"Politics Over Country" is Abysmal, You Say? Look In the Mirror

Obama Appointee Who Heads U.S. Nuclear Security Agency Is Hacked By "Guccifer" 

The Obama administration official who heads the agency responsible for maintaining the country’s nuclear stockpile as well as securing “loose nukes” worldwide is the latest victim of  “Guccifer.” 

Neile Miller, acting administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently had her Facebook account breached by the notorious hacker, who also apparently illegally accessed one of Miller’s personal e-mail accounts.

I know a lot of my fellow conservative/libertarian types are probably giggling like 13 year-old girls at a Justin Bieber concert over this news because, after all, it makes Obama look bad (rather, even worse). Much in the same way they have lionized the traitor Edward Snowden, we're embracing virtually anyone who will assist us in our quest to say "I told you so!" in the end.

For years, we've preached that "this is a dangerous world"; do these leakers, hackers and abusers of sacred trusts enhance our safety in this dangerous world, or diminish it?

How does endangering our national security, even a little, further our cause? We claim to "put our country first" and decry anyone in this administration who puts politics over our country- and rightly so. How does our abject giddiness over these lapses and transgressions translate into anything but placing politics over country?

Wake up and get your wits about you and try and find the principles that you evidently lost five years ago!

Charge Him With Treason

After a great deal of consideration, I really cannot defend or align myself with this "whistleblower" fellow, Edward Snowden, as many on my side seem wont to do.  In fact, I consider him guilty of treason. He swore to keep secrets and he did not keep that oath. Oaths don't have exceptions. Oaths aren't subject to politics and they're not negated when the administration changes.

My mother was, I believe, a cryptographer with Naval Intelligence during WWII. I say "I believe", because she never really said. I have ribbons and commendations she received- the commendations say little to nothing and the ribbons she was never allowed to wear. She never talked about her work with my father, also a WWII veteran, and she certainly never talked to me, though I pressed her my whole life. I know she worked in Washington and I know it had something to do with Japanese code and I know her service began before the war- that's all she ever confirmed to anyone.

She died in 1982 and took her secrets to her grave. A few weeks after her death, we received a certificate from The White House, signed by Ronald Reagan, referencing her meritorious and invaluable service to her country. My father, also a vet, didn't get one and I've never heard of anyone else getting one. Again, she took her secrets to the grave.

That's the way it's done.

Edward Snowden is a traitor; try him as such.

A Constitutional Crisis for our Time

The Executive (President) will continue unheeded, until heeded.  That's the nature of the office and the very reason we have a system of checks and balances to protect us from the occasional rogue Executive.

For 40 years, I’ve heard Watergate called a “Constitutional crisis”; perhaps it was, albeit a minor one. However, the Constitution worked, pretty efficiently and just the way it was designed. Heads rolled, the Executive voluntarily removed himself at the behest of congressional leaders from his party and White House conspirators were imprisoned.

In 2013, we have an Executive not only flouting the Constitution, but acting in absolute contempt thereof with complete support of his party and, apparently, the at-large press. 

From my own layman’s view, this is “Constitutional Crisis” writ large.

"Watching the Wheels Go Round and Round…….."

I turned 60 last week and the first time I remember saying “I never thought I’d see that” was when the Berlin Wall and the Eastern Bloc fell…….and I don’t think I’ve stopped saying it since. 

The passing parade can be horrifying, terrifying, inspirational and downright weird but always astounding as hell and entertaining in an odd sort of way. 

Lest anyone think this is just another case of “Boomer narcissism", I’m sure mine isn’t the only generation to come to this conclusion….but perhaps we’re the most recent.

What's Parody and What's Reality?

EPA Honors Fake Employee

Lisa Jackson aka Richard Windsor, Former EPA Administrator

Richard Windsor may be the most famous Environmental Protection Agency employee. Oddly, he does not exist. “Windsor” is the e-mail alias that Lisa Jackson, former head of the EPA and now an environmental adviser to Apple, used to correspond with environmental activists and senior Obama-administration officials, among others.

Please do read the whole thing, if you dare.

It's all descended into a tragic, through-the-looking-glass farce; I'm quickly becoming depleted of adjectives.