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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 12/29/2020 10:14:52

Good Morning.

It's the last "Ask a Vet" of this miserable year. There's a few scattered things worth looking at this morning.


2020 has numbed us all to many things. While our signature "American Specialty" was more low-key than recent years, nevertheless there have been several shootings during the pandemic. The most recent of them was perpetrated by a veteran. Of course his legal team is rolling out the usual spate of gobbledygook. Even if he does have PTSD - is it fair to use that as a defence?


A decorated Green Beret sergeant who allegedly went on a shooting spree Saturday at a Rockford, Illinois, bowling alley was suffering from PTSD and had been seeking treatment for a possible traumatic brain injury, his defense lawyer said Monday.

In addition to post-traumatic stress, Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb, 37, also was taking unspecified medications and had issues with memory loss, defense lawyer Ela Bucko said at a Winnebago county court hearing at which Webb was denied bail, the Rockford Register Star reported.

County Judge Debra Schafer ordered that Webb be held to undergo mental evaluations pending another court hearing, tentatively set for Feb. 16, the newspaper reported.

Webb allegedly opened fire at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago, killing three patrons aged 65 to 73 and wounding a 14-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 62-year-old man, Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea said at a news conference Sunday.


Moving on, as we near the end of the Trump "Presidency", he continues to behave like a dictator with enemy forces closing in on the bunker. There have been a couple of waves of pardons already - and certainly more to come in the remaining days. Nevermind all his cronies - remember when the United States used to prosecute war criminals? Well, now the literally get away with murder.



BAGHDAD — Faris Fadel had just one word to describe the recent pardoning by the Trump administration of four private security contractors convicted of killing Iraqi civilians — including his brother — in a public square 13 years ago: Unfair.

Fadel's brother, Osama Abbas, had been on his way to work that fateful day. He had just crossed a street into Baghdad's Nisoor Square to do a money transfer — a last minute change in plans that would cost the 41-year old electrical engineer his life.

At the time, the Blackwater firm had been contracted to provide security for U.S. diplomats in Iraq. It was four years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq that ultimately toppled Saddam Hussein. The four men, military veterans working as contractors for the State Department, opened fire in the crowded traffic circle killing 14 Iraqis, including a child, and wounding over a dozen more.

The shooting of civilians by the contractors prompted an international outcry, left a reputational black eye on U.S. operations in Iraq and brought into question the government's use of private contractors in military zones.

Nicholas Slatten was convicted of murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of manslaughter in 2014 after a months-long trial in federal court in Washington. Each had pleaded innocent.

Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump pardoned them.

“This decision was wrong, it was unfair,” said Fadel, now 44 years old. “How can you release those who have blood on their hands?”


And finally this morning - how's a little override grab you? Yes, in the waning days, several of the GOP remembered they had penises, no matter how small they might be. Of course, Mitch still has the senate in a death grip. File under "too little, too late".


WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House voted Monday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill.

House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. If approved by two-thirds of the Senate, the override would be the first of Trump’s presidency.

Trump rejected the defense bill last week, saying it failed to limit social media companies he claims were biased against him during his failed reelection campaign. Trump also opposes language that allows for the renaming of military bases that honor Confederate leaders.

The defense bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, affirms 3% pay raises for U.S. troops and authorizes more than $740 billion in military programs and construction.

Trump’s veto of the bill provoked swift condemnation, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling it “an act of staggering recklessness that harms our troops, endangers our security and undermines the will of the bipartisan Congress.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the bill “absolutely vital to our national security and our troops,'' adding, "Our men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform shouldn’t be denied what they need — ever.”


We'll see how this all plays out in the coming days. It's almost 2021 - let's be careful out there.


 
 

11 comments (Latest Comment: 12/29/2020 21:56:53 by livingonli)
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Comment by BobR on 12/29/2020 14:35:55
The pardoning of the 4 Blackwater murderers is particularly galling. It's possible they were veterans, but at the time were not active military when they went on their rampage.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/29/2020 14:37:35
Morning

Comment by Scoopster on 12/29/2020 15:28:29
Mornin' all..

Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/29/2020 16:11:23
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Comment by Scoopster on 12/29/2020 16:13:24
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Well the VA wasn't doing too well before Trump was in charge, so it's an especially good time to put more funding and MUCH better practices into place.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/29/2020 16:14:44
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Well the VA wasn't doing too well before Trump was in charge, so it's an especially good time to put more funding and MUCH better practices into place.



Trump has a talent for turning good things bad and making bad things worse. It is time to look at what needs to be done to fix the VA, the U.S. Post Office, and many other agencies.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/29/2020 16:49:35
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Well the VA wasn't doing too well before Trump was in charge, so it's an especially good time to put more funding and MUCH better practices into place.



Trump has a talent for turning good things bad and making bad things worse. It is time to look at what needs to be done to fix the VA, the U.S. Post Office, and many other agencies.



Speaking of the postal service - by chance did anything show up over the weekend?

Comment by livingonli on 12/29/2020 17:00:20
With all the postal chaos, I guess it works out that I sat out Blogger Joe this year. Plus the fact that I didn't have any money.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 12/29/2020 17:07:21
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Well the VA wasn't doing too well before Trump was in charge, so it's an especially good time to put more funding and MUCH better practices into place.



Trump has a talent for turning good things bad and making bad things worse. It is time to look at what needs to be done to fix the VA, the U.S. Post Office, and many other agencies.



Speaking of the postal service - by chance did anything show up over the weekend?


No. Nothing yet this week.


Comment by wickedpam on 12/29/2020 17:21:25
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!

I fear that we will see the VA take a long time to recover from Trump. We are going to have a long period of rebuilding.

Well the VA wasn't doing too well before Trump was in charge, so it's an especially good time to put more funding and MUCH better practices into place.



Trump has a talent for turning good things bad and making bad things worse. It is time to look at what needs to be done to fix the VA, the U.S. Post Office, and many other agencies.



Speaking of the postal service - by chance did anything show up over the weekend?


No. Nothing yet this week.





Comment by livingonli on 12/29/2020 21:56:53
Trump's approval rating is at 39% while Biden's is at 65%.