Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was testifying on the Louisiana coastal restoration process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He began to answer one of Boxer's questions with "ma'am" when Boxer immediately cut him off.
"You know, do me a favor," an irritated Boxer said. "Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'"
"Yes, ma'am," Walsh interjected.
"It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," she said.
*In the military, it is proper according to the customs and courtesies of the armed forces, to address any female who is senior in authority to you by "Ma'am." Otherwise, you could address a senator by their full title and name, i.e. "Yes, Senator Smith."
If Chuck was a General, the rest of the conversation would've gone like this
"Look you smarmy twat, I'm sure you think you've worked hard in your life, sitting in that ivory tower and looking down your nose at the rest of us for the last 33 years. If I had a choice in the matter, I wouldn't bother to speak to an arrogant pissant like you. You spent 10 years in the house, and the last 16 years in the senate, taking four-day work weeks and summer vacations and junkets and doling out favors and pork. You call that hard work? Try living in a hole with scorpions, snakes, rats, and other vermin in 120 degree heat for month. But don't work in that hole. You leave that hole to go to work. While at work, you spend all day an hours into the night dealing with pesky things like IEDs, terrorists, starving children, and snipers. You go back to your filthy stinking hole to sleep because it's the closest thing to safety you have."
"So, Senator Boxer, you just sit there and be grateful that me and people like me go to those places--the same places you will never go, because it is too dangerous--and be grateful that I look you in the eye and feel the need to respect your office because of my dedication to duty, and my oath, not because of who you think you are or what you think you are entitled to. Fuck it. Barbara Boxer, you are nothing to me but a self important spoiled child. I'm not going to waste my time or my energy talking to you, instead, I am going to go to something more productive with my time. I'm going to go take a shit and contemplate my navel."
"Fuck you, senator."
(Now, that's what'd happen if Chuck was talking to the senator. Maybe even if Maj. Z. was talking to her, depends on whether or not my retirement was ready.)
However, for comparison, here's BG Walsh's Bio, then that woman's.
Brigadier General Michael Walsh assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., February 20, 2008. He also serves as President-designee of the Mississippi River Commission. General Walsh came to MVD from Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the Commander for the Corps’ Gulf Region Division.
As MVD Commander, Walsh is responsible for a $7.5 billion civil works program. In addition, he plays a vital role in managing the Corps water resources program in the Mississippi River Valley. The boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, include portions of 12 states, and encompass 370,000 square miles. The programs and activities overseen by the MVD and MRC are conducted by six district offices located in St. Paul, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans, La. He also serves as Commander of Task Force Hope. TF Hope is the designation given to the Corps’ effort in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national response plan to Hurricane Katrina. Engaging more than 3,800 personnel at its peak, TF Hope was among the largest disaster recovery operations in the history of the Corps of Engineers.
Previous assignments include: Commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division, Atlanta, Ga., from June 2004 to September 2006, Chief of Staff at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from May 2003 to June 2004, Executive Director of Civil Works at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from August 2001 to May 2003, District Commander of the Corps’ Sacramento District, Sacramento, Calif., from 1998 to 2001, and District Commander of the Corps’ San Francisco District, San Francisco, Calif., from 1994 to 1996.
Brig. Gen. Walsh has held a wide variety of Army command and staff assignments, to include: project management officer for Engineer Branch, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE); Environmental Task Force Leader, Fort Stewart, Ga.; Executive Officer, 92nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga., and Saudi Arabia; Project Engineer and Assistant Area Engineer, Baltimore District; Construction Officer, 18th Engineer Brigade, Darmstadt, Germany; and Commander, Company B, 94th Engineer Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany.
Brig. Gen. Walsh graduated from Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He also earned a master's degree in construction management from the University of Florida. His military education includes the Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.That woman's "experience:"
BA, Economics, Brooklyn College, 1962.
Professional Experience: (Note, when you add it up, she has worked outside of politics for seven whole years.... if you count her time as a congressional aide as non-political work.)
