pianogonzology: military

Showing posts with label military. Show all posts

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Flip . . .

(from https://reason.com/2019/02/20/trump-is-continuing-obamas-opposition-to/)

". . . Trump's administration plans to continue the U.S. government's advocacy favoring the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide. . . the administration, pushed by U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell (who is openly gay), was "planning to launch a worldwide effort to end the criminalization of homosexuality worldwide." . . . The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT lobbying organization that typically favors Democratic Party interests, responded with a thread of tweets about how much Trump administration policies and practices have not been in favor of LGBT folks. . . The the United States had already signed onto a United Nations declaration that called for the decriminalization of homosexuality years ago. . . Obama's administration, just months after he came into office in 2009, signed onto a United Nations statement condemning human rights violations against LGBT folks and opposing the criminalization of LGBT behavior. It had come around during President George W. Bush's administration, and he didn't sign it at the time because he was concerned that it was an attempt to override states' rights on issues like marriage recognition. Bush was widely criticized by LGBT groups for not signing onto the declaration. The U.S. was the only Western country to decline back then. . . Trump has shown himself to be a very transactional political leader. His support for policies is often tied to what he stands to gain politically from their implementation. This is hardly new for a politician—it's just that it's extremely obvious when it comes to Trump. He's not empathetic and he's not very good at pretending to care about things that he obviously cares little about. So it's probably very true that Grenell and Trump want to use this policy to try to attack Iran in some way. . ."

(from https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/03/26/d-c-circuit-clears-way-for-trump-to-implement-trans-military-ban/)

". . . A federal appeals court has issued a mandate confirming its order to allow enforcement of President Trump’s transgender military ban, clearing the way for the administration to implement the policy. . . A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the mandate Tuesday . . . The panel consists of of U.S. Circuit Judge Stephen Williams, a Reagan appointee; U.S. Circuit Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee; and U.S. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama appointee. . .The judges had earlier sided with Trump on his transgender military policy in a January ruling. The mandate brings that ruling into effect, placing a stay on the last of four court injunctions that had once barred the administration from the implementing the transgender policy. . ."

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Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Management . . .

(from The First Tycoon; The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles)
“. . . a superior who lacks real ability -or character-draws only scorn. In a quasi-military (or, more properly, quasi-naval) culture such as that of the merchant marine, a commander need not be sweet-tempered to be admired; rather he had to be skilled, knowledgeable, fair, and preferably tough. . . "

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

I Love . . .

. . . a parade . . .

. . . as does the president.

(http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402284-trump-calls-dem-senator-loser-after-criticism-of-military-parade)
". . . Sen. Richard Blumenthal took to Twitter Thursday night to criticize President Donald Trump’s plan to hold a $92 million military parade, the president was quick to snap back with a tweet of his own, calling the Connecticut senator a “loser.”. . . Blumenthal shared a CNBC report citing the hefty price tag and called for those funds to be used to improve the quality of life for veterans rather than for a parade planned for Veterans Day 2019. . . “Real patriotism should mean $92 million to honor military service & benefit veterans, not glorify politicians. Improve vets health care, more jobs & skills, end vet homelessness & suicides — still killing at least 20 heroes every day,” Blumenthal tweeted around 7 p.m. Thursday. . ."

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Saturday, May 26, 2018

Why . . .

. . . does this President:
a) know so little?
b) intentionally lie?

(https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ap-fact-check-trump-wrong-military-pay-ships-195757263.html)
TRUMP: (to U.S. Naval Academy Graduates) "Going to have new equipment and well-deserved pay raises. We just got you a big pay raise. First time in 10 years. We got you a big pay increase. First time in over 10 years. I fought for you. That was the hardest one to get, but you never had a chance of losing."
THE FACTS: That's not right. U.S. military members have gotten a pay raise every year for the past 10 years and several have been larger than this year's 2.6 percent increase. Pay increases in 2008, 2009 and 2010, for example, were all 3.4 percent or more.
TRUMP: "We have now the lowest number of ships that we've had since World War I, and very soon you're going to get to 355 beautiful ships. 355. That's almost a couple of hundred more ships."
THE FACTS: No it isn't. The Navy now has 283 ships.
And a 355-vessel battle fleet is not going to be achieved "very soon." The Navy plans to reach 355 in the 2050s while saying that could happen in the 2030s if it gets more money and extends the normal life of ships in the fleet.

