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Current Events

The Corps Part IV

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Okay Marines, don’t know if you picked up on this back in September when it happened. I did but I saved it for this series on “The Corps.”

A Sikh Marine is now allowed to wear a turban in uniform

From The Marine Times

By Philip Athey

The new headgear for Sikh Marines.

On Sept. 23, 1st Lt. Sukhbir Toor possibly became the first Marine lawfully wear a turban in a Marine Corps uniform.

The Marine Corps granted Toor the ability to wear his turban, uncut hair and a beard in uniform, in accordance with his Sikh faith, unless he deploys to a combat zone or while he is wearing a dress uniform in a ceremonial unit, The New York Times first reported.

The young Marine and the lawyers who represent him said the accommodations mark progress, but do not go nearly far enough accommodate the Marine in his Sikh faith.

The accommodations he was granted, “effectively amounts to a denial … it’s almost asking someone to compartmentalize their identity,” said Giselle Klapper, his lawyer from the Sikh Coalition advocacy group.

After several requests and lawsuits the Army changed policy in 2017 and now allows Sikh soldiers to wear articles of their faith and turbans with minimal restrictions.

Toor, the son of Indian immigrants, joined the Corps in 2017 and is serving as an artillery officer in 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twenty nine Palms, California.

The Marine told The New York Times that when he first joined he was willing to cut his hair, shave his beard and wear the traditional Marine Corps covers, believing it was wrong to ask for something from the Marine Corps before he gave anything back.

But when he was selected for promotion to captain in the spring, he decided it was time to ask.

“I finally don’t have to pick which life I want to commit to, my faith or my country,” Toor told the Times. “I can be who I am and honor both sides.”

Sikhs traditionally wear five articles of faith that signify commitment to their religion. The articles include a small wooden comb known as the “kanga,” a small knife or ceremonial sword called “kirpan,” cotton “soldier shorts” or slightly longer underwear called the “kachera,” a small steel bracelet known as a “kara,” along with going without cutting their hair or beard, known as “kesh.”

The turban, or dastaar, over the centuries became closely linked to the Sikh religion. It is in the code of conduct and bears nearly the same amount of importance as the other articles, according to Learn Religions.

In June Lt. Gen. David Ottignon, the head of Manpower and Reserve Affairs wrote a letter granting Toor the ability to wear the turban and unshorn hair, but only in limiting circumstances.

“The real world consequences of the failure of a forward deployed Marine unit, such as the one you lead, could jeopardize the lives of Marines and those relying on them to complete their mission,” the general added. “The Corps cannot experiment with the components of mission accomplishment in forward units without assuming the risk of mission failure.”

Under the initial restrictions Toor was prevented from wearing his articles of faith while he was assigned to units that may deploy on short notice, like 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, where he currently serves.

“Look, I’m on the ground level with the trigger-pullers every day,” Toor told the Times. “To them, I don’t think it makes a difference. We have men, women, people of all races in my platoon. We all wear green, we all bleed red. My Marines didn’t respect me because of what I had on my head.”

Toor also was banned from wearing a turban or beard in dress uniform in any ceremonial position, arguing it would hurt recruitment along with the Corps’ ability to convince the American people that it was “cohesive group of warriors capable of defending the nation’s interest.”

Toor immediately appealed the decision and received slightly greater accommodations that allowed him to wear a turban and beard while in garrison.

But he says the deployment restrictions and the restrictions on ceremonial units that remained were still unacceptable.

Klapper argued the deployment restrictions might put Toor’s career at risk if the Corps forced him to choose between a deployment and his beard.

She was also appalled by the reasoning by the Marine Corps when it came to ceremonial units.

“We’re saying the reason you can’t serve, or you can’t maintain your religious identity, the reason we have to erase essentially your religious identity is because you are in a public facing role” the lawyer said. “That to me is problematic because in reality it’s not under the law a reasonable argument and it’s also just extremely outdated in my view.”

The Marine Corps has not yet responded to questions about Toor or the branch’s decision to limit his accommodations.

Klapper and the other lawyers representing Toor have since sent a letter to the Marine Corps asking it to reconsider its decision in this case with the hopes that the Corps will either follow the Army’s precedent or at least work with Toor’s representatives to come to an agreeable solution.

