VMI toughens up our next gen of military leaders with therapy dogs and coloring books...

It's come to this.

Via Washington Free Beacon:

A prestigious private military school is providing coloring books for cadets to deal with stress.
The Virginia Military Institute, the first state-sponsored military college in the country founded in 1839, offers a “stress busters” program to provide students with yoga classes to “unwind and relax.”
“Beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year, the Cadet Peer Educators (CPEs) will merge with cadet government under the Cadet Equity Association’s (CEA) Training and Education branch. As such, the formerly known CPEs are now members of CEA,” according to the school’s website. “All CEA trained educators are nationally certified through the BACCHUS™ network to assist with new cadet development, education/prevention programs, and individual peer support for a broad range of topics such as stress management, alcohol and tobacco, interpersonal relationships, bystander intervention, and suicide prevention. Trained peer educators are interviewed, selected, trained and advised by Cadet Government and the Center of Cadet Counseling.”
The school said “peer educators” will still provide “Stress Busters” programs for students, which includes an event that lets cadets color.
“Stress Busters is held on Reading Day of each semester,” the school said. “This is an opportunity for cadets to unwind and relax before studying for finals. This event often includes stress reduction activities such as yoga, therapy dogs, coloring book stations, card/game stations, and grab-and-go snacks to take with you on your way to study!”

Keep on reading…

Stupid: Democrats mistake Polish vets for American vets...

Uh, check out the uniforms?

Via Military Times:

Democrats’ election outreach efforts to veterans may need to start with a refresher course on what U.S. troops look like.
For starters, they don’t wear Polish military uniforms.
Until Thursday, the Democratic National Committee’s “Veterans and Military Families” website had as its only picture a shot from White House photographers during President Obama’s visit to Warsaw in 2011.
The president had been cropped out, but faces of four elderly veterans wearing European-style military uniforms were visible above several paragraphs asserting the party’s “commitment to America’s veterans.” The Polish military’s White Eagle insignia was clear on the headgear of two of the veterans.

Report: 7-Eleven store clerk refuses to sell to man because he had military ID.

People like this don't deserve the freedoms so many have fought and died to provide. 

Via The Blaze:

Collin Brown walked into a 7-Eleven in Redmond, Washington, last Wednesday and got himself a Slurpee.
He also was looking to get cigarettes for his fiancee, so when the clerk asked Brown for proof of age, the Army reservist placed his military ID — which has his birthdate on the back and is a legal form of identification — on the counter.
“She said, ‘You’re in the military?’ I said, ‘Yes,’” Brown recounted to KIRO-TV.
Then came the response that threw Brown for a loop: “She said, ‘I can’t serve you.’”
“And honestly, I was at that point in shock,” he told the station. “I asked, ‘Are you serious?’”
“She looked at me like she was offended,” Brown added.
Keep reading…

Hero: Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin orders some military in state to be armed...

Doing the job Obama won't do...

Via The Hill:

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) issued an executive order late Friday authorizing certain full-time military personnel in her state to be armed following a deadly shooting the previous day in Tennessee. 

 

“Four unarmed Marines were killed in what appears to be a domestic terrorist attack,” Fallin said in a statement accompanying her executive order. 

 

“It is painful enough when we lose members of our armed forces when they are sent in harm’s way, but it is unfathomable that they should be vulnerable for attack in our own communities," she said.

 

Fallin's order applies to those on military installations in Oklahoma, including recruiting offices like the one where a gunman opened fire in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Thursday, before killing four Marines.

Donald Trump opposes "gun free zones" at military bases.

Trump is proven right again...

Donald Trump was unfortunately proven right on another one of his top issues Thursday: "gun free zones" at military bases.
There are indications that Thursday's shooting at two military bases in Chattanooga, Tenn., occurred at or near "gun free zones."
In an interview with the website AmmoLand.com, Trump decried the zones on military bases, suggesting that they left highly-trained gun operators without a weapon to fire at attackers, with the exception of military police.

Pentagon ready to accept transgenders in military...

So, do they get to decide which uniform they wear and which locker room they use? What could go wrong?  Pretty soon our military will be perfectly politically correct and incapable of effective combat.

Via AP:

Pentagon leaders are finalizing plans aimed at lifting the ban on transgender individuals in the military, with the goal of formally ending one of the last gender- or sexuality-based barriers to military service, senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
An announcement is expected this week, and the services would have six months to assess the impact of the change and work out the details, the officials said Monday. Military chiefs wanted time to methodically work through the legal, medical and administrative issues and develop training to ease any transition, and senior leaders believed six months would be sufficient.
During that time, transgender individuals would still not be able to join the military, but any decisions to force out those already serving would be referred to the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel, the officials said. One senior official said the goal was to avoid forcing any transgender service members to leave during that time.
Keep on reading…

You remember that heartfelt NFL game salute to the military? You may have paid for it...

