This is a quick-ish follow-up to Ursula’s piece earlier. This guy is psychotic. This guy has blinders on. This guy thinks he can do no wrong, just like his boss thinks so. How in hell can we get rid of him? Good gods almighty. He really thinks he’s immune as the “Secretary of War”. What a bunch of hooey. Every time he opens his yap, he digs himself further down into the hole of his own making. Shall we scream now? From Raw Story:
“Defiant Hegseth doubles down despite war crime accusations: We won’t use ‘kid gloves’.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth refused to back down or apologize amid explosive new reporting that on his orders, military officials went out of their way to fire on survivors of suspected drug trafficking ships that were already taken out, which legal experts have said would be an open-and-shut war crime if true. Hegseth, who calls himself the “Secretary of War” under an unofficial department name change instituted by an executive order from President Donald Trump, issued a statement attacking the media, but also not denying anything that was reported.
That doesn’t include the gossip that Trump intends to start a land war with Venezuela. Why? What’s the point? More drugs bull$h!t? There’s been nothing that’s said about why we could go to war with them. Starting one isn’t going to make people here suddenly start liking him more. If anything, it will probably make us hate him more. Ooo, an idea! Send all the bully boys from ICE and CBP over there to fight. They’ll soon learn it’s *nothing* like the power they have here, no, it isn’t. Hmmmm.
“As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” wrote Hegseth on X. “The Biden administration preferred the kid gloves approach, allowing millions of people — including dangerous cartels and unvetted Afghans — to flood our communities with drugs and violence,” Hegseth continued. “The Trump administration has sealed the border and gone on offense against narco-terrorists. Biden coddled terrorists; we kill them. Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”
Oh, really? Show us proof, Petey Boy. Show us proof, and then we can talk. But until he does, it’s a crime in both US and International law. He can spout his drivel all he wants to. Without proof, he’s full of hot air. Oh, yes, he also needs to prove what the lawyers said. Is it really okay to murder people in small boats? And his boss isn’t exactly lily white either in all this. It probably has his full support. Heh. Here’s a bit more for you, and then we’ll close.
“Our warriors in SOUTHCOM put their lives on the line every day to protect the Homeland from narco-terrorists — and I will ALWAYS have their back,” Hegseth concluded. All of this is occurring as Trump supporters push outrage against half a dozen Democratic members of Congress with military backgrounds, for publishing a video reminding servicemembers they have a legal duty to refuse unlawful orders.
Y’know, Petey needs to look out for his own back first. Trump will stab him on the flimsiest excuse to push the blame onto Petey, so his hands are clean. We will applaud if something takes Hegseth down. We will applaud and cheer if anything takes Trump down, with the caveat that the sooner, the better, for all of them.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
This whole lie about the people not being vetted is one of the worst lies they tell. It just infuriates me.
THAT is something for which I don’t have strong enough words to use. It’s fake, fake, fake. How many of us were screaming “NO, DON’T” when all of Trump’s cabinet was being “interviewed”? And we were right. And now we’re stuck. If we can survive the next 3 years and get *real* people in there…
The stuff about them risking their lives actually has some reality to it if you know anything about carrier ops/aviation. Those boats and the people on them are no actual threat to a naval attack aircraft but taking off and landing on a carrier, especially at night is no simple task. It takes a shitload of training and practice and many a would be naval aviator doesn’t get fully qualified for full, blue water ops or loses their quals because say they can’t get enough ‘safe’ ‘passes’ during the recert ops every time the carrier goes back to sea.
Back during Vietnam some carrier guys were wired up with some basic medical sensors. It showed that vital signs including heart rate were highest NOT when pressing an attack in actual combat with AA fire and missiles being shot at them, but landing back on their carrier, especially AT NIGHT. So, I say take little Petey who fancies himself such a badass up in the backseat of a carrier jet. Hell, even on a prop-driven ‘C.O.D’ (Carrier Onboard Delivery), the busiest plane in carrier ops that’s constantly transporting people and/or small amounts of various things from parts to mail). At night and in a fucking storm with heavy seas.
