Censorship 2012 – Facebook & Politics

Is there anyone else that is a bit mildly torqued that censorship in America seems to only apply to those who go against the “common collective” these days?

Now to be fair, it’s not just Facebook. We seem to be inundated with PC Police which has almost become a cottage industry in this country. If you are in step with the current political leanings, the world is your oyster; go against the grain, and you are quickly shunned, or in the case of SpecialOperationsSpeaks, subjected to a cyber timeout.

And what was it that caused such a drastic action?

Did they call for the violent overthrow of the government? No.

Did they poke fun at former Facebook CFO Eduardo Saverin for renouncing his citizenship to save tax money? No.

Did they ridicule Mark Zuckerberg's wife? No.

No, their crime was to post that little photo above on their Facebook page!

I know, horror of horrors! You see, they had the unmitigated gall of making a statement that went against the popular belief of President Obama. This resulted in the photo being removed because, and I quote, “we removed the following content you posted or were the admin of because it violates Facebook’s Statement of Right and Responsibilities”

Huh? Seriously? Is this the first page they have ever looked at?

When the photo got uploaded back on their Facebook page, that’s when the Zuckerberg hammer dropped from on high resulting in a twenty-four hour time out.

Let that be a lesson to all of you who believe that you have a silly 1^st Amendment right. You do, just as long as you say the right things.

The truth of the matter is the photo makes a valid point. The president was all over the news that Team VI got bin Laden. Benghazi, not so much.  Hell, even the crickets have been silenced.

The President is the Commander in Chief and he is ultimately responsible. The other day someone was commenting that personnel decisions are not something that the president would get involved in so it was wrong to point the finger at him. That is correct. On any given day that the decision is made by local supervisors and you rarely hear a peep. However, this was not any given day and the lead up to it was so clear that you could make a case against a blind man for not connecting the dots.

• There was an assassination attempt on the British Ambassador on June 11^th, 2012. 
• The British Consulate subsequently pulled out in June 2012.
• There was an attack on the Tunisian Consulate in June 2012.
• The International Red Cross pulled out in August 2012 after being attacked by an RPG.
• The U.S. Consulate was attacked on two prior occasions with explosives.
• The C.O. of the DOD Site Security Team requested that his team’s assignment in Libya be extended because of the deteriorating condition which was denied.
• Requests were made to the State Department for additional security personnel which were also denied.
• The U.S. Ambassador personally requested additional security in August citing inability on the part of locals to provide adequate security.

The significance of this request cannot be stated enough. For the President, and Vice President, and everyone else to say they didn’t know is a lie. He would have been advised of everything listed above in his daily briefings.

A U.S. Ambassador personally requesting additional security is going to make it directly to the President’s desk. So, when the U.S. Consulate was attacked on September 11^th, 2012 resulting in the deaths of four Americans it should have come as no shock to anyone in Washington.

It was not a matter of if, but a matter of when it was going to happen.

But according to the bureaucrats in D.C. there was no discernable pattern there.

SOS is 100% correct, when those brave SEAL’s, Ty Woods and Glen Doherty, called for help they were abandoned.

If the media won’t do its job, then it is up to all of us Americans to demand what the President promised us in 2008, Transparency. 

It starts with “what did he know and when did he know it” and until we have those answers, we must never let this issue fade from our minds and lips.

Despite what the fine, just slightly left of center, people over at Facebook believe.

In memory of Artur Kasprzak, NYPD

In the aftermath of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy, we are once again reminded that the destruction left behind more than physical damage, the personal damage is only now being learned.

This particular story hits close to home for me and I wanted to take a moment to mark the passing of one the New York City’s Finest.

Among the people killed in New York City as a result of Hurricane Sandy was an off-duty NYPD police officer who died after rescuing his family from flood waters on Monday night.

Officer Artur Kasprzak was able to get six members of his family, including two men, ages 69 and 31, three women, ages 31, 56 and 68, and a 15-month-old boy into his attic so they could safely escape the rapidly rising water. He went back down into the house but didn’t return.

NYPD ESU attempted to get to the house but couldn’t because of downed electric lines. His body was later recovered. Officer Kasprzak was only 28 years old.

His actions that night were in keeping with the finest traditions of the NYPD.

Fidelis Ad Mortem.

Never Forget, Never Forgive.

I remember first reading those words on a memorial patch for the twelve Navy SEAL’s and eight members of the 160^th Special Forces Aviation Regiment that were lost during the Operation Red Wings ambush and the subsequent rescue effort.

They are strong words, solemn ones. They caution us, not only to remember the bravery of those lost, but to never forgive those responsible. Some may not agree with that, but I do.

At one time or another we have all seen a Hollywood movie where the hero is sacrificed for a politically expedient decision or gain. We have all cheered as the hero overcomes overwhelming odds and rises up in defeat against his betrayer.

But what happens when it is real, when the hero dies and politics wins?

It has been exactly forty-five days since the attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya that resulted in the deaths of our Ambassador and three other American’s including two former Navy SEAL’s. With each passing day, the tale becomes almost more unbearable to hear.

Today we are learning that former SEAL, Tyrone Woods, was at the CIA annex when the U.S. consulate came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, at approximately 9:40 p.m., they informed their superiors and requested permission to respond to the consulate and help. At that point they were told to "stand down," a second request was met with the same reply.

Woods, and at least two others, ignored the orders and made their way to the consulate, which at that point was on fire, to assist and returned fire on the attackers. They managed to evacuate those who remained at the consulate including Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight; two hours after the attack had begun.

At that point, they called for military support because they were now taking fire at the CIA annex. The request was denied. The fighting at the annex continued for four hours.

At least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex and had a laser sighted on the target that was firing at them. They repeatedly requested back-up support from an AC-130 Spectre gunship, which could have deployed ordnance on the laser sighted target.

A Special Operations team had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but was never told to deploy. A second force that specializes in counter terrorism rescues was also at Sigonella. Sigonella is about the same distance to Benghazi as Tripoli is. Both teams could have been onsite in less than two hours.

Pentagon official says there were never any requests to deploy assets from outside the country. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, the former director of the CIA, went so far as to say the following during an interview on October 25th, "But the basic principle here ... is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on." 

Call me crazy, but someone might just want to share the USMC mantra of “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.”

In any event, there were two military surveillance drones that had been redirected to Benghazi shortly after the attack on the consulate began. Both could have provided real time footage that could be accessed from any computer that had proper clearance. Surely there was one or two of those handy at the White House, Pentagon, State Department, etc...
 

An American Quick Reaction Force sent from Tripoli had arrived at the Benghazi airport at approximately 2:00 a.m. but was delayed for 45 minutes at the airport because they could not get transportation from the airport to the annex.