But, if the Marine Corps does not come to the bargaining table or accept greater accommodations, the lawyer is prepared to sue the Corps in federal court, she said.

Appears no one in authority within the military is capable of uttering the word: “NO”. What about Women Marine Sikh’s. Can they wear that diaper on their head and cover their face? Of course, CMC Berger can’t say no, SECDEF will chew him out. Plus, we have to follow the U.S. Army’s lead. I mean hell we are no longer a separate and distinct service. Check out the Army’s story. Copy and paste the link below; you won’t believe it! If it wasn’t so tragic it would be laughable. I’m sure this uniform change will really help the poor recruiting issue.

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-army/2017/01/05/new-army-policy-oks-soldiers-to-wear-hijabs-turbans-and-religious-beards/

Originally posted 2021-11-27 10:03:48.

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You Will Not Believe this!

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But then again, of course you will because anything that POS president does is no surprise anymore. We LOVE our Gov!

DeSantis On Biden Flying Illegal Aliens Into Florida: ‘I Will Send Them To Delaware On Buses.”

Photo: Florida Governor’s Office

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) unloaded on Democrat President Joe Biden during a press conference on Thursday over reports that the Biden administration has used contractors to fly dozens of planes into the state of Florida carrying illegal aliens.

DeSantis’ remarks come after an illegal alien who posed as a minor, but was really in his early twenties, illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border. It’s not clear how he arrived in Florida, but once there, he allegedly murdered a father-of-four.

“There’s no notification to the state of Florida,” DeSantis said as he described the process of how the Biden administration sends illegal aliens into his state. “These are done mostly in the middle of the night. And it’s clandestine. And we really have no say into it. … I know when we initially got wind of this, it wasn’t through normal channels, it’s people in the federal government who are effectively leaking this to us so that we have a heads up on it.”

DeSantis lambasted Biden over separate reports that the administration was preparing to pay illegal aliens potentially up to hundreds of thousands of dollars each if they were separated at the border from their families under the previous administration.

“The President has said that basically, they want to even pay reparations to people who came illegally, just think about that,” DeSantis said. “You as an American, you get higher gas prices, you get higher grocery bills, you get told basically, to just grin and bear it, someone breaks the law, comes illegally, and they’re going to cut him a check for hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is just unbelievable. But that’s what we’re dealing with.”

DeSantis said that the flights started back in May and that Florida law enforcement agencies are engaged on the matter. DeSantis said that he would like to put the illegal aliens that Biden drops into Florida on buses and ship them to Biden’s home state of Delaware.

“You know, my view would be, why don’t we, if they’re going to come here, you know, we’ll provide buses,” DeSantis said, “I will send them to Delaware and do that. I mean, if he’s not going to support the border being secured, then he should be able to have everyone there. So, we will do whatever we can in that regard. And we are absolutely going to do everything we can.”

DeSantis said that Florida was looking at ways of going after the contractors that the Biden administration was using to fly the illegal aliens into the state, saying, “we should be able to have consequences for those contractors and your ability to do business in Florida I should absolutely be curtailed based on whether or not you’re bringing problems or not bringing problems.”

DeSantis further noted that even though Florida is suing the Biden administration in court, that doesn’t mean that the administration will listen to the courts.

“But even then, you saw what happened with the OSHA decision,” DeSantis said. “It was stayed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, meaning not in effect, and what did the Biden administration say to businesses? Ignore the court and follow our rule anyways. And so, I think that they basically said, ‘No, to hell with these court decisions,’ they’re going to do whatever they feel like doing. And so that’s something that’s problematic, because we can even win in court, and they may disregard guard that.”

WATCH:  https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-on-biden-flying-illegal-aliens-into-florida-i-will-send-them-to-delaware-on-buses?itm_source=parsely-api?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=111121-news&utm_campaign=position1

The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.

What the hell happened to States Rights? Who does this POS think he is? This is a Republic, States have rights, but this imbecile doesn;t know it, mor if he does, he really doesn’t care. He’s simply a puppet.

Give him hell Ron!!!

Originally posted 2021-11-13 11:53:09.

Current Events

Immigration – AGAIN!

