"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Monday, July 28, 2014

A Still More Glorious American Universe


As I was flying around the beaches of Florida today in my one each T-6 Texan II, g-ing it up around vertical buildups, I heard a scratchy jet on the radio with the callsign "NASA."  I landed later and taxied by the NASA T-38 on our ramp.

Reminded me of this great man, and his rational optimism.  He was vocal about his belief that those who could not be rational and could not skeptically engage "authority" would be "up for grabs."

Here is to a still more glorious American dawn, if only we can get people to rationally question authority that lies and manipulates and misleads.  I can only hope that "there is really a new wave of reason, sweeping across America..."

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Policing America - PYB on Fox News

The outstanding special from John Stossel, "Policing America: Security vs Liberty" plays again on the Fox News Channel tonight at 10 PM EST.  The complete episode is very well done, and should be required viewing for all military officers.

The small portion of the special I participated in, can be viewed by clicking here.

Those interested in the full video and details of my lawsuit against unconstitutional Border Patrol activity, can find the full video and all the details here.

Monday, July 21, 2014

PYB Quoted in Slate Article, "Arizona's Checkpoint Rebellion"


There is an interesting article in Slate from the other day, written by Amy Lieberman, about the growing issue of interior Border Patrol checkpoints and the growing anger from Americans who are forced to regularly encounter them.  It's an interesting read that begins with, "Liberals, libertarians, retirees, and activists protest against immigration patrols far from the border."

Ms. Lieberman expands on this point, showing how the issue of interior checkpoints located up to 100 miles inside the country rather than on a border, cuts across the social spectrum in America:
Parallel anti-checkpoint movements are drawing an odd collection of bedfellows—conservative ranchers, comfortable retirees, reclusive libertarians, and liberal activists—who are linked by one basic contention. Because American citizens can be randomly detained and searched at interior checkpoints deep inside the United States, the checkpoints undermine the tenets of a free, democratic society. 
My quote in the article is:
There are a few other people like Bressi across the southwest: white, middle-aged men who keep steady jobs, are American citizens, and feel secure enough to routinely take a stand against checkpoints.

“I am not politically active,” says Richard Rynearson during a Skype call from South Korea. "I am a military officer, and I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against foreign and domestic enemies.  When I am deployed I focus on foreign enemies, and when I am here, I focus on the domestic ones.”

Rynearson, a major in the U.S. Air Force, is suing Border Patrol agents in Uvalde County, Texas, following a prolonged detention in 2010 at a checkpoint 67 miles north of the Mexico border. The detention and standoff with a Border Patrol agent landed him disciplinary action at work.

The simpler option for drivers is to comply with all requests.
It's a well written article that is worth a read for those who are not familiar with suspicionless checkpoints forcing themselves upon many innocent Americans.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Border Patrol Training

What a gem, in a satirical way that hits close to home.


Thursday, July 17, 2014

PYB on Fox News This Weekend - 26-27 July


I'll be making an appearance on the Fox News Channel this weekend (both on the 26th and 27th at 10pm EST), as part of John Stossel's special, "Policing America: Security vs Liberty" where I will discuss my latest battle for our Constitution.

This should be a great piece, and here is what you can expect the special to be about:
POLICING AMERICA: SECURITY VS. LIBERTY

Where's the line between security and liberty? American police are now armed like the military; they use their power more often and forcefully than ever before. The state has new and expanding powers to spy on almost everything you do.

THE WARRIOR COP: SWAT teams were once called out only in emergencies. Now there are almost 100 raids a day.  The weapons and tactics they use come straight from the military.  Sometimes innocent people are killed.  Why use so much force so often? What would you do if armed men in masks broke down your door in the middle of the night?

CONSTITUTION-FREE ZONES: Lots of Americans are getting upset about being detained by armed border patrol agents not on the border but miles away from the border. Some push back, sometimes with violent results.

MANDATORY MINIMUMS: Do mandatory minimum sentences work? Prosecutors like them because they give them more power when they plea bargain with suspects.  But judges often object, and sometimes people serve long sentences for trivial crimes. Or no crime.

NSA SPYING: New revelations surface almost daily on ways the Feds spy on Americans. Does this make us safer?  Or invade our privacy in destructive ways?

I SPY: Government spying is one thing. Now new, cheaper "personal" drones make it easy for anyone to spy on anyone.  Some say: "I've got nothing to hide. Why should I care?"   But then why do you have drapes?  Stossel goes to Florida to test the spying power of personal drones.

LEGALIZE WEED: Washington State and Colorado just legalized marijuana for recreational use. Could this be the start of America's trillion dollar drug-war coming to an end? Former advisor to the president Kevin Sabet says: "Colorado will show why legalizing marijuana is a mistake."

Guests

Radley Balko, "Rise of the Warrior Cop" Author
Sr. Cpl .Steve Claggett, Dallas SWAT (Ret)
Maj. Steve Ijames, Springfield, MO SWAT (Ret)
Sgt. Charles Huth, Kansas City SWAT Leader
Joe Lipari, Home Raided by SWAT
Kevin Sabet, Fmr. Sr. Advisor - Office of National Drug Control Policy
Tony Ryan, Retired Denver Police Lieutenant
Rep. Peter King, New York (R)
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky (R)
James Duff Lyall, ACLU Staff Attorney
Rick Rynearson, Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran
Lis Wiehl, Fox News Legal Analyst
Greg Newburn, Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Lawrence and Lamont Garrison, Served Mandatory Minimum Sentence
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy.com

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Oral Argument Granted at Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals


The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted oral argument in my civil suit against the Border Patrol.  While I requested oral argument, the government did not, stating:
Pursuant to Fifth Circuit Rule 28.2.3,  appellees do not request oral argument. Disposition of this case involves the application of undisputed facts to settled law. The government, however, is prepared to present argument if the Court determines it would be of assistance.
This is a good development, and I am looking forward to arguing on behalf of our Constitution before the judges in the months to come, and to hopefully helping reinforce our rights on highways far from any border.  "...to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."  The pleadings before the Fifth Circuit can be read here.


For those interested in this civil suit, I recommend visiting Terry Bressi's blog, CheckPointUSA.org

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Tony Carr - an Elite JET Pilot!

https://www.facebook.com/PYBMartialMatters

Tony Carr tickles me.  In a chit chat back and forth we had on Facebook, he said that I could have served him lunch "had [I] done well enough in pilot training to qualify for a jet aircraft."  Burn!

To be fair, I did respond to his comment about the A-37 and how after flying the Tweet in pilot training that he would have relished flying it in "attack mode."  I replied that it was odd that he knew he'd relish it being that he had never flown a fighter or attack aircraft, and the only thing he had attacked was his flight lunch at 40,000 feet while writing up his DFC citation.  I also mentioned that fact doesn't keep him from commenting as though he's an expert on killing or war.

So he responded that I was not good enough in pilot training to be a jet pilot.  Way to keep a sense of humor in the realm of ideas, and thanks for the laugh Tony!