February 17th Brigade, a Libyan militia which is friendly to the U.S., showed up at the CIA annex at approximately 3:00 a.m.


Tyrone Woods, and fellow former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, who was a part of the Global Response Staff, a unit that provides security to CIA case officers and provides counter-surveillance / surveillance protection, were killed when a mortar hit their roof top position around 4:00 a.m. 

The truth is, it was too late for Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith, but Woods and Dohertys deaths were avoidable.

Seriously, the attack lasted seven hours and the best the United States could do was to send one team from Tripoli, that didn’t arrive on scene until nearly five hours later, while Special Forces units were just as close in Sigonella.

This however begs the follow-up question to Secretary Panetta’s statement. Why, if there supposedly wasn’t enough information in the first place, was a smaller, less equipped force sent in, rather than the better equipped Special Forces unit? This is what they are trained for!

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe the story we are being told.

·        The State Department denied requests for additional security prior to the attack.

·        The embassy was previously attacked with explosives, the Red Cross had pulled out, there was an assassination attempt on the British Ambassador which resulted in the British closing their embassy and withdrawing the Ambassador, and our Ambassador had notified State Department that there had been threats to his life, yet the President, Vice President and surrogates all claim they were unaware.

·        A request, made by the Lt. Colonel in charge of the Site Security Team (SST), to remain in country was denied and the security detail was pulled mere weeks before the attack.

·        Requests for support, made by people on the ground during the attack, were either denied or ignored.

·        Drones were overhead providing live feed, and communication was being relayed by those being attacked, yet according to SecDef we didn’t have a clear enough picture to deploy military assets.

·        An email was sent by the State Department advising that a terrorist group had claimed direct responsibility, yet we were told for weeks that it was all about a video.

·        A United States Ambassador, the official representative of the President of the United States, is killed in a terrorist attack and yet the President travels to Las Vegas the next day for a fund raising event where he says “we had a rough day.” Two weeks later in an interview with CBS he would say this, and other incidents in the Middle East, were “bumps in the road.”

·        Why hasn’t the President addressed the American people like he did the night he gave his “Justice has been done” bin Laden speech.

The other day I wrote about Operation Neptune Spear and how I felt the president was grandstanding and taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden. Within days of the operation being completed we were being fed copious amounts of information from the administration, which was almost universally decried by the special warfare community for the risk of comprising operational security. If you don’t believe them ask Dr Shakil Afridi. He helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden. His reward, 33 years in a Pakistani prison after he was outted by Leon Panetta.

Yet here we are forty-five days later and it feels like the administration is treating us like tourists watching a shell game.

Maybe one day we will learn what really happened, but you can bet your last dollar that it will not be before the Presidential Election on November 6^th.

But ask yourself this question: If we find out that we were lied to and that, at the very least, two American heroes died in vain, should we ever Forget? can we ever Forgive?

Stolen Valor – Operation Neptune Spear

I have a problem. I know that is going to come as a shock to many of you.

By now most of you have probably heard that the National Geographic channel will be airing a show titled: “SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden” otherwise known as Operation Neptune Spear.

Now, I am all for our brave Navy SEAL’s getting some much deserved credit for ridding the world of that scum.  But I am here to alert you that all is not what it seems.

The show is going to be aired two days before the 2012 Presidential election. Coincidence? I don’t believe in them.

Consider for a moment the following:

The film was completed and was subsequently purchased in May by Harvey Weinstein, a major supporter of President Obama.

After Mr. Weinstein purchased the film, it was edited to include additional voice-overs, still photographs and archival footage which now put President Obama in the center stage of the ninety minute film.

The person hired to do the additional editing is Meghan O’Hara. Ms. O’Hara is a producer for Obama supporter Michael Moore, whose prior films include such classics as “Fahrenheit 9/11,” “Sicko” and “Bowling for Columbine.”

National Geographic, for their part, had some of the added footage removed from the film because they felt it was out of context and inappropriate. The footage appeared to show Mitt Romney being against the raid. The only problem was that the footage was taken from the 2007 primary, four years before the raid took place. I commend NatGeo for that.

The reality is that the release of this movie, two days before the Presidential election, turns it into nothing but a presidential, chest thumping, football spiking, campaign ad. If they were honest, they would at least include the voice over “I’m Barack Obama and I approved this ad” at the end.

Just over eleven years ago nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in a terrorist attack orchestrated by Osama bin Laden. Taking credit for giving the green light FOR OTHERS to take out the perpetrator of that heinous act is not exactly magnanimous nor is it appropriate.

A real leader would have let it go immediately after making the announcement that bin Laden had been killed. There are no doubts as to who authorized the op and I certainly applaud the president for making the right choice. But this is the real world we are talking about and I don’t envision the president to be the Kabar and night-vision kinda guy.

Maybe I’m simplistic, but I believe the accolades rightly belong to the shooters, those in the arena fighting and not bureaucrats sitting in some comfy situation room in the White House riveted to a TV set like they were watching the newest release the Medal of Honor video game.

If I’m wrong, and simply rooting for victory on the sidelines is comparable to taking the field, then please let me know because I have four super bowl rings that the NY Giants owe me.

If you are inclined to watch this show, I ask that you consider the following before you do.

President Obama sat in Washington while the SEAL’s conducted the operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Within about eight hours of so the president went on live television and announced to the world that bin Laden was dead. Ever since then we have been inundated with the campaign slogan “GM alive and bin Laden dead.”

Yet, on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attack,  we had two brave former SEAL’s, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, killed in the embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya. Two months have gone by and we still don’t have an answer as to how or why. I guess the old adage “success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan” is very true.

To co-opt President Obama’s “you didn’t build that” sound bite, I suggest that when it comes to the killing of bin Laden the president should be told “You didn’t do that.”

To learn more about the real hero’s visit the US Navy UDT SEAL Museum.

Hooyah!

Here we go again…….. Planned Parenthood Lie

In 2008, as part of his “Hope & Change” tour, President Obama pledged to change the tone in Washington. Needless to say, that hasn’t happened. Today Washington is as divisive as it has ever been and the President, his Vice President, and all his surrogates are running around calling the candidate, Mitt Romney, a Liar. Not exactly the change that we had all hoped for.

But what about the President? Is he being open and honest with us?

Recently during the “town hall” debate, President Obama once again persisted in perpetuating the myth that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms. Specifically he said “millions of women all across the country who rely on Planned Parenthood for . . . mammograms.”

