Boots on the Ground 06-03-14

181 people killed, 293 injured in Kiev military op in eastern Ukraine

Kiev’s military operation in eastern Ukraine has left 181 people killed, including 59 of ruling regime troops, and 293 injured, according to the country’s Prosecutor General.
Ongoing operation: 8 die in admin HQ blast as fighter jets deployed to Ukraine’s Lugansk
Oleg Makhnitsky announced the recent figures at a press conference. However, it was not clear whether the death toll included casualties among self-defense forces.
The Prosecutor General has also added that over 220 people have been abducted, including 12 foreign citizens, since the uprising started in Lugansk and Donetsk Regions.
"Six hundred and seventy-five criminal enterprises connected with subversive activities, terrorist acts, and violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine are currently being investigated,” Makhnitsky told the media.
The spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation, Vladislav Seleznev, put the number of self-defense force personnel killed at 300, according to RIA Novosti.
Kiev has been conducting its “anti-terrorist operation” in eastern Ukraine since April, following a mass uprising against the coup-appointed government, demanding broader independence from the capital.
Following the May 11 referendums, in which the Lugansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic voted for the two regions’ independence and proclaimed themselves sovereign states, the military operation by Kiev troops has intensified.

'A cover up just like Benghazi': Outraged parents of officer who died hunting for 'deserter' POW Bergdahl lash out at Obama over 'LIES' they were told about how their hero son died

Lt Darryn Andrews, from Dallas, Texas, died at the age of 34 on Sept 4, 2009 during his second tour of Afghanistan

Top brass told his parents, Sondra and Andy, that he had been looking for a top Taliban commander

But former comrades have now claimed the truth is that he was looking for Bowe Bergdahl

Said to be one of six soldiers who died looking for the POW

Father said: 'For his family it’s good to get him back but we will never be able to get our son back because of the actions of this guy'

Lt Andrews' parents revealed their son thought Bergdahl was a 'deserter'

Lt Andrews was posthumously given a silver star for his bravery

At time of his death his wife Julie, 30, had already given birth to their son, six. Their daughter was born three-and-a-half months after he died

Father Andy against trade with terrorists

The Facebook group 'Bowe Bergdahl is NOT hero!' has 5,400 members

Bergdahl e-mailed his parents saying he 'was ashamed to be an American'

The furious parents of an officer who they claim was killed while searching for freed Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl today said that they have been lied to as part of a ‘cover up just like Benghazi’.

The mother and father of Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews are angry that they have been told different stories about how their son died. First his commanders said that their son was blown up while hunting a Taliban commander - but only now that Bergdahl has been freed after five years in captivity are they learning the truth.
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AWOL NOTE: Bergdahl Left Note Explaining Why He’s a Wuss Before Going AWOL

WASHINGTON — Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life. He slipped off the remote military outpost in Paktika Province on the border with Pakistan and took with him a soft backpack, water, knives, a notebook and writing materials, but left behind his body armor and weapons — startling, given the hostile environment around his outpost.

…

“Yes, I’m angry,” Joshua Cornelison, a former medic in Sergeant Bergdahl’s platoon, said in an interview on Monday arranged by Republican strategists.

…

Sergeant Bergdahl slipped away from his outpost, the former senior officer said, possibly on foot but more likely hiding in a contractor’s vehicle. “He didn’t walk out the gate through a checkpoint, and there was no evidence he breached the perimeter wire and left that way,” the ex-officer said.

It was not until the 9 a.m. roll call on June 30 that the 29 soldiers of Second Platoon, Blackfoot Company, learned he was gone.

“I was woken up by my platoon leader,” said Mr. Cornelison, who had gone to sleep just three hours before after serving watch from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. “Hey Doc,” his platoon leader said. “Have you seen Bergdahl?”

Platoon members said Sergeant Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was known as bookish and filled with romantic notions that some found odd.

“He wouldn’t drink beer or eat barbecue and hang out with the other 20-year-olds,” Cody Full, another member of Sergeant Bergdahl’s platoon, said in an interview on Monday also arranged by Republican strategists. “He was always in his bunk. He ordered Rosetta Stone for all the languages there, learning Dari and Arabic and Pashto.”