I would have hoped the NFL teams were running these as a public service to support our military, but greed is a powerful motivator in the NFL.

Via Scout:

It's a familiar scene to most Americans. The poignant moment when a soldier is honored for his or her service before a cheering crowd during halftime of an NFL game.
It turns out, however, that at least some of these patriotic displays are not what they seem.
A New Jersey-based website, NJ.com, has a detailed report that reveals the Department of Defense is paying millions of dollars to many NFL teams in what are essentially paid promotions to honor America's heroes.

When the Jets paused to honor soldiers of the New Jersey Army National Guard at home games during the past four years, it was more than a heartfelt salute to the military — it was also worth a good stack of taxpayer money, records show. The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the Jets a total of $377,000 from 2011 to 2014 for the salutes and other advertising, according to federal contracts. Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million during that time, of which $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts.

Actual Good News: Nigeria’s military rescued more than 677 female captives from Boko Haram this week

Thank God.

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military rescued 234 more girls and women from a Boko Haram forest stronghold in the country’s northeast, an announcement on social media said Saturday.
It brings the number of females declared rescued this week to more than 677.
“FLASH: Another set of 234 women and children were rescued through the Kawuri and Konduga end of the #Sambisa Forest on Thursday,” said a message on the official Twitter account of the Nigerian Defence Headquarters posted early Saturday.
It comes as the army deployed ground troops following weeks of punishing air raids on the Sambisa Forest.
President Goodluck Jonathan, whose term ends this month, said Thursday that the forest is the last holdout of the Islamic militants and he pledged to “hand over a Nigeria completely free of terrorist strongholds.”
Keep on reading…

School calls military style haircut extreme...

Can we ban liberal school administrators?  The dipsh*ts made the boy shave his head.

Via Daily Caller:

A second grader in McMinneville, Tennessee has been forced to shave his head after his principal said his “military” haircut wouldn’t be allowed in class.
According to Adam Stinnet’s parents, the seven-year-old boy got a “high and tight” haircut to imitate his brother, a soldier in the Army who has served in Afghanistan. Just one day later, on March 9, the family received a letter from the principal saying the boy’s new look violated a school rule against “mohawk haircuts and other extreme cuts.”
His parents disagreed and sent Adam to school again without cutting his hair. This time, his mother, Amy, was summoned to meet the principal in person, and was told that until Adam’s hairdo changed, he would not be allowed back in class.
Deciding that the hair wasn’t worth having Adam suspended, Amy decided to give in.
“I did shave his head,” Stinnett said Thursday, according to the Army Times. “With no hair, he looks sick all the time.”
Keep on reading…

Army couple forced to change wedding plans with 24 hours notice so Obama could play golf...

Barack Obama has done a lot of shameful things, but this is certainly one of the worst. Obama is a narcissist who cares only about himself. Earlier, Obama had a beach closed so he could use it privately.

Via The Hill:

Edward Mallue Jr. and Natalie Heimel had planned to tie the knot on the 16th tee at Kaneohe Klipper golf course when management informed them that they would have to wait a day so the president could hit the links.

Kaneohe Klipper is an 18-hole championship course on the military base that offers views of the Ko’olau Mountains and Pacific coastline.

The episode is the second time the president’s golf game has caused a commotion since he began his vacation last week.

Over the weekend, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had to defend his recent golf outing with the president after being criticized back home.

This was a double win for Obama. He got to play golf and stick his thumb in the military's eye at the same time.

Poll: Only 15 percent of active-duty service members approve of Barack Obama's job as commander-in-chief

The number should be zero. Obama hates the military. 

Via The Christian Science Monitor:

If President Obama's approval ratings have slipped with the general population, they have plummeted to record lows within one segment of the population: the US military.
Only 15 percent of active-duty service members approve of Mr. Obama's job as commander-in-chief, according to an annual Military Times survey, and more than half – 55 percent – say they disapprove of his job. The president has never been a very popular commander-in-chief among troops, but these numbers reflect a record low for Obama. His first year in office he enjoyed a relatively high 35-percent approval rating.

Josh Earnest: Military being exposed to Ebola and quarantined is like them getting a haircut or something...

Jogs Earnest is a certifiable idiot. 

Josh Earnest compares soldiers fighting Ebola to them getting haircuts

Blacks, whites and conservatives agree: Police should not have military weapons...