The truth is they don’t. Planned Parenthood has neither the license nor the machines. The most they can do is refer women to mammogram providers, something any woman can do by opening the local phone book or search on line via Google. Yet I hear this argument being made constantly.

People, this is but one lie, there are countless others. You just have to be willing to open your eyes and ears and do some digging. Forget the media, think of them as your kids. I don’t care how much you love them, cherish them, and believe they can do no wrong. If you saw smoke coming from your kitchen, would you accept little Johnny or Sue’s reassuring claim that everything is alright?

I am not saying that both campaigns don’t engage in this type of behavior, but when I hear one side engaging in a constant barrage of “liar, liar” it makes me wonder what THEY are lying about. In the case of the President, it’s looking more and more like he should take heed of the old biblical verse “physician, heal thyself.”

We the people deserve better and quite honestly we should demand better. If we go around just believing every spoonful of drivel that is hand fed to us, without checking for ourselves, then we deserve what we get.

It’s not terrorism, Panetta said so.

Shock of Shocks, the Pentagon now says it will not reclassify the Fort Hood shootings as a terrorist attack over concern about biasing the case against the gunman.

In rejecting the victim’s pleas, Defense Secretary Panetta’s spokesman cited concern that having the government weigh in could “bias” the case against Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who is awaiting trial for killing 13 people and wounding 29 others.

Yeah, I can see how it wouldn’t be appropriate now. Maybe they should have thought about that three years ago when it first happened. It seemed everyone else knew it was an act of terror, everyone that is except this administration. Then again, that never really fit their narrative.

Things would be so much easier if we didn’t think for ourselves and just gratefully accepted manna that is being spoon-fed from on high.

It should be noted that Major Hasan had previously asked al-Qaeda terrorist leader Anwar al-Awlaki for religious advice, such as whether a soldier who "died while attacking fellow soldiers" would be a martyr. When this information was forwarded to the FBI terrorism task forces, they determined that Hasan was not a threat and that his questions to al-Awlaki were consistent with his “medical research.”

After the shooting, Awlaki quickly declared Hasan a hero, as "fighting against the U.S. army is an Islamic duty."

Nope, no terrorism hear folks, move along.

241 Lives and 29 Years Later

Today marks the 29^th anniversary of the suicide truck bombing at the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.

On that tragic day, 241 brave American souls lost their lives in a despicable cowardly act aided by Iran and Syria.

Never Forgive, Never Forget.

Media Bias? No Media Bias here folks.......

Last Friday, a CBS News affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona flashed the graphic above showing President Obama beating Governor Romney with 99% of the precincts reporting.

It only appeared for about 17 seconds or so, but unfortunately for the folks at CBS, 17 seconds is an eternity in this technology era.

Only problem, it is two weeks before the elections……………Doh!

Now I am sure that they will try and spin it by saying that they were just “testing” their news crawl for the upcoming election, but let’s face it, their bias come through brilliantly. Arizona isn’t exactly known as a democratic enclave and current Rasmussen polls show Romney as a 10 point favorite.

But whatever their explanation, it appears as if this is their "Dewey Defeats Truman" moment.

Kind of makes you wonder why CBS news perennially finishes in last place when it comes to non-cable news ratings.

Fort Hood Shooting - Work Place Violence ?

The purpose of this article is not really to document the farce that has become the Fort Hood Shooting legal case. I urge you in the strongest possible way to take a moment and research it yourself. The fact that nearly four years later this administration refuses to properly label this as a terrorist act is appalling and beyond my ability to understand. Then again, this administration has been fond of saying that Al Qaeda is “on the run” as well. I guess what they don’t understand is that it is an ideology and will not be destroyed by the death of any particular leader. For a refresher, check out: Absolutely Clueless (Part Deux)

 

No the purpose of this article is to redirect you to the website: Truth About Fort Hood

I have always said that the sole reason for this site has been to ask you to think for yourself.  We owe it to our country, our children and ourselves to be informed citizens and not sheeple who accept everything our politicians or the media spoon feeds us.

The families and survivors or the shooting, which I professionally believe was a terrorist attack, are suffering needless because of the government’s failure to label this for what it truly was. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Consider the following:

• The FBI intercepted at least eighteen (18) emails between Major Nidal Malik Hasan and Anwar Al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda.

• Additionally, it has been reported that Hasan had more unexplained connections to people being tracked by the FBI than just Anwar al-Awlaki.

• Hasan sought spiritual guidance from Al-Awlaki regarding when Jihad is appropriate and specifically asked if innocents could be killed in a suicide attack.   For the record it should be noted that Al-Awlaki was also the “spiritual advisor” for one of the 9/11 hijackers.

• Hasan reportedly told Al-Awlaki that “I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife.

• On his business card, which omitted his military rank, Hasan had the acronyms SoA(SWT) which, according to investigators, is commonly used on jihadist websites as an acronym for "Soldier of Allah" or "Servant of Allah", and SWT is commonly used by Muslims to mean "subhanahu wa ta'ala" (Glory to God).

• During a military class that he was giving, Hasan reportedly went on a rant about “infidels”

• At the time of the shooting, Hasan was heard shouting "Allahu Akbar!" 

Yet, despite all of this the FBI and U.S. Army investigators determined that there was no evidence of links to terrorist groups. They concluded that his communications with Awlaki, identified as a dangerous Al Qaeda leader, posed “no threat” at the time.

Attorney General Eric Holder decided not to charge Hasan with terrorism, and it was widely debated as to whether Hasan could be called a "terrorist." The administration went a step further and labeled it “Work Place Violence.”

I’m not sure what passes for “investigator” status these days, but as a former detective, I would have been laughed out of my C.O.’s office if I tried to close a case like that. Not to mention the fact that I can guarantee you that gold shield would have been nothing but a distant memory as I was walking a foot post on Atlantic Ave and Eastern Parkway.

I guess it makes it easier to believe the argument that Hasan chose to murder 13 people and wounded 29 others in an effort to avoid being deployed to Afghanistan.

Following that line of thinking I assume that, should the current administration been in office at the time, the attacks of 9/11/01 would have been designated as "Controlled Flight Into Terrain.”

Sadly, for a moment I thought about just writing 9/11, but after Benghazi we now have to include a year. I guess that the Consulate attack can be reclassified as an “International Small Arms Ammunition Absorption Program.”

This administration has buried its proverbial head in the sand. Choosing to ignore reality and pretend that terrorism and terrorist are on the decline. This is a reality that we cannot afford. Pretending that the world really does not hate you is not a viable option. Terrorists are fundamentally opposed to our very existence. They hate the United States for who we are as a nation, not because of who is in the Oval Office.

We must adopt the policy of the late Ronald Reagan when dealing with terrorism. When he was asked about the Cold War he replied “Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.”