Congressional Aide, 1974-1976
Journalist/Associate Editor, Pacific Sun Newspaper, 1972-1974
Stockbroker/Economic Researcher, Wall Street Securities Firm, 1962-1965.
Political Experience:
Senator, United States Senate, 1993-present
Representative, United States House of Representatives, 1983-1992
Member, President, Marin County Board of Supervisors, 1977-1983
Chief Deputy Majority Whip, United States Senate.
Labels: Asshats and Douchebags, Rope. Tree. Politicians., Support the troops and their mission
Not wanting to leave all my fan (not a typo) hanging, however, I am doing a bit of work on class participation.
I have once again perused the intertubez to find things which cannot be explained. And since explanations fail, we must result to captions.
So here's the deal. I post the picture, ya'll caption it in the comments. Not real hard, or thought provoking, just light summer fun. It's only June, and I find myself actually Cheering for Iran. The summer is gonna be a weird one, and I am just trying to do my part to make it so.
Remember, the more you all caption (i.e. comment), the better it will be.
--Chuck
p.s. I will still keep you as up-to-date as our travels and internet access allow.
Here we go:
Today, when the divinity of the Quran is shattered by the Sana’a manuscripts, the spiritual nature of Islam is also exposed. Islam is nothing but a pure Arab political movement. The Divinity was attached to the Quran, when Arabs started conquering the surrounding nations, and Islam was imposed on them by force. Arabs not only imposed Islam on others, but also imposed this irrational belief of Quranic divinity to the minds of their victims, so that once Arabs are gone, the conquered people cannot come out from this mental enslavement, and return back to their original faith. It is a rare political skill.
Many companions of Muhammad clearly knew that the Quran was fake, but they remained with their prophet to share the booty and to enjoy the women. We all know, after Muhammad’s death, several Arab tribes returned back to their original belief, and idolatry flourished, but were forced back to Islam with the sword and bloodbath.
Read it all here: The Astute Bloggers
Labels: Interesting
A DDOS attack took down Boing Boing a few minutes ago, along with their cyberwar guide to helping the Iranian protesters. The site where they got it from is also offline, although I think that's an account bandwidth issue. In any case, feel free to distribute:
Very well distributing...
The purpose of this guide is to help you participate constructively in the Iranian election protests through Twitter.
1. Do NOT publicize proxy IP's over twitter, and especially not using the #iranelection hashtag. Security forces are monitoring this hashtag, and the moment they identify a proxy IP they will block it in Iran. If you are creating new proxies for the Iranian bloggers, DM them to @stopAhmadi or @iran09 and they will distributed them discretely to bloggers in Iran.
2. Hashtags, the only two legitimate hashtags being used by bloggers in Iran are #iranelection and #gr88, other hashtag ideas run the risk of diluting the conversation.
3. Keep you bull$hit filter up! Security forces are now setting up twitter accounts to spread disinformation by posing as Iranian protesters. Please don't retweet impetuously, try to confirm information with reliable sources before retweeting. The legitimate sources are not hard to find and follow.
4. Help cover the bloggers: change your twitter settings so that your location is TEHRAN and your time zone is GMT +3.30. Security forces are hunting for bloggers using location and timezone searches. If we all become 'Iranians' it becomes much harder to find them.
5. Don't blow their cover! If you discover a genuine source, please don't publicize their name or location on a website. These bloggers are in REAL danger. Spread the word discretely through your own networks but don't signpost them to the security forces. People are dying there, for real, please keep that in mind...
Labels: Rope. Tree. Politicians., the Øne
Leading e-tailer hosting Laptops for Flat Tops contest for military families to improve communication with loved ones serving overseas
INDIANAPOLIS – (June 1, 2009) – AllAmericanDirect.com, a leading e-commerce provider of consumer electronics and satellite services, today announces the company’s second Laptops for Flat Tops contest, which will award one laptop with an embedded Webcam(for the family) and an additional Webcam (for the soldier) to two families who have an immediate family member serving in any branch of the U.S. military overseas.
