One of Steve Bannon's Navy Seal security guards attempts to intimidate 5 ft 2 mother and author on elevator.

Courtesy of the Daily Mail: 

One of Steve Bannon's Navy Seal security guards lost his cool after a 5ft 2in woman made a snide comment towards the former Trump strategist in a hotel elevator, it has been revealed. 

Samantha Ettus found herself in the same elevator as Bannon and his two security guards at Manhattan's Regency Hotel on Tuesday. 

Unable to resist the urge to skewer Bannon, who was part of President Trump's original West Wing team before being ousted earlier this year, Ettus told him: 'I hope you get what you deserve.' 

Furious, one of Bannon's two former Navy Seal security guards moved towards her as if he were about to 'pounce'. 

DailyMail.com understands the veteran was only settled when Bannon told him: 'Let it go, Major Chief.' 

According to Ettus the other security guard restrained the man until Bannon called him off, but that she was left shaken.

Here is a picture of the author and mother so you can see for yourself how intimidating she could be.

But let's face it we should not be surprised.

After all Bannon, Donald Trump, and even Vladimir Putin are all terrified of women.

That is why they worked so aggressively to keep one of them out of the White House.

Sadly for them that just seems to have made them stronger and more determined. 

Fox News features a fake Navy Seal in a story supporting Donald Trump.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

Fox News ran a story on Oct. 8 about a decorated Vietnam War Navy SEAL and glass artist who created an enormous presidential glass seal he hoped to give to President Trump. On Thursday, 11 days later, the network retracted the story after being told the Trump supporter never served in the SEALs or in Vietnam, much less earned commendations for his service. 

In the segment, John Garafalo said he served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Navy SEAL team. Fox News reported that he also received two Purple Hearts and about two dozen other medals for his service. 

The man’s claimed record turned out to be a fabrication. It was first discovered by former Navy SEALs. Both these SEALs and family members of Garofalo contacted Fox News about the story, according to the Navy Times. 

Don Shipley, a retired SEAL, told the Navy Times that he contacted Fox on Oct. 9, the day after the story ran. 

But the story was still on the news outlet’s Facebook page on Oct. 19. By then it had amassed 1.5 million views.

Fox News eventually published a correction but of course was after a million people had been fooled by their story.

 What a crackerjack team of researchers they employee at Fox News.

Now this same thing could of course happen to other cable news outlets like MSNBC or CNN, after all they have to present 24 hours of news each day.

However Fox News has a particular problem with the folks they present as experts, intelligence officials, or even actual journalists.

You know it's almost as if they care less about a person's credentials and more about whether or not they are willing to support the station's ideology and spout their talking points.

Or an I just being cynical?

Hey, remember that convoy of military looking vehicles sporting a Donald Trump flag? It was the Navy.

Courtesy of ABC News:

The military convoy spotted on Sunday flying a Donald Trump flag near Louisville belonged to an East Coast-based SEAL unit, a Navy spokesperson told ABC News. 

Military officials have launched an inquiry to determine if any misconduct can be linked to the incident. Regulations do not permit an unauthorized flag on a military vehicle. 

"The convoy were service members assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit driving vehicles while transiting between two training locations," Lieutenant Jacqui Maxwell, a spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare Group 2, told ABC News. Naval Special Warfare Units is the official Navy term for its elite SEAL special operations teams. 

Maxwell said that Fort Knox, near Louisville, is used by Naval Special Warfare units for routine training. 

The spokesperson said that a command inquiry has been initiated to determine what flag was being flown by the vehicle in the convoy. 

"Defense Department and Navy regulations prescribe flags and pennants that may be displayed as well as the manner of display," said Maxwell. "The flag shown in the video was unauthorized."

I have to say I am somewhat amazed at the cognitive dissonance portrayed by these servicemen.

After all Trump authorized an ill conceived raid that killed one of their own, along with a number of civilian women and children.

And there is every likelihood that Trump will send many more to their deaths in the next few years, since he has essentially threatened everybody from China, to Iran, and even Mexico.

Just more proof that CNN is becoming Fox News lite.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

A CNN chyron covering the turmoils of the Navy SEAL who claims to have shot Osama bin Laden accidentally made the typo we all thought was no more after the terrorist leader died.

You know I am sure that this is nothing more than an accident, and that the folks at CNN certainly did not mean to suggest that a Navy Seal had killed the President of the United States. But still....don't they have editors and proof readers?

Ex-Navy Seal seems to have fabricated story of being shot by three black men.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

Police in Ohio have charged a former Navy SEAL after discovering “overwhelming evidence” that he lied when he said three black men shouted obscenities at him, and then shot him in the stomach. 

Chris Heben, a 44-year-old former Navy SEAL who served from 1996 through 2006, told police in Bath Township that he was almost hit by a low-profile sports car in a grocery store parking lot in Akron on March 28. He said that there were three black men in the car, and that they shouted obscenities at him. 

Heben claimed that he went into the Mustard Seed grocery store, but returned to his car because he forgot his wallet. 

That’s when one of the men in the same car yelled, “You got a big mouth white boy. You need to learn some f*cking respect,” and then shot him in the abdomen. 