It is an utter disgrace to the memories of those brave men and women who died, or were wounded in the attack, to pretend that it was not an act of terrorism.

What world do we live in where Major Hasan is awarded the Global War on Terrorism medal, and those he killed or injured are denied the Purple Heart medal?

Should the voting age be raised?

The other day I was having a political discussion with some younger people (early twenty-ish) and it really scared me. One of them made the comment that they were voting for President Obama because “the other guy wants to take away a woman’s right to contraception.”

Huh? Seriously? Where do these kinds of thoughts originate from?

Mind you this is the first year they are eligible to vote in a presidential election and this was their reason.

After a few minutes spent educating the young lad, I watched as the discussion switched back and forth between texting and half paying attention. Clearly internet photos and jokes rank equally with discussing the election of the leader of the free world. It did not take long to watch as their eyes glazed over and the discussion came to an end.

I walked away realizing that this was not an isolated case. I wondered how long this has been going on. Do you remember the TV show “Family Ties” with Michael J. Fox? It was a sitcom back in the 80’s. Fox’s character was a Republican in an otherwise left leaning family. Mom and Dad were hippies from the 60’s who were members of the Peace Corps, and dad was currently employed with a PBS station. It was funny, because it interjected a strong republican twist and was so opposite what was, and apparently still is, the normal for Hollywood.

But this creates a considerable dilemma for us as Americans.

Who really is educating our children?

Where are they getting their information from?

We as parents have abdicated our roles. The reasons are as varied as we are: hectic lives, apathy, dependence on the school system, etc. We must however come to terms that if it is not us doing it, someone will fill that void.

Our children are like raccoons, they love shiny shit. Look at the lines that wrap around city streets for the latest video game, phone, etc. it doesn’t matter the weather, time of year. They’ll build shelters in the snow just to be at the front of the line for the latest release.

They can spout off at length about the technological advancements regarding the latest phone or gaming system. Yet, if you asked them to explain what bicameralism was they’d probably say it was a new HD movie camera.  

To put it as succinctly as possible, kids today are lost when it comes to politics. They believe and repeat what they are being taught. The question is who is doing the teaching.

As parents, we must realize that we are not cool. We do not have the standing of a celebrity, musician, or for that matter the un-celebrity. Un-celebrities are, as I have come to define, people who have done nothing in their life but, somehow in some weird twist of fate, they have made a celebrity career out of, well, nothingness. It is bad enough when these diminished luminaries spout off about issues, but what’s worse is when they degenerate it to the level of vicious personal attacks. During this election cycle I am astounded by the lack of viciousness spewing forth from left.

The other day I read a large series of tweets that spoke only about how they either were or wanted to “key” cars with Romney bumper stickers. These “kids” were admitting to damaging or wanting to damage other people’s property simply because they disagreed with their political choices. Another series of tweets dealt with the destruction of, or defecation on, lawn signs.

It seems that when it comes down to what is important in our children’s lives, legalizing marijuana and lowering the drinking age has the highest priority.

When did this become acceptable behavior in America?  

These are kids, who in many instances cannot even vote. There was a report about a 15 year old kid being investigated by the Secret Service because he had tweeted that he wanted to kill Romney.

Honestly, what do you think this kid knows? Who is teaching him this?

Each and every day we send out kids off to schools and we think they are safe.

But are they?

Our kids are being spoon-fed political pabulum in schools and we wonder why we have given rise to a social class of entitlement children?

We used to send our kids to school confident that they would get an education that would prepare them for the real world. Now we have to seriously question whether the education they are getting is preparing them to mold the world to their liking.

I remember being at the demonstrations after the start of the Iraq war. The protesters, mostly college kids, would chant about “no war for oil.” I said back then and I stand by it today, if the best you could do was chant that we went to war only to get oil, go back to your college and demand a refund of your tuition.

But what has changed since that time? Nothing! Now we have the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. Again our kids, even younger now, are being taught that capitalism is bad, and that corporate greed is responsible for everything wrong in this country.

And during it all, these “peace loving” people, do their best to destroy whatever they want. If you stand against them, you are vilified.

The sad truth is that we, as Americans, were always on the look out for a danger coming at us from the exterior. The hard truth is that the danger came from within and was in reality ourselves. Years of apathy led to where we are at today. They recognized that we would always come together against a common enemy, so they took a different approach. They identified the most vulnerable, and they focused on them.  In the same way a pack chases down the slowest and weakest.

Our children were fair game. Their influence came from agenda driven teachers, actors, musicians, and media. They had time on their hands and they played it well. Each new generation was like a force multiplier for the next. They moved out and preached their new found political principals to the next.

And one day we woke up and realized we were the enemy.

The old fashioned notions of hard work, personal responsibility, and tenacity died on the altar of entitlements.

What happened to that message, delivered on Inauguration Day 1961, in which President John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Sadly our children have lost their way. They were taught that style means more than substance; that electing someone, based solely on popularity, takes precedence over capability; that we should lower standards to include everyone instead of helping others to rise above their circumstances.

I’m not sure how we repair this. Like everything else it didn’t occur overnight and there is no easy fix.

I had thought about whether it might not be a bad idea to raise the voting age, wait until they had made their way in the world and learned the value of hard work and responsibility. Then I thought about our young men and women in the armed forces and what they have had to learn the hard way. It reminded me that I was just looking for the easy solution, lowering standards instead of requiring higher ones.

In the end, maybe it is our generation that has to do the hard work. To finally take back responsibility for the children we have brought into this world. To actually put in the hard work required of being a parent.

Will it make things better? I don’t know. But I would rather teach my children and have them reject it, based on what they have researched for themselves, then to abdicate my job to the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Snoop Dogg, Kim Kardashian and the talking heads over at MSNBC.

In 1974 President Gerald Ford made the following statement to a join session of Congress: "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

Whether you call it welfare reform, providing for the poor, or simply redistribution of wealth, it all remains the same: a government who will care for you, as they deem necessary. We are heading in this direction, all for the “collective” good.

In the end, I pray that we wake up from our slumber and teach our children the important lessons before it is too late. 

I mourn for the NYPD of my youth

A few years back I was sent an email called “I mourn for the NYPD of my youth” by Sgt. Christopher J. Porcu, (NYPD Retired).  The other day I was speaking to a friend of mine who is still on the job back in New York City. We came on about the same time and we were talking about what things were like and how far they have come.

I was going to share the original email, but decided that I would amend it to share things from my perspective.

“I mourn for the NYPD of my youth” (Revised)

I remember what it was like when I first became a New York City Police Officer back in 1985. For a kid who had dreamed of being a New York City Cop since the age of five it was like making it into the major leagues.

