That letter Yon didn't want you to see

ISAF response

Abdo: What did he do wrong?

I know he was AWOL, but setting that aside, what did he do wrong?

The Killeen police received information from the owners of a local gun store about a “suspicious” male who asked about smokeless gun powder and then proceeded to buy three boxes of 12 GA ammunition, smokeless gunpowder, a magazine for a Springfield 9mm pistol. Abdo paid for the items with cash and then left in a cab.

Killeen police went to the cab company, and after questioning them learned that the same person had also gone to a surplus store and purchased (cash) a military uniform and patches for a unit at Fort Hood.

After learning this, KPD arrested the individual.

Jeebus cripes on a rubber crutch, are there problems with this.
1—The gun store, which coincidentally is the same one that sold Nidal “Hotwheels” Hassan his guns—had every right to refuse to sell Abdo anything. They are a private business, who reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. If they thought he was “suspicious,” why the hell did they sell him anything?

Other than that, is there anything this guy did that was patently illegal? He bought some ammunition, some smokeless powder, and a magazine. He bought a uniform at a surplus store with patches from a local Ft. Hood unit. Guess what? Lots of guys buy extra uniforms and patches from pawn shops/surplus stores around military bases. If they are serviceable, they are often much cheaper than buying new at the PX. Same goes for patches, which are usually only a buck or two at the surplus stores, but can run $4 or more, each, at the PX.

A few weeks ago, I purchased, all at once, 9mm ammo, .12 gauge 00 Buckshot, .12 gauge Slug, .12 gauge #6 shot, .38 special ammo, .40 ammo, and .45 ammo. (And maybe others, I don’t remember.) I also bought, at the same time, a spotting scope, targets, and asked about some other calibers I didn’t see. In all, I spent about $300 at the gun store. Nothing about that was criminal, and neither was Abdo buying some .12 Gauge rounds, smokeless powder, or a magazine for a pistol.

I wonder what charges the police originally used to arrest him? He was AWOL—but generally the police don’t arrest for that alone, they have to have a reason, some form of probable cause or some reason to believe you’re up to shenanigans before they arrest you. Abdo then did what generally stupid people do, he talked to the police. If he’d refused to say anything, he’d have been turned over to the Army, they would have sent him back to Fort Campbell, and they’d have likely just chaptered him out—presto chango, you’re a civilian with an other than honorable or dishonorable discharge.

Don’t get me wrong, Abdo is an asshat, but I am more concerned that a) the gun store sold him gunpowder and ammunition even though they felt he was acting “suspiciously”—what if his next stop was Ft. Hood, and the gunpowder the last component for whatever he was planning? And b) I can’t see anything he did that day in Killeen that was illegal, let alone reason to be arrested for doing any of it.

--Chuck

More from Arizona

I saw that Jim Sharpe had linked to this video this morning before I got to work, and I was right when I decided it would be best to wait and watch it later.  I've found that starting the day with a cup of coffee and a full dose of rage does nothing for my blood pressure.

I'm having a hard time coming up with something to say that isn't in language that will get me cut out of my mother's will except this:  desecrating the US flag, laying it on the sidewalk, and putting what appears to be a toilet seat on it will not win the hearts and minds of those who are on the fence when it comes to 1070.  It will not convince people that you want 1070 to go away because all the illegal immigrants want to become proud American citizens.

Maybe later I can write more where every third word isn't an obscenity, but for now, it's just not going to happen.  

~~Code Monkey

Mike Yon has gone Nanners.

//Update: //Welcome Facebookers!  Below is the original text Mike Yon referred to this morning when he called me sloppy, a milkook, and mistaken.  I let my writing stand.  If you care more for the content, you'll get the idea.  If you're here as a grammarian, have at it.  I appreciate your commentary here, and will respond as necessary.  At the end of the original piece, I will post the same response I wrote to Yon on facebook this morning.  Enjoy!//

Depending on your choice of rock to live under, you may not have heard of Michael Yon.  Michael Yon is a photojournalist, prior military and Special Forces Soldier.  He is the photographer who took this (iconic) photograph in Iraq:  //Update://Mike has accused me of copyright infringement for using his photo.  Instead, I offer this artist's rendering of the photographer.//

Unfortunately, Michael Yon has the uncanny ability to not just piss people off, but to do so in a such a spectacular manner as to make you wonder if he realizes the consequences of his actions.  He "leaks" information that he overhears, he calls out very senior officers in a public forum (making me wonder if he does so for the credibility granted him if they answer him directly, or for the "They are afraid to answer me because they know it's true" mantra of most moonbats.  One time would seem like a fit.  Twice, maybe a pattern.  It's gotten so common that I'm wondering if it's not indicative of a larger problem.   In keeping with his multiple (Uncle Jimbo as the count at four) "firings" from embeds, it seems he's been having problems keeping his ability to stay embeded in Afghanistan.  Why do you think that is?