Have him listening to the radio calls between the person flying the aircraft and the LSO (Landing Signal Officer) coaching the thing all the way down to the deck with instructions on adding/reducing power, lineup (even more critical than glide slope) and so on as the aircraft is bouncing around the sky. And that ‘burble’ of air created by the carrier’s ‘island” (the big tall structure on the side of the flight deck) which is quite normal but knowing what’s coming the aircraft commander is prepared to adjust the throttles when hitting it and the whine of the engines doesn’t even register with them but would to someone who hasn’t been through it again and again). For good measure the aircraft should do a couple of “bolters” which even in good condition happen. Some sudden change in wind at the very last second that means not catching an arresting wire or (lineup again) not close enough to the center and the aircraft having to smack on full power and afterburners to get back up in the air and go around for another pass. With an ‘apology’ about conditions being ‘a little rough tonight, with even something as huge as a carrier having the deck jump up and down ten or more feet in seas like this or rolling too much left or right – or both at the same time’ which would make a nugget like Hegseth crap his flight suit.
Then the hard jolt of finally catching an arrsting wire and hitting the deck at what seems awfully hard but is nominal yet even as the aircraft is being yanked to a stop hearing the engines getting cranked up to full power in case the arresting wire breaks (it happens) and the aircraft has to bolter off the end of the deck and claw it’s way back up into the air. It’s starlting to the uninitiated just off to the side watching things on the deck. The huge smashing sound of the jet slamming down, the screeching of the tires, sudden full power with afterburner all in literally a couple of seconds. Imagine what that’s like for someone INSIDE the fucking aircraft who doesn’t know carrier ops?
Perhaps then Hegseth wouldn’t be so brash. He only THINKS he knows but the truth is he doesn’t know jack shit. Neither does Trumpty-Dumpty who’s fat ass couldn’t even be squeezed into the seat of a carrier fighter or attack jet! They could use a dose of humility, by say going through night carrier quals (I mentioned this – after a port call lasting more than a very short time as in a couple of days) EVERYONE has to get in a certain number of traps to stay on the flight schedule. After a half dozen traps a perrson feels a little beat up. Many describe it not quite like having been in a fist fight but playing in a particularly physical basketball or football game. All these decades later I can still remember how I’d be feeling on a Saturday morning after a tough game.
When W/Baby Bush did his infamous “trap” (carrier landing) for his even more infamous “Mission Accomplished” photo op that was intended for use in the campaign he at least did so on a sunny afternoon in perfect conditions. AND, had flowin in high performance jets and knew the stresses it puts on the body even if in the end you get to have a nice, soft landing on a long runway on solid ground.
Yessir! There’s so much more to water related ops than Petey will ever know. Let’s send him up in a jet and watch him vomit. Actually, there’s so much more to *any* op than he knows. But carrier takeoffs and landing, oh no. The thought terrifies me. Anyone in the military must have nerves of titanium. Yikes.
I know this is a side-note, but has anyone else noted the skeevy “historical” bondage / rape pics showing up on this site and on CrooksandLiars … probably others. Where are they coming from and how can they be blocked? Someone is paying for placement … who and why?
And finally … with all the T&A ads on my websites I now see everywhere why can’t the purveyors throw in a few shapely guys?
Re your 1st paragraph, no, I’ve not seen ads of that description.
But I do still get ‘ads’ which highjack the scroll position for their duration, and have PEK*AMA at top right (where the * represents a presumably Russian letter), & flickering effect top left. They peter out now, without delivering an actual ad, but used to normally issue a (fake?) Macafee scare ad claiming I’m infected. & It *only* occurs on PZ.
I have gotten hit with the fake ones claiming infection just about everywhere. It happens both on my phone and on the computer. Unfortunately someone seems to have been able to hijack something somewhere and force a re-direct. I either click “back” or my anti-virus/anti malware catches it. Either way it’s bloody damn annoying. The closest I’ve seen to “girlie” ads have been from a place called Midnight Velvet and they actually have some nice clothes that are not all about the T&A. Hmmm.
I have not seen these but I have seen a couple disgusting ones that made me worry about driving readers away. Had to do with bugs. Fortunately they’ve disappeared again, so I hope they stay gone this time. And shapely guys, oh yes! 🙂
Wow! Just read Denis Elliot’s piece above and learned alot! And I agree, war-criminal Hegseth could never approach similar skill and courage.
It’s not just war criminal, it’s pure criminal. The day is coming for him. It will knock him down so hard he will only be a smear on the ground. Anyone know any JAGs out there?
Fighting to protect the “homeland” Whoa – sound like Germany in the 30’s much?
Oh, well said! Thank you!