Oaky, here we go again with the immigration issue. What’s the issue? Well, to begin, we don’t have an immigration policy in this country. Oh, forgive me, yes we do have a system, but can anyone tell me exactly what that system is? I am sure we all know immigrants who applied through the “system”  and took them years to be vetted and eventually allowed to become an American citizen. 

But the “system” we have today is based solely on political leanings. Mexicans at our southern border will eventually become democrats,. Come on, you know it, everybody knows it, especially since the creatures in the swamp will kowtow to their every needs, provide them with all sorts of benefits paid for by you and me. So why would they not vote for those who accepted them? They surely would not vote for those of us who try our best to keep the interlopers out! Agreed?

Okay, so know what about Cuban immigrants. Which way would they lean? Ahh, now we see a different set of immigrants and a different “system.” So, does it not surprise anyone that the douchebag in charge, who by the way, happens to be a Cuban immigrant himself said they will not be allowed ashore in America. 

This whole immigration thing is laughable and very simple. If you lean left come on in, if you lean right. get the hell out of here.

About this thing called immigration

by bunkerville

US immigration is unnecessarily complex. It has evolved into a patently unfair system to everyone who enters the system honestly and with good intent — who seeks lawful admission.  It favors those who skip ahead of everyone else and go to the head of the line.  US officials created this problem; illegal invaders only take advantage of an opportunity handed to them by political leaders who are either nefarious in their intent or incompetent.  You know, people like Biden/Harris whom the American people overwhelmingly elected. If our immigration system is broken, then we broke it.

This must change.  No one has a right to come here, but if immigrants knock on our door, it must be in accordance with our laws and procedures.  Yes, we need a border wall, but we also need a commitment to our immigration system.  No one must come here by cutting in front of the line.  No one must come here who cannot contribute to the American economy, who will not embrace American values, and who will not assimilate American society.  No “child” must come here without their mother or father.

There is no question that the United States of America is the best place on the planet to live, but does that mean that everyone who lives in a nation less vibrant than our own has a case for political asylum?  If everyone who lives in a country ruled by petty dictators or religious despots has an asylum claim, then literally two-thirds of the world’s population will soon show up at our door.  There ARE limits, after all, to the number of immigrants our economy can support.  People who do not/will not speak our language, who are not educationally prepared for the challenges of our economy, and who know less about our values than they do about speaking in English simply do not have a realistic expectation of success.  Note: most Latin Americans are illiterate in their own language. At some point, we must acknowledge that there are (pragmatically) limited opportunities for goat-herders-turned taxi drivers in Newark.

Although with that said, from a historical point of view, the cultural differences between Spanish and Anglo immigrants could not be more unambiguous.  I can readily see why Democrats are anxious to accept tens of thousands of Latinos as potential citizens: they are far more inclined to do whatever the government tells them than people of British stock. It also occurs to me that for every individual who runs away from their own country, whatever those conditions are, there is one less person available to fight for meaningful change in the land of their birth and cultural heritage.

Secretary Mallorcus told us that Cubans must not be allowed to come to the United States.  Shouldn’t this standard apply to every immigrant who is trying to jump ahead in line or who files a frivolous petition for asylum?  Should we return all such people to their home country (or, as he suggested, a third country) until US officials process their claim in an orderly fashion?  Note: I’m not sure how French-speaking Haiti would be a good fit for immigrants from Guatemala, but that was his idea, not mine.  I suspect there are few Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas willing to accept Guatemala’s problems.  Nor should we.  What we observe unfolding along our southern borders is only a “humanitarian crisis” because we’ve made it into one.

Sending people back to their home country for processing reinforces the traditional process of putting the names of people hoping to immigrate to the US on a waiting list, which is the only way we have of properly vetting applicants for admission to the United States.  There is an exception to every rule, of course, but exception must not become the rule.  We must maintain an orderly process of immigration.

Notice that tens of thousands of people, having spent their entire lives living in a communist/socialist country, suddenly appear on our southern border demanding entry to a country in which half of the population can support a communist/socialist administration.  Is this not an example of politically compliant people trying to leap from a frying pan into a fire?  I find the whole situation very odd, and I wonder why we Americans think we need more communists in our country rather than fewer.

Mustang also blogs at Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar

Originally posted 2021-07-16 11:48:32.