I remember the academy and wearing the “Sister Mary Agnes by the Sea” parochial school uniform. The academy was day tours and 4X12’s and we rotated days off. We were thankful for the weekends because traffic and parking was “slightly” easier.

I remember the first time I wore my reefer coat with the double row of brass buttons.

I remember those first weeks of walking a foot post and learning to twirl my nightstick and not take out a storefront window or my kneecap.

I remember my Smith and Wesson Model 10 and my first RMP “swivel” holster. We all carried backups because it was easier to draw a second gun then to try and reload from the dump pouches.

When I first came on the job, there were old timers, real honest to God cops, who shared their war stories with me and told me about the “Good Old Days.” The war stories were real. We were told how cops were being assassinated simply because they were cops. I remember with reverence the names of some of those fallen, including Piagentini & Jones, Foster & Laurie, and Cardillo.

I remember all too well Scott Gadell, who I worked with, EddieByrne, who worked in an adjoining precinct and so many others who paid the ultimate sacrifice while I was on the job. I remember responding on September 11^th and not prepared for how that day would end. I mourn those lost on that day, and those we continue to lose, all these years later.

In my career I went to too many funerals for too many brave young men and women.

Only someone who has worn the uniform can truly comprehend, and appreciate, the sound of bag pipes.

We went to work everyday and we actually enjoyed the job. We considered ourselves to be among the lucky few who could count themselves as part of something bigger. There is an inherent pride that goes along with telling someone that you are a (or retired from) NYC Cop.

It’s the job they write books about, make movies and TV shows about. Like the old Sinatra song they blame at every graduation goes “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

As rookies we sat on DOA’s, hospitalized prisoners, and EDP’s. We flew to details, a lot of details. We counted ourselves fortunate when he had enough time on the job to take vacation during the West Indian Day parade. Back in the day when that parade never did seem to end and gun shots were just part of the celebration.

I remember being able to smoke in the station house and the RMP’s.  

I remember the Blue Flu.

I remember walking foot posts for six straight months and how important a piece of cardboard could be on a cold winter’s day. I remember making sure I was visible and got my scratch without making the Sergeant track me down.

I remember the first day I rode in an RMP for the tour. The old blue and white Plymouth Gran Fury’s that had no air conditioning and an AM radio. The light bar was controlled by a toggle switch under the steering wheel. The radio was a portable “brick” and you didn’t touch it unless you were told to. You knew you had reached a milestone in you career when the operator looked at you, nodded to the radio and said “their calling you.”

We were fortunate enough to be allowed to be “Cops”, and we were taught how to handle damn near any job without getting the boss involved. We may have been young, but we were the “Police” and we were expected to do our job no matter what it involved.

Sergeants were like God’s and Lieutenants were somewhere just above that. They ran the command as they saw fit. I remember square bags, and making sure the Lt’s were taken care of. We felt bad for them because they were stuck on the desk.

Captain’s worked M-F from 9-5, and very rarely came out of their office, except to address a roll call on occasion. They didn’t need Compstat to tell them what was going on in their commands. If there was a problem we were told to fix it, and fix it we did.

I remember getting assigned rings and making damn sure we made them. I remember being a Sergeants Op. We went to the jobs we needed to, but always after giving the sector enough time to take care of it. I remember being the assistant Desk Officer and running the command when the Lt. was otherwise disposed of.

Collars were made, and summonses were written “when appropriate”. October Collars brought Christmas Dollars, and many of us made collars for dollars. I remember the “church pew” benches in Central Booking and being in the system for days.

If you worked hard, you got to go into anti-crime and wear a field jacket and drive around in the “taxi.” Everyone knew what the color of the day was.

The nine squad chart allowed everybody to get to work with each other, and we “policed” ourselves. Every sector (or foot posts) handled their own jobs unless they were tied up with a collar who heavy job. Those “milkmen” that goofed off, soon found subtle reminders from the others on how to properly handle their jobs. They didn’t goof off often, and certainly not repeatedly.

The job was definitely tighter back then as well. The “Blue Wall” was alive and well and professional courtesy was the order of the day. We came to work to be with our friends, and you rarely took a day off because you didn’t want to miss anything that happened at work, or when you went out afterwards. 4x12’s were generally 4x4’s.

I remember beds in the station house and guys using them when going home wasn't an option, for a variety of reasons.

I remember thin cardboard PBA cards and that professional courtesy was the rule of the day. We were family and we expected nothing less.

We all understood the meaning of what is was like to work in a “paramilitary organization.”

We all wore one uniform too and that included a hat every time you got out of the RMP, unless it was a heavy job. But you better have it on when things quieted down.

We were cops and we dressed like cops. Uniforms include trousers that had the extra pocket for the day billy or sap that most of us carried. “Out of uniform”, usually meant that a guy was wearing a short sleeve shirt before the weather warmed up prior to them being authorized, not the guy that chose to wear whatever he felt like on that particular day. Sergeants conducted inspections at roll call and woe to him that wasn’t in proper uniform. We marched out before the desk officer before beginning our tour, nightsticks at the ready.

Recruitment & retention problems did not exist either. People paid to take the police test when it came up. Granted we didn’t make a fortune, but we were higher paid than Nassau, Suffolk, Port Authority and the New York State Troopers, all of whom surpassed us over the years. You took the test because your friends and family, who were already on the job, told you that it was a job worth taking. Similarly, you passed that information on to your friends and family as well, and were happy for them when they too were sworn in. Now, nobody in their right minds would refer this job to a friend or family member.

Everyone knew that there were certain jobs that you needed a hook for and you never saw them advertising openings in Intel or ESS! You were asked to go there, not the other way around. Everyone remembers their first Rabbi.

I remember the pride of walking across the stage at 1PP when I was promoted to Detective and later Sergeant. I remember how hard it was when I had to turn in my silver shield. It had become a part of me. I would feel the same all those years later when I turned in my Sergeants shield the day I retired.

All in all, I think back on those days and find myself referring to them as “The Good Old Days”, and they truly were.

I wonder if the cops retiring in twenty years will think back upon their first days on the job as “The Good Old Days”, and how they will describe “The Job” to those rookies at that time.

I can honestly say that I didn’t hate the job. I’m proud of my career and the cops I had the pleasure of working with. I actually loved the job.  Unfortunately, it is the politics and ensuing correctness of the department that has steadily ruined it over the years. Rather then bring everyone “up” to the same high standard; they lower everything to the lowest common denominator.

That being said, I mourn for the NYPD of my youth! 

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Statistics, Lying via Math.

