Obama Giving Millions of Dollars of Equipment to Iraq FREE

I remember my uncle once telling me about all of the military equipment, "the stuff," that was left behind in Japan at the end of World War II. Others have told me that all sorts of stuff were left in Germany, Italy, France, England and other countries where America had been as well.

It seems as though we Americans, that is our government, has a habit of leaving most of our "stuff" behind after every conflict. Sure we bring some home, but not everything.

And yes, now it's happening again.  This time in Iraq. 

After the Obama White House pulls another 45,000 troops out of Iraq within the next few months, they want to give Millions of Dollars worth of equipment to Iraq - free!

Yes, they want us to leave behind all of our stuff! And though this is the biggest logistical operation since the build-up for World War II, fact is that unlike the end of World War II no one is letting the American public pick over the used surplus.

And yes, we the American Taxpayer paid for it! It's our stuff!

Stuff? Stuff, you ask?  Well, the stuff is all of the military equipment that we shipped overseas in the last 9 years or so since we started operations against Muslim Terrorists. The stuff that the Obama White House is going to give away to Iraq is all of the equipment that was needed over there. 

We're talking about stuff like tents and trailers, portable kitchens and laundry facilities, portable medical and dental facilities, storage containers and lockers, boots, clothing, cups, spoons, cots, tools, shovels, duct tape, hoses, generators, and any other equipment that was needed.

And yes, let's not forget the big ticket stuff like boats, planes, helicopters, heavy equipment like back-hoes, cranes, bulldozers, and trucks!  Yes stuff! 

As for trucks, well there are gas trucks, dump trucks, Anti-Aircraft “Gun Trucks,” tractor trailers, utility trucks, and all sorts of new troop trucks - I'm sorry, personnel carriers.  

Stuff?  Yes, stuff like those specially re-enforced Humvees that everyone was jumping on President Bush about getting into action.

The same Humvees that have been reported as far back as 2009 as costing American Citizen Millions of Dollars to refurbish and make "serviceable" for Iraq when we leave. 

Yes, we are refurbishing U.S. military equipment.  We're talking about U.S. military equipment that the White House and their military advisers are saying that isn't worth bringing back.  We are spending Millions of Dollars to refurbish our equipment for the Iraq Army. 

Is that crazy or what? 

We say the equipment is not worth bringing home to America, or worth selling to Americans as say Army-Navy Surplus, but instead the Obama White House is authorizing Millions of Dollars be spent on refurbishing our equipment to that it's all up to par for the people that we're going to give it to!

The would be like saying, I'm going to give my car away to strangers.  But before I give my car away to strangers free of cost, I'm going to completely go through the car and replace the engine, transmission, brakes, rear-end, front end, tires, fenders, windshield, everything, including paint before I give it away to that stranger - Free!

Is that nuts or what?

War needs a lot of stuff.  We use a lot of stuff to kick butt.  All military operations use a lot of stuff.  Beans, bullets and band-aids, we use to call it.  The stuff that make my beloved Marine Corps function.  Yes folks, stuff is what feeds, arms, wipes, bathes, re-supplies, houses, gases up, trains, and transports my beloved Marine Corps so it can go kick some ass somewhere in the world. 

The Marine Corps traditionally uses smaller quantities of stuff than the Army, Navy, and yes even the Air Force.  But the fact is that we're talking about Billions of Dollars worth of equipment.

It is the bulk of the cost of Iraq War.  It is where most of the money has gone.  When people ask where all the money went to?  Well, a lot of that money went to stuff.

Sure we've spent a lot on contracts and salaries and insurances, but friends it has mostly gone to pay for all sorts of stuff that's needed to keep the war in Iraq going strong. It's takes stuff to keep the infantryman out in the field with his rifle and pack, jets flying sorties, helicopters refueled and in the air, tanks armed and rolling, and all of the Humvees moving.

And yes, it takes people to deal with all that stuff. In fact, I can remember that they used to say it takes 9 Marines working in Support Functions to keep just 1 of us Marine Infantryman (the Grunt) in the field ready to do his job.

Those 9 Marines are the ones who use most of the stuff needed to accomplish the mission. They use the trucks, they move the troops and the vast supplies.  They make the meals, write the paychecks, do the planning, man the air traffic control towers, handle the ammo, operate the drones, program the computers, fix the computers, and much much more.