Let's look at a few of his most recent posts on his Facebook Page (per the norm, my commentary is parenthetical and italicized):

"Life was good before I went to Iraq. (A good start) But after three friends were killed during the GWOT, (still holding with you) and my growing mistrust for the media (right on) and for the US Government/Military,  (Whoa.  Danger! Will Robinson, Danger!) I quit traveling the world and went to war. (EXCEPT, Y'KNOW, WITH A CAMERA)  The United States was in peril. I am American. Today, I do not trust McChrystal (That's General McChrystal to you) anymore than some people trust the New York Times, Obama or Bush. (President Obama, President Bush)  If McChrystal (again, General.  Pretty sure he's earned that.) could be trusted, (Yep--you aren't doing this because it gives you popularity, notoriety, fame, etc.  You'd go back to whatever it was you were doing--oh, that's right, freelance writer.  So what your saying is that if you trusted General McChrystal, you could go back to doing exactly what you are doing right now.)  I would go back to my better life. McChrystal is a great killer but this war is above his head. (And you know that because?  How many Joint and International military efforts have you commanded?)  He must be watched."-- Mike Yon, via Facebook

"Crazy Monkeys: Senior Public Affairs people often make me think of crazy monkeys. (Like some monkeys I've seen in India.) (Hey Mikey, I don't think that's a good way to win friends and influence people, especially the ones who decide if you can embed.) They break into the cockpit and start flipping switches with no idea what the switches do. They keep doing it until something breaks or you beat them back. And just when you think you've beaten ...them all back, another monkey slips in. (This time by name of Admiral Smith.) (Great way to fling poo... like a Monkey!  I'm sure Admiral Smith will applaud the nuanced allegory of your comparison of him to a monkey.)  Kay Day wrote a good piece about the Crazy Monkeys:"-- Mike Yon, via Facebook

"The disembed from McChrytal's (General, That is) top staff (meaning from McChrystal himself) is a very bad sign. Sends chills that McChrystal himself thinks we are losing the war. (No, it sends the message that General McChrystal thinks you're a boob, and provide no benefit to his command.)  McChrystal has a history of covering up. (I suppose you can support this with, you know... facts?)  This causes concern that McChrystal might be misleading SecDef and President. Are they getting the facts?"(You mean the facts that don't matter to you?--See below)-- Mike Yon, via Facebook

"McChrystal's crew has spoken: Embed is ended. This comes from McChrystal's own spokesman (through one CPT Jane Campbell USN cc RADM Greg Smith and COL Wayne Shanks USA). This lends confirmation to ideas that the disembed came from McChrystal's crew. (If not before, 100% now.) McChrystal cannot be trusted to tell the truth about this war.  (Or maybe he feels YOU can't be trusted.  Maybe he just doesn't like having reporters around who don't understand that they are a burden on the command, and when they become too bothersome, tiresome, or start calling his people monkeys, they may be told to leave--when the dropped hints fail.)  Packing my bags."-- Mike Yon, via Facebook

"Rear Adm. Smith,  (Sorry I called you a monkey)
I'm a writer embedded with U.S. Forces in RC-South. RC-South PAO recently apprised me that the embed was ended. This happened precipitously and for dubious cause. (You are a liar, or your people are.)  Cited cause: embed overcrowding. I rarely see journalists. (Since *I* rarely see them, they must not exist.)  Those journalists I see have been doing drive-by reporting. Having embedded before, the PAO pattern is familiar and predictable.  (You are a liar, or your people are.)

[I] Am with 5/2 SBCT. It was agreed, as prerequisite of my coming back with infantry, that I would stay with 5/2 to RIP. As a matter of business, these moves are expensive and time consuming. When the military fails to uphold its side, persistent problems are created from air.  (It's going to be expensive for me to buy a plane ticket home on short notice.)

After extracting from the field to KAF after PAO notification, was told by 5/2 Commander that I am welcome to stay.  (Hey Mikey, GENERAL McChrystal trumps a Battalion Commander.  Thought you'd have learned that in your time in the Army.  Could be the Battalion commander was just telling you that so he wouldn't be compared to a monkey.)  I am considering this offer but need assurance by your office that PAOs will go through you before disembedding me. (Because of WHO I AM, I expect to be given special treatment, and able to jump the food chain.)

And so it's down to you, Sir.   (Really, Really Sorry I called you a Monkey.)

Shall I stay or shall I go? (If I stay there will be trouble, If I go it will be double...)

Very Respectfully,

Michael Yon"

-- Mike Yon, via Facebook

That about sums it up. This is all taken from Yon's online facebook page. I am pretty sure publishing a letter to the Admiral in charge of determining if you can stay in your embed isn't the way to go. You see, you are playing chicken with him, daring him to keep you or can you. Admiral Smith's options: You go, and write a bad news report, from a reporter who was asked to leave theater--sounds to me like sour grapes. Admiral Smith lets you stay, and you continue to call him and his staff monkeys, and cast doubts on the abilities of the Commander of ISAF and US Forces, Afghanistan. Not a hard choice to make.

