Hello Military Pundits readers! I just wanted to pop in to let everyone know that I will resume contributing when I return from somewhere in the Middle East. While I know that it is commonplace for deployed soldiers to blog, I am unfortunately under direct orders to not blog while deployed due to the nature of my unit’s mission. On a comforting note, the order is a blanket one issued neither due to anything that I’ve written in the past nor issued by anyone in my military chain of command or the DoD. So until I get back (whenever the hell that may be) rest assured I’ll be reading here along with the rest of you.

Where was this program when my middle son was wanting to drop out of Boy Scouts, which he eventually did. I can guarantee you he would still be in and probably be the top Scout had they offered this in pack 93.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14explorers.html

The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.

Keith Olbermann has provided us with a new folk hero to compete with Joe the Plumber. I would like for you to meet “Jeff the Unemployed Blogger,” Olbermann’s nickname for the man who attended a Tea Party in Pensacola, Florida… but not because he wanted to add his voice to their call. His real name is Jeff Spoeri of Pensacola, Florida. No, Jeff and Sid the Cameraman attended the Tea Party with some sort of mischief in mind and the ability to videotape it for Mr Unemployedblogger’s (spelled Spoeri) website. The experience exceeded Jeff’s expectations when, in true “grassroots” fashion, they started offering the microphone around to whoever wanted to contribute. Jeff excitedly took the microphone, happy for the opportunity to “exercise his First Amendment rights.”

Except it wasn’t to contribute. It was to heckle and disrupt the rally, and it was rather artful. However artfully asshattery is performed, it is asshattery nonetheless. Our little Jeffy, who is as proud as the Code Pink protester who all made us throw up in our mouths a little at the RNC back in August, has taken asshattery to a new level. This man wears Oprah’s ass as a hat. Now that’s an asshat.

Keith Olbermann lost his freakin’ mind enthusing about this guy. Olbermann, the propagandist who ran a “list” of Tea Parties which downplayed the significance of 800 simultaneous rallies across the United States (skewing the news as only MSNBC can… it’s not like they’re a real news network, after all,) included his video in his nightly hatefest.

I’m sorry, but anyone who accepts political commentary from Garofalo as being anything other than a lame attempt at substance-addled comedy is just so misguided. Keith Olbermann does. ‘Nuff said. If she wasn’t so outlandishly offensive, it would be funny. She is funnier than 6 out of 10 angry barstool drunks, though. Those guys are hard to beat for blithering rages, but she keeps right up with them. “Teabagging rednecks.” Come on, that’s funny, I don’t care who you are.

I don’t know what she’s into, but if Garofalo keeps it up, she’s going to sound like Mohammad Ali. She doesn’t really look well, and she’s got a hint of a slur. That’s over and above the racist slurs, just to clarify. The rage disorder is a hint, too. Gets cranky when she has to sober up enough to talk on the TV, I guess. She does make a nice counterpoint to Olbermann’s self-righteousness, though, doesn’t she?

But I digress.

Back to our boy Jeffy. So Jeffy takes gets an opportunity to get on the microphone and he has a strategy; draw them in with things they’ll agree with and then blame it all on the previous administration. He starts off by thanking the veterans, which I have thanked him for in his comments, always a crowd-pleaser in the type of crowd a Tea Party might attract and an excellent rhetorical ploy, and then he begins his diatribe when he realizes he’s losing them. Hundreds of people are staring at Mr. Spoeri at this point as if he has a cucumber growing out of his forehead. Jeff pauses, sensing that he’s made a tactical error. Quickly regaining his composure, like the Grinch confronted by little Cindy Lou Who, he asks a leading question: “Who here is making less than $250,000 a year? Cheer! Let’s hear you cheer!”

I enjoyed the part when I asked, “How many here make less than $250,000 a year?” and there’s a big cheer

He was drawing them in…

you have to “speak to your audience,” y’know

Wanting to believe that this man has some sort of plan to say something relevant, they cheer. His plan working perfectly now, Jeffy drops it on them, blaming the former administration for all the world’s woes and congratulating them on their new tax cut. His mission accomplished, Spoeri throws his hands in the air like a victorious fighter as boos rain down upon him.

But, like all good villains, I reveled in the booing just a bit … although I should have closed with “Enjoy the rest of your teabagging!” Maybe I should have paid more attention in rehearsal …

Jeffy hurried home to post his new video and seek his attention. He was largely successful, but he may have gone a little too far with the Daily Kos. This from mariosavio, a Daily Kos writer:

Nice job. But a little desperate for attention? (0+ / 0-)

“Yeah, I’m the guy…”

Thanks for the transcript of your speech.

You did a good job, but by posting here & bragging that you risked your life to do this you have only proven that you are desperation for attention & affirmation.

Are you really that insecure that you need pats on the back from us Kossacks? Come on, you’re better than the GOP.

To which our Jeffy replied on his blog (but not in his response to the writer on Kos, who would have disassembled him):

Seriously, d00d. That was a pretty dickish thing to say.

You know it’s pretty bad when you’re a liberal and your drive for attention brings a negative reaction from a Daily Kos contributor. You can tell it left a mark, too, by the response. This guy really doesn’t like to be called on it. You should read his responses to a woman who was actually there at the rally and who called him a liar.