Logistical support is the backbone for all Operations, from making sure tank and artillery support is available to making sure there are mechanics and firefighters and fuel handlers ready to go.  Logistics is the aircraft mechanic, the technician, the loader, the armourer, the trainer, the medical team, the radar man, the guy in supply, the truck driver.

They are the ones that get little of the credit and little of the thanks, but they are the ones who make sure the Grunt has ammo and body armor and is fed, or at least have rations. And yes, has the stuff he needs to kick ass and arrange for some crazy Muslim terrorist to meet Allah.

Yes, rather than ship home all of that valuable military hardware, our stuff, all because someone in the present administration says that it would mean excessive shipping costs - we're going to leave millions of pieces of equipment behind. 

When all is said and done, the White House estimates that 3.47 Million pieces of equipment worth $313 Million will be handed over to the Iraqi Government. 

And remember that this is an Iraqi Government which still hasn't formally asked us to stay beyond the December deadline that was set by the Obama Administration.

Army Major General Buchannan, a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Iraq, says "it wouldn't be cost prohibitive to take these supplies out of the country along with the troops. But there are other considerations."

"It seems to me we really have three choices," Buchanan told Fox News in an interview from Iraq. "We can either leave the equipment to whoever may find it, basically abandon it as we transition the base, or we can pay the millions of dollars it would take to move this equipment back to the United States. ... Or we can maintain complete accountability of it and transfer it to the government of Iraq, who may still be able to get some use out of it."

Buchanan said "handing the equipment to the Iraqis is the most responsible route."

To him maybe! But to me it doesn't seem right. 

I understand that by one estimate we the American taxpayer will save $600 Million by leaving this equipment in Iraq, but that conflicts with a 2009 report detailing how Americans will spend over $800 Million to refurbish all of that equipment before handing it over to Iraq.  

According to defense officials who want to stay in line with the Obama Administration, Humvees and mine resistant vehicles, whose V-shape hulls protect troops from roadside blasts, are worth the cost of refurbishing, but trucks and SUVs worth $30,000 when purchased new in 2004 are only worth about $5,000 to $8,000 today.

The later would cost more than that to ship back home to the United States  And yes, you're right if you think Politics is playing a role in the decision to leave our equipment there.  Fact is that some of our Defense Department folks who fear looming defense budget cuts believe that it make it more cost-effective to leave equipment in Iraq than to bring it home, especially since budgets face cost-cutting by Congress.

Now does that make sense to you? Not me either!

If you know that budget cuts are coming - then you should also know that you're not going to have the money to replace all of that equipment you left behind.  Subsequently, your unit will not be adequately prepared to do their job if that equipment is not at hand when it is needed in the future. 

Besides, why not bring it all home until you can replace what needs replacing incrementally.

If my tractor goes out on a neighbor's property, I don't just leave it there thinking that I can just buy another tractor when I get home.  I take it with me and fix it to get it working again.  I replace it when I have to.  But as everyone knows, you don't replace something if you ain't got the money.

And by God, friends, we just don't have the money to do business as it was being doing.

Unlike some government procurement people out there, most Americans don't have a Sugar Daddy by the name of Uncle Sam to replace something whenever they want to.  To say that equipment should be left behind in Iraq and given away is poor management at the least - and at worse, an abuse of the public trust!

Knowing that some services will face cuts should motivate our services to start thinking like folks who don't have a blank check. Hard times, budget cuts, less money, should mean the same for the White House that it does for everyday Americans. 

We have to use it up, wear it out, make it work!

The U.S. military built about 505 bases and outposts at the height of the Iraq War in 2005 and during the surge. About 34 of those bases remain in U.S. hands according to Pentagon officials. 

Those bases cost the American Taxpayer Billions of Dollars to build and look as though they were built with the idea that U.S. planes and forces could use them in the future as a long-term basing option. But now that doesn't look like the case because of the new "cut and run" policy from the Obama Administration.

In Balad, Iraq, for example, there is a 15-square-mile joint base that is home to three dining facilities, several sports fields, a movie theater, and the largest airfield in Iraq.  And yes, it was all built with U.S. taxpayer money.

Tough life huh! And no, we didn't have anything like it when I was in the service.

Gen. Buchanan said some of the amenities on these large bases, including swimming pools, were already there. "Those bases were in the Iraqi Security Forces before we came. We occupied them. I am not going to apologize for ensuring our soldiers can sleep at night when it's 120 degrees outside," he said.