Finally, something we can all agree on.

Eighty percent of blacks, 65 percent of whites, and 59 percent of conservatives agree.

Video of the Day: Swat Team Raids Innocent Woman's Home; Lawsuit Filed

 This is a shocking example of the militarization of police and their excessive tactics. In this case, someone used a connection to the innocent woman's wireless router to post a treat against the police chief. Apparently, they really pissed him off. This could be your house someday.

A terrifying helmet cam video, released to the public Wednesday, depicts a SWAT team executing a search warrant on the home of a 68-year-old woman and her 18-year-old adopted daughter.
The video is raising questions of privacy, reasonable force and police due diligence. They had the wrong place.
The raid of Louise Milan and daughter Stephanie Milan’s Evansville, Ind. home was accompanied by the sound of shattering glass and multiple flash-bang grenades. It was all due to the Milan’s non-password protected Internet router, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

Swat Team Raids Innocent Woman's Home; Lawsuit Filed

 

 

Shock Video: This is how many local police now see themselves...

The local police in Doraville, Georgia, population 8,500, posted this video on on the front page of the Doraville Police Department Web site. They appear to have taken it down after the negative publicity.

Rand Paul speaks out against the militarization of police...

I completely agree with Sen. Paul. There is no need to police to wear camouflage and ride in armored vehicles. This is America, not Iraq.

Via Time:

Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention, Sen. Rand Paul writes for TIME, amid violence in Ferguson, Mo. over the police shooting death of Michael Brown.

The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is an awful tragedy that continues to send shockwaves through the community of Ferguson, Missouri and across the nation.  If I had been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn’t have expected to be shot.

The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting. There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response.
The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action.
Glenn Reynolds, in Popular Mechanics, recognized the increasing militarization of the police five years ago. In 2009 he wrote:

Soldiers and police are supposed to be different. … Police look inward. They’re supposed to protect their fellow citizens from criminals, and to maintain order with a minimum of force.
It’s the difference between Audie Murphy and Andy Griffith. But nowadays, police are looking, and acting, more like soldiers than cops, with bad consequences. And those who suffer the consequences are usually innocent civilians.

Read it all...

Video of the Day: Marine Pilot Lands Harrier Jump Jet On A Stool

The nose gear was broken. this took place aboard the USS Bataan.

2010 Pentagon directive allows drone use to quell U.S. unrest...

This shouldn't be shocking. Obama already uses drones to assassinate U.S. citizens abroad.

Via The Washington Times:

A 2010 Pentagon directive on military support to civilian authorities details what critics say is a troubling policy that envisions the Obama administration’s potential use of military force against Americans.

The directive contains noncontroversial provisions on support to civilian fire and emergency services, special events and the domestic use of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The troubling aspect of the directive outlines presidential authority for the use of military arms and forces, including unarmed drones, in operations against domestic unrest. “This appears to be the latest step in the administration’s decision to use force within the United States against its citizens,” said a defense official opposed to the directive.

Directive No. 3025.18, “Defense Support of Civil Authorities,” was issued Dec. 29, 2010, and states that U.S. commanders “are provided emergency authority under this directive.”

The Great Pretender: Obama heads to Afghanistan to pretend he cares about the troops...

What are the chances of this surprise trip and the VA scandal being related?

Via FOX News:

President Obama has made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan this Memorial Day weekend, arriving under the cover of darkness Sunday night to visit U.S. troops serving in the final months of their country’s longest war.
The president landed at Bagram Air Field, in Afghanistan, at about 8:30 p.m. local time, or 11: 46 a.m. Eastern time.
He is scheduled to spend a few hours at the base and deliver some remarks following a performance by country music star Brad Paisley.
This was Obama's fourth visit to Afghanistan as president but his first since winning re-election in 2012.
Also making the trip with Obama on Air Force One is National Security Adviser Susan Rice, senior White House adviser John Podesta, whose son is serving in Afghanistan, and advisers Dan Pfeiffer and Ben Rhodes.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel open to idea of transgender troops

The military's main focus is defense and winning wars, not diversity. Our military leaders have lost focus of what is important. 

Via HuffPo:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday he believes the military’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the armed forces “should be reviewed.”

While the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was repealed in 2010, transgender individuals are still prohibited from serving.

In an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Hagel said he’s “open” to reconsidering the ban.

“I do think it continually should be reviewed,” he told ABC’s Martha Raddatz. “I’m open to those assessments, because, again, I go back to the bottom line, every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it.”

Hagel said his biggest area concern with reforming the policy is being able to provide medical support to transgender troops, especially for those in what he called “austere locations.”