I understand a reporter's duty is to sell news.  I think you understand that too.  And when no one wants to read the good news anymore, you have to dig for news that isn't good, or just change your perspective on telling the news, so that you can still be the lone voice, crying out to be heard.  Unfortunately, the Public Affairs Office deals only in truth.  No half-truths, no lies, no Information Operations.  They understand that they are the credibility of the commander, and if they lie, even a little bit, then the credibility of the commander is shot.  Mike, it's a shame that you never learned that.  It's a shame that you sold your credibility for your ego.  I don't blame General McChrystal one bit for showing you the door.  I'm just amazed it took the General this long.  Mike, your behavior is nuttier than squirrel shit.  You need to seek professional help, and soon.  The advances in modern psycho-pharmacology are amazing, and you may someday return to productive work.

"If a writer wants to make money, he should avoid truth and tell people what they want to hear."--Michael Yon

Michael Yon, Freelance reporter and photojournalist, Nanners at age 46.

--Chuck
Think I'm wrong?  He's at the bottom of a tailspin.  More on his previous idiocy here:
http://kitchendispatch.blogspot.com/2010/04/taking-out-big-red-pen-michael-yon.html
http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2010/04/19/come-back-from-the-edge-michael/ 
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2010/04/i_likes_me_some.html
http://laughingwolf.net/index.php/site/comments/an_open_letter_to_michael_yon/http://www.mudvillegazette.com/033419.html
http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2010/04/one-voice-is-heads-up-many-voices-are.html
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/033422.html

This mornings' response to Yon from Facebook:

You call it copyright infringement, however I gain nothing from posting that picture, which I clearly identified as yours, and used as an illustration of your *best* work. Call it free advertising for you. I'm pretty sure you don't accuse people of crimes when they're posting your pictures and trying to drive traffic and donations to you, do you... See More?
You said my writing was sloppy and I made mistakes.
But you certainly didn't argue any of the points I made. Why is that? Is that your own intellectual (I'd say journalistic, but we know you aren't a journalist) sloppiness?

I republished (in that post) comments YOU made, then simply added what I thought were the errors you made in judgment. Maybe any mistakes I made were due to the fact that I left the better part of my hands in Iraq, and my typing is admittedly sloppy. The logic, however, isn't. You need to take a break--a real break--and unplug.
Maybe the milblogging community isn't enough of a wake-up call for you. Maybe charities offering to send you on a vacation so you can refocus, because they want you to be able to continue doing good work, isn't enough for you. Maybe, when the donation well runs dry, you'll get the picture.

I do think you are a talented photographer. I also think that many of the professional soldiers you excoriate deserve a much greater benefit of the doubt then you give them. I don't think you can begin to understand the levels of understanding and decision making abilities of the Generals you have met, simply because you left the uniformed world at such a low rank. Had you stayed in longer,you would likely have a greater respect for them, rather than preaching "those idiots at higher" to the SPC-4 mafia. I also believe that you really don't understand how to be polite and respectful, and still get your point across.

You wrote incredibly mean and unsubstantiated things about people who wear the uniform and work very damn hard to do their jobs. You refused to offer up your "proof" of their wrongdoing. You accused them of dumping your embed as a vendetta, then posted the letter they sent you explaining why your embed was ended as proof that you weren't dis-embedded for any reason other than there were other people waiting to embed.

I wonder when you stopped giving soldiers the benefit of the doubt that they were doing their best at a very hard job. What rank is the cutoff? You claim General McChrystal is incompetent, but how much time have you spent with him, and how well do you understand what he is A) tasked with doing and B) how he is trying to do that and C) how much "top cover" he gets, and D) the challenges he faces intrying to fight this war. You wrote that you no longer trust him, but never explained why. Were you trying to be misleading, or just being sloppy? My sloppiness and misleading writing was published, right alongside your writing, in "The Blogs of War." Why would you ever allow your name to appear in a book with such nefarious kooks? If you want to talk sloppy/lazy, I'll ask Maryann to write a guest post about her dealings with you.

Do you see what I've done here? I've tried to explain what I wrote, and why I wrote it. I've tried to defend my statements. I've tried to explain why I made the statements that i made. This might be something you want to do, rather than just casting a wide net, then walking away.

If you would like me to take down the picture I posted, I will do so. All you have to do is ask.

Finally, I am left to wonder, do you really support the troops, or just support the troops who support Mike Yon?

--Chuck

//Update://

MY asked for my apology.  Here it is:
Mike,

I'm sorry you were *only* dis-embedded twice, not four times, however I clearly referenced (and linked) that count from Uncle Jimbo.
 I'm sorry you were told to leave Afghanistan, because other embeds were waiting.
I'm sorry you continually attack our leaders in that fight, the doctrine we're using, and are trying to illustrate hopelessness and failure.
I'm sorry you chose to attack the PAO staff, calling those service members "crazy monkeys" while they were serving their nation, sacrificing, for you and all Americans.
I'm sorry you never realized that they are the ones who control how long your embed will last.
I'm sorry you've opted out of the milblogging community that has supported you from the beginning.
I'm sorry you can't understand that people were actually concerned for you, and were trying to tell you that you needed to readjust your perspective.
I'm sorry that none of your readers have been able to find fault with my arguments, but have instead chosen to make ad hominem and personal attacks.