The Obama administration has since decided not to negotiate to position more than a very small training force of Americans inside Iraq.  That, my friends, means that those heavily modified airstrips and bases will be given to the Iraqis at NO COST.

Imagine that!

Another example of equipment being left behind is the Obama plan to leave behind the common jersey barrier, or T-wall as it's known in Iraq.  The walls, shaped like an upside-down "T," lined the roads throughout Baghdad at the height of the war and served to protect government and commercial buildings from bombs and other attacks.

Military officials in Iraq say "pouring a new T-wall, depending on its size, costs between $800 and $5,000, but it would cost $5,000 to ship one home."

Of course no one in the Obama Administration has given any thought to bringing all of our equipment home to sell to businesses and the American people to recoup some of the money the We The People spend on all of that stuff.

If we had a few more Capitalists in the White House instead of the Socialists in their now, I'm sure someone would be thinking in the mode of making a return on the equipment that we the American Taxpayer have spent money on. 

Story by Tom Correa

Muslim Graffiti On U.S. Passenger Planes

Since February, Muslim graffiti has been found on underbellies of dozens of U.S. airplanes. These messages in Arabic writing have been found on several Southwest Airlines jets.

The graffiti, which began appearing on 737-model planes, has been found more often in recent weeks, according to reports.

Supposedly there's no clue as to who is doing it, but it appears its Muslim airport workers.  And yes, this is being investigated by the airline and the FBI.  Where the FBI is investigating this, Homeland Security may want to follow suit - if they bother to. 

The "tags" appear to speak for themselves.  It is a clear message to America: if Muslims can do this to airplanes -  then what would stop Muslims from planting bombs on planes?

There is the rub.  Homeland Security and TSA is busy concentrating their efforts in certain areas like that of pat downs of 80 year old women and inspecting carry-ons, while at the same time TSA and Homeland Security look the other way when it comes to potential problem areas.

So let's see, the Arabic graffiti has been translated but the airline, the FBI, or Homeland Security won't say what it says.  Is this another case of more "let's not offend the Muslims" nonsense?

Are there background checks done on the ground crews at airports?  Are the Muslim workers at airports checked out to see if they are followers of some crazed Iman who is bent on killing innocent Americans? 

And if I hear this nonsense about how that's "profiling," friends, lets make something real clear. Criminal profiling is done everyday by almost all law enforcement agencies around the world.  It is one of the ways that society prevents crime and catches the bad guys.  

One of the priorities of any sort solid security plan is to try to prevent things from happening before they have a chance of happening.

But wait, the Arabic graffiti on the underbelly of airplanes is not the only place Arabic graffiti is showing up. Actually, the airlines have been finding a lot of Arabic graffiti in the restrooms and on overhead bins in their airplanes recently. 

From what I've read, most have made references to their "Jihad."  

If the Muslim graffiti on our nation's airplanes are threats, then I really believe that the American public has a need to know this.  If for any other reason so that Americans can put presure on the Obama Administration and Homeland Security to do something about this potential problem before it escalates into one of our airplanes being blown out of the sky.

Story by Tom Correa

Schools Persucuting Christians Who Oppose Homosexuality

This was in the news, and honestly I just see this as more Christian persecution and liberal political correctness that's gotten way out of hand.

In the last few days, Dakota Ary, who is an honor roll student at Western Hills High School in Fort Worth, Texas, was sent to the principal’s office and punished for telling a classmate that he believes "homosexuality is wrong."

That's all he did!  That was it!  Nothing more than that.  It wasn't some so-called Hate Crime, class disruption, or any sort of physical violence. 

He just gave his opinion about a "lifestyle."  A "lifestyle" that most Christians find wrong.  Since he is a Christian, he finds that lifestyle wrong.

And yes friends, like it or not, that's what Homosexuality is, it is a "lifestyle."  And Dakota has an opinion as to what he thinks about it, and he shared it.  Then he was punished for it.  Is this crazy or what!

His mother, Holly Pope, said she was “absolutely stunned” when she received a telephone call from an assistant principal informing her that her son had been sent to "in-school suspension."

According to Fox News, his mother said, "Dakota is a very well-grounded 14-year-old." 

She wanted it known that her son is an Honors Student, plays on the football team, and is very active in his church youth group. She said, "He’s been in church his whole life and he’s been taught to stand up for what he believes."