AZ Gov. Jan Brewer Blasts Obama for Feds Dropping Off Illegals at AZ Bus Stations

On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer called on the Obama Administration to end its "dangerous" policy of dropping off hundreds of illegal immigrants apprehended in Texas in Arizona. She also blasted the federal government for not giving Arizona a heads up, saying state officials first found out about the "unconscionable" policy through media reports.

"I urge you to end this dangerous and unconscionable policy immediately and instead take actions to fulfill the federal government's fundamental responsibility of protecting our homeland by securing our nation's borders," Brewer wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.
Brewer said that the country and Arizona face "significant challenges" from the Obama Administration's "refusal to carry out its responsibility to secure our country's southern border," which has stretched state and local governments and law enforcement agencies "to the breaking point attempting to manage the enormity of these challenges."
"It is especially disconcerting that DHS instituted this operation without any notification to my office, the Arizona Department of Public Safety or the Arizona Department of Homeland Security," she wrote. "We instead learned of this action from the news media."
Brewer said she was "deeply concerned about this troubling policy and the adverse impact on the illegal aliens, as well as to Arizona." She mentioned that media reports have indicated that "many of the illegal aliens that DHS is releasing into Arizona from Texas are women, children, and unaccompanied juveniles" who have been abandoned "at the bus stations without any food, water or basic necessities."
"I remind you that the daytime temperatures in Arizona during this time of year are regularly more than 100 degrees," she added. "Consequently, this federal operation seems to place expediency over basic humanitarian concerns. The federal government should not shirk its lawful responsibility to care for and properly process these individuals."
Brewer asked the Obama Administration to answer who authorized the policy and why Arizona was chosen as the target, when the policy was initiated and how much longer the operation will proceed, how many illegal immigrants have designated Arizona as their ultimate destination, how many illegal aliens have been designated as a "family unit" and how many have been designated as "unaccompanied juveniles," what the federal government knows about the background of the illegal immigrants being released in Arizona, what proactive steps the federal government is taking to process the illegal immigrants dropped off in Arizona, what has caused the massive influx of illegal aliens, and what is being done to secure the border in Texas to prevent the need to release more illegal immigrants in Arizona.

NEW YORK POST: Where is the outrage?

WE’RE still waiting for the outrage over the Obama administration’s having sent an e-mail to 6,000 reporters blowing the cover of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s) station chief in Afghanistan.
We’ve seen nothing approaching the hysteria and cries of "treason!" when Valerie Plame was outed as a CIA covert operative in the Bush years. Plame herself calls what happened to the station chief in Afghanistan "colossally stupid" — but excuses it because she says it was "inadvertent". Here’s how she put it to CNN: "It all comes down to intent. What happened with me, my name was intended to be leaked in retaliation against my husband, who was a fierce critic of the Bush administration and the Iraq war."
That is complete fiction. It emerged that the leaker was a gossipy deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, who did not know Plame was a covert agent when he leaked her name.
Whatever the harm to Plame’s future as an operative for the CIA, she was at least in the US when her identity became known. In contrast, the CIA officer outed by Team Obama is in Kabul, one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Bottom line: two disclosures of CIA agents, each done inad-vertently. One generates a press fury, the other barely a yawn.

Mission Accomplished for Barack Obama

Today on Morning Joe the discussion of the Taliban prisoner swap led the news.  Joe Scarborough was not there so Mika Brzezinski and was clearly not comfortable with the subject leaving it to uber partisans Al Hunt & Eugene Robinson to defend the president.

However for all the discomfort of the moment and the problem that headaches that this move is making in the end this has been a mission accomplished moment for Barack Obama.

Not because he got that last US serviceman (no matter what his loyalties)

Not because this removed prisoners from Gitmo which has been his desire since day one.

No to understand how complete his victory is you must look here.

That link goes to the web site Memeorandum, an aggregate site for news articles for 6:15 AM EST today Tuesday June 3rd.

There are 39 stories and hundreds of sub links to stories.

Not a single one concerns the Veterans Administration scandal.

The VA scandal cut across party lines including his base, that is a scandal that this administration could not win.

This prisoner exchange is different.  His base which never liked the army anyways and wanted Gitmo closed will stick with him on this prisoner release, they’ll be uncomfortable for a bit in public but they’ll be there.

Barack Obama’s administration has replaced a scandal he can’t handle politically with one he can.