According to Heben’s story, he plugged the bullet hole, and tried to chase the men down in his car until he began to lose consciousness. So, he stopped at a fire station for help. 

Heben’s incredible story scored him interviews with national media outlets like CNN and Fox News, and turned him into a local hero, boosting his profile as a spokesperson for the Montrose Auto Group.

However according to the police Heben seems to have made some shit up:  

“We have overwhelming evidence based upon video, cell phone records and interviews that the shooting did not occur in the West Market Plaza and that Mr. Heben made false allegations to us,” Bath Township Police Chief Mike McNeely explained.

So if Heben was nowhere near where he claimed he was when he got shot, how likely do you think that ANY of his story might be true?

Yeah, me neither.

Of course white people blaming black people for crimes they did not commit is a tried and true part of our racial heritage. In the South black men were lynched over even the possibility that they might have raped a white woman, and in the Susan Smith case she claimed that a black man carjacked her and kidnapped her sons, when in fact she had murdered them.

When we ask ourselves why Michael Brown was shot by a police officer for simply walking down the street, I think much of the blame can be laid at the feet of a certain mythology that sees black men as animals who rape and kill without remorse.

And while we are addressing that myth we also need to take a moment to examine the myth that military members are all heroes who should be trusted and admired without hesitation.

Because clearly, that is also quite false.

Jesse Ventura responds to Sarah Palin's insults.

As you all well know Palin lashed out at Ventura after he won an anti-defamation lawsuit against the estate of sniper Chris Kyle who had claimed in his book that he punched Ventura out in a bar fight.

Here is what she said:  

“Hey tough guy, Jesse Ventura, your feelings were hurt because you perceived your reputation was besmirched by words in a book?” 

“So you turn around and sue, expecting $2 million from a military widow and her fatherless children? Yeah, like that is going to help your reputation, jackass.”

So that was two weeks ago but Ventura must have finally heard about it because she said it on her pa-per-butch channel, and nobody pays any real attention to that. 

Here was his response:

"Well you know what I've got to say to Sarah "the quitter" Palin? At least I finished my term, Sarah, and didn't lie to the people. You lied to the people. You told the people of Alaska that you wanted to be their governor. Then all of a sudden fame and fortune came your way, and being governor wasn't that important was it, to the money. So you dropped out early. You quit your job as governor. You didn't fulfill your obligation and promise to the very people who elected you. You chose fame and fortune, Sarah. I have no respect for you because you made a choice. You took the money over your obligation. So who are you to criticize me?"

Now I am not really a big fan of Ventura, though I do agree with him on some things, but he has every right to defend himself against this unnecessary verbal attack because it was really NONE of Palin's business.

I mean if a court of law found that what Kyle wrote in his book was defamatory, then what right does little miss buttinski have to say anything about it?

Besides Ventura filed the case in 2012 when Kyle was still alive (After all how did he know the guy was stupid enough to take guys suffering from PTSD to a gun range?), and the estate was only named as the defendant after Kyle got himself killed, so it is not like he was targeting a widow and her children out of spite.

Or perhaps its simply that she is jealous Ventura is now 1.8 millions dollars richer, while Palin realizes that if SHE were to try and sue for defamation that she would surely lose.

Navy Seal caught smuggling 10 kilos of cocaine into the country.

Courtesy of Buzzfeed:

A Navy SEAL who served in the military for 14 years and worked on covert anti-drug operations has admitted to smuggling 10 kilos of cocaine into the United States, according to records from the federal district court in Miami and a source familiar with his service. 

The SEAL, Angel Martinez-Ramos, left active duty in 2010 but continued to deploy on missions as a reservist, court papers say. He had drug paraphernalia, including a money-counting machine and drug-testing equipment, at home, the documents say. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine and is currently in custody in Miami awaiting sentencing. 

His case comes in the wake of another embarrassment for the elite SEALs, the commandos famous for killing Osama bin Laden. Earlier this year, two former members of the group died after consuming heroin and alcohol on a commercial ship they had been hired to protect from pirates.

I want to make it clear that this post should in no way be perceived as anti-military in any way.

However I think it is important to remind people that the current deifying of our men and women in the armed services needs to stop.

Many of those in our fighting forces are exemplary and honest human beings, who courageously put their lives on the line to protect American interests overseas. Not our freedom, but our interests.

It must be remembered however that some of these guys are simply average men doing a very challenging job, who may or may not have the highest ethical or moral standards. As we have seen all too often.

Whenever we put any group of people on a pedestal, like the Right Wing so often does with our military, we risk not paying critical enough attention to who they are, and what they do.

Don't forget that these are individuals who travel to a foreign land and kill citizens of that land when ordered to do so, without ever knowing for sure if they are innocent, guilty, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sadly we need people like this in the world, but we should always remember that a job like that requires a certain ability to suspend their empathetic natures, a skill that some pick up over time, and which some never had holding them back in the first place.

Romney campaign forced to stop using story of slain Navy SEAL after mother complains. Update: Now friend weighs in as well.

