), Congress, and President Obama all want to cut personnel and retiree benefits, that is a fact. What are these geniuses thinking? What is 68% of the population, supposedly, thinking? You got me friends!

We have been at war with Al Qaeda, and others, for 13 years and our military, if not dead already, are worn out, exhausted, and not really appreciated, even though "thank you for your service" has become the "catch" phrase since 9/11. Our heroes in uniform, past, present, and future, put their families, health, and lives on the line every day ... for your freedom folks.

So now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, we are out of Iraq (for the time being, in mass anyway), and things are winding down in Afghanistan, we have nothing to worry about ... right? Military retention rates are at all time highs thanks to patriotism and a weak economy, so why not cut their (active duty, Guard, Reserves, and retiree) pay and benefits or, better yet, drum them out of the service altogether so we can save a few bucks? Forget those promises we (the government, recruiters) made about job security, lifetime healthcare, pensions, and other "retention" tools ... the threat is gone, over, history, so why not cut defense spending (that is shorthand for personnel and benefits? Do you really think the military (DoD) is going to give up any planes, tanks, ships, or helicopters?

I don't know about you, but I have a couple problems with that kind of thinking:

First, we, as a nation, made promises to our men and women in uniform and cannot change course now. That is immoral! Can you say integrity? Apparently not. Politicians and others can "talk the talk", but when it comes to keeping promises made to recruits, they DO NOT "walk the walk"! KEEP the promises you made (integrity) to those serving and those who have served. If you want to make changes, make them effective BEFORE future enlistees enlist, not after we obligated to and/or faithfully served our country.

Second, the president, Congress, and DoD ARE NOT focusing on fighting a few terrorists here and there, they are focusing on two very real, very large, very lethal threats ... CHINA (and their redheaded stepchild North Korea), IRAN, and Russia (again) thanks to their nutjob president, Vladimir Putin.

China is a military and nuclear superpower with BILLIONS of potential troops and Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat (beside having one of the most potent militaries in the Middle East), and is threatening one of the most unstable and economically critical regions in the world today ... ON A DAILY BASIS! Can you say OIL? How about nuclear holocaust? Israel? Are you people out if your freakin' minds?

So why not cut porkbarrel spending, pet projects, a bloated government full of useless programs and lazy workers (that is a generalization, there are many worthwhile programs and civil servants), or even cushy pensions for serving in Congress for a couple of years? Or why does the government not target the BILLION$ that goes down the drain every year due to FRAUD, WASTE? Because they do not care, memories are very short, and if there is not an immediate threat, citizens are selfish and want all the money to come to their way. That is human nature and means the politicians need to keep those voters happy so they can be reelected and receive those cushy pensions ... right?

In conclusion, our shortsighted predecessors cut defense spending after World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Gulf War I, but guess what? That's right, we got caught with our pants down when the next conflict came along. Do you have any idea how much we waste as a nation drawing down and building up our military as a reaction to world events , or worse, elections? BILLIONS ... JUST LIKE THOSE BILLIONS OF CHINESE just a stones throw from the United States of America ... can you say Alaska (Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house after all)? What about Hawaii? There is a place in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor ... have you heard of it?

China recently launched their first aircraft carrier and their defense budget has been increasing by at least 12% annually for decades. Who do you think they are preparing for? Al Qaeda? North Korea? No, they are preparing to take on the largest superpower in the world ... U.S. ... and we are going to be caught with our pants down once again. Why? For a few more votes ... for a few more self-centered, shortsighted, ignorant morons ... that's right, we call them POLITICIANS (lawyers mostly and we all know what Shakespeare said about lawyers).

DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE! I am not going to tell you WHOM to vote for, but vote with your conscience, and, ABOVE ALL, vote for a strong military and hold your elected officials accountable for protecting the FREEDOM we in the military have worked so hard TO EARN and DEFEND. Vote for president in 2016 or you might just be voting for a Chinese Premier in 2020.

That's the end of that tune ... CombatCounselor...OUT!

Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)

aka CombatCounselor

This article can be published in its entirety with the permission of C.T. Sorrentino, aka CombatCounselor, 3rd Wave Media Group, and 3rd Wave Publications

Key Words: benefits, budget, China, cuts, defense, election, government, Iran, Korea, military, Obama, pension, personnel, politics, spending, Vietnam, voters, war, Osama bin Laden, 

Copyright 2012-2014 - 3rd Wave Publications - All Rights Reserved

CNN Says Obama's "Latte" Salute Is "Not An Issue" ... THIS PATRIOT DISAGREES!

On September 25, 2014, several CNN reporters alluded that President Obama's "latte" salute released by the White House a day earlier was not an issue deserving much attention. I watched initial footage of the "salute" (and I use that term loosely), was appalled (not surprised) and still am. If you have not seen it, here it is ...