That was and is the goal, and that’s why he’s won because for Obama  the war against his political enemies will always trump the safety of the US .

Obama’s Birth Certificate Investigation About To Blow Open

Although many people have given up hope for proof that Obama’s birth certificate is fraudulent, others have been working tirelessly to obtain what they know to be true. Most recently, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has announced that although the investigation isn’t quite blown wide open, it’s inching ever close to that reality.
Arpaio’s wing man in the investigation, Mike Zullo, explains that they have recently discovered who the forger is. According to Zullo, the team knows:

A) Who the forger is
B) The IP addresses of the computers involved
C) Mouthpieces close to the investigation brimming with confidence

Take a listen to the video and let us know what you think of this in the comments below. Could we really be this close to the truth?

The case for impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama

This morning on WMALs “Morning on the Mall” radio show with hosts Brian and Larry I was asked a simple question relating to the Taliban prisoner release and impeachment of the president. I responded yes that in this current case, the U.S. House of Representatives should file articles of impeachment against Barack Hussein Obama.
Now before all the detractors go apoplectic here, let me tell you about Article 2 signing statements, their intent, purpose, history, and usage, and the implications for the president’s impeachment.
President Obama used an Article 2 signing statement to deem unconstitutional a measure HE had signed into law contained in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The law stated that he must advise Congress within 30 days about any plans to transfer detainees from GITMO. Obama basically stated that this was “unconstitutional” and that his unilateral action fell within his purview. Once again Obama used selective discretion as to what law he feels he must adhere to — in this case it has severe ramifications for our national security.
Why would the United States acquiesce to the demands of a non-state, non-uniform terrorist organization — the Taliban? The Taliban is our enemy and it is not a nation-state with whom we should enter into negotiations. There are some 141 detainees at GITMO. The five released were senior Taliban officials, basically members of Mullah Omar’s inner circle. If we wanted to release detainees in exchange for Bergdahl, there were many others to choose from. Why these?
The rate of recidivism for GITMO released detainees has gone from 1 in 6 to 1 in 3 — and why would we think a one-year travel ban out of Qatar will be respected, or even make a difference with today’s modern communications technology? Even Obama has now stated they may just return to terrorist activity.

Obama’s breaking of the law in this case presents serious national security concerns — for all Americans. This is aiding and abetting the enemy, which goes along with the collusion of this administration with Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated organizations and supplying weapons and arms to Islamists.

Obama just released the leadership of a terrorist organization, and what did we get in return? A deserter, who by his own self-proclamation harbors anti-American sentiments — which it seems that Susan Rice, our esteemed National Security Advisor, didn’t even realize his heinous actions — or maybe as usual she just lied about it again. Bergdahl served the United States with honor and distinction? Let’s not send Susan Rice out ever again.
To hear Obama state that “no American should be left behind” — has he forgotten about Benghazi and Marine SGT Tahmooressi? How about leaving behind American veterans to die?
Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that Barack Hussein Obama’s unilateral negotiations with terrorists and the ensuing release of their key leadership without consult — mandated by law — with the U.S. Congress represents high crimes and misdemeanors, an impeachable offense.
So I call upon the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives; Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to draft articles of impeachment as no one is above the law in America. The failure to do so speaks volumes.
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Is Former Harvard Lampoon Writer the Real Author of Hillary's Book?

Those of you who are already claiming that Hillary Clinton's new book, "Hard Choices," is a joke might be closer to the truth than you think. It turns out that the real author of the book was a former writer for the Harvard Lampoon according to Roger Friedman at Showbiz 411.
One wonders if the same ghost writer came up with the laughable idea of giving the book the same title, "Hard Choices," as another book by another former Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance. Here is Friedman wondering if Hillary Clinton will give credit to her ghost writer:

The world waits for Hillary Clinton’s new book, “Hard Choices,” on June 10th. I know I have it all queued up on amazon.com. But Clinton’s hardest choice may start at home: will she give her ghost writer a credit this time?
I wrote about a year ago that Edward “Ted” Widmer, a long time Hillary associate, was actually writing “Hard Choices.”
Widmer, 51, is a Harvard graduate who wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. He has a long association with Brown University, where he was the Director of the John Carter Brown Library.At least that’s where used to be. Widmer now works out of the president’s office at Brown. After all, his prestige factor has rise considerably.