He demanded an apology. *sniff, sniff* I can feel his pain. *sniff*

I wrote Spoeri in his comments, telling him that his trollish behavior had given me a teaching point with my children. He responded innocently that he had gone to a non-partisan rally and was simply participating in it. His web page shows otherwise, as he gloats about the unbelievable success of his mission.

Seriously — I didn’t realize there would be an opportunity to speak, but they were practically begging folks to come up and say a few words … and I was right there

Mr. Spoeri states that he was a participant, and that he was just trying to have his say in support of the theme of the rally. He claims that he was just trying to educate the poor misguided souls who, if they knew what he knows, would obviously be celebrating the Obama presidency like he is, not protesting the massive programs and bailouts being launched by our new and glorious messianic fiscal savior. He wasn’t trying to upset anyone or be trollish, he claims. Later he reveals what he really thinks of them.

Do you think I feel bad that I made them all look like asses? Nope, can’t say that I do. But the thing is, Andy, they already looked like asses

The thing about being a sneaky bag of shit is that you will out yourself in the process. While claiming innocence and batting his eyes like a little schoolgirl with a cookie hidden behind her back, he lets fly with this one.

My rhetorical style is not the issue here, although I must say that it worked better than I ever could have expected …

What would an innocent participant have expected? Hmmmm.

Mr. Jeff Spoeri, unemployed blogger from Pensacola, Florida, whose greatest accomplishment in this world is to have appeared on Jeopardy, I’ve got an award for you…

Asshat of the Month

Since you are the inaugural Asshat of the Month, we’ll have to come up with a certificate for you.

They may be teabaggers, but you are the teabagee. Suck it up, buddy. Tell me, does that taste like Earl Grey?

*UPDATE*

Jeff Spoeri has graciously accepted the award and posted an acceptance speech at his blog, which is overblown, but very nice. However, when pressed in comments, it’s amazing how quickly his “appreciation for the troops” evaporates when one disagrees with him. Here are two of his tweets from today.

New comment: Now I’ve got to go. Andy Wahl Bye, hero.

Nice, Jeff. Where’s your appreciation for those who have served now? Pretty thin, that soup you’re serving at the Tea Party. Although your “outrage” when I challenged your sincerity with your intro at the Tea Party was some stellar acting, it wears thin really fast. But then, most truly genuine things do, right?

Ummm… No.

New comment: I thought Andy left. The last refuge of a scoundrel is patriotism, Andy.

Oh, snap… there it is. Like I said, when you’re trying to pass asshattery off as something innocent, you will out yourself. I didn’t even have to push much.

This is the type of guy that Olbermann holds up as a good example, folks. Liberals want to compare him to Joe the Plumber… sort of… Uh… yeah.

Remember, folks… patriotism is for scoundrels.

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In what looked like one of those human viruses that occasionally make the rounds warning of a deadly computer bug that will wipe your hard drive and eat your RAM like sugar wafers, I found a warning today that sounded too ridiculous to be true.

It is.  Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not true.   HR 45, The Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 has been introduced.  It includes provisions that require licensing of any firearm that can be fed by a detachable feeding system (magazine,) fingerprinting of every purchaser, and the requirement to notify the Attorney General of your new address within 60 days of moving… just like a child molester.  You also agree to the automatic release of any mental health records, give the state Attorney General the right to demand a physical examination or mental health evaluation at the leisure of the government, and a certification by the applicant that they will keep the weapon(s) out of the possession of those under 18.

I guess that means no shooting with my 14 year old.  “Shooting?  Sorry, son, not until you’re 18.”

I wonder what the Army is going to do with the 17 year olds who join with parental consent.  (Actually, the government is exempt from the provisions of the entire bill.  I know.  I read it.)

Goodbye, Second Amendment; hello, first step to disarming Joe and Jill Sixpack. That’s okay… we’re in good company, Joe. Nothing at all to be concerned about.

“Any Jews still found in possession of weapons without valid licenses are threatened with the severest punishment.” – Berlin Police President, Count Wolf Heinrich von Helldorf, quoted in the New York Times, November 8, 1938.

Well hide me in your attic and call me Ann… I’m taking bets on what’s first after this; freedom of assembly or freedom of speech?

Freedom of association?

.

.

Liberty; it’s more than just freedom.

Main Entry: pun·dit
Pronunciation: ˈpən-dət
Function: noun
Defined as:
1. a learned person, expert, or authority.
2. a person who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

The idea for this blog was born from the milblogging minds of Troy and CJ. We both maintain very popular milblogs that focus primarily on military issues. With everything going on in our country today in the world of politics, we both realized that there were more and more political (non-military) blog posts seeping into our blogs. In order to maintain the integrity of our respective blogs we decided to create militarypundits.com.

More than just an outlet for CJ and Troy to voice their opinion and views on political matters, we wanted to open it up to any and all military or past military members to also have a place to vent, unload, share or whatever they wanted to do about political matters. We have put together a group of milbloggers who represent both sides of the “aisle”, who belong to very different political parties, but most importantly who have all raised their hands and swore to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic.

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