I agree that that’s what got him in trouble, but isn't that part of what America's about.  Why should any of us sacrifice our beliefs, religious or otherwise, just because the Liberals running most public schools are pushing their Political Correct agenda?

Why should any of us allow the Liberal Left shove their agenda down our throats?  Why be some mindless sheep?  Americans should be taught to stand up for what they believe, and not bow to the demands of liberal political correctness.

The teacher over-reacted when Dakota was in a German class at the high school and a conversation shifted to religion and homosexuality in Germany.  At some point during the conversation, he turned to a friend and said that he was a Christian and "being a homosexual is wrong.”

"It wasn’t directed to anyone except my friend who was sitting behind me," Dakota told Fox News. "I guess the teacher heard me.  He started yelling.  He told me he was going to write me an infraction and send me to the office."

Talk about the Liberal Speech Gestapo!  After hearing this, I really believe that that teacher would react in the same way if say one of the students said they didn't agree with President Obama.
Dakota was "sentenced" to 1 day in-school suspension, and 2 days of full suspension. To say the least, his mother was completely astonished and amazed because, as she noted, her son had a spotless record, was an honor student, volunteered at his church and played on the school football team.

The Fort Worth Independent School District issued a statement saying they had no statement.

Dakota's mother did the right thing and contacted an attorney. She contacted the Liberty Counsel immediately after her son was punished.  After talking with an attorney, Holly Pope and her attorney then met with the school. 

The school promptly rescinded the two-day suspension. This is a good thing because Dakota would then be allowed to play in an upcoming football game.

"They’ve righted all the wrongs," said Matt Krause, an attorney with the Liberty Counsel.  "This should have no lasting effect on his academic or personal record going forward."

"I told the school that he should never have been suspended for exercising his Constitutional rights," Krause told Fox News.  "The principal is sincere in trying to do the right thing and hopefully they will tell the teacher, ‘Do not do that anymore.’ He won’t be pushing his agenda."

Krause called the incident "mind blowing" and said the teacher had frequently brought homosexuality into ninth grade classroom discussions.

"There has been a history with this teacher in the class regarding homosexual topics," Krause said. "The teacher had posted a picture of two men kissing on a wall that offended some of the students."

Krause said the picture was posted on the teacher’s "world wall."

"He [the teacher] told the students this is happening all over the world and you need to accept the fact that homosexuality is just part of our culture now," Krause said.  Imagine that!  Talk about trying to brainwash your students with your liberal agenda!

Dakota’s mother said she believes the teacher should apologize.  And went on to say, "He should never have been punished.  He didn’t disrupt the class.  He wasn’t threatening.  He wasn’t hostile.  He made a comment to his friend and the teacher overheard it."

"My son knows people that are homosexual," she added.  "He’s not saying, 'I don’t like you.'  He’s saying, 'I’m a Christian and I believe that being that way is wrong.'"

Krause said school leaders told Dakota that in the future he should be careful when and where he talks about his opposition to homosexuality – suggesting that he talk about such matters in the hallway instead of the classroom.

He said Liberty Counsel will monitor the situation to make sure there is no future retaliation. Meantime, Ms Pope said her son will return to the teacher’s classroom.

"I’ve told him to treat this teacher with respect," she said.  "He is your elder.  He is your teacher.  What his beliefs are or what they are not – outside the school is none of our business."

But this is more than just one teacher in a Texas school, I see this as a trend across the nation.  Christians are being persecuted for our believes.  Schools have a forum to push their liberal agenda better than other liberal institutions.

And though many many of these incidents aren't being reported, or are just not being reported by the Mainstream Liberal News Media who see these stories as counter to their agenda, a few are becoming public knowledge.  And yes, we can look to those incidents as more proof of what's going on out there.

For a couple more exmples, look at what happened just last year in 2010 when two Christian students attending two completely different universities were punished for disagreeing with their schools' policies on homosexuality.

Julea Ward was expelled!  No kidding! She was in fact expelled from the Graduate Program in School Counseling at Eastern Michigan University.  Why? Well, she had told her professors that her faith would keep her from affirming the gay lifestyle for homosexual clients.

And if you think the school was wrong and maybe has its head up its ass, later a liberal Federal Judge upheld her expulsion by the school.  The Alliance Defense Fund stepped in to help Ward appeal the ruling.