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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

I Wanna . . .

(from https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/politics/trump-military-parade-veterans-day/index.html)
". . ."The generals would love to do it, I tell you, and so would I,"The President acknowledged, however, that the production would have to come at a "reasonable cost" and said the government is still in preliminary talks about the idea. . . and if we can't, we won't do it. . . "I think it's great for our country in terms of being a cheerleader and the spirit."

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Thursday, February 8, 2018

Parades . . .

(from http://time.com/5137489/donald-trump-big-parade/)

". . . parades. . . are a lot of work to rehearse, don’t do anything for morale, and are expensive in terms both of time and preparation. . . . (an) expensive parade reminds me less of our French allies and more of the old Soviet Union “Who has the biggest missile?” extravaganzas, or the truly creepy North Korean jitterbug marching style galas, with the even creepier “young leader,” Kim Jung Un, urging his nation of sycophants on in wildly over-the-top applause, which has a clap-hard-or-die feel to it. . . The last time we did a big parade like this was several decades ago and it cost over $10 million. Some estimates have the cost of a big one today topping $20 million, which would include moving all the tanks, missiles, jets, helicopters and military bands to Washington. . . Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has correctly stopped handing out little “challenge coins” from his office — symbolic tokens that officers in our armed forces give to troops. As he told me, they don’t contribute to readiness or combat capability. . . I’d recommend we apply the same logic to this kind of parade. . .

For the men and women who have to put in the time planning, rehearsing, creating a security plan (a parade would be an extraordinarily juicy target for the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, by the way), setting up the stands, cleaning up, taking down the stands, and getting all their gear back home would, frankly, not be having a lot of fun. This would no doubt fall on a holiday weekend (Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Veteran’s Day, of course) so there goes their hoped-for and much deserved weekend break. . . We know that we have the best-funded, most war-experienced, highest morale military in the world. . . it is a fact. We don’t need a puffy parade to show the world we can fight. . . I’d prefer to see our Department of Defense. . . focus on planning for war, pushing the VA to improve, funding military families with good medical and childcare benefits, and honoring our fallen with ceremonies as they are laid to rest. Those are the best ways we can honor them. . ."

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Strange . . .

. . . ommission . . .

(http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-11-19/the-elephant-in-paris-the-military-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions)
". . . There is no shortage of words in the latest negotiating document for the UN climate negotiations taking place in Paris at the end of November – 32,731 words to be precise, and counting. Yet strangely there is one word you won’t find: military. It is a strange omission, given that the US military alone is the single largest user of petroleum in the world and has been the main enforcer of the global oil economy for decades. . ."

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Bernie Information . . .

Voted YES on $156M to IMF for 3rd-world debt reduction.
Vote on an amendment that would transfer $156 million from foreign military financing to the Highly Indebted Poor Countries [HIPC] Trust Fund. The HIPC Trust fund is designed to help debtor countries pay off the money they owe to multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Reference: Amendment sponsored by Waters, D-CA; Bill HR 4811 ; vote number 2000-397 on Jul 13, 2000

Voted NO on cooperating with India as a nuclear power.
Congressional Summary:US-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act:
Approves the US-India Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.
Declares that it is US policy to prevent the transfer to India of nuclear equipment, materials, or technology from other participating governments in the Nuclear Suppliers Group or from any other source; and
any nuclear power reactor fuel reserve provided to India for use in safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities should be commensurate with reasonable reactor operating requirements.
Approval of this agreement undermines our efforts to dissuade countries like Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. By approving this agreement, all we are doing is creating incentives for other countries to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Reference: US-India Nuclear Agreement; Bill HR.7081 ; vote number 2008-S211 on Oct 1, 2008

Voted YES on deterring foreign arms transfers to China.
To authorize measures to deter arms transfers by foreign countries to the People's Republic of China, A YES vote would grant the President the ability to place sanctions on any individual or country that violates the arms embargo, including:
Denial of participation in cooperative research and development
Prohibition of ownership and control of any business registered as a manufacturer or exporter of defense articles or services
Removal of all licenses relative to dual-use goods or technology
Prohibition of participation of any foreign military sales
Reference: East Asia Security Act; Bill HR 3100 ; vote number 2005-374 on Jul 14, 2005

(from http://www.vox.com/2015/6/18/8800683/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy)
On this issue, then, Sanders isn't far off from your average liberal Democrat. He's generally skeptical of the use of force, but willing to endorse it in very narrow and limited cases where he thinks it could save lives or advance American interests. That doesn't make him a warmonger who is "to the right of many liberal Democrats," but it is a notable divergence in his reputation as a champion of the left and challenger of the Washington status quo.