The President of the United States is Commander-In-Chief of the United States Armed Forces and we in the military swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America and, ultimately, our commander-in-chief when we enlist for service. Those two United States Marines you saw smartly and professionally saluting our president as he disembarked Marine One are the "best of the best", likely highly decorated combat veterans and deserving much more respect than President Obama was apparently willing to provide that day.

I have seen Obama's half-assed attempts at saluting my comrades in arms on numerous occasions, but the latte salute was a new low, even for him. If he truly respected our men and women in uniform, he would take his obligation more seriously and dispose of garbage before boarding or departing Air Force One or Marine One. 

How difficult would it be to remember his duty to salute his brave and dedicated subordinates every time he gets on or off the plane or, in this case, the helicopter dedicated to his safe transport. Could one of those in his massive entourage not hold his coffee for two minutes while he performs his official duties and pays respect to these young men and women whom risk their lives every day to ensure his protection? The very least he could do is give them the smart, professional salute they so richly deserve.

Key Words: Obama, CNN, Don Lemon, Don, lemon, president, commander-in-chief, commander, Marine, one, Air Force, TV, United States, Marines, President Obama, salute, latte, coffee

Half Empty or Half Full?

The age old questions: Do you want the good news first or the bad ... Is the glass half empty or half full?

We were recently forced to put our beautiful lakefront home on the market because the Department of the Interior had my $50,000 contract cancelled in February THEN had the gaul to insist that the prime contractors BLACKLIST me, ruining my business.

They did that because I filed a complaint of fraud, waste, and abuse against the government contractor I have been subcontracting for since January 2012. The contractor is fraudulently wasting HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ... EVERY YEAR!  I tried to DO THE RIGHT THING and was punished severely for it. THAT MY FRIENDS IS CALLED WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION AND IT IS ILLEGAL!

Our house was just leased for three years by an Army lieutenant colonel at Fort Leavenworth, giving the market time to recover and, hopefully, sell our home in three years and NOT TAKE A $50,000 LOSS ON IT as we would have if we had sold instead of leasing.

I am a half-full kinda guy ... Everything works out for the best in the end.

As a Roman general, Lucius Sulla, said: "No friend ever served me, no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full".

After filing an inspector general complaint with the Department of the Interior in February, they are the folks who are supposed to protect citizens from unlawful retaliation, particularly whistleblower retaliation, they ignored my pleas for an update. I received a letter last week from the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Interior Business Center, the boss of the woman who retaliated against me, stating that the Inspector General had turned the case over to him ... Can you say "fox watching the henhouse?" ... SURE YA CAN!

In his letter, he stated that MY complaint had no justification and that the reason my contract was cancelled was because of "substandard performance"!

Substandard performance?  Where is the justification for that? Why was I never informed about this substandard performance, particularly during a conversation with the contracting officer, the woman who I had complained to and responsible for cancelling my contract, when we spoke on the phone JUST FOUR DAYS PRIOR TO MY CONTRACT BEING CANCELED? Why did see not mention MY SUBSTANDARD PERFORMANCE DURING THAT CALL ...WHICH I RECORDED BY THE WAY (the recording of conversations is legal in the State of Virginia, where the contracting officer works, if one party gives consent, that party being ME)?

She also informed the contractors, the people who do or do not subcontract work to me and my service-disabled veteran-owned small business, of my alleged "substandard performance", ensuring that I receive no additional contracts in the future ... ALL WITHOUT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE, ANY FACTS, AND WITHOUT DUE PROCESS!

I fought for our freedom, the freedom of the pencil pushers who now retaliate against me, and now MY GOVERNMENT slanders and defames me, ruining the business I have built from scratch and pays our bills? Really? Can that happen in the United States of America? I am telling you as someone who is experiencing it directly, IT CAN AND IT DOES!

As I described in my last post, the vast majority of lawyers only care about one thing ... MONEY!  Most likely, the only way I will get justice is by receiving national media attention. Then, and only then, will a "selfless" attorney step forward to represent me "pro bono" ... How unselfish and magnanimous they will appear, even though the only reason they would do it is to get 20 minutes of national media exposure when 60 Minutes calls for an interview.

I sent my response to the defamatory letter from the Department of Interior yesterday, certified US Mail, with certified copies going to President Obama, Congressman Sam Graves, the Secretary of the Interior, and the author's boss, Mr. O'Neill. Do I expect a response, assistance, or justice? Honestly, no. The only reason I spent $30 I cannot afford is so that when this DOES all come out eventually, I will have the documentation to prove what these people, these protectors of the Constitution, DID OR DID NOT DO when confronted with evidence of illegal, immoral, and unethical behavior by a government contractor and government employees. And I do ... HAVE HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF EVIDENCE, DOCUMENTATION, PROVING WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT WHAT I AM CLAIMING IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!

Let's face it, I am a 50-something white man, so there is likely little, if any, chance that I will receive national media attention (there is no sex or murder involved), legal representation (I am broke), or justice. Justice you say? What a concept ... what a country ... WHAT A SHAME!