This contest arrives on the heels of April’s successful Laptops for Flattops contest, with a new twist to the submission process. June’s contest now accepts video submissions. Participants can either submit a 400 word essay or a one minute video that explains why their family deserves to win, and how a laptop can improve their lives and communication with their loved one serving overseas. Families must be able to verify their loved one’s military enlistment.
Videos can be submitted by going to www.youtube.com/group/laptopsforflattops, joining the Laptops for Flat Tops group and uploading a one minute video. At the beginning of each video, participants should state their name, city, state, email address and telephone number.
“After hearing all the compelling stories from military families that participated in our first contest, we have become even more passionate about helping to provide more interactive means of communication for soldiers overseas,” said Mike Mountford, CEO of AllAmericanDirect.com.
Entries for the contest can be submitted as early as 12:00 AM EDT (24:00 GMT) on Monday, June 1 via allamericandirect.com/military for essay submissions and via www.youtube.com/group/laptopsforflattops for video submissions. The contest closes at 11:59 PM EDT (15:59 GMT) on Friday, July 3.
Judging will be done by a panel of three judges including: Col. (Ret.) Dale A. Kissinger, partner at MilitaryAvenue.com and a colonel (retired) in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Scott Davis, an Air Force veteran of Operation Desert Storm and father of Army PFC Sean Davis, who is stationed in Vicenza, Italy, and is preparing for his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, and Ms. Jenna Richards, the sister of Capt. Phillip Richards and his wife Capt. Michelle Richards who are active in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and will be deployed to Iraq for their second tour of duty in September 2009.
Winners of the first contest will be announced on Monday, July 13. Families may re-submit a new essay for each bi-monthly contest if they were not previously selected. The contest will continue every other month through December 2009.
To learn more about Laptops for Flattops, visit http://www.allamericandirect.com/military. Further information on AllAmericanDirect.com’s products and services is available online at http://www.allamericandirect.com/?pr.
As a homebrewer , I pale at the thought of drinking most domestic beers. Just don't care for them any more, as they are as devoid of flavor and character as Melba toast and Styrofoam. That said, this Independence day (I refuse to call it by it's calendar date, as I believe we should celebrate the day the limeys surrendered, rather than the day we signed a document) I will celebrate with the troops by supporting these two corporations, who've made a huge donation to the morale of our fighting men and women. I'll either visit a local Uno's Pizzeria, or if non is closeby, I'll find them in the freezer section. I'll even buy and drink Miller/Coors products (I find Coors' Banquet beer tolerable, and Carren likes MGD). I hope that you consider supporting these businesses likewise.
--Chuck
MillerCoors Donates 8,000 Cases of Beer as Part of Pizzas 4 Patriots Program; Troops Will Enjoy a Special Holiday Treat
CHICAGO, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Geography enthusiasts take note - Golden, Colorado and Milwaukee, Wisconsin are temporarily being moved to the Middle East. For the second consecutive Fourth of July, Pizzas 4 Patriots, an organization dedicated to providing gifts from home to service men and women overseas, will be delivering pizzas to the troops in the Middle East. This year, however, there will be 8,000 cases of Miller Lite and Coors Light to wash it down, thanks to a donation being made by the brewer.
The full delivery of 28,000 Uno pizzas and 8,000 cases of beer is scheduled to leave the U.S. this week to arrive in Iraq in time for the troops to have an uplifting holiday.This spring, MSgt. Mark Evans, USAF, Ret., began reaching out to secure corporate partners to ensure this year's delivery would be the organization's biggest to date. MillerCoors showed an immediate interest in participating.
"We are honored and excited to be a part of this wonderful program and applaud MSgt. Evans for his dedication to our Armed Forces," said Tom Cardella, eastern division president at MillerCoors. "And as a brewer of great beer, we look forward to seeing our brave troops overseas have an opportunity to relax for a few moments and enjoy a couple of cold ones."
On the Fourth of July last year, MSgt. Evans successfully delivered pizzas to troops serving in Iraq. Sparked by the success of that initial effort, he received permission from General David Petraeus, then Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq, to repeat the delivery in February for the NFL championship game. Building on those two events, he is striving to make this Fourth of July party his biggest yet.