Sanders supports a two-state solution, one for Israelis and another for Palestinians. While he can be critical of Israel, he does not refrain from criticizing Palestinians as well.
"The Palestinians must fulfill their responsibilities to end terrorism against Israel and recognize Israel’s right to exist," Sanders said in a 2013 Playboy interview. "In return, the Israelis must end their policy of targeted killings, prevent further Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and prevent the destruction of Palestinian homes, businesses and infrastructure."

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Thursday, May 14, 2015

Snarky . . .

. . . maybe . . . but I like it

(from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/us/freddie-gray-baltimore-protests/)
Asked if she thought it was premature to send the military home, she (Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake) replied, "It will either be too long or too early. You'll let me know afterward."

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bought . . .

. . . The Farm

(from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/72850.html)
". . . The origin of this phrase is uncertain. It is 20th century and all the early references to it relate to the US military. The New York Times Magazine, March 1954, had a related phrase, in a glossary of jet pilots' slang: "Bought a plot, had a fatal crash." if a serviceman was killed in action, his family would receive a payout from the insurance that service personnel were issued with. This would be sufficient to pay off the family mortgage.

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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Diplomacy? . . .

(from wikipedia.com)
". . .Cowboy diplomacy is a term used by critics to describe the resolution of international conflicts through brash risk-taking, intimidation, military deployment, or a combination of such tactics. It is criticized as stemming from an overly-simple, dichotomous world view. Overtly provocative phraseology typically centralizes the message. One of the earliest known applications of the term was in 1902, when it was used by Jackie Lawlor from Westford, Massachusetts and the American press to describe U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policies. Roosevelt had at the time summarized his approach to international diplomacy as "Speak softly and carry a big stick", an adage that was engraved on a bronze plaque on Donald Rumsfeld's office desk in the Pentagon and has set the modern precedent.

The term has since also been applied to the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. . ."

. . . living through it got me thinking . . .

Cowboy Justice
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak
from Put A Finger On It
available at CD Baby

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Did You See . . .

. . . how your reps voted on cutting military pensions in Congress? . . .

. . . then you probably saw this . . .

(http://reason.com/24-7/2014/01/21/senate-could-vote-to-restore-military-pe)
The Senate may consider a proposal to restore cuts to the pensions of working-age military retirees as early as Monday, according to a Senate aide.

The measure was inserted in an omnibus veterans bill sponsored Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and would repeal the $6 billion in cuts made to veterans’ pensions included in the 2013 Bipartisan Budget Act.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) invoked “Rule 14” last Thursday, which will allow the bill to bypass committee votes and go straight to the Senate floor, an aide for Sanders said

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

American? . . .

(from American Assassination; The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone by Four Arrows & Jim Fetzer)
1947: President Truman sends military aid to Greece to support right-wing forces fighting communist rebels.

1948: CIA corrupts democratic elections in Italy when communists threaten to win elections.

1952: In Iran, The CIA overthrows democratically elected Mossadegh in a military coup after he threatened to nationalize British oil and replaces him with a dictator, the Shah of Iran, whose secret police are brutal and kill many.

1954: In Guatemala, CIA overthrows democratically elected Jacob Arbenz in a military coup. Arbenz has threatened to nationalize the Rockefeller-owned Fruit Company in which CIA DIrector Allen Dulles owns stock. Arbenz is replaced with a series of right-wing dictators whose brutal policies will kill over 100,000 Guatemalans.

1954-58: CIA attempts to overthrow the communist government of North Vietnam.

1957-74: CIA carries out almost one coup per year to nullify Laosian democratic elections. CIA defeats result by U.S. dropping more bombs than it did in WWII. A quarter of all Laotians become refugees.

1958: U.S. military helps put into place Duvalier as dictator of Haiti. His police will kill more than 100,000 and the U.S. does not protest their dismal human rights record.

1963: CIA overthrows democratically elected President Juan Bosch in a military coup in the Dominican Republic, and installs a repressive, right-wing junta. The same thing happens in Ecuador.

1964: In Brazil, a CIA-backed military coup overthrows the democratically elected government of Joao Goulart. The junta that replaces it will become among the most bloodthirsty in history.

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