BlackFive

Actor Adam Baldwin has joined the Mission: VALOR National Advisory Board.  He joins actor Nick Searcy to help develop Operation Audie, our film and television focus area, and is also providing other assistance as well.  Full release is here.  

TSO at This Ain't Hell has a MUST READ about the Veterans Affairs committee going down the shitter...thanks to the Democrats supporting a completely worthless member.

When Palestinian terrorists slaughter innocent civilians the correct thing is to condemn them, lay some concrete consequences on the Palestinian government and send condolences to our friend and ally the Israelis. President Obama felt the need to blame both sides and as usual he is wrong morally and strategically. Until the Palestinians renounce violence and their deranged belief they can destroy Israel, we should not give them a dime.

Or Combat Units vs Support...whatever you want to call it...

Well, the Marine Corps Times thinks it's a big deal.

Is there a problem in the Marine Corps...? This NSFW video via FunkerTactical obviously shows that there is no problem AT ALL.

President Obama is poised to ignore the voters and Congress and pass amnesty for 5 million illegal immigrants. This abuse of power is a danger to our Constitution, economy and national security. We must all work to stop it. Obama doesn't even agree with himself about whether it hurts or helps Americans. And let's dispense with the idea that Reagan and Bush did the same thing, in those cases Congress passed a law and they acted in harmony with the law.

There are soon to be protests and almost certainly riots in Ferguson, MO when no charges are brought against the police officer who shot Mike Brown. The facts of the case do not seem to matter to the professional outrage mongers who are organizing the mayhem. They made their closed minds up months ago and if the officer is not thrown to the wolves, they will rampage.

What might surprise you (or not) is that some of the folks are not just the racial grievance groups we are used to, but activists with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. They are using the (non-existent) civil rights aspect of this case to infiltrate the African-American community and bring them into the Islamist fold. Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy exposes some of these connections.

If you are playing at an event designed to thank veterans for their service and honor the military, and you play an antiwar ditty from the Vietnam era, you are doing it wrong. I could understand this of it was just the King of Constipation Bruce Springsteem, but Zac Brown and Dave Grohl were up there too for a rousing rendition of Fortunate Son. And who invites Bruce to something like this, he belongs at Obama/Code Pink rallies.

The song, not to put too fine a point on it, is an anti-war screed, taking shots at "the red white and blue." It was a particularly terrible choice given that Fortunate Son is, moreover, an anti-draft song, and this concert was largely organized to honor those who volunteered to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Zac Brown has been a solid supporter of the military and his guitars are always covered with military unit stickers, but Zac this was a bad call. Playing onstage with Brucie, just ain't worth throwing away your well-deserved respect from all of us. There are a million good songs, and Fortunate Son is actually one of them, but time and place matter. Last night in front of a bumch of vets, troops and supporters was no time to show your dirty nasty hippie side.

There also seems to be an attempt to say this isn't an anti-war, anti-troop song because it is complaining that the rich get out of war. Well then explain this line.

Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
Oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord 

Or this

Yeah, some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Oh, they only answer, more, more, more, oh

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son

Read more: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

The Obama administration claims to have partnered with over 60 nations in "degrading and defeating" the Islamic State. Several nations have provided humanitarian support, but very few have in fact provided military aid - and details of what each nation has contributed have been scarce. Below is a list of other nations’ known involvement in terms of military assistance.

Albania: Transported arms and ammunition to Iraqi Kurds.

Australia: Has sent hundreds of military advisors to the region. Conducting airstrikes against targets in Iraq and also supplying arms and ammunition.

Bahrain: Conducted airstrikes in Syria.

Belgium: Conducted airstrikes in Iraq.

Bulgaria: Contributing arms and ammunition to northern Iraq.

Canada: Providing several million dollars-worth of military assistance. Has sent several dozen military advisors. Conducting airstrikes against targets in Iraq as well as airlifting supplies.

Czech Republic: Supplying Iraqis with arms and ammunition, including fighter jets. Also pledges training assistance for Kurdish forces.

Denmark: Conducted airstrikes in Iraq.

France: Conducted airstrikes in Iraq...

Read the full list at the Victory Institute.

