Perspectives

Yon Crosses Special Forces

What does Yon do when people, including current and retired Troops oppose his rhetoric?  He attempts to shut them down.  What does Yon do when he is caught in a lie?  He makes allegations in an attempt to shut up those with proof of the truth.

Recently, an online forum of  Veterans and Actively serving Special Forces began discussing Yon's recent crusade against Army DustOff.  The question of the forum, "Quiet Professionals" was what their thoughts were of Yon's call and petition to have the Red Cross markings removed from Army MedEvac helicopters.  A few of their members had opinions about the concept, and of the author of the referenced article.  The opinions on the subject matter were strong, but the opinions on the author were to become strong in the manner in which Yon (mis)behaved himself. 

A retired SF Team Sergeant noted: "From what I understand Yon has been "escorted" off some Special Operations bases"

"In any case, insinuations that I have been kicked off of SF facilities damage your standing unless you can provide evidence. None exists; it never happened."  Michael Yon, 26 Oct 2011 1:14AM, continuing with a veiled threat: "I have turned down those opportunities steadily since 2005. Perhaps I should list the reasons. I think you would rather I not."

I've been around enough Special Forces Soldiers enough to know that threats are not well-received, and rarely work out well for the person who issues them.  I've long believed that the silence from the SF community in regards to Yon was primarily a "professional courtesy" as they are not known for public battles.  That is the reason they gained the nickname, "The Quiet Professionals."  They do great deeds with little public recognition, and rarely talk about it outside their own circles.

Who is "Wall Street" and Who Calls for Occupying It for What Reason?

... And What do the Occupiers want?

Wall Street is America.  If you have a 401k, a Mutual Fund, an IRA, a Roth, a TSP, or stocks or mutual fund of any kind, YOU are Wall Street.  Those shareholdersthat CEO's report to?  That's YOU!  The Dow Jones Industrial Average is often cited as an economic barometer, as well as the S&P 500, and other "baskets of stock."  When your retirement account decreases or increases in value, that is a result of ALL shareholders, i.e. Wall Street, making their micro-predictions on how well the company and its slice of the American economy will perform.  When you buy stock, you are buying a part of company.  You become a business owner by buying shares in a corporation.  Chances are you are Wall Street.

The people occupying a park in New York City, and marching in various cities around the Nation and World, claim to be "the 99%."  With the ultra-rich like Nancy Pelosi & George Soros backing them, they're not the 99% who aren't rich.  And with a great portion of Americans owning stock in some manner, there aren't 99% who don't own stocks.  With nearly half of America paying taxes, they're not the 99% who pay or who don't pay taxes.  With the majority of Americans having health insurance, they're not the 99% who do or don't have that.  So, evidently they are the 99% who fictionalize statistics.

The Occupiers claim to be leaderless, but the protests were started by self-described anti-capitalists, a group called AdBusters. Affiliated protest groups have sprung up in dozens of cities across America, as well as countries around the world. The "Occupy" movement was started June 9th, 2011 by a man in Vancouver, Kalle Lasn, and advertised in his own anti-capitalist website/magazine "Adbusters." It receives leadership and support from Van Jones, George Soros, and Nancy Pelosi, as well as others in the super rich category.  Therein lies the hypocrisy, because the claim to being the "99%" is that they are the 99% with less than $593,000/year in income, while Soros, Russ Feingold, Bernie Sanders, Pelosi, Keith Ellison, Obama, et.al. are Millionaires or Billionaires.

They have the support of rich Hollywood types such as Michael Moore, Roseanne Barr, Susan Sarandon, and Tom Morello.  Other celebrities lending their support include Keith Olbermann, Anti-Flag, Margaret

Ignoring the Threat of China

Few would deny that China's red star is rising in the world.  In recent years, China has completed the Yellow River Dam, became the largest foreign debt holder of the US Government, and taken over shelf space in American Stores.  Relations between the US and China during the Cold War were a chilly alliance of convenience aimed at developing fear that China would capitalize on any US-Soviet confrontation, by taking over the undefended scraps of the Soviet's soft undefended underbelly.

In decades past, the Chinese had one primary military asset, that could not be ignored: A Billion People they could throw at a regional threat.  And they demonstrated how effective that could be in the Korean War.  When Americans pushed the North Korean Army to the Northern reaches of the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese sent their hordes over the frozen Yalu River to force a standstill that protected Communism's southern flank in Asia. 

The parallels to Task Force Smith can not be ignored today.  Following WWII, President Truman had so slashed the military that North Korea (along with the Soviets and Chinese Communists) felt emboldened to take the rest of Korea by force.  The most that could be mustered to stop the invasion was a small task force, ill-equipped with outdated arms.  The United States alone lost 38,516 Troops alone in a war often forgotten, while more than 778,000 Allied Troops, 2.5 Million civilians, and more than 1.1 Million North Korean, Chinese, and Soviet Troops died in the war that has not been ended officially, and ended in a stalemate of lines in the same place it started.