So yesterday the Job’s Report came out at an amazing 7.8%

Now, I’m not sure about you, but I’m struggling to see how this is as amazing as we are being told. We are back to the levels we were at four years ago.

According to the Labor Department, based on a broad survey of employers, there were 114,000 jobs that were added in September, ten thousand of which were government jobs. 

But the unemployment rate itself is based on a separate "household survey," which showed a whopping 873,000 new jobs in September. 

The question that comes to my mind is how do you have employers showing that they added a little over a hundred thousand jobs and yet households are reporting almost a million jobs?

Well, I guess it depends on who you think is reporting accurately, or maybe what it is that they are reporting.

The household survey, which is smaller, includes part-time jobs and those who have become self employed. What does this mean? Well, the reality is we are not creating jobs the way the number is being spinned.

I don’t consider it a success when a person, who has been unable to find full time work, opts to either take a part time position or simply begins trying to work for themselves. Not that either of those choices is wrong, but it skews the data significantly. In fact, the data showed that the number of people with part-time jobs who wanted full-time work rose 7.5 percent to 8.6 million.

I’m not saying that a drop isn’t good news and I personally don’t subscribe to former GE CEO Jack Welch’s comment that somehow Chicago politics was involved in the numbers. In fact, anytime someone finds work I am happy. We have been struggling too long in this country. I’m just saying that I’m not about to jump on the hippy-happy “see its working” band wagon just right now.

At best I think we are only moving sideways right now. There is no growth. The unemployment rate is only where we were at when the President took office. There are also major questions about whether that rate is even correct when you factor in the number of people who just quit looking for work.

Here are the things I think about:

Unemployment: 7.8% (01/2009) – 7.8% (09/2012) / Underemployment: 14.7% (09/2012)

Misery Index: 7.83 (01/2009) – 9.79 (08/2012)

Gas: $1.83 (01/2009) - $3.88 (09/2012)

Electricity (per Kwh) 0.126 (01/2009) – 0.133 (08/2012)

Consumer Price Index: 211.143 (01/2009) - 230.379 (08/2012)

Bottom line is we really are not better off than we were four years ago. That’s not to say that things were perfect back then, but we live in the here and now.

To use a sports analogy: if your teams old head coach sucked, and you replaced him with someone who promised you he would change things and make the team a winner; would you be happy after fours years of the same record you?

Will Romney be better? I don’t know, but after the last four years I am wiling to give him a shot. I did like his comment during the recent debate that programs should be judged as to whether they are important enough for us to borrow money from China to fund them. I use that same principal when I want to purchase something and I have to use a credit card. Why shouldn’t the government use that same benchmark?

I do know for a fact that some of what he says is true. Individuals and businesses are unsure of their future. That uncertainly is causing a “wait and see” attitude, which we honestly can’t afford.

I feel a lot of people go to D.C. with the best of intentions and find themselves knee deep in the muck. Remember back in 2008 when then Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “we are going to drain the swamp.” How’d that work out, honestly?

As individuals, we’ve tightened our families’ fiscal belt. We’ve cut out wasteful spending. We are being responsible. We have done all we can to improve our lot, it’s time for the government to do their part and I have not seen it happen yet. 

In reality it is our fault. We have elected people to represent us and yet we do not hold them accountable. For too long we let the “special interest” groups have their way with them without us checking up on them. Now we are in the position of trying to figure out how to reign them back in.

I want someone to make my life better, not just tell me how it could have been a lot worse. That’s not hope and change, that’s politics as usual.

Debate, Debacle.

I’m not sure what I expected from last nights Presidential Debate, but I can tell you what I got was definitely not what I imagined. I’m sitting here this morning still in shock at what transpired.

 

For me, the onus was on Mitt Romney to step up and to, at the very least, appear human. If that was the low bar I set, I was more than pleasantly surprised.

As most of you know, I am not a fan of the President. Politically, we disagree on way too many issues for me to support him. That being said, he’s certainly an affable enough guy and we’d probably get along fine in a social setting, sans talk of politics. Last night however was not one of his shining moments politically.

However, as everyone knows, the debate last night was really about Mitt Romney. During the course of the campaign he has been maligned by the media. Let’s be clear on this point, since President Obama first came on the national political scene he has been the darling child of the media. This is okay, as long as you are honest about it. Like I said, he’s a personable guy and he had a great message of “hope and change” that unfortunately has not lived up to the hype.

To be honest, I liked the Presidents message. I believed that it resonated with many  Americans. Unfortunately, if  you looked beyond the verbiage there was little to make you feel as if it was anything more than business as usual.

However, throughout the campaign Mitt Romney had failed to connect on that visceral level with voters, especially the undecided ones. So coming into last nights debate he  certainly had something to prove and in my eyes he did.

He was prepared, engaged and passionate. He was human. He had a fire inside of him.

Romney showed the viewing audience that he knew the topics and did it in a way that was strong and yet respectful. I’m not saying I agree 100% with everything he said. There are way too many variables at play to take everything at face value. Actually, 535 variables to be exact. Trying to get even a majority of congress to agree on substantive issues is going to be one heckuva trick.

For his part, President Obama just looked uncomfortable. There were times I felt sorry for him because he, unlike Romney, didn’t really seem prepared. I thought about that for a bit and I’m actually really not that surprised. Consider for a moment how rarely the President actually attends White House Press Briefings and answers questions. I remember someone once saying that the President does a tremendous amount of “interviews.” In fact he exceeds the total number of interviews done by both Presidents Bush (43) and Clinton combined.

But these are not pressers; these are individual interviews, done in tightly controlled environments, on specific topics, and for the most part by a friendly media. The bottom line is he has almost zero experience being pressed hard. This goes back even to the 2007/08 campaign and last night it showed. At times the President looked angry, distracted, and anxious.

Now, let us be honest about the content. If there is anyone out there that who actually believes the story both men were offering was the gospel truth, you are an idiot. Which is okay, it’s one of the reasons I write this. I want you to research and look things up on your own. It harkens back to the day one of my old bosses said to me “Trust, but Verify.” If you choose not to, then you are simply a “mushroom” and should leave this page immediately.

But Romney made some very interesting points when he was talking about leadership. Remember, he was Governor of Massachusetts which will never be confused as a Republican Mecca. I have said this before, if both parties refuse to budge on anything, this country will die. Someone has to be willing to take on the role of leader and bring, not only the other party, but his party to the table and work things out for the betterment of the country. Realistically it’s going to take a LOT of work. The silly season of political campaigns and the negativity does more to tear this country apart then it does to help the electorate pick the right candidate.