Writing the Hillary book apparently means navigating your way through the minefields of truth as exemplified by this incident:

Last year I wrote that Widmer has conceded that Clinton–though she hasn’t said so directly– is “incredibly organized and planning her campaign.” He sent me an email later claiming: “I have neither said that or anything like it to anyone, nor is it something I believe.” Well, it’s a year later and Hillary is pretty much the front runner for the Democratic nomination.

Does that denial not sound like something from a hostage tape?
So will Widmer receive credit in Hillary's book? Friedman refers back to a previous book she "wrote" in which the ghost writer received no credit:

But what credit will Widmer get on “Hard Choices”? Clinton caused an uproar with her bestseller, “It Take a Village,” when she denied the ghost writer any identification at all. That book was written by Barbara Feinman, a Georgetown University professor. Feinman was paid $120,000 for seven months’ work. She eventually went public and complained about lack of credit..

So how did it work out? Widmer emailed me this afternoon: “…sorry, I don’t have the answer – I haven’t seen printed version…”

Since Widmer used to write for the Harvard Lampoon, I recommend that he turn his stint as ghost writer for Hillary into a comedy routine.
Hillary Clinton doesn't need a ghost writer because she is as good at writing as Kate Winslet was at reading in "The Reader."
Badda...BING!

Report – Suicide bomber in Bulgaria was former Gitmo detainee from Sweden (Update – denials)

Via Times of Israel:

Bulgarian media on Thursday named the suicide bomber who blew up a bus full of Israeli tourists, killing five, in Burgas on Wednesday as Mehdi Ghezali.
There was no independent confirmation of the veracity of the information. The reports surfaced soon after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly accused Hezbollah, directed by Iran, of responsibility for the bombing.
Ghezali was reportedly a Swedish citizen, with Algerian and Finnish origins. He had been held at the US’s Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba from 2002 to 2004, having previously studied at a  Muslim religious school and mosque in Britain, and traveled to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
He was also reportedly among 12 foreigners captured trying to cross into Afghanistan in 2009.

His Wikipedia write up is here.  He claimed to have been tortured at Gitmo and provided this account of his capture to al-Jazeera:

Ghezali said he went to Pakistan to study Islam in August 2001, before the September 11 attacks which triggered President George Bush’s War on Terrorism and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
He said he was visiting a friend in the Afghan town of Jalalabad near the Pakistani border when the US invasion started. He decided to return to Pakistan when he heard that villagers were selling foreigners to US forces.
Pakistani villagers seized him as he crossed the border from Afghanistan and sold him to Pakistani police, who turned him over to the US military. He was flown from Pakistan to Afghanistan and arrived in Guantanamo Bay in January 2002, he said.
He was released from Guantanamo on 8 July because he was no longer considered a threat to the United States.

He was detained in 2009 in Pakistan.  The Long War Journal provides this account and background:

The Swedish press has reported that Ghezali had previously served 10 months  in prison in Portugal because he was suspected of burglarizing tourists and  stores. He was freed and attempted to study Islam in Saudi Arabia, but failed to  do so. He traveled to London where he may have studied under Omar Bakri  Muhammad, a notorious jihadist preacher.
Ghezali then made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he claims he  stayed with family. Press reports indicate that he is suspected of staying in a  notorious al Qaeda safehouse in Jalalabad instead. Ghezali was arrested in  Pakistan in December 2001.
“Ghezali reportedly was part of a group of 156 suspected al-Qaida fighters  caught while fleeing Afghanistan’s Tora Bora mountains,” according to the Associated Press.
Ghezali was sent to Guantanamo and his story became a cause for attorneys and  activists in Sweden who portrayed him as a wrongly-detained innocent. In July  2004, Ghezali was transferred from Cuba to Sweden.
But the controversy surrounding Ghezali was not over. Five years after he  left Gitmo, Ghezali, along with Awad, Benouada, and nine others, was detained in  northern Pakistan. The group had traveled through Iran, and one member of the  entourage was an Iranian.
Shortly thereafter, another Muslim Swede, Sahbi  Zalouti, was arrested in the same area of Pakistan. Zalouti was also picked up  this week in connection with the plot against Jyllands-Posten.