CombatCounselor ... OUT!

Reduce Defense Spending ... Are You Serious?

According to Money Magazine (October 2012, p. 85), 68% of those polled (Republicans AND Democrats) think the United States should cut defense (military) spending. Military Times has reported on numerous occasions that the Department of Defense (DoD), Congress, and President Obama all want to cut personnel and retiree benefits, that is a fact. What are these geniuses thinking? What is 68% of the population, supposedly, thinking? You got me friends!

We have been at war with Al Qaeda, and others, for 13 years and our military, if not dead already, are worn out, exhausted, and not really appreciated, even though "thank you for your service" has become the "catch" phrase since 9/11. Our heroes in uniform, past, present, and future, put their families, health, and lives on the line every day ... for your freedom folks.

So now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, we are out of Iraq (for the time being, in mass anyway), and things are winding down in Afghanistan, we have nothing to worry about ... right? Military retention rates are at all time highs thanks to patriotism and a weak economy, so why not cut their (active duty, Guard, Reserves, and retiree) pay and benefits or, better yet, drum them out of the service altogether so we can save a few bucks? Forget those promises we (the government, recruiters) made about job security, lifetime healthcare, pensions, and other "retention" tools ... the threat is gone, over, history, so why not cut defense spending (that is shorthand for personnel and benefits? Do you really think the military (DoD) is going to give up any planes, tanks, ships, or helicopters?

I don't know about you, but I have a couple problems with that kind of thinking:

First, we, as a nation, made promises to our men and women in uniform and cannot change course now. That is immoral! Can you say integrity? Apparently not. Politicians and others can "talk the talk", but when it comes to keeping promises made to recruits, they DO NOT "walk the walk"! KEEP the promises you made (integrity) to those serving and those who have served. If you want to make changes, make them effective BEFORE future enlistees enlist, not after we obligated to and/or faithfully served our country.

Second, the president, Congress, and DoD ARE NOT focusing on fighting a few terrorists here and there, they are focusing on two very real, very large, very lethal threats ... CHINA (and their redheaded stepchild North Korea), IRAN, and Russia (again) thanks to their nutjob president, Vladimir Putin.

China is a military and nuclear superpower with BILLIONS of potential troops and Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat (beside having one of the most potent militaries in the Middle East), and is threatening one of the most unstable and economically critical regions in the world today ... ON A DAILY BASIS! Can you say OIL? How about nuclear holocaust? Israel? Are you people out if your freakin' minds?

So why not cut porkbarrel spending, pet projects, a bloated government full of useless programs and lazy workers (that is a generalization, there are many worthwhile programs and civil servants), or even cushy pensions for serving in Congress for a couple of years? Or why does the government not target the BILLION$ that goes down the drain every year due to FRAUD, WASTE? Because they do not care, memories are very short, and if there is not an immediate threat, citizens are selfish and want all the money to come to their way. That is human nature and means the politicians need to keep those voters happy so they can be reelected and receive those cushy pensions ... right?

In conclusion, our shortsighted predecessors cut defense spending after World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Gulf War I, but guess what? That's right, we got caught with our pants down when the next conflict came along. Do you have any idea how much we waste as a nation drawing down and building up our military as a reaction to world events , or worse, elections? BILLIONS ... JUST LIKE THOSE BILLIONS OF CHINESE just a stones throw from the United States of America ... can you say Alaska (Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house after all)? What about Hawaii? There is a place in Hawaii called Pearl Harbor ... have you heard of it?

China recently launched their first aircraft carrier and their defense budget has been increasing by at least 12% annually for decades. Who do you think they are preparing for? Al Qaeda? North Korea? No, they are preparing to take on the largest superpower in the world ... U.S. ... and we are going to be caught with our pants down once again. Why? For a few more votes ... for a few more self-centered, shortsighted, ignorant morons ... that's right, we call them POLITICIANS (lawyers mostly and we all know what Shakespeare said about lawyers).

DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE! I am not going to tell you WHOM to vote for, but vote with your conscience, and, ABOVE ALL, vote for a strong military and hold your elected officials accountable for protecting the FREEDOM we in the military have worked so hard TO EARN and DEFEND. Vote for president in 2016 or you might just be voting for a Chinese Premier in 2020.

That's the end of that tune ... CombatCounselor...OUT!

Chris Sorrentino, LtCol, USAF (Ret)

aka CombatCounselor

This article can be published in its entirety with the permission of C.T. Sorrentino, aka CombatCounselor, 3rd Wave Media Group, and 3rd Wave Publications

Key Words: benefits, budget, China, cuts, defense, election, government, Iran, Korea, military, Obama, pension, personnel, politics, spending, Vietnam, voters, war, Osama bin Laden, 

Copyright 2012-2014 - 3rd Wave Publications - All Rights Reserved