The facts are easy enough to establish. This country is in dire straits and it has been the result of divisive “party” politics that has continued unchecked for decades. It has been exacerbated by unrealistic promises and programs that were made with no consideration as to our ability to pay for them.

There was one critical exchange just about half way through the debate:

ROMNEY: I have my own plan. It's not the same as Simpson-Bowles. But in my view, the president should have grabbed it. If you wanted to make some adjustments to it, take it, go to Congress, fight for it.

OBAMA: That's what we've done, made some adjustments to it, and we're putting it forward before Congress right now, a $4 trillion plan...

ROMNEY: But you've been -- but you've been president four years...
 

(Emphasis added)

That’s it in a nutshell. Mr. President, you’ve been in office for four years. We are not better off than we were. I have less money in my pocket and prices keeping going up. It’s simply not working. The Simpson-Bowles committee was started in February 2010, it’s October 2012.

Time is not our friend and you don’t seem to understand that. For you, life seems to revolve around Fund Raisers, Vacations and Golf. My family and I have had one vacation in all the time you have been president, and I certainly don’t have the luxury of playing golf. Those who have seen by drives down the fairway may reflect that this could be construed as a good thing.

Last night Mitt Romney showed gravitas. He showed ability, strength and he connected with the American people. I believe he does want to help and does have a plan. Will it be any better? Only time will tell but I am hard pressed to imagine how it could be much worse? And please don’t try that tired old “Romney only wants tax breaks for the rich” nonsense, my IQ isn’t quite that low.

This morning I was listening to one of the talking heads conduct a post debate spin session. They accused Romney of looking good only because he had been practicing”……… seriously?

This was a debate for who would be the next President of the United States and they are asking you to believe that preparing is somehow wrong. Wow, just when I thought it couldn't get any more absurd. I guess all of you who are parents should dissuade your children from studying for any school tests.

Last night the president looked like a defending boxing champ who spent 15 rounds hugging the ropes. Rather than trying to land punches, it looked like he was just trying to avoid being hit and eek out a win by default. Last night it didn’t work.

Today, however, the Obama campaign is hitting back. The only problem is it’s a day too late.

There just seems something very unPresidential about trying to land body shots on your opponent, the next day, while on the stump when you couldn’t do it face to face the night before.

As I sat here and watched him blast Romney, I do have to admit that he was coming across much better than last night. Then it dawned on me, he’s back on the teleprompter.

Therein lies the difference. One speaks from what he fundamentally knows the other from what he reads off the teleprompter.

Lessons Unlearned. The Attack on the Consulate in Benghazi

This is long, but be patient. Consider it an introductory course called: Dignitary Protection 101

It has been three weeks since the attack on our consulate in Benghazi and each day that passes seems to bring only more troubling news. I know many people have questions about all of it, and I figured I would throw my educated two cents into the arena and see if I can help the average person understand a little better.

I served from 1994-1998 with the NYPD Intelligence Division as both a Detective and Sergeant. In this capacity I conducted dignitary protection assignments for high profile dignitaries to include Pope John Paul II, President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and too many others to name. In addition, I conducted numerous security threat assessments. I mention this only for the sake of establishing my bona fides on this matter.

Before we go any further, here is a little primer on Libya. First, ancient Libya dates back to around 8,000 BC. It has only existed as an independent state since 1951.  In September 1969, a group of military officers led by army officer Muammar Gaddafi staged a coup d'état against King Idris who had served as Monarch since 1951. Gaddafi would lead the country until a violent civil war in 2011. This civil war   occurred as part of the “Arab Spring” from February 2011 until October 2011. It resulted in the ousting and death of Gaddafi, and the collapse of his Jamahiriya state. At least 30,000 Libyans died in the civil war.

In August 2012, the National Transitional Council officially handed power to the elected General National Congress, which was  tasked with the formation of an interim government and the drafting of a new Libyan Constitution. Sectarian violence continues to plague the country. In short, the situation in Libya remains unstable.

September 11th, 2012, (the 11th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks) the consulate in Benghazi is attacked, resulting in the deaths of four Americans. Ambassador Chris Stevens died of smoke inhalation when he became trapped inside the burning consulate. Another diplomatic staffer, Sean Smith, also died at the compound.

Two U.S. security personnel, former Navy SEAL’s Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, were killed later when the safe house, to which some thirty-seven personnel retreated, came under mortar attack. According to those involved in the battle the mortar attack was done with such precision that they could only conclude that they were up against experienced fighters.

As you read the following, I want you to consider that the battle between the terrorists and the American & Libyan forces lasted four and half hours and at two separate locations, the secondary compound where the two security officers died was ½ mile away. This was not a hit and run attack but a well planned and well executed military style attack.

September 12th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack. ... No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation." - President Barack Obama

"We had a tough day today as some of you know" - President Barack Obama (while at a fund raising event in Las Vegas)

“Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear, there is no justification for this, none." – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"It's too early for us to make that judgment. I think -- I know that this is being investigated, and we're working with the Libyan government to investigate the incident. So I would not want to speculate on that at this time." - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (when asked f the attack had been planned)

September 13th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"The protests we're seeing around the region are in reaction to this movie. They are not directly in reaction to any policy of the United States or the government of the United States or the people of the United States." - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

"It was not an innocent mob. The video or 9/11 made a handy excuse and could be fortuitous from their perspective, but this was a clearly planned military-type attack." – Senior U.S. Official

“Until we have a chance to investigate, along with the Libyans... So I know that's going to be frustrating for you, but we really want to make sure that we do this right and we don't jump to conclusions. That said, obviously, there are plenty of people around the region citing this disgusting video as something that has been motivating." - State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland

September 14th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"We were not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent." - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

September 16th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"But based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy, sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that-- in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent." - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice (This echoes similar statements made by her on numerous other press shows that morning)

September 18th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"Our belief based on the information we have is it was the video that caused the unrest in Cairo, and the video and the unrest in Cairo that helped, that precipitated some of the unrest in Benghazi and elsewhere.” - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

September 19th, 2012, the following comments are made:

“Right now I'm saying we don't have evidence at this point that this was premeditated or preplanned to coincide on a… to happen on a specific date or coincide with that anniversary." - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

"They were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy. ... At this point, what I would say is that a number of different elements appear to have been involved in the attack, including individuals connected to militant groups that are prevalent in eastern Libya, particularly the Benghazi area, as well we are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al Qaeda or al Qaeda affiliates, in particular al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." Director of National Intelligence Matthew Olson (responding to a question by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman on whether the attack was a terrorist attack)

September 20th, 2012, the following comments are made:

"It is, I think, self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Our embassy was attacked violently, and the result was four deaths of American officials." - White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

"What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests."  - President Barack Obama

September 27th, 2012, the following comments are made:

“It became clear within about a day of the Benghazi attack that it had been the work of terrorists” - Senior U.S. Official (to CNN)

October 2^nd, 2012

Congressmen Darrell Issa and Jason Chaffetz send a letter to Secretary of State Clinton that outlined a dozen incidents that predated the attack which raised serious security concerns. The information about the previous security requests allegedly came from individuals with direct knowledge of events in Libya.