This from Buzzfeed:

At a town hall here Wednesday, Mitt Romney re-told a story he first revealed earlier this week about meeting one of the Navy SEALs who would later be killed in the attacks on the Benghazi consulate. 

Romney has used the account in recent days on the stump to demonstrate the courage of Americans, in particular the troops: Upon hearing that the consulate was under attack, Glenn Doherty, 42, headed toward the action to try to defend it. 

It's a compelling story, offering a surprisingly personal link between the candidate and the tragedy in Libya — but it's one the SEAL's mother wants him to stop telling. 

Wednesday morning, NBC's Boston affiliate reported that Doherty's mother thought Romney was taking advantage of her son's death. 

"I don't trust Romney," Barbara Doherty told WHDH 7. "He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama."

Obviously the mother is NOT a supporter of Romney's and obviously found his use of her son's name for political gain as repulsive as the rest of us did. Her response resulted in Romney's people telling their candidate to stop using the story at campaign stops immediately.

Asked whether Romney would continue to tell the story, a campaign aide told BuzzFeed he would not, now that he knew the mother's wishes. 

Kevin Madden added, "Governor Romney was inspired by the memory of meeting Glen Doherty and shared his story and that memory. We respect the wishes of Mrs. Doherty though."

Of course Romney's use of his connection to this Navy SEAL is part of the Republicans newest attempt to smear the Obama campaign by claiming they were complicit in the death of Ambassador Stevens, and the Navy SEAL's there to protect him. And are also currently launching another Congressional witch hunt led by their favorite attack dog, Darrell Issa.

You may remember Issa as the same vicious asshole who tried to use the Fast and Furious debacle to smear the President, and even went so far as to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for not allowing himself to be bullied. Eventually of course Holder was cleared of all of the trumped up charges against him.

When I first heard Romney tell of his very tenuous connection to this dead soldier, and then squint his eyes a bunch of times in an attempt to produce a tear or two, I felt sick to my stomach.  This soldier's mother is quite right not to trust Mr. Romney, in that he will essentially use ANY means, no matter how disgusting or devious, to win this election.

Update: Navy SEAL's friend recalls meeting with Romney much differently:

But one of Glen Doherty's best friends remembered Doherty's impression of this meeting much differently. 

He last saw Doherty a week before the final mission to Libya. "I stayed in his house (in California), we paddled out in the ocean together, spent some good quality time." 

Ellefsen said Doherty recalled meeting Mitt Romney years ago, but the account was much different from what the Presidential candidate retold in Iowa. 

According to Ellefsen, Romney introduced himself to Doherty four separate times during the gathering. 

"He said it was very comical," Ellefsen said, "Mitt Romney approached him ultimately four times, using this private gathering as a political venture to further his image. He kept introducing himself as Mitt Romney, a political figure. The same introduction, the same opening line. Glen believed it to be very insincere and stale." 

Ellefsen said Doherty remembered Romney as robotic. 

"He said it was pathetic and comical to have the same person come up to you within only a half hour, have this person reintroduce himself to you, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that he just did this 20 minutes ago, and did not even recognize Glen's face." 

Ellefsen described Glen Doherty as a humble, non-political guy, and said it was ironic for him to be used during a presidential campaign. 

"Whether it be Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Libertarian, it doesn't make a difference. Because this guy is using our great friend, our humble, and honorable great friend...who is truly larger than life...He has become part of the soapbox routine for politics in a presidential race."

Jesus Christ just how low will Romney go in this election?

Shameless prick!

If this was the first test of Obama's ability to deal with a crisis than he clearly gets an A+.

Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces in that region, said Monday that it took only three shots for Navy snipers to kill the trio of pirates holding captain Richard Phillips hostage on the lifeboat.

The takedown happened shortly after the hostage-takers were observed by sailors aboard the USS Bainbridge "with their heads and shoulders exposed," he told NBC's "Today" show on Monday in an interview from Bahrain.

Military officials Monday widely praised the snipers for three shots, which they described as remarkable, coming at night, come 25 yards away and from the stern of a ship on a rolling waters to a small lifeboat.

I don't care how bad-ass you think you are, you simply do not take on the Navy Seals. These guys may be the most dedicated highly trained soldiers in the world. For these guys losing is not an option.

In the title of this post I gave credit to President Obama for his handling of this crisis. However I am fully aware that the real heroes here are the Navy Seals, Captain Richard Phillips, and the commanders who made the tactical decisions that resulted in this amazing rescue.

Really the only reason I even mention Obama is because you can bet your ass that if this thing had ended badly the Right Wing blogs and media outlets would have gone insane with attacks on Obama's ability to solve a crisis, or lead the military, or deal with terrorists. It would have been beyond ugly.

So though I have no idea how much Obama had to do with this outcome, if anything at all, I have to give the man credit for playing his cards close to his chest and allowing these amazing warriors do what they do so well. Obama did not make threats to the pirates, or lock himself away as if he was consumed with worry, or allow the situation to ruffle his feathers in any way. The guy played it cool, and cool was the way to play it.

I hear that Obama will be making a comment concerning this rescue in a few minutes. If I have time I will embed when it becomes available.