Are Some Military Leaders Considering a Coup of Obama?

Recently there has been speculation on the web that some in the military have discussed and considered a military coup to remove Barack Obama from office.  Retired Lt. General William Boykin claims that some have considered a coup, but decided against it.  According to the website Government Executive:

A former top general and current executive at the Family Research Council says members of the military have considered staging a coup d'état against the president, but will not because of civilian control of the military. 

"People I've spoken to would like to see the military 'fulfill their constitutional duty and take out the president,' " retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin told World Net Daily, a website best known for pushing Obama "birther" conspiracy theories. "Our Constitution puts a civilian in charge of the military and as a result a coup would not be constitutional. You're not going to see a coup in the military."

It's interesting to note that Obama has fired 197 military commanders since he took office, and this may be a result of Obama's fears of such a coup.  So he is ridding the military of all but the most compliant commanders.  Other possible defensive moves by Obama:  having Homeland Security purchase millions of rounds of ammunition and thousands of body bags, over the past two years, and creation of the most widespread spying operation in US history, targeting American citizens as well as foreign leaders.  From these acts, one can almost conclude that Obama fears a coup.  But why would he, unless he plans increasingly radical action against the Constitution and the reaction it will cause?

Back in 2009 I wrote about the possibility of a coup against Obama, due to his radicalism and destructive policies that are wrecking the economy.  That post was "Is Barack Obama the New Salvador Allende?"

Salvador Allende was the Marxist president of Chile back in the 1970's, whose policies destroyed the Chilean economy.  I wrote:

Allende greatly increased the minimum wage, causing thousands of small businesses to fail and bringing on raging unemployment and inflation. Allende seems like an early version of Barack Obama.

Allende nationalized banking and other industries and socialized the health care system -- sound familiar? Inflation soared, foreign reserves declined and Allende soon announced that Chile would default on its foreign debt. Basic commodities and foodstuffs disappeared from market shelves and waves of strikes began, first by truckers, small businessmen and unions, then by housewives. By September 1973 the military figured it had to act and overthrew Allende in a coup. Good riddance. (Today the leftists claim that Allende's coup was staged by the CIA and that it was American opposition that caused his socialist experiment to fail -- the same old lies and excuses for failed socialism.)

I concluded:

...like Salvador Allende, perhaps Barack Obama will awaken one morning to find the White House lawn covered with tanks and soldiers. I hope it never comes to that. But it could.

Now it seems that some military personnel are considering the necessity of such a plan.  However, I doubt that it will happen, as things are not yet that bad in the USA.  In another year, Americans will again have an opportunity to put the brakes on this anti-American socialist, Barack Obama, by voting for Republicans and restoring a Republican majority in the senate.  If the Obamacare disaster doesn't persuade them to vote sanely, nothing will.

In Spite of US Air Support, Tebow Loses Battle (Photo)

Lots of us were rooting for you Tim...see you next year!

The Fighting Sullivans: WWII Sailor Brothers Who Died Together

There is a lot of interest right now in the "fighting Sullivans," five brothers who served together in the US Navy in World War II.

Apparently, and foolishly, they were all allowed to serve together on the same ship, the USS Juneau, a light cruiser that was sunk during the Battle of  Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942 --  67 years ago yesterday.  Putting one's eggs in only one basket proved catastrophic for the Sullivan family.  In fact, their loss was the greatest military loss for any one family in World War II.

The US Navy currently has a guided missile destroyer named after these brothers, the USS The Sullivans (DDG 68).  You can see a photo of that ship at this link.  This is the second ship named after the Sullivans; the first was a Fletcher class destroyer (DD 537); this latter ship was decommissioned in 1965 and still serves as a museum that is open to the public.  Read all about it at this link.

The photo at the right shows all five of the Sullivan brothers in uniform.  They are wearing the blue "Donald Duck" style Navy hats that were phased out in 1963.  Too bad; I like those hats, having collected about six of them from EBay.  I sometimes wear one when puffing stogies in the backyard gazebo.

I previously wrote about this Navy hat here.

Project Valour-IT: Lap Tops for Wounded Servicemen

Carol at No Sheeples Here is supporting this worthy cause, of buying laptops for wounded servicemen.  She writes:

Project Valour-IT raises money for laptop computers with voice-activated software for soldiers whose injuries have cost them the use of their hands or who have received traumatic brain injuries for fighting for our freedom.

The money raised also will buy Wii™ game consoles and games to be used at Veteran’s Administration rehab facilities. Because Wii™ games use the entire body and are fun, they motivate soldiers to learn the new skills they need to replace the abilities they have lost.

Read it all here.

Artist Donates Paintings of Fallen Soldiers to Families

Kaziah Hancock is an artist who lives on a ranch in Utah. When the first U.S. soldier from Utah was killed, she painted his portrait and made it a gift to his parents. But she didn't stop there. She kept on painting portraits of fallen U.S. service men and women, nearly 250 of them, from almost every state. She frames them and sends them to the parents, a gift of love. She refuses to accept a single penny for her work, which normally brings in thousands of dollars for each portrait or landscape she paints.

When she painted the portrait of Dale Panchot, a soldier from Minnesota, she said that he should have been a husband and a father, and should have lived to age 80. "I sure wish I didn't have to paint his portrait," she said. Dale's parents were touched to receive the painting, which now hangs in their living room.

Kaziah Hancock is one great lady, doing her part in the best way she can, armed with love, canvas and an artist's paint brush.

See her story at the Military Times website.

First photo: Kaziah shows a finished portrait ready for shipment to parents.

Second photo: Portrait of Dale Panchot

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Kaziah's Website

Kaziah has a website at this link. You can view all of her paintings of fallen soldiers there, too - she calls them Portraits of Heroes.

Hat Tip for Story: Larry Bovshow. Larry is a long-time reader of Saber Point. He's a real estate broker in Beverly Hills, California. Larry, the next time I am out that way, I want to buy dinner for you and your wife.

Honoring the Brave on U.S. Armed Forces Day

A French friend of ours has published a tribute to U.S. Armed Forces Day (which is today, May 17, 2008). To show our appreciation, we have reprinted it here in English. See the original in French here, along with some great pictures of American women serving in the U.S. military.

Support American Soldiers blog posts the following:

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense.

On this day of dedication, our blog wishes to recognize and support the American women who serve with courage in the armed forces. They represent 15% overall, and many are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.