I'm not sorry that I've asked people in the past to donate to keep you embedded.

I'm not sorry that I wrote what I believed to be a post illustrating to you and others that you were wandering off the reservation, by using your own comments and posts.

I'm not sorry that I tried to contact you privately before I publicly wrote anything, but I am sorry that I never heard anything from you.

Finally, I'm sorry I published your picture and called it an "iconic" picture of the Iraq War.  I will rectify that, ASAP.

I know where I want to retire

It's this town.

Suspected flag burner pilloried
Alleged offender hunted down, ridiculed after incident at VFW post

By BOB GARDINIER AND HUMBERTO MARTÍNEZ, Staff writer
First published in print: Saturday, September 26, 2009
VALLEY FALLS -- The young man was given three choices: get turned over to the police, go one-on-one in a fight with a seasoned war veteran, or be duct-taped to a flagpole for six hours with a sign around his neck identifying his alleged crime: flag burning.


It was the third option that would still have the small town buzzing a week after a 21-year-old was hunted down and forced to endure a public humiliation with its roots dating to the Middle Ages. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1938 were incensed enough to tie up the man last Sunday after they accused him of setting the flag in front of their building on fire.

Post Commander Nick Normile, a Vietnam War veteran, said the man came into the post's bar Sept. 18 on Poplar Avenue and was eventually turned away for not having a proper ID.

Apparently angered, the young man, who Normile did not want to name, cut the rope of the American flag flying overhead and used a cigarette lighter to set it on fire, Normile and others said.

The man sat pilloried as the village had its fall youth soccer picnic with a long parade of children passing in front of him.

"He'll never disrespect the flag again, I can tell you that," Normile said.

Normile said the flag had at one point flown over U.S. troops in Iraq had special significance.

Veterans, both local and nationwide, responded to the event as accountings were posted online to the official VFW Facebook page and national Web site. Comments posted supported the act and added ideas for further punishment.

Other nearby business owners said they knew of the event but refused to give an accounting. Unconfirmed reports by citizens said the alleged flag-burner was a relative of a previous commander of the post.

Calls made to the alleged flag burner and a spokesman for the national VFW organization for comments were not returned. The Rensselaer County Sheriffs office confirmed knowledge of the event, but said they were not involved. State Police in Brunswick were contacted, but a trooper said no record of the event could be found.

The flag will be disposed of at a formal ceremony, Normile said.

Paypal is asshats

//Update:

Paypal is owned by eBay. Their PR department is at (408) 376-7458. Please be polite.

This is turning into a big PR mess for them, and a couple thousand voice messages suggesting that, while we don’t think they hate wounded soldiers, we’d love it if they could, you know, confirm that.//

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished From Kevin @ The smallest minority

OK, I'm livid.

As most of you know, the fourth annual Gun Blogger's Rendezvous is fast approaching (43 days away as I write this), and this year I planned to make a special contribution to support Project Valour-IT - a gun giveaway that would be for even those unable to attend. But I'm not a 501(c)(3) organization, or any other kind of tax-free charity, so I couldn't actually run a charity raffle. Besides, I'm not really set up for it and wouldn't know how. So, with the aid of Rendezvous organizer Mr. Completely, arrangements were made with Soldiers' Angels to provide on-line ticket sales. Tickets went on sale Friday, July 17. We were ON!

Soldiers' Angels uses PayPal for their on-line donations. PayPal even has a "Case Study" of Soldiers' Angels' success (PDF) using PayPal, bragging:

Today Soldiers' Angels' biggest online contributions go through PayPal. "It's trustworthy to people and so they donate," says (Founder Patti) Patton-Bader. "There's a confidence that donors feel – that it's a safe way to make a donation. There are not many companies that inspire that kind of trust."

Trust.

Coincident with the Gun Blogger Rendezvous Raffle, Soldiers' Angels had also started a fund drive for other projects that same weekend. PayPal put a stop to that. Here's Patti Patton-Bader's official statement:

Online donations through PayPal are a huge part of our fundraising. They shut down our entire account-not just the raffle button—for twelve hours right in the middle of an email fundraising push. Looking at the Terms of Use, we couldn’t understand where we’d gone wrong, but we had to immediately remove the raffle so we could get back online ASAP. This just breaks our hearts because we were so excited about the tremendous fundraising impact the Gun Blogger Rendezvous raffle was already having.

(My emphasis). The "tremendous fundraising impact"? In the short time (3.5 days) the PayPal button was live, they had 42 participants and 109 tickets sold.

As noted above, we're still 43 days out from the Rendezvous. I just found out about this today.

And not only did the contributions for the raffle stop coming in, ALL contributions to Soldier's Angels via PayPal were cut off for twelve hours.

Because PayPal is anti-gun.

So where does that leave us? Well, you can call Soldiers' Angels and do a transaction over the phone. During normal business hours (PST) you can call (626) 529-5114, or you can call their voicemail service any time at (615) 676-0239, leave them a callback number and they'll get back to you - probably the less expensive option, timewise. It's not as convenient as a mouse click, but it beats snail-mailing a check.

You can also contact PayPal. Their Customer Service phone number is (402) 935-2050.

I've never asked this before, but I would appreciate it if every gun- and mil-blogger on the web and every gun board picked this up and spread it far and wide. I'm tired of gun-bigots. PayPal needs to hear from US - the law-abiding gun owners of this country - that we're no longer willing to just roll over when we're abused by the companies we "trust" just because we believe in and practice the rights guaranteed to us under the Second Amendment.

This post will remain at the top of the blog for the next couple of days.

See what other people have to say:

Laughing Wolf at Blackfive
Blackfive at Blackfive
Bill at Castle Argghhh!
Alan at SnarkyBytes
kahr40 at From the Barrel of a Gun
Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell
Kevin at Brown Valley Kingdom
Albert A Rasch at The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Maj C at A Major's Perspective

Have you seen this fake Marine?

Booked: 06-10-2009 Sex: MALE Race: WHITE D.O.B: 12-30-1978 Height: 5'10 Weight: 215 Eye: HAZEL Hair BROWN

In Custody For: 001 FELONY COUNT OF FRAUDULENT SCHEMES/ARTIFICES 001 FELONY COUNT OF FRAUD SCHEME/PRACTICE-CONCEAL 001 FELONY COUNT OF THEFT-CONTROL PROPERTY 001 FELONY COUNT OF THEFT-CONTROL LOST PROPERTY 001 FELONY COUNT OF THEFT-CONTROL STOLEN PROPERTY 001 FELONY COUNT OF CRIM IMPERSONATION-FALSE ID 001 FELONY COUNT OF CRIM IMPERSON-PRETEND/DEFRAUD 001 FELONY COUNT OF 001 FELONY COUNT OF UNSWORN FALSIFICTN-PROCEEDING 001 FELONY COUNT OF PRESCRIPTION-ONLY DRUG VIOL 001 FELONY COUNT OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA-POSSESS/USE

BUMPED AND UPDATED: BUSTED

A more in depth article here. No surprise when I read this: "DPS officials say Rodriguez got discounts and some special treatment as a result of posing as a war hero. "

I wonder when people read about guys like this if it makes them think twice about offering discounts, buying someone lunch, etc...

His name is John W. Rodriguez and he claimed to have been a gunnery sargent in the 7th ESB, USMC as best I can tell from the video. He claimed he was deploying to Fallujah to get out of an alcohol related offense.

He also claimed to have been awarded a Silver Star and Navy Cross.

The Marine Corps has no record of him. He's wanted for fraud and federal crimes.

AZ Department of Public Safety can be reached at 602-223-2000

H/T MyFoxPhoenix.com

~~Code Monkey

Welcome This Ain't Hell readers!

Patch "CorkSucker" Adams goes to Gaza--with Code Farking Pink

As a "doctor/clown," I have traveled the world over to bring the healing power of laughter to children and adults in virtually every corner of the world -- from Afghanistan, to Bosnia, to Haiti. Right now, there is a group of children who are really in need of healing -- the children of the Gaza Strip. Please help me bring some healing and laughter -- as well as playgrounds, sports equipment and medicines -- to the shattered young lives of this war-torn region.

The 1.5 million people of the Gaza Strip (more than half of them children) have had their homes destroyed, their playgrounds crushed and their schools gutted in the recent Israeli attack on this small, crowded corner of the world. Their borders -- both on the Israeli and Egyptian sides --are closed, making it impossible to rebuild.

For the first time ever, we'll be part of a coordinated effort to push open the borders by land and by sea! On June 5, I will join CODEPINK: Women for Peace, the Coalition of Women for Peace (Israel) and more than 100 American and Israeli peace activists -- Jews, Muslims, Christians and everything in between. We will set up an encampment on the Israeli border calling for a lifting of the siege. We will be joined by over 150 people trying to enter Gaza through Egypt and others coming by sea.

So what we have here is a douchetastic doctor, who is joining forces with the fuschia fucktards ™, to go to Gaza and help treat sick kids and rebuild roads, schools, Churches Mosques, and mortar pits Playgrounds.

Hey Patchouli, if you really want to help these kids, how's about convincing their dads to stop firing rockets into Israel? That would very likely "end the violence." Are you taking Medea "Medusa" Benjamin and Cindy "Nucking Futz Opportunist Attention Whore" Sheehan with you? If you are, could you leave them there? Another tactic you could use would be to threaten Israel with a sit-in in front of their bulldozers. That worked for her (even better than we expected).

C'mon Patches, Robin Williams made a movie about you that made you seem likable, even honorable. Do you really have to go this far off the deep end to try to regain you "buck the system" cred? Cause this isn't working, fella. You are getting attention, but I don't think your hospital/clown college will see many donations coming in from Americans who support Palestinian terrorists.

--Chuck

This. scares. me.

This. scares. me.

James Carville scares me, mostly because he is scary smart, but still fails to use logic and reason to come to conclusions.

What scares me most, is that he's clearly outlines democrat goals in his title.

We are not subjects, we are citizens. We shall not be ruled.

And neither shall our children, not ever.

--Chuck

Acer America understands

To access your question from our support site, click the following
link or paste it into your web browser.



Question Reference #090416-000490
---------------------------------------------------------------
Summary: Headphones not working
Product Level 1: Notebook
Product Level 2: Aspire
Product Level 3: Aspire 7520
Date Created: 04/16/2009 11:05 AM
Last Updated: 04/16/2009 11:05 AM
Status: New
Date Purchased: 11/07/2007
Operating System: Windows Vista

Serial Number
---------------------------------------------------------------


Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Customer (chuck ziegenfuss) - 04/16/2009 11:05 AM
I've updated all audio drivers, and I know my headphones work.

I've made sure the sound is turned all the way up, and still get nothing.

How do I make my headphones work?

They don't work whether connected to the port on the front of the laptop or through the usb connector.
\
Also, the SN sticker on my laptop has completely worn down and is unreadable.Response (Noby George_GWSI514) - 04/16/2009 09:46 PM

Dear Chuck Ziegenfuss,

Thank you for contacting Acer America.

I understand that you are facing issues with the headphones on your computer.

After verifying serial Number lxan30x09075017eb11601 we see that your product is out of warranty. However, Acer does offer a fee-based support over the phone for its Out of Warranty products.

You may call 1.866-621-2237. Calling cards are available for 30 minutes ($59.99), 90 minutes ($129.99), or 15 issues ($199.99) and the validity will be 1 year.

For further clarifications please feel free to visit our web site http://www.acer.com/

Thank you for contacting Acer,
Have a great day!

Respectfully,
Acer America
Online Technical Support

CLICKY FOR THEIR OH-SO-HELPFUL REPLY

How Penn State views veteran students

Via Hot Air (Hi Ed!)



A few points of contention...

1. She should really show some cleavage, since she can't be taken seriously as a professor who is scared by a student who has shown nothing more than agressive behavior toward improving his performance.

2. Most professors would be happy their students sought them out to improve their grades.

3. Every grade has subjectivity to it--how much weight a professor puts on grammar vs. ideas illustrated is a form of subjectivity based on what the professor thinks is most important.

4. She has already stated she's afraid of him. If she had the means to defend herself from an attacker (even though she admits he's never actually harmed or threatened to harm her) she wouldn't have to worry.

5. The comment inserted in the video is the best--imagine if instead of "veteran" it was "white guy"/"Asian"/"Black Kid"/"republican"/"muslim"/"Catholic"/"Baptist"/"Jew"

6. The concept is great--how should a teacher react when a student isn't improving, and is not responding to standard methods of coaching and assistance. Why it has to be a veteran is beyond me. As we all know, when a veteran runs into a problem, we just pull out the gun we've hidden in our bible and start shooting.

7. And c'mon, in rural racist Pennsylvania, a black college dean? This isn't Washington, D.C.!

--Chuck

Does this tin foil hat make me look fat?

Can anyone tell my why online newspapers decided they had to start allowing comments on news articles?  Of the local news sites, I like the way KTAR does it best.  You have to click on a button to see the comments on a separate page.   AZCentral, on the other hand, puts them right at the bottom of the article.  It's like when there's an accident at the side of the road.  You look, even though you know you may see something you don't want to see.

There's a short article today about how the 363rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company of the Arizona Army National Guard is deploying to Iraq.  Sometimes they don't allow comments on articles about controversial subjects, but they left this one open.  And it doesn't take long for the tin foil brigade to show up:

"Aren't there enough people over there already..." It amazes me how many people don't seem to realize that when one group deploys, it's usually to replace one that's coming home, at least now that the surge is over.

And as for "I mean if their [SIC] that evil and bad over there.... let them clean up the mess". Yup, let the bad guys police themselves. If we just leave them alone, they'll become nice. Really. Maybe we should ask Mexico to try that with the drug cartels.

Helen? Helen Thomas, is that you?

From the Mayo Clinic:

Signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia may include:

Auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices
Delusions, such as believing a co-worker wants to poison you
Anxiety
Anger
Aloofness
Violence
Verbal confrontations
Patronizing manner
Suicidal thoughts and behavior

Oh, and while I wrote this post, both comments got a "thumbs up" vote.

-Code Monkey

Get over it, already.

Really, some fans take their team a wee bit too seriously. Here's a whiny beeyotch of a Giants fan, upset because the "deserved" to go to the Superbowl. (Bad Language alert)

heh. Indeed.

What happens when 12th century religious fanatics meet 14th century pestilence?

Hilarity ensures.

I hope they all die horrible, painful deaths.

--Chuck

The Onion:Asshats one and all

To whom it may concern:

This morning, I was sent a link to this video posted to your website, theOnion.com.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_how_can_we_make_the_0

I am a combat veteran who was wounded in 2005, while serving in Iraq. The severity of my wounds resulted in the partial amputation of my left hand, as well as nerve damage to my left hand, skin grafts on 20% of my body, traumatic brain injury, and multiple shrapnel scars.

One of the first questions I asked my doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was "When can I go back?"

That question is asked by most of the wounded who lay in those beds. Man and women who often have multiple limbs missing. It is to the credit of the Department of Defense that they realize that the injury does not define the person, and if they choose to continue to serve, the Military will keep them.

Of the 300 million people in our nation, less than two million serve in the Armed forces. Over 30,000 have been wounded in combat. Many have suffered horrible injuries and fought to regain the use of damaged limbs, or struggled through pain to learn to use their prosthetic quickly, so they can return to duty and continue to serve. We do this because we believe in what we are doing, and we believe in the military as a team. We follow our the Warrior ethos, which reads:

I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American Soldier.

How dare you poke fun at the Men and women who have risked so much, given so much, and continue to sacrifice every day for your security? Even if you don't believe in the mission, or even agree with the war in Iraq of Afghanistan, who are you to call them "stumpy" or make fun of their disabilities?

I hope you and your families never have to experience the pain I have felt in the service of my country, or know the sacrifices my family has made while I serve. I hope you never have to look upon your son or daughter, or your brother or sister, or your husband or wife as the lay in a hospital bed, missing their arms and legs, and know that a nationally-read website, even one dedicated to humor and satire, has chosen them to be their target of derision.

Since I value your right to express yourselves in any manner you choose, I will not ask that you remove the video I mentioned. I don't want you to issue a retraction or an apology. You've shown you true colors, and the colors of your organization. I will however, be contacting your advertisers, and sending this letter along to them as well, asking why they contribute to the furtherance of this humiliation of service members, unless they too feel the same way.

I wish you all well. I hope that you enjoy a wonderful holiday season, and that you are able to spend as much time with your loved ones as you desire. Please remember that while you are doing that, there are over a hundred thousand men and women serving their country away from home, their loved ones, and any notion of safety.

Respectfully,
Charles W. Ziegenfuss
MAJ, Armor
United States Army

Email: ziegenfuss@gmail.com

Rope. Tree. Judge.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Asshats vs. Heroes

Something disturbing and inspiring from the former empire across the puddle. Disturbing in that the local government thought the presence of wounded soldiers doing rehab at a community pool was too scary and disturbing (and thus, establishing that once crippled, the sight of you is no longer preferred.) Poofters.

Inspiring in that a small group of people came up with an idea to set it right: they encouraged others to hold fund raisers and made enough money for a new pool for the soldiers. Now, they've raised enough for a new pool, and are looking at other ways to help their troops.

Personally, I'd like to get a regiment of Paras down to the community pool previously mentioned for a chili cook-off and binge drinking contest, where they could expel whatever they want into the pool.

--Chuck

Many of you will remember the horrible story late last year about the Brit's Military Rehabilitation pool having been closed due to lack of funding and support from the British government... wounded British soldiers who were rehabbing at a public/community pool were asked to leave because there were some at the pool who found the sight of the wounded veterans to be too upsetting to themselves and their children.

Well, two Brits (Bryn & Emma) with a group of their friends decided to raise money for a new pool and gym for the wounded:

Last October, Emma and I, together with a small team of friends, decided to do something practical to help the wounded coming back from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The original idea was to raise £500,000 by doing a bike ride. Our offer of help was welcomed by General Sir Richard Dannatt who directed us to Headley Court, the Rehabilitation Centre, where they urgently need a new swimming pool and gym complex.

well, here's what a small group can accomplish:

Our non political appeal for help was heard by thousands and a simple idea grew into a tidal wave of support. As a very small team we were unable to lay on many fund raising events ourselves so the ethos has been to ask everyone to ‘do their bit’, to lay on an event and send us the money. That simple approach and the very obvious need has caught the imagination of thousands of ordinary, decent people and I am delighted to say that with the help of Royalty, Celebrities, the Armed Forces and The Media, we have received over £8 million so far. The first £6 million is put aside for the pool complex, the plans are submitted and by next year, the wounded will have their own pool.

But they have a WONDERFUL (and gargantuan) fundraising opportunity... and they need some help in spreading the word -- for sponsors to help cover the costs (so there w/b more money for the wounded) AND for [free] publicity for the event itself... If you're into Rugger at all (um... Rugby for the unitiated...), this will be an exciting day!!

The RFU has given us Twickenham Stadium on the 20th September this year. The Legends of rugby have agreed to play in a once in a life time match. We will see the great turn out in Help for Heroes shirts; Dallaglio, Johnson, Gibbs, Greenwood, Lomu, Phil de Glanville, Ieuan Evans and many more, as well as the stars from the three services and other top players. It will be a great day and, here is the point of this, if we can fill HQ, that is 82,000 seats, we can make £1Million for H4H and that will all go to the wounded.