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The VEEP

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Got a good one for you today gang. From one of my FAVS, Bunkerville. I know I have said I was going to lay of the Biden swamp and their creatures, but this one was just too good to pass up. Be sure to click on Tucker’s pic; as usual he is on the nail head and really funny. When you are done listening to him be sure to click on the next pic and crank up the sound. That is if you are like me and a 70’s  rocker, albeit I was not a teenager then, but I loved the groups, especially the “Three Dogs.”

Clueless Kamala Harris debuts -‘Do not come’

Originally posted 2021-06-09 13:03:32.

Current Events

Belated Memorial Day Message

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To all my Vietnam Veteran brothers, as well as my patriotic American followers who weren’t able to serve, may God bless you and keep you. I did not post anything prior to Memorial Day, as I always find myself somewhat lost for the appropriate words. Is it correct to wish someone “Happy Memorial Day? Appropriately or not, I always find it difficult to make that wish.

However, yesterday I received an email from a good friend and fellow warrior, Lobo, with a message from Quang Nguyen that I found highly moving and fittingly appropriate as a Memorial Day presentation. In case you are not familiar with Quang Nguyen, he is a state representative from Arizona. He sent Lobo a copy of the speech he had given this year at the Prescott National Cemetery in his home state. I’ll let him tell you his story. Enjoy!

Big Brother,                                                                    I was given 7 minutes to speak at the Prescott National Cemetery on this Memorial Day.  I thought it beneficial to Veterans to hear a different perspective.  Here’s the copy.  Please remember that I write the way I speak and so I am not paying attention to grammar or punctuation.  Thank you.

It is always an honor to be present here at the Prescott National Cemetery on Memorial Day. I was here last year to hear the wise words from Major General Mick McGuire and I hope to be just half as inspirational as his.

There is somewhat of a different perspective of Memorial Day once you been in a war and understand the true meaning of the “ULTIMATE SACRIFICE”. Today, I offer you my unique perspective of what this day personally meant to me. You see… We recently commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. I was too young to be in the service, but I lived through three communist invasions including the final one on 30 April, 1975. So when I say I’ve seen American service members walking through the rice fields, I actually saw that with my own eyes. When I say I understand the sacrifice of young men and women who travel 10 thousand miles to fight for my freedom, I actually do know and do understand. More than 58 thousands of your sons and daughters gave it all, SO I can stand here in front of you today. No books; No teachers; No professors will be able to explain the meaning of Memorial Day to me. I know from personal experience. Not a single day in my life that I don’t think about how lucky I am to be an American.

My Dad spent 39 years of his life fighting in three different wars.  My brother fought along side many of you who are here today, from 1968 to 1975 as an Airborne soldier. During my childhood, I learned that two of my first cousins died as rangers in Cambodia. One was executed after the Fall of Saigon in a concentration camp. Those are also my personal experience.

For years, I wasn’t able to visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. I felt responsible for getting those names etched on those Walls. I did not want to interfere with the mourning process by showing up. There is so much guilt in my soul. In 2016, my wife, daughter, and I flew to DC to drop off my daughter Sarah at a Summer Program in Annapolis. Having little else to do in the area, my wife and I decided to visit the monuments and I mentally avoided the WALL. My wife then said to me… We need to spend time paying respect to Vietnam Veterans to which I replied, I don’t think I am wanted there. She literally dragged me from the Lincoln Memorial to the Vietnam Wall. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and for some unknown reasons, not a soul was there except for a wreath left for a soldier with a gold banner: “West Point Class of 64”. I touched as many names as I possibly can and by the time I got to the very end, I was emotionally drained and I felt grateful having known that so many died for me and I am grateful to be adopted by the most generous nation in the world.

To the Gold Star families, you bear the heavy burden of loss. You showed us your strength and resilience and that is a profound testament to the love and pride you hold for your love ones. I will never be in the position of telling you that I understand your loss. Thank you, Gold Star families for your ultimate sacrifice. To you and your service members, this nation owes you a debt of gratitude.

Here’s what we all need to recognize… Our fallen heroes know sacrifice through giving. The rest of us know sacrifice through receiving.

Let us honor our fallen heroes not only with words, but how we live, by serving others, stand up for what is right and to ensure their legacy endures through our action. May we never forget freedom is not free. It is paid for by the brave, and today, we remember them all.

God bless the Unite States America and her heroes.

Quang Nguyen