"Our goal is to give the troops some time to get their minds off the war, even if just for an hour, and enjoy a good, old fashioned American feast," said MSgt. Mark Evans, founder of Pizzas 4 Patriots. "And this year we are proud to announce that because of the kind contributions of our corporate partners, the vast majority of troops in Iraq will get to enjoy a few slices of pizza and some cold beer this Fourth of July."
MillerCoors is also involving employees in its efforts to honor the troops by holding events in several brewery communities. These events will inspire monetary support from employees and celebrate the company's beer donation with a symbolic beer truck send off, complete with motorcycle escort. Support from Uno, the inventor of Chicago's original deep dish pizza, and DHL Express have also made this year's Pizzas 4 Patriots delivery possible. Pizzas 4 Patriots welcomes contributions to cover the program's costs. For more information or to donate to the cause, please visit www.pizzas4patriots.com.
About MillerCoors
Built on a foundation of great beer brands and more than 288 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment. Miller Lite is the great tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to refreshment as cold as the Rockies. MillerCoors brews full-calorie beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft; and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. The company also imports Peroni, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell and Molson Canadian and offers innovative products such as Miller Chill and Sparks. MillerCoors features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and two microbreweries, the Leinenkugel's 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. MillerCoors vision is to become the best beer company in America by driving profitable industry growth.
MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.
About Pizzas 4 Patriots:
Pizzas 4 Patriots is a non-profit organization with the mission of making a positive difference in the lives of our service men and women. We proudly support those patriots presently serving, as well as our wounded Veterans. It is our goal to provide our Armed Forces with these special gifts from home. We have been fortunate to receive donations, ranging from financial to products and services, from individuals, families, corporations, and other organizations, all wanting to show appreciation for the sacrifice of our brave troops. Our goal is to bring a little bit of home to the troops, and show them that they are supported by the country and residents who enjoy the freedoms that they provide for us. For more information on our programs, please visit: www.Pizzas4Patriots.com.
About UNO:
Based in Boston, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes more than 200 company-owned and franchised full-service Uno Chicago Grill units located in 29 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. The company also operates a fast casual concept called Uno Due Go(R), a quick serve concept called Uno Express(R), and a consumer foods division which supplies airlines, movie theaters, hotels, airports, travel plazas, schools and supermarkets with both frozen and refrigerated private-label foods and branded Uno products. For more information, visit www.unos.com.
About DHL:
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and "The Logistics company for the world". DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and 310,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education.
Funagain Games is giving away $100 grants to those serving in the U.S. military. There is no cost.
Funagain Games is proud to announce the most recent winner of its monthly game grant of $100 to a person serving in the U.S. military.
PFC Denis M. is a soldier in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq who plays cards, Uno, Gloom, Cthulhu 500 and Warhammer 40,000 “on the floor and makeshift terrain.” Heʼs using his $100 grant at www.funagain.com (the source for the worldʼs largest selection of board games) to buy games that challenge his fellow Camp Liberty residents. The board games will be left there for the next rotation of soldiers.
To apply for a game grant, submit a 300- to 400-word essay to grants@funagain.com explaining what you would do with $100’s worth of new board games. Include your name and contact information. Applications remain active for one year after submission. More information and a listing of previous winners are at www.funagain.com.
The purpose of this guide is to help you participate constructively in the Iranian election protests through Twitter.1. Do NOT publicise proxy IP's over twitter, and especially not using the #iranelection hashtag. Security forces are monitoring this hashtag, and the moment they identify a proxy IP they will block it in Iran. If you are creating new proxies for the Iranian bloggers, DM them to @stopAhmadi or @iran09 and they will distributed them discretely to bloggers in Iran.2. Hashtags, the only two legitimate hashtags being used by bloggers in Iran are #iranelection and #gr88, other hashtag ideas run the risk of diluting the conversation.3. Keep you bull$hit filter up! Security forces are now setting up twitter accounts to spread disinformation by posing as Iranian protesters. Please don't retweet impetuosly, try to confirm information with reliable sources before retweeting. The legitimate sources are not hard to find and follow.4. Help cover the bloggers: change your twitter settings so that your location is TEHRAN and your time zone is GMT +3.30. Security forces are hunting for bloggers using location and timezone searches. If we all become 'Iranians' it becomes much harder to find them.5. Don't blow their cover! If you discover a genuine source, please don't publicise their name or location on a website. These bloggers are in REAL danger. Spread the word discretely through your own networks but don't signpost them to the security forces. People are dying there, for real, please keep that in mind...