"Christian students shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs," said ADF Senior Counsel David French, who argued the case before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan last month. "To reach its decision, the court had to do something that's never been done in Federal Court: uphold an extremely broad and vague University Speech Code."

Meanwhile, another counseling Christian student at Augusta State University in Georgia was also punished for standing up for her beliefs.

Jennifer Keeton said that she was told that she would not be allowed to graduate unless she "changed her Christian beliefs against homosexuality." Imagine that!

The ADF filed a lawsuit on her behalf as well. The suit accused Augusta State officials of violating Keeton's First Amendment rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion.

At the time of the lawsuit, David French said, "A public university student shouldn’t be threatened with expulsion for being a Christian and refusing to publicly renounce her faith, but that’s exactly what’s happening here.  Abandoning one’s own religious beliefs should not be a precondition at a public university for obtaining a degree."

He added, "It's an emerging issue, without question.  Requiring a student to change his or her beliefs to graduate is punishment of free speech.  That is not the role of the state and it is not within the power of the state." 

And, for me, well I believe he's right. This is an emerging issue. One that all parents should be aware of.  After all, if you are a parent, then you're most likely the one paying for your child to attend that school. 

Whether its through paying property taxes to support a local High School, or if its paying enormous tuition fees for my child to attend a university and college, parents paying for their children's education should know if that school is out to push their liberal agenda on their child. 

Or worse, will the school that your child attends persecute your child for his or her Christian beliefs.

If so, then Christian parents should seriously consider taking their dollars elsewhere.  Maybe in that way schools will get back to teaching students that subjects at hand -  instead of indoctrinating them into an agenda based on their partisan liberal ideology.

No one should be allowed to persecute your child for their Christian beliefs.

Story by Tom Correa

A Hawaii Legend Passes - Handsome Johnny Barend

Tonight I opened my e-mail and got some bad news regarding one of Hawaii's legendary wrestlers. His name is Handsome Johnny Barend. Like a few others back in Hawaii in those days, he was truly one of my childhood Heroes. 

I got a note from Mr. Gordon Pang who is Star-Advertiser Staff Writer (Newspaper). He wrote:  "I saw your blog posting on Johnny Barend.  I regret to inform you that Mr. Barend died today.  Would you like to comment about his passing, and what he meant in your life?  I am writing a story for tomorrow's (the Wednesday) newspaper."

It was hard for me to believe really. Just a few months ago I wrote an article about Handsome Johnny Barend.  I wrote it right after I found out that he was doing so well.  Though Handsome Johnny was in his 80s, he looked as though he still had more years to enjoy life.

Yes my friends, as I get older I find that I'm becoming even more sentimental. Like times long pass, I will remember Handsome Johnny Barend fondly. Yes, he will be missed.

This is my response that I sent to Mr Pang:

Aloha Mr. Pang,

Thanks you for informing me of the passing of Mr. Barend. I would like to give my condolences to his family. My prayers are with his wife and family at this time.

His passing is a loss to everyone. Whereas I never knew Handsome Johnny later in life, like many others, I will always remember him for the way he was back in those glorious days at the old Civic Auditorium and the HIC Arena when 50th State Wrestling was a real tradition in Honolulu.

Like many locals growing up in Hawaii those days, Handsome Johnny Barend was one of my childhood Heroes. People loved his craziness, his antics, his spirit, and yes his love for Hawaii.

As for me, well, Handsome Johnny Barend will forever be Hawaii's Prince Pupule. When I think about him, like thousands of others, I'll always remember his smoking his cigar and reading his crazy fairy-tales about his opponents. I can close my eyes right at this very moment and remember him wearing those dark glasses, and of course, his famous growl at the start of his locker room interviews, "Mister Francis!"

I will always remember how during his matches, if he were getting lick'n, the whole arena would start chanting, "Geev 'Um! Geev Um!" And just like that, sure enough, Handsome Johnny Barend would always make a comeback and beat his opponent to win the match.

In life, he taught me to never quit. No matter how much of a lick’n life might be handing out, never quit. And yes, he also taught me that it's really OK to be a little crazy.

May God Bless Handsome Johnny Barend, 1929 to 2011.

He will be missed.

Mahalo,
Tom Correa
American Cowboy Chronicles

Handsome Johnny's Theme Music - Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines