RIP George H.W. Bush

Years before his son sent us to invade Iraq in 2003, George H.W. Bush gave us a mandate to liberate Kuwait from it's Iraqi invaders. It was a mandate few questioned, it was right, it was just. It was a glorious time and a decisive victory.

George H.W. Bush is known for the little things, such as getting the Secret Service to stop at stop lights so as not to inconvenience other road users - as he was for the big things such as the aforementioned Gulf War against the evil forces of Saddam Hussein. 

Also every American in a wheelchair or some disability benefits from George H.W. Bush's Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) and he famously spent many hundreds of hours amending the Clean Air act (now of course being eroded by the current administration).

What's truly amazing to me is that he did what he did while democrats controlled both houses. The U.S., nay the World has today lost one of it's most extraordinary leaders.

Rest in peace Mr. President.

 

SPEARHEAD change of command

Incoming SPEARHEAD Supreme Commander Gen. Sir "Knuckles" McKenzie (left) shakes hands with outgoing SPEARHEAD Supreme Commander Gen. "Stomper" Santorno at the SPEARHEAD Change of command ceremony at Mount Olympus, Greece, Saturday September 1st

After a series of unprecedented events in 2012 decimated UNPASID leadership and left UNETIDA in crisis; then-former U.S. Army Major General "Stomper" Santorno was taken out of retirement by President Obama and chosen to take the reigns of the troubled organisations due to his extensive experience with both. Now after six illustrious years of rebuilding and restructuring them into SPEARHEAD, it's first Supreme Commander is stepping down to make a second attempt at retirement.

British Army General Sir "Knuckles" McKenzie, KCB, CBE, DSO who served as SPEARHEADs Vice Commander since 2014 was tapped by the Security Council in 2017 as Santorno's successor. Gen. McKenzie gave a speech honouring the remarkable achievements of his predecessor.

General McKenzie: "Good morning lads n' lassies, n' those of ye who have nae decided what side of that fence yer on eh? Hah ha! We're 'ere today to mark the departure of a great man indeed. A giant in our field, General "Stomper" Santorno."

(Applause)

General McKenzie: "The general was the perfect choice to lead our former organisations UNPASID and UNETIDA. His experience began in 1982 when then-Captain Santorno's special operations team had an encounter with what was described in his report as "not alive, but nae dead either"."

(Laughter)

General McKenzie: "From that moment on, his eyes to the hidden world all around us, that we keep from the general public, were opened. Later as an operations officer with Delta Force, Major Santorno was awarded the Silver Star fer rescuing his unit from what he later discovered were extra-terrestrials. Due to his experience and the fact he had been exposed to both vicious undead and a belligerent extra-terrestrial force, and lived, he was recruited into UNPASID to bolster their special operations group and where he supervised training and survival methods.

After taking part in the invasion of Panama and serving in Operation Desert Storm he returned to UNPASID as the Deputy Special Operations Commander until he was asked to serve as the military advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Paranormal Affairs. Lt. Colonel Santorno lent his considerable expertise, to UNETIDA as he then served as the agency's Deputy Special Operations Commander before serving stints as both UNPASID's and UNETIDA's Special Operations Commander after which he received his first star and assignment as UNETIDA's Deputy Director of Operations in 2000.

From 2002 to 2003, Brigadier General Santorno served as UNETIDA's Chief of Staff and later Deputy Director of UNPASID. Upon promotion to major general, he was made director of UNPASID a post in which he served with distinction until his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2007.

Rather than depopulate the fish of North American rivers or buy a boat, the general spent his "retirement" as the Extra-Terrestrial and Paranormal Activity Advisor to the National Security Council of the Bush administration. From 2009 until 2012 he served as both an Extra-Terrestrial and Paranormal Security Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon in times of need.

In 2012 a time of even greater need was then upon us; we sadly lost Major General "Skullcrusher" Shaw in tragic circumstances and in light of the fact that all other senior ranking officers assigned to UNPASID died, went missing or were remanded in military custody, and UNETIDA itself was being scrutinised by a UN commission, it was proposed that a new commander be appointed to oversee both organisations simultaneously. There was only one name on the list. Major General "Stomper" Santorno. The general was taken out of retirement, pinned on a third star and given the mandate to oversee the organisations through their difficulties.

At the time, Lt. General Santorno assured us that despite what his appointment represented, it was his mandate that the missions and operations of each unit would be given the same attention that they have always deserved. He offered that while there would be some change, he hoped that the directorates could make those changes work fer the better to ensure the ultimate success of as he said "keeping the world safe from things it's not ready to believe in".

The man was true to his word, and just a year into his appointment, through his deeds he strengthened our position by overseeing the permanent amalgamation of UNPASID, UNETIDA and their forces and missions into SPEARHEAD. He raised the perceptions of the importance of the work we do to the politicians and lawmakers in the UN and around the world and secured massive international support and funding."

(Applause)

General McKenzie: "The importance of SPEARHEAD in the international military stage is evidenced by the elevation of his billet in 2015 to that of the highest military rank."

(Applause)

General McKenzie: "For which I'm personally thankful."

(Laughter)

General McKenzie: "And the fact that as of this year I'm delighted to announce that every one of the the 193 countries in the United Nations is for the first time represented by a member of SPEARHEAD either in the military, scientific or in our many support fields somewhere in the world, or above it."

(Applause)

General McKenzie: "It's with great certainty that I can tell you we wouldn't be be where we are today without his guidance and that while honoured to be appointed as the SPEARHEAD Supreme Commander, I can only succeed General Santorno but cannae ever replace 'im."

(Applause)

General Santorno: "Thank you for your kind words General McKenzie, and congratulations on your well deserved appointment. I will try not to keep you folks too long, I know Knuckles is itching to work you to the bone. If there's anyone here who thought I was tough, you're in for a surprise let me tell you."

(Laughter)

General Santorno: "When I retired eleven years ago the last thing I assumed I'd be doing would be standing here again, two stars and *ahem* more than two pounds heavier."

(Laughter)

General Santorno: "No, I was in my mid-50's and was looking forward to the civilian phenomena of lie-ins in the morning and gardening. But after a week of that I had killed all my wife's beautiful plants and she begged me to go and find something less destructive to do with my time."

(Laughter)

General Santorno: "So I did. For the next five years I assisted both President Bush and the Joint Chiefs with their understanding of the constantly evolving threats SPEARHEAD now deals with today. I was aware of the crisis that UNETIDA and UNPASID faced and when the offer was made to me to return to uniform to lend assistance and guidance, they didn't need to ask twice.

I'm grateful for the confidence shown me by my superiors in the U.S. Government and in the UNSC who enabled me to strengthen our organisation for the better and I'm thankful for the support of the many people here who helped me to get the job done. General McKenzie says that we may not be here without my guidance but that is only true because of the support, willingness and drive from each and every one of you. I especially wish to thank Colonel-General "Kóbec" Yurkov of the Russian Federation and his successor, now my own successor General "Knuckles" McKenzie of the British Army for serving as my second in command and representing SPEARHEAD when required.

(Applause)

General Santorno: In closing, I wish only to assure you that you will have extraordinary challenges ahead and I hope I have left you with an adequate base from which to meet those challenges head on, but from what I've seen from you all, that will certainly not be a problem.

Thank you and goodbye.

(Applause)

UFO hearings in Washington nothing but cry for attention

That 100 seconds of madness was brought to you by The Citizen Hearing on Disclosure [CHD], a week-long event that began on April 29th at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. with the aim of gaining traction for a movement demanding that the U.S. government come clean about Extra-Terrestrials. The $600,000 event which was free and open to the public, took the form of a simulated congressional hearing just like those conducted a few blocks away on Capitol Hill. Interestingly the “hearings” were presided over by some who have a wealth of experience - six former members of congress!

Former U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett and five of his former colleagues, former Senator Maurice Gravel and former representatives Lynn  Woolse, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Darlene Hooley and Merill Cook presided over 30 hours of testimony delivered by about 40 individuals associated with the Paradigm Research Group, which works "to advocate in all ways possible for an end to a government imposed truth embargo of the facts surrounding an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race." Bartlett doubts we have Extra Terrestrials among us bet he said he’s keeping an open mind and would consider people quite “arrogant to assume we're the only intelligent life in the universe."

Colonel "Whopper" Creedon, UNETIDA's Director of Intelligence said that the conference initially had concerned his organisation due to the fact that some "witnesses" may be interpreted as credible and the fact that it's location and members may spark "unhealthy" media interest. Creedon lamented the fact that as a UN representative he had to uphold Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because often "free speech is more trouble than it's worth".

UNETIDA need not have worried however, for all intents and purposes most major news outlets completely ignored the event with only The New York Times delivering a bland report and British leftist rag The Guardian treating it derisively, paying more attention to the $20k the committee members were paid for their appearances than any of the "evidence". Additionally, Yahoo News all but laughed out loud. What's worse is that even conspiracy-nut haven sites like Ghost Theory were just as dismissive of "the CHD’s futile attempt at legitimizing their mission. They seem disorganized, ill-equipped, and without a clue as to what they really want from the government." 

Of particular note Ghost Theory also highlighted the testimony of once-esteemed Canadian Defence Minister Paul Hellyer who laid out "a litany of charges including accusing the US Government of harbouring two living ET.s". This was also the man who in 2005 accused President Bush of plotting an "Intergalactic War". "That's utterly ridiculous" added Colonel Creedon who served a tour in the White House as Military Assistant to the Deputy National Security Advisor for Extra-Terrestrial Defence during the Bush Administration "VP Cheney never involved President Bush in the Intergalactic War plans".

Source: Bruce Russell via Huff Post
Additional: The Guardian / The New York Times / Ghost Theory

The Grand Old Party needs to evolve

Come January, President Mitt Romney should have been taken to Area 51* where it would have been revealed to him that it wasn't just the belligerent nations of Earth he should be worried about. But he won't. Mitt Romney will not be the president of the United States next year because he lost the election - it wasn't that President Obama won, regardless of what the media tells you, it was because Mitt Romney lost.

Romney is most certainly not to blame however; sure he was uncharismatic and aloof and he had a cult religion but no, the responsibility for his dismal failure is firmly in the hands of the Republican Party. The GOP fielded a candidate that has more experience in practical economic situations than most others in government - yet he lost an election where the economy was really the only issue that anyone voting cared about and worse, lost to a president on whose watch people still feel they are worse off than ever. Four years earlier the party put forward a dignified gentleman, a humble war hero, at a time when America was embroiled in two major conflicts - yet lost to a man with no military experience with the middle name "Hussein".

It's obvious to many that Republican Party has lost it's ability to win presidential elections due its unwillingness to accept the changing demographics of the nation's electorate. It's clear that while fiscal responsibility is something that is most necessary for them to prove, they still have to collectively shed the image of a group of angry white males who want them damn Mexicans off their lawn, don't accept the theory of evolution and remain blind to the fact that humanity may be contributing to a few "issues" with the planet that scientists are warning us about. More importantly however, they have to eliminate their precious deity from their policy making - God did not give the American people their rights - they were given by the forefathers who believed in God and simply wrote that on a scrap of paper over two hundred years ago.

The full extent of Obama's scale-tipping Latino vote is not yet known. However if Republicans retain their strident position on immigration, the percentage of their own Latino vote will drop even further than the drop between those that voted for Bush in '04 and those that supported Romney this week. As you can imagine, asking people to "self deport" themselves probably pissed them off.

Homosexuals are no longer limited to California and areas of New York anymore and now they even serve openly in the military. If Republicans are prepared to not treat them like lepers and allow them the same basic rights to have a family unit regardless of gender, I'm confident that not only would they vote Republican but they may even join the GOP.

Republicans should make efforts to distance themselves from organisations like the misguided idiots of the Tea Party rather than pander to them. They should also denounce individuals who spew hate-speech like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck, the guys who make Bill O'Reilly sound like a liberal. They are living jokes, fossils of an age that modern politics no longer resides in.

GOP candidates must seek to define themselves in ways that go beyond merely opposing their Democratic "enemies". Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, cynically summed up the situation when he declared that his top priority was in seeing Obama defeated. People running for political office should really have more than one goal and that goal should be something more worthy than thwarting what the majority of voters decided they wanted earlier.

The GOP may also need to recalibrate their position on women's issues such as birth control and Planned Parenthood that are harming it among women and young voters. Women made up 53% of the vote and broke to Obama by a 10-point margin. Candidates with extreme positions on abortion cost the GOP some sure-win Senate seats. Scientifically ignorant and frankly reprehensible statements like Todd Akin's explanation of a females magic-shutdown of her reproductive system after suffering “legitimate rape” and Richard Mourdock's suggestion that "Rape Pregnancies Are God's Gifts" naturally cost them their races, but both were beaten by women and one of them was even a lesbian!

They miraculously still retain the House, but the GOP is licking it's wounds after their failure in the Senate and the presidential races, a failure to move with the times or move so imperceptibly slowly that it looks like they're not moving. I guess we should be thankful they seem to have by now accepted the idea that slavery is inherently wrong. Hopefully after they see the power of the Hispanic, black, female, homosexual and youth demographics in the most recent election they'll begin to understand that unless they evolve away from their archaic creationist, extremist and evangelical views, their grand old white-boys club has about as much chance of achieving national Reagan-like acceptance in 21st century society as the KKK does.

*All the cool stuff is in Area 52, but we naturally don't show politicians that.

Santorno tapped as new UNETIDA/UNPASID Director

After an emergency UNSC meeting on Tuesday evening, SECDEF Panetta was asked appoint a 3-star officer to take command of UNETIDA and UNPASID which would for the time being be operating with a single command staff. Yesterday morning, after meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the SECDEF submitted a list of names of viable candidates to POTUS. It was a short list, a list of one - Major General "Stomper" Santorno, U.S. Army [Ret.].

Major General "Stomper" Santorno, U.S. Army [Ret.] as Director of UNPASID in 2006

General Santorno was chosen for his extensive history with both UNPASID and UNETIDA. In 1982 Captain Santorno's special operations team had an encounter with what was described by Santorno in his report as "not alive, but not dead". Later in 1987 as an operations officer with 1st SFOD-D [Delta Force], Major Santorno was awarded the Silver Star for rescuing his unit from what he later discovered were extra-terrestrials. Due to his experience and the fact he had been exposed to both vicious undead and a belligerent extra-terrestrial force, and lived, he was recruited into UNPASID to bolster their special operations group and where he supervised training and survival methods.

Maj. Santorno returned to 1st SFOD-D for the invasion of Panama in 1989. After serving in the Gulf War in 1991 he requested to return to UNPASID who gladly accepted. Briefly, Lt. Col. Santorno was assigned as the Deputy Special Operations Commander for UNPASID until he was asked to serve as the military advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Paranormal Affairs until 1993. 

Lt. Colonel Santorno lent his considerable expertise, this time to UNETIDA as he served as the agency's Deputy Special Operations Commander until 1995 when he was promoted to colonel and was elevated to UNPASID's Special Operations Commander. In 1997 Col. Santorno shifted sideways to command UNETIDA's special operations before receiving his first star and assignment as UNETIDA's Director of Operations in 2000.

From 2002 to 2003, Brigadier General Santorno served as UNETIDA's Chief of Staff until an untimely command reshuffle during which the french Deputy Director of UNPASID was called into service with NATO and Santorno replaced him. Upon promotion to major general, Santorno was made director of UNPASID a post in which he served with distinction until his retirement from the Army in 2007.

Rather than depopulate the fish of North American rivers or buy a boat, Santorno spent his "retirement" as the Extra-Terrestrial and Paranormal Activity Advisor to the National Security Council of the Bush administration. Since 2009 he has been serving as both an Extra-Terrestrial and Paranormal Security Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon in times of need.

Major General Santorno's awards include: the Army Distinguished Service Medal, The Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star [with two oak leaf clusters], The Defense Superior Service Medal [with two oak leaf clusters], the Legion of Merit [with two oak leaf clusters], the Bronze Star [with combat distinguishing device and two oak leaf clusters], the Purple Heart [with oak leaf cluster], United Nations Special Service medal [with 4 bronze stars], Combat Infantryman's Badge, Master Parachutist and Military Freefall Parachutist badges, and both the Special Forces and Ranger tabs.

General Santorno's reinstatement to active duty is rare but not unheard of. In 2003 SecDef Rumsfeld recalled the former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, General Schoomaker out of retirement after three years to serve as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army until 2007.

General Santorno is known for making allusions to the fact that he's related to Jimmy "No Fingers" Santorno a Mafia crime boss known for having no fingers and punishing those who crossed him with the same fate. The general is apparently not above threatening diplomats with "an introduction to cousin Jimmy". It should be noted that neither Army CID or the FBI have ever reported evidence to support the generals claim. 

President Obama's nomination for Santorno's assignment to UNETIDA/UNPASID and promotion to lieutenant general requires confirmation from the U.S. Senate. This is something that the SecDef and JCOS feel would only be a formality or they would not have forwarded his name.

JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE! Bin Laden Terminated

"We will not tire. We will not falter, and we will not fail."
- George W. Bush, September 11th, 2001.

While indeed Bush never wavered in his resolve to locate and capture Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive", it was President Obama who ordered a “detailed operation plan” in 2009 for finding and capturing bin Laden from CIA Director Leon Panetta. It would be another two years before there was enough intelligence in place to pinpoint Bin Laden's location prompting a special operation last night undertaken by a Navy SEAL team to fulfill President Bush's promise and eliminate Osama Bin Laden.

While obviously I was involved in operational planning for some time, I was absent all last week to iron out the final stages of the mission. I can say it was a period of high tension and anxiousness. People at the highest levels of government and military were on edge as the hours counted down during the preparation for this extraordinary operation, the culmination of years of work to either capture of kill the world's most wanted man.

The celebrations last night and today are certainly warranted. It's a great day for the USA.

My favourite headline today :)

Woman relieved of command - but no-one will cry

The contribution of women to the US Military throughout history must never be ignored. The names of such pioneering members of the fairer sex, especially those who broke barriers should never be forgotten. Margaret Corbin fought with her husband at Fort Washington in the Revolutionary decade. Dr. Mary E. Walker, a surgeon during the Civil War was the first [and only] female recipient of the Medal Of Honor. Annie G. Fox earned the first Purple Heart bestowed on a woman for injuries sustained at Hickam Field, Pearl Harbor, Dec 7 1941. Lt. Kara Hultgreen, the Navy's first fully qualified female fighter pilot, was sadly also the first woman combat pilot to die in service. In 1995 Lt Kelly Flinn USAF became the first woman B-52 Bomber Pilot. In 1990 Cmdr. Darlene Iskra became the first woman to command a U.S. Navy ship - the U.S.S. Opportune. I covered the pending promotion of Gen. Ann Dunwoody in June 2008 myself here. All impressive achievements, but what about Holly Graf?

Captain Holly Graf, US Navy, was relieved of her command of the Ticonderoga class Aegis guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Cowpens [CG-63] by the admiralty in January. The just-released Inspector General's report concludes that Graf "repeatedly verbally abused her crew and committed assault" and accuses her of using her position as commander "for personal gain." According to 29 of the 36 crew members who were questioned for the Navy's report, Graf repeatedly dropped F bombs on them. "Take your goddam attitude and shove it up your fuckin' ass and leave it there," she allegedly told an officer during a stressful maneuver aboard the 567-ft., 10,000-ton vessel.

Junior officers seeking her guidance were rebuffed. "This is one of the reasons I hate you," she allegedly told one who was seeking her help. When another officer visited her quarters to discuss an earlier heated discussion, her response was terse: "Get the fuck out of my stateroom." She allegedly told a male officer, "The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are 'Yes ma'am' or 'You're correct, ma'am'." She also allegedly put a respected master chief petty officer in "time out" — standing in the ship's key control room doing nothing in front of other personnel of all ranks.

While most of the witness statements in the report didn't specify if the testimony is from a male or female, the IG asked at least two female officers whether they viewed Graf as a role model. A younger woman recalled going to Graf to seek her help. "'Don't come to me with your problems,' " she said, quoting Graf. "'You're a fucking department head.'" The officer also said that Graf once told her, "I can't express how mad you make me without getting violent." A second female officer told the IG that Graf was a "terrible role model for women in the Navy," alleging that Graf once told her and a fellow officer on the bridge, "You two are fucking unbelievable. I would fire you if I could, but I can't."

Many officers who served with Graf over the years were not surprised by the IG's findings. Paul Coco, a 2002 Naval Academy graduate, served as a gunnery officer under Graf aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Winston S. Churchill from 2002 to 2004. "She would throw coffee cups at officers — ceramic, not foam," he recalls, "spit in one officer's face, throw binders and paperwork at people, slam doors." The hostile work environment led to a gallows humor among the crew. "We all would joke that after Bush liberated Iraq, he would next liberate Churchill," he says. That day finally came in January 2004, when Commander Todd Leavitt arrived to replace Graf. "As soon as Commander Leavitt said 'I relieve you' to Commander Graf, the whole ship, at attention, roared in cheers," he says.

Prior to the IG probe's release, the Navy had tapped Graf for a top job at the Pentagon following her Cowpens command. Now she's being shuffled off to a Navy weapons lab outside the capital. "Her career," an admiral says, "is over."

Read the rest of this fascinating information on TIME.com but of Capt. Graf I can only say that while men of all ranks in every service should and must obey the orders of their female superiors - should that female superior take a leaf out of Captain Ramsey's book, the knives will come out. Because no man will ever, should ever tolerate that kind of attitude from a woman [unless he's married to her].

Source: Military.com / TIME

Joe Biden's St. Patrick's Day gaffe!

One has to love the "harmless" Joe Biden who easilly fills the political-humour void in U.S. politics left by George W. Watch for yourself - I'll bet Brian Cowan got a shock yesterday!

Did you think evil corporations in space would be Science Fiction forever?

In outlining new space priorities in the 2011 budget, President Barack Obama proposed a halt to NASA's ambition to return to the Moon - a goal set by former President George W. Bush - and set in motion the biggest fundamental change in space exploration in the past 50 years. Charles Bolden, NASA's administrator, a former astronaut and USMC Major General yesterday promised that this does not mean that the US is abandoning it's space ambitions.

The Constellation program, the heart of the push to the Moon envisioned to replace the space shuttle, has run over budget by almost $7 billion and is several years behind schedule. The White House said it wanted to ground Constellation because it was too costly, used outdated technology, and would not be ready to ferry humans to the moon before 2028.

The success of the Ares 1-X rocket in October last was overshadowed by the release of the Augustine Human Space Flight Review Committee's report. It recommended sweeping changes to the way NASA managed its human spaceflight program, claiming that it was "on an unsustainable trajectory." They estimated that the Constellation program would cost more than $100 billion and miss the 2020 Moon deadline by at least 10 years. In the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, continuing the program may not be seen as the best option but it's cancellation will certainly mark the end of an era in US space exploration.

This year will be the last for the space shuttles - of which only three remain. NASA will significantly slim down it's astronaut corps too as from next year US astronauts will spend the next five to 10 years hitching a ride on Russia's also ageing Soyuz spacecraft. [Why can I see a hilarious comedy movie starring Jack Black and Peter Stormare quite clearly as I write that?]

In the meantime, it's envisioned that NASA will team up with private enterprise, to support and encourage them to develop the spacecraft of the 21st century. "One way to renew NASA and have it play a key role in innovation as well as manned space flight is to get the private sector fully on board," Bolden stressed. No longer will NASA dictate what is to be built and how. If NASA personnel fly on planes built by private industry, drive cars built by private industry and use computers built by private industry; Why can't astronauts climb on board spacecraft designed and built by such private industry?

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, built by Scaled Composites, is expected to carry paying passengers on sub-orbital flights this year but falls a long way short of getting to low Earth orbit. SpaceX, which in 2009 successfully launched Falcon 1 into space but it's still a long way from carrying one, not a mind three, astronauts into space. Bolden has already announced he's giving $50m in grants to private companies like Sierra Nevada.

It's not as if these changes are just being unanimously accepted. Lockheed Martin expressed major disappointment but the industries that have relied on NASA and the space shuttle for the past 30 years could completely fail under the new proposals adding a significant amount to total joblessness in the US and the suffering of tourism to Florida's space coast. US Congresswomen and Senators from Texas, Alabama and Florida - the three states most reliant on NASA's human space flight program - have all voiced their opposition to Obama's proposed policy, vowing to block it. Democratic and Republican senators as well as Bolden's predecessor Michael Griffin, have criticized dropping Constellation saying it would spell an end to US leadership in space.

UNETIDA Special Operations Commander, Colonel "Whopper" Creedon speaking from an undisclosed middle-eastern location where he is conducting "training exercises" also expressed disappointment at the proposals. "I'm fearful that these changes are going to have a detrimental effect on the future of some of UNETIDA's more ambitious lunar initiatives like The SON Project" he said. "The only viable alternative that is being touted is private industry and the problem with dealing with that is that you're more often than not, dealing with stupid civilians with no military experience. These guys are out for number one and hardly put the safety and security of the planet first."

Some analysts suggest UNETIDA's future may in fact be far worse then Creedon suggests. "Obama's proposals to hamstring the space program, coupled with the recent much publicised British MOD move which closed it's UFO Investigations Unit at RAF Command, Buckinghamshire after 60 years does not bode well for the future of the international UN administrated entity," said a source speaking on condition of anonymity. "It's as if the imminent destruction of our entire planet by alien aggressors is being ignored in favour of saving money for jobs, education, health and the environment. Well I ask you: What good is having your health, being educated, having a job and breathing clean air today when you could be a Grattaliaan sex-slave tomorrow? Write to your congressman and prevent a travesty of epic proportions from coming to fruition."

Source: ABC, AFP, NASA, Fox News

Iran's Second Nuke Site

By now, everyone will have heard that the whistle has been blown on Iran having a 2nd Nuke site. Apparently they blew it themselves and revealed it to everyone because they were under the impression that the site had been infiltrated by Western intelligence agencies and it's existence would be revealed at the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh for maximum impact.

A US official revealed Washington knew of the new Iranian nuclear facility since the Bush administration but wanted to make sure of the intelligence on the facility before revealing its existence. Most likely to avoid the backlash from acting on "non-human intel" which suggested Saddam Hussein's WMDs in Iraq. Additionally Washington was waiting for the facility to be further along in its development before making its existence known, so it would be more of a "slam dunk case." The official went on to say there were no plans to make the information known this week or even at next week's P5+1 meeting on Iran. The speculation is that when Iran became aware that the West know of the plant, they made the tactical decision to make the plant public to try and get ahead of Western adversaries.

But there did the intelligence come from....?

Well obviously the official report is highly classified but it has been referred to by a host of officials in the US while giving press statements Friday. The following lines were referred to by one anonymous individual but parts have been redacted.

... under the direction of the CIA's Special Operations Group ... team, consisting of Gunnery Sergeant Tyler, Marine Force Recon, Senior Chief Petty Officer Samuels, Navy SEAL and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Creedon ... in total darkness ... a HALO drop into Namak Lake in the Kavir National Park, approximately 70 miles South East from target ... at 05:30 began a 4 day trek ... to minimize contact with indigenous peoples ... buried the goat shepard in the foothill ... 80 high resolution photographs and sound recordings of the ... separate routes ... Creedon made it safely to Halabjah, Iraq on the night of ... other personnel are uncertain and are missing presumed dead ...

Source: Fox News, CNN, NBC, Sky News, BBC, Wired, The Guardian

Obama scraps Bush's European Missile Defence Plan

President Obama is overhauling President Bush's plan for a missile defense shield in Europe, based partly on an "updated intelligence assessment" of Iran's offensive capabilities and replaced it with a new system. Obama said "new missile defense architecture in Europe ... will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems and offer greater defenses against the threat of missile attack" than the program that Bush proposed. The Islamic republic's "short- and medium-range" missiles pose the most current threat, he said, and "this new ballistic missile defense will best address" that threat.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking from the Pentagon immediately after the president's announcement, denied the United States was "scrapping" missile defense. "This new approach provides a better missile defense capability for our forces in Europe, for our European allies and eventually for our homeland than the program I recommended almost three years ago." Gates said. The new system will have "hundreds" of missile interceptors.

Left: SECDEF Robert Gates. Right: General James Cartwright, VCJCOS

It also will have mobile radars, including some in space, "that can move to wherever the threat actually emanates and wherever we feel we need to defend ourselves," said Gen. James Cartwright, deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He contrasted the new sensor technology with the radar systems envisioned in the old plan, which he called "basically left over from the Cold War." The new plan includes three types of missiles to shoot down incoming threats -- Patriot missiles, which defend a single location; SM-3 interceptors, which he said could protect "a general area like the area from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C."; and large ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California. The first phase of the system is due to be in place in 2011, with the subsequent phases rolling out around 2015, 2018 and 2020. "It's a more advanced system, more cost-effective and efficient," the Marine general said.

Elements of the new plan are extremely familiar to those that were made aware of the United Nations Extra-Terrestrial Invasion Defence Agency's 2005 "Alien Mothership Deterrent Initiative" proposed by Colonel "Whopper" Creedon who was then the Extra-Terrestial Encounters Advisor to the Bush White House, now UNETIDA's Special Operations Commander who was unavailable for comment today. Other UNETIDA personnel were on hand however:

"A volley of multi-kinetic neutronic mines will solve most of your hostile encounter problems" said Captain "Harpoon" Dutton KBE, Commander, UNETIDA Naval Tactical Support (CUNTS) "but I'm a big fan of serious missile power too. It pleases me that we'll be getting more of them."

Brigadier General “Ballista” Jackson, UNETIDA Missile Defence Commander [Northern] said "The system that President Bush proposed would have deployed interceptors that had yet to be tested in real conditions to defend against ICBMs that Iran has yet to develop. They'd have been useless against the technology that we know Iran does have. The new plan make more sense short term, then we worry about long term threats once that's in place." When asked if Obama's plan was in fact related to Creedon's 2005 proposal he responded. "It's a more advanced system, more cost-effective and efficient plus we will now have hundreds of missiles at our command rather than just 10! Does that sound like a Colonel Creedon plan to you?"

Sources: Fox News, US DoD, CNN

HAIL TO THE [New] CHIEF

As General Mason said to me the day Clinton took office. "Salute the office if not the man."

The Obamas and the Bidens under the watchful eye of Colonel "Whopper" Creedon at the opening of the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies on Jan. 18th.

I sat at home with Jack on Tuesday and watched 2 hours of Fox News coverage of a historical event from the time President Bush made his way out to his final appearance as POTUS to the time the Fox anchors started analysing the menu of the Congressional Luncheon after the ceremony - at that point I was hungry.

I'll admit to laughing when Chief Justice Roberts fucked up the oath President-Elect Obama was supposed to repeat in order to be sworn in. Thankfully the new Commander In Chief knew the thing by heart so there was no chance of a constitutional crisis that would've split the country in two igniting a race-riot fuelled civil war.

I was a little disappointed that the now President Obama didn't know how many men have taken the oath as President. He said in his speech that 44 had - including himself obviously, but while Obama may be the 44th President- he's only the 43rd man to hold the office. President Grover Cleveland was the 22nd POTUS and lost reelection to President Harrison in 1889 - but he won a second term after the defeat of Harrison becoming the 24th POTUS as well, he was the same man albeit more seasoned. But then again Obama is a student of Lincoln, not Cleveland and only presidential scholars [and well informed Marine Colonels] would have noticed the error.

What did impress me was that he swore in as Barack Hussein Obama. That took an extraordinary amount of courage which must be applauded. Now only if he had pledged to the world to rid us of the alien menace that threatens every life on earth - that really would have been something.

The Colonel: Reinstated

It appears I needn't have worried at all about my visit to The White House yesterday to see President Bush upon his return from Camp David. It was mostly all good. The President was was very glad to see me [once he remembered who I was]...

I was told to report to The Oval Office where I found the man himself and a White House staff photographer, one of a team that has been chronicling every moment of the 43rd President's last days in office. It was hard not to smile while I was rendering my salute to the Commander In Chief. I had seen a comment somewhere recently that that he often stands as to appear larger and tougher than he really is. "Lieutenant Colonel Creedon reporting as ordered Mister President," I announced. There was a pause as he regarded me for a moment then suddenly he snapped his fingers - "Hey! Hey - You're the guy who keeps Martians off my lawn."

The President examined the medals on my chest and then took a military decoration box from his desk "You don't got one of these already do you son?" he said, opening it to reveal the US Navy / Marine Corps Medal Of Honor. "Now normally there's like a big-ass ceremony that comes with this but they've classified the citation so no one can know why you're getting it," he said." Cheney said even I ain't allowed to know why either, but I'm guessin' it has something to do with there being no Martians on my lawn - Heh heh!" he laughed. Naturally I was speechless.

President Bush has been known to stab himself [or others] with a decoration's metal prongs, so one might be relieved that the Medal Of Honor is worn around the neck via a fastening button and therefore harmless - but this is not the case.

In his recent press conferences, President Bush admitted to some faults with the way certain things were handled under his administration. Some elements of the war in Iraq especially Abu Ghraib and at home with the Hurricane Katrina response. But apparently there was one error of his that he could correct - "I should have granted a pardon from that Court Martian - eh - Court Martial at the time" he said producing a small box with my old Colonel's insignia. "So you can have these back. Cheney says I need Congressional approval to give you stars, but they don't like me much no more in Congress so maybe that's something the new guy can do for you - heh heh heh!" he added.

As I was about to leave The President grabbed my Mameluke sword from it's scabbard and began waving it around yelling "Yee Haw!" and "There Can Be Only One!" before I managed to coax it back off him. He really is more sprightly than one might think as evidenced by his expert ducking of shoes in Iraq last month. I can say he seemed quite happy with the prospect of not being the President anymore come Tuesday.

I've been summoned...

This isn't great news, the last time my presence was required....

Bush Honoured With Parade

An armed forces parade honoring the service of President George W. Bush as commander in chief took place Tuesday at the gymnasium at Fort Mayer in Arlington Va. In a speech, Bush acknowledged that his military decisions haven’t always been popular. He defended his actions, which include taking the country into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and told an assemblage of troops representing all branches of the military that they have served a “just and right” cause. "The missions you have carried out have always been necessary. And the work you have done has ... been every bit as courageous and idealistic as that of any generation that came before you.”

Bush said U.S. troops helped liberate the people of Afghanistan and Iraq from the “chains of despotism” and he thanked them for that. He talked about the boost in military enrollments in response to the terrorist attacks. And he noted that the troops are never alone in shouldering the burdens of lengthy and repeated deployments far away from home and their loved ones. “We appreciate you, we love you and we honor your service,” Bush said.

Above: Lieutenant Colonel Creedon, USMC, Rear Admiral Justice, USCG and other members of the armed forces applaud the great George W. Bush.

Before the president spoke, Adm. Mullen, CJSOS, and SECDEF Gates thanked Bush in separate speeches on behalf of the more than 2 million military men and women. Mullen read from a journal, signed by service members, that he said he had passed around during his travels. One entry, from a member of the Air Force, said: “Nice to see that our president is still quick on his feet after eight years in office. Next time, pick up the shoe and throw it back.”

Gates, who has agreed to continue as defense secretary when Barack Obama becomes president, said Bush will leave behind a U.S. military that is “more agile, lethal and prepared to deal with the full spectrum of 21st century conflict” than when Gates last served in government 15 years ago.Bush received several honors, including the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the five military branches.

Nearly finished with his eight-year presidency, Bush has been saying his goodbyes to the uniformed men and women under his command, including recent stops in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Source: DefenseLink / AP

Dumbass Iraqi Journalist Flings Shoes At Bush

The training that I personally gave President George W. Bush to dodge missiles such as knives or eggs etc. paid off today when some dumbass Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at him during a press conference. The conference, part of the outgoing president's secret tour of Iraq was being held with with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki to mark the signing of a U.S.-Iraq security agreement.

Bush had been finishing his remarks in which he said the security agreement was made possible by the U.S. surge of troops earlier this year, when the journalist, one Muthathar al Zaidi pulled off his shoes and hurled them at the president shouting "This is a goodbye kiss, you dog"*. Bush dodged the shoes and was not struck, mostly because of the comprehensive training I gave him in 2005 after watching the Ben Stiller movie Dodgeball, where I emulated the training given by Patches O'Houlihan, a character in the movie. Bodyguards quickly wrestled Zaidi to the floor and hauled him, kicking and screaming, from the room.

I must say that I'm extremely disappointed that the man didn't receive two 9mm's into his skull and instead was merely "subdued" before being carted off - but perhaps he will have an accident in custody. If this is the gratitude that people show for being liberated from tyranny - Obama may have the right idea to begin getting out of there and letting God sort 'em out. Anyway, while I can take credit for his Jedi-like reflexes, I can't take credit for Bush's razor sharp wit - "All I can report," he joked of the incident, "is a size 10."

*Different news sites are all reporting variations of what the moron was shouting as he threw the shoes

Source: Youtube,FoxNews, MSNBC, AP

SECDEF Gates to be Retained

FOX News is reporting that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will keep the top Pentagon job for at least the first year of the Obama administration.

Gates has very strong support among Democrats and the President Elect's decision to keep him on follows speculation, encouraged before the election by Obama's aides, that Gates would stay on for an interim period. A registered independent, Gates has served various Republican administrations. President Bush nominated Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld after the 2006 midterm elections, when the war in Iraq was descending into chaos and became a political liability for Republicans.

Gates will continue to preside over two U.S. wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, that Bush launched as part of the larger war on terror. There are several issues on which Gates and Obama disagree, including missile defense. Gates supports placing a missile defense system in Europe, but Obama already has suggested that he won't sign off on it until the technology has been proven capable.

A formal announcement is expected immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as part of an unveiling of the new national security team, which is expected to include Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state; Gen. Jim Jones as national security adviser, Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence and Susan Rice as U.S. ambassador to the UN.

Source: FOX News

The next Commander in Chief

In his first speech as victor, to more than 100,000 supporters at Grant Park in his home town of Chicago, President-Elect Barack Obama cataloged the challenges ahead. “The greatest of a lifetime,” he said, “two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.”

Senator John McCain called his former rival to concede defeat — and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. “The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly,” McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona. McCain remains in the Senate. Governor Sarah Palin, returns to Alaska after a tumultuous debut on the national stage. In a congratulatory call to Obama Tuesday night, President Bush pledged to make a smooth transition and extended an invitation to the Obama family to visit their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

In Washington, the Democratic leaders of Congress celebrated. “It is not a mandate for a party or ideology but a mandate for change,” said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “Tonight the American people have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America.”

Obama, in his speech, invoked the words of Lincoln and seemed to echo John F. Kennedy. “So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder,” he said. He and his running mate, Senator Joe Biden, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009. He will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.

Obama will begin receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials tomorrow, as the rush of his campaign gives way to intensive preparations to take over as commander in chief and build a Democratic administration. The briefings typically last 45 minutes to an hour, but Obama’s initial one is expected to be longer. Vice President-Elect Biden will also begin receiving briefings this week.

The president’s daily brief that Obama will receive is mostly written by the Central Intelligence Agency and will include the most critical overnight intelligence for the president. They sometimes dig deeply into a specific topic to give the president an in-depth understanding. National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell will launch the intelligence briefings. CIA Intelligence Director Mike Morell will be Obama’s prime contact with the intelligence community throughout the transition.

Obama will have access to vastly more intelligence, including ongoing covert operations, than he was privy to as a senator, said CIA Director Mike Hayden. “Through expanded access, greater than what he had in his briefings as a candidate or as a Senator, he will see the full range of capabilities we deploy for the United States.”

It was not clear at this time when UNETIDA would read the president-elect into it's ongoing operations but it would be assumed to be some point early next week.

Source: AP

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

General Colin Powell (USA Ret.), former US Secretary of State, the man who delivered to the United Nations the U.S. case for the ongoing war against Iraq, announced on Sunday that he is going to vote for Barack Obama for president.

I have always respected General Powell who has held very important positions for the 3 most recent Republican presidents. He was Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, George H.W. Bush's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and George W. Bush's Secretary of State. He was nicknamed, "the reluctant warrior" as he rarely advocated military intervention as the first solution to an international crisis, and instead usually prescribed diplomacy and containment. But when military action was necessary such as the operations he oversaw; his use of overwhelming force was justified. Amongst almost 30 crises during his command, he oversaw the invasion of Panama to remove General Manuel Noriega from power and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. However he was not on board 100% for the current war in Iraq and regrets acting on incomplete intelligence concerning WMDs. He has been critical of the war in Iraq since his resignation as Secretary of State in 2004, despite repeatedly saying he supported the decision to go in, said he is more concerned with the future than the past. "We now see that things are a lot better in Iraq. Maybe if we had put a surge in in the beginning, it would've been a lot better," he said.

Politically Powell is a Republican but moderate and has supported both liberal and centrist issues if he believes in them. In the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election Powell campaigned for Sen. McCain and later Gov Bush. In 2007, Powell donated the maximum to John McCain's campaign and earlier this year, Powell's name was mentioned as a possible running mate of McCain but Powell told CNN that "I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job in America—whether that candidate is a Republican or Democrat or an independent."

Even from understanding this statement and noting his past actions even up to last year, Powell said the next individual to serve as president of the United States will have to reach out to the world community, and he believes Obama has both style and substance to be successful in that role "I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming into, onto the world stage and the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

However, Powell said with two weeks left until the election, he will not campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate. He said that part of the reason he is supporting him is because he did not like the negative tone of John McCain's campaign, which has noted the links between Obama and domestic terrorist William Ayers.

John McCain responded to the news of Powell's endorsement by saying he still admires and respects his old friend. "Well, I have always admired and respected General Powell. We are longtime friends. This doesn't come as a surprise. But I am also very pleased to have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state ... and I am proud to have the endorsement of well over 200 retired army generals and admirals," McCain said, noting the support offered by Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig.

Picture: General Colin Powell, (Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff ) and Major (Sel.) "Whopper" Creedon, (Department of Defense Office of Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict) during the Persian Gulf War, Welcome Home Parade, New York City June 10, 1991.

Source: Fox News, CNN, Some info from Wikipedia