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BUMPED AND UPDATED: BUSTED
A more in depth article here. No surprise when I read this: "DPS officials say Rodriguez got discounts and some special treatment as a result of posing as a war hero. "
I wonder when people read about guys like this if it makes them think twice about offering discounts, buying someone lunch, etc...
His name is John W. Rodriguez and he claimed to have been a gunnery sargent in the 7th ESB, USMC as best I can tell from the video. He claimed he was deploying to Fallujah to get out of an alcohol related offense.He also claimed to have been awarded a Silver Star and Navy Cross.
Welcome This Ain't Hell readers!
Labels: Asshats and Douchebags
From our good friends at This Ain't Hell...
Another Disgruntled Veteran found guilty of Terrorism
June 10th, 2009
Whups, did I say Disgruntled Veteran? I meant Student of undetermined religious background…
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — A federal judge found former Georgia Tech student Syed Haris Ahmed guilty Wednesday of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism in the United States and abroad.
The Pentagon was one of the sites videotaped by Syed Haris Ahmed, the FBI says.
Ahmed, 24, could face 15 years in prison. Sentencing has been deferred until after the August 3 trial of Ahmed’s alleged co-conspirator, Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, who is expected to face the same charges.
Actually, it looks like his religion may be known as well.
Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Pakistan, waived his right to a jury trial so he could deliver his own closing argument Thursday.
He talked about his Muslim faith instead of addressing the evidence against him.
“I just want to convey the message of God,” Ahmed said.
He cited verses and prayers from the Quran and spent a great deal of time comparing his religion to the Christian faith, noting that both worship the same God….
Martin had called just two witnesses: Ahmed’s older sister and his father. Both testified that Ahmed was searching for his Muslim identity.
Okay folks, this is how fucked up our legal system is: He was found guilty of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism. An "ism" is an idea, plain and simple. Socialism, Capitalism, Marxism, Catholicism, even Sexism, they all just ideas. So, he was convicted of lending material support to an idea. What he should have been found guilty of is conspiring to commit mass murder. In order for terrorism to work, its attacks must be public and brutal.
This fuckstick was helping plot another Allah-wanna-do is murder civilians in the name of Islam. Thats all. He was conspiring to commit (or an accessory to committing) mass murder of US citizens. Since the enemy isn't an idea (terrorism) then the enemy must be what drives the terrorism: Islam. I am sick and tired of our "justice" system treating terrorists like everyday criminals. They are not criminals. (at least not in the civic sense.) They are unlawful enemy combatants. Under the Geneva/Hague accords, they are to be given no quarter on the battlefield, and no rights as prisoners of war. Worse yet, if he was gathering intelligence for a group that is plotting an attack, I am pretty sure that's called espionage, and my friends Julius and Ethel know exactly how to handle spies who feed information to those who would do us harm.
"But he's a naturalized citizen! He has rights!" Yes, he does, the same as you or I. And I fully expect our justice department to abide by those rights. Further, I expect them to prosecute crimes to the FULL extent possible, and seek the harshest punishment for terrorists, or else, why bother?
By the way, why in Vishnu's name are we still giving student visas out to males under 35 from islamic countries? How many more Americans have to die before someone realizes the Poor, Weak, Huddled masses should NEVER include those who wear suicide vests to make a statement?
Speaking of making a statement:
Labels: Asshats and Douchebags, Support the troops and their mission
From a commenter: "...Hence they suffer from Ceausescus Syndrome, and ardently support gun control, forgetting that in the end, it didn’t do him any good."
Veterans: Press 1
Or, email me if you wanna send something not listed, and I'll shoot you the address
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