Good morning, my name is Matt H and my daughter, is one of your 8^th grade classmates.  Last December, I retired from the Navy after serving 23 years of combined active and reserve service as a Navy SEAL.  I am a combat veteran having served in the city of Ramadi, Iraq where I earned the Bronze Star Medal for Valor. 

I joined the military for a few reasons.  First of all, both of my parents are veterans. But more than just that, I wanted to become a Navy SEAL because of the adventure and noble purpose that it promised.  Through those years, I've jumped out of airplanes at night over the ocean, treated young children in Africa for malaria, spent five weeks living in the jungle along the Panama Canal, planted limpet mines on the bottom of an aircraft carrier in the middle of the night, and led the ambush of four suicide bombers. 

I also wanted to be able to look anyone in the eye and tell him, “Yes, I served my country.”  It may be difficult to understand now, but believe me when I tell you that you will absolutely derive more joy and personal satisfaction from doing something for someone else than you ever will by simply doing things for your own benefit.

Serving also means that you come to understand that you are not as important as the team or the platoon.  Recognizing that the goal of the unit is more important that your individual success, allows you to form very close bonds with those around you.  This also helps you to become the most important kind of person that there is in this world.  A reliable one.  No talent or skill will take you very far if you cannot be counted upon.  Becoming a reliable friend, student, employee, or even CEO starts with understanding your true value to an organization, not its value to you.   

Nearly every day as I face life and the many challenges that it involves, I look back on my SEAL training experience and know that nothing that I will ever do will be any more difficult than that.  This is a powerful source of self-confidence and resilience that I can draw from at any time.  This power is not limited to Navy SEALs either.  All of us Veterans have had to face extreme challenges during our duty, and they have made us stronger.  My service taught me not to fear challenge, but to embrace it because I know that each time I overcome something, I become stronger for it.

Last year when a local congressman spoke to you on Veteran’s Day I believe that there was a lot of confusion.  When my daughter came home that day, she told me that a few of her classmates asked her questions about me like, “Is your dad dead?” and “Does he have a job?”  Aside from the clear insensitivity of questions such as these, I felt that there surely are many more unanswered questions from last year. 

Before I left for Iraq, I thought long and hard about what could happen to me there that could change me in a way that would be harmful.  I thought that there were three things that could happen and that I had control over only two of them.  First, was that if I faced a dire combat situation and acted in a cowardly manner, the shame of that would never leave me.  Second, that if during combat, I was to shoot or be responsible for the death of someone innocent that would leave a lasting scar on my heart.  And third, that if I were to witness an especially gruesome situation where my comrades suffered or died painfully that those visions would haunt me.

So before I left, I prayed and I asked God to protect my heart from those things, and He did.  But where I was blessed, many of my comrades were not.  Many do suffer from one or more of those afflictions, and it can be difficult to recover from it.  This is why the one question that you should NEVER ask a Veteran is, “How many people have you killed?”  This is a deeply personal matter, and one that you have no right to the answer.  As Veterans, we are entitled to your respect, but I also ask you to give Veterans your compassion as well.  All of us have accepted the safety of America as a personal responsibility and have made sacrifices on your behalf.  Veterans are not victims, we are your protectors, and perhaps someday, some of you might step forward and accept that responsibility for yourselves.

There is a deadline looming in the talks with Iran about their nuclear power weapons program. 

US and Iranian negotiators are preparing to enter the intense endgame in the Iran nuclear deal talks, amid mixed assessments of prospects for completing the deal by the self-imposed Nov. 24 deadline, just under a month away.

“This is the time to finish the job,” lead US negotiator Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman told the Maxwell School of Public Affairs on Oct. 23 in rare public remarks about the sensitive Iran nuclear negotiations. 

There is almost zero chance that any deal struck will actually stop Iran from pursuing what it sees as its destiny to become a nuclear power, and I don't mean the kind that makes electricity. Our President is currently stuck with only the giant fail of ObamaCare as his legacy, so he really, really wants a deal that he can put on the shelf with his Nobel. That makes him a grave danger to give away the farm. The only upside is that the Iranians are just bullheaded enough to walk away without taking all his lunch money. Bottom line is in the high stakes poker game going on, we have a guy who doesn't even understand the game.