Among the incidents noted in the letter were the following:

• April 2012, a gun battle erupted about two miles from the consulate between an unidentified armed group and forces loyal to the transitional government.

• April 2012, two Libyans fired from a contractor providing security at the consulate threw a small explosive device over the consulate fence. There were no casualties.

• June 2012, a posting on a Facebook page mentioned Stevens' early morning runs around Tripoli along with members of his security detail. The page contained a threat against Stevens and a stock photo of him. Stevens stopped the runs for about a week, but then resumed.

• June 2012, there was an assault on a convoy in Benghazi carrying Britain's ambassador to Libya. He was not hurt, but two of his bodyguards were.

• June 2012, assailants placed an explosive device on a gate of the U.S. consulate, which blew a hole in the security perimeter."

Weeks before the attacks, the Libyan guards at the consulate, employed by British contractor Blue Mountain Group, were warned by family members to quit their jobs because there were rumors of an impending attack.

In fact, it has come to light recently that Blue Mountain Libya felt the security provided by the UK partner was "substandard and the situation was unworkable." But when they tried to bring in a third party, an American contractor, to improve security, a State Department contract officer declined to get involved.

The bottom line is that the Benghazi area of Libya was known as a bad place. It is considered to be a hotbed of Jihadism and where large numbers of weapons had been looted from military depots during the civil war. Based upon this information alone, the consulate should have been designated as “Critical Threat – Terrorism” or “Civil Unrest Posting.” What it was in reality was a rented villa that provided no more security than your home does. Someone, somewhere, knowing the information above, signed off on it being used as a consulate. I guess when you are on the other side of the world the threat doesn’t seem too serious.

Consider that it has been three weeks now and the FBI still has not gotten in to search the crime scene. If you can’t get into a place three weeks after the attack, it raises the question “why were you there in the first place?”

What troubles me is the fact that CNN, a cable news station, was able to gain access to the consulate after the attack and even obtained the Ambassador’s journal. All crime scene issues aside, the journal provides some insight into what the people on the ground were thinking before the attack. As a result CNN reported that Stevens was worried about never-ending security threats, the rise in Islamic extremism, and being included on an Al Qaeda hit list.

OK, so a cable news station can gain access to a crime scene that our FBI cannot go to because it is still too dangerous. Seriously?

In fact, consider this for a moment. In what can only be attributed to a case of prophetic gallows humor, staffer Sean Smith, an avid video gamer typed a message to a friend the night of the attack in which he is reported to have said “assuming we don’t die tonight…. We saw one of our ’police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”

The holes in this tale are so ludicrous that they would be funny, save for the fact that we lost four Americans.

My question is, from a threat assessment point of view:

1. If security concerns were raised by the people on the ground, why were they not addressed?
2. Were these threats discredited? And if so, by whom?
3. The consulate, situated in a very dangerous area, was considered “lock and key” which meant it afforded no protection other than its structure. This means it had no other security features common to embassies such as bulletproof glass or reinforced doors.
4. Why, given the recent physical attacks on the consulate, including one by former security officers, was the Ambassador there on the anniversary of 9/11?

As someone who has done threat assessments, it is inconceivable to me, under the known conditions that existed at the time, that requests for additional security were denied.

The bombings, crude as they may have been, coupled with the attack on the British Ambassadors motorcade are events that easily demonstrate a “clear and present danger.” In addition to the attack on the British Ambassador, there had also been an attack on a United Nations convoy. Clearly there were ongoing terrorist ops in the area.

In conducting an assessment, you try to plan for “everything” and then pray nothing happens. You have to be right 100% of the time and they only have to be right once. It is a sad fact. So you try to do everything in your power to make sure that you have eliminated anything you can control.

What did the assessment in Benghazi determine? Well according to intelligence sources familiar with the situation, no assessment was ever done before the Ambassador took up residence. This is completely inexcusable.

On top of this, where was the protection? Given the conditions in Benghazi you would have thought the Ambassador would have had a large security contingent. Apparently there were only four armed Americans in the compound, one of whom had to sprint through the complex to the Ambassadors building, under fire, but by then it was too late.  

In fact, well after the attack began, they had to fly U.S. Marines in by helicopter from the embassy in Tripoli, a distance of over 400 miles, to help aid in the defense.

How much sense does that make? It’s like having the CAT (Counter Attack Team) element of the presidential protection detail in western Pennsylvania, while the President is attending a fund raiser in Manhattan.

In terms of responsibility and who is at fault? To be honest, there are a lot of people who potentially have culpability. Surely there will be a number of people who will have to explain what they did or didn’t do. Of course, with the Ambassador dead, it is going to be a one sided conversation. I personally believe this is a State Department issue, unless their actions were directed by someone outside the agency.

Where does this leave the President and the White House?

The other day I heard someone say “this was Obama’s 3:00am call.” Sadly, that’s not even correct; it’s actually the complete opposite. The attack began at approximately 10:00pm, which would translate to 3pm D.C. time. This means, even after the attack was over it was still only around 9:00 pm. Given the capabilities of the United States government, there is no way that that the President did not know that this attack was more than just a mob response to some obscure video. Surely he would have been advised of the nature of the attack.

Like I said, I don’t know if there is any culpability on their part pertaining to the extremely lax security. However, I’m profoundly disgusted by the fact that the day after this vicious attack, he still felt it was appropriate to go to Las Vegas for a fund raising event. However, that is a matter for voters to decide on.

In 1994, when I was in the rookie stage of my dignitary protection career, I had the good fortune to be assigned with a veteran special agent for the United States Secret Service. He became my mentor in conducting site / threat assessments. He had served in a number of high profile details, including presidential protection and told me that I would never ask a dumb question.

One day I remember asking him why we were making a particular request for security at what appeared to me to be an insignificant location. I never forgot his answer: “So that you and I never have to stand in front of Congress, with our right hands raised, and explain why we didn’t post it.”

Somewhere in D.C. there are a number of folks who, God willing, are going to have to face that reality and explain to Congress, and the American people, why they denied those requests.

Sadly, for the families of Ambassador Chris Stevens, Staffer Sean Smith and SEAL’s Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, those answers will be too little and much too late.