"...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
I am pleased to announce that the Center for Individual Rights (CIR) has graciously agreed to represent me pro bono in a lawsuit seeking to remedy official censorship of critical views in a public forum. The lawsuit against the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Joanne Bass, was filed late last week. Those interested in reading the complaint filed can access the court document here.
I previously blogged about this upcoming lawsuit in a blog post entitled, "Is it Pronounced Fascism or Fascism?" Additionally, a good discussion of this suit can be found on this episode of the 20 Years Done podcast.
And though it's strange to type this, there is actually a good Reddit thread on the topic where the fascist embarrassment to his uniform, Lt Col Jason P. Williams, showed up to get pwned-man as usual.
Excellent comments by this (now former) Marine Battalion Commander. In the video above the Marine expresses our military's greatest failing, which is producing "leaders" who don't care about their country or their oath of office, but merely about promotion and career. Careerism kills nations. The Marine is right that the debacle in Afghanistan (to say nothing of Iraq) should have resulted in those in the highest offices of the military vocally speaking out and even resigning over the incredibly damaging corporate-military escapades in the middle east. And now with yet another incredibly costly failing by the U.S. military, there should be accountability. But there won't be.
It's unfortunate that men like this Marine will leave the military. This Marine has resigned his commission just shy of a retirement within his grasp after nearly two decades of war. And we the American people will be left with idiots and yes men not only in top positions who mirror their corrupt political handlers, but also in the rank and file who mouth their oaths of office and wouldn't know the terms principle or moral courage if it weren't for some poster in a hallway. Our military has been destroyed, not just by the dumb who have no business in any position of authority, but more often by the intelligent who lack character and are more likely to climb the ladder.
Morons in the ranks are still a danger to the military, they lack foresight necessitating hindsight & make idiotic statements like "I tell ya where the airline went wrong, it hired Chuck Yeager as a pilot!"
Our military will continue to be overly populated, and almost
exclusively led, by morons and cowards. And America cannot survive in
such a situation. And that is why she has been dying and is nearly
gone. That being the case, still good on this Marine. Thank you for your service, sir, and I'm sorry our nation has not been more deserving of it.
My name is Rick Rynearson. I was an Air Force command pilot & field grade officer and am now retired. I grew up an Air Force dependent (my father retired a CMSgt). I have eight deployments to OEF/OIF as a close air support attack pilot, more than one thousand combat flight hours, seven Air Medals and a Distinguished Flying Cross for valor. At 15 years into my career I resigned my commission & refused an order to assassinate an American citizen without charge or trial -- an order issued by the Obama/Biden administration; my resignation was not accepted & I was ultimately vindicated by the Air Force. I have a B.A. in religion from the Florida State University. My wife is a Harvard educated former Air Force intelligence officer turned civilian lawyer, former clerk for the Supreme Court of the United States, and Air Force Reserve JAG.
There are several reasons for this blog. First, I believe I have something to contribute to an important discussion. Second, traditional military avenues of discussion (PME) have proven ineffective methods for dialogue. Third, the Air Force "Emerging Technologies" division of Public Affairs released instructional guidance for "each Airman to act as a communicator to be the voice of the Air Force in the blogosphere" while noting "there are movements within DoD to explore a broader, more aggressive and holistic approach... to integrate communicators" and stating, "the rules of the game have clearly changed." Finally, this blog served as a sounding board for a master's thesis I have completed entitled, "The Smartest Guys in the Room and the Best of the Best." The thesis examines the culture of Enron and Air Force fighter pilot culture, finds similarities, and makes recommendations.
In accordance with the PA guidelines mentioned above, this blog seeks to provide one personal, transparent, credible perspective -- among other perspectives online -- with the goal of furthering conversation to help foster a stronger, more relevant Air Force. The intent of this blog is to be transparent and is not used to hide identity. Readers are encouraged to post comments or email me if they think form or substance in this blog is an issue. All criticism is welcomed. For more info on blogging and the Air Force please see my first blog post.
Note: As Tony Carr (despite claims otherwise), FlyingSquadron.Com and MilitaryTimes.Com all share an affinity for banning those who present unpopular viewpoints (ie disagreeing with them), I have created a Facebook page to share such banned opinions. Please visit Martial Matters if you are interested in that less civil discussion.
The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent Air Force positions, strategies or opinions.