There's more information in the email below... and all the info is in the attached link. These soldiers have fought beside our American Heroes... let's see if we can help a bit from this side of the Pond.... with some publicity and perhaps some American sponsors who would like to extend our thanks!

patriotism

Dude told me dissent was patriotic. More to follow.

Chuck


And now, the rest of the story:

Part 1: I was home early last night, around 6:30. So, I decided to go to the mall and wander about aimlessly. After taking a seat where I could watch people, Mr. Fancypants walks over and plops down, and begins to "Minister" to me.

Great. Flypaper for freaks time again. Why do people think dressing up like a Pimp is the way to persuade people to come to Jebus?

Turns out, he was (big surprise) pentecostal, and that he was also "against rule of the big government trying to control (I shit you not) our minds." We briefly discussed the use of foil to block experimental mind-control beams, but he believes that the foil doesn't work against the new (again, I shit you not) High-definition beams. This explains the congressional order to switch all TVs from analog to digital in February, because the analog signal reduces their ability to target specific individuals through their televisions.

And people wonder why I generally wear a scowl. he told me that dissent was patriotic, which I is a slogan have seen stuck on several bumpers here in the Northwest.

People, dissent is not by its nature patriotic. Reasoned Discourse is Patriotic, and necessary in our society. People need to question the government, but that doesn't mean they need to immediately assume that everything the government does is wrong (assuming any government function will be mismanaged, over budget, or make someone money is a safe bet, however.)

Our government must be questioned. Our leaders must be scrutinized. But knee-jerk reactions to every government action, based primarily on the reason that you didn't vote for the current leadership, is purely contrariety and (although throwing rocks is really fun) generally falls to accomplish anything. I know I write frequently about the idiocy of congress and SCOTUS (because they are pretty damn funny sometimes) but I will continue to do it no matter who is running the show. I generally don't mention the White House or the President because quite frankly, I support him. Hell, I like him. I don't agree with everything he does or has done, but I do agree with the overall plan of action he has for fighting the religion of peace.

Part II later, I need to go to work.

Rope, Tree, SCOTUS. Some assembly required.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas." [emphasis added]

Ahem:

"Ninth Amendment – Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights."

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment – Powers of states and people.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Does that sound fucking familiar, you half-bald fuckstick?

Rights, all rights, belong to me, they are neither granted nor given, they are mine, not yours, and the gummint has absolutely no right to think they can take away or even limit those rights.

Madison acknowledged a major reason for some of the discontent with the Constitution as written: "I believe that the great mass of the people who opposed [the Constitution], disliked it because it did not contain effectual provision against encroachments on particular rights, and those safeguards which they have been long accustomed to have interposed between them and the magistrate who exercised the sovereign power: nor ought we to consider them safe, while a great number of our fellow citizens think these securities necessary."

The idea of adding a bill of rights to the Constitution was originally controversial. Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist No. 84, argued against a "Bill of Rights," asserting that ratification of the Constitution did not mean the American people were surrendering their rights, {so although certain rights are enumerated, and therefore guaranteed against encroachment by the government, lack of inclusion of other rights does not mean the government may encroach upon them.--Chuck} and therefore that protections were unnecessary: "Here, in strictness, the people surrender nothing, and as they retain every thing, they have no need of particular reservations." Critics pointed out that earlier political documents had protected specific rights, but Hamilton argued that the Constitution was inherently different:

Bills of rights are in their origin, stipulations between kings and their subjects, abridgments of prerogative in favor of privilege, reservations of rights not surrendered to the prince. Such was "Magna Charta", obtained by the Barons, swords in hand, from King John.

Finally, Hamilton expressed the fear that protecting specific rights might imply that any unmentioned rights would not be protected:

I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and in the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed constitution, but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers which are not granted; and on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do?

The first 10 amendments list individual rights--they outline rights that the founders felt so important that the government had to be specifically directed not to fuck with these rights. These rights belong to every citizen, and Keeping and Bearing arms is a direct part of that. The verbiage may say "as part of a well-regulated militia" but does not say the average citizen has to be an active participant, but rather able to be mobilized for the common defense of the country, state, town, or home.

The supremes exist to interpret the constitution as the founders meant it, and to validate all laws passed by the congress to ensure they are within the limits and constraints of the constitution. Any member of the supreme court who cannot remember that the founding principle of our nation is that people have inalienable rights needs to be hauled out onto the mall, and strung by his genitals to the top of the Jefferson Rotunda until he be dead, dead, dead.

His carcass should them be moved to the top of the Washington monument, to be carried around by carrion birds until no traces remain.

There is simply no right guaranteed by the constitution. The constitution guarantees that the government, be it the President, Congress, or even the "Justices for Life" in the supreme court can encroach upon, infringe upon, or otherwise limit my rights. The second amendment guarantees that the government cannot limit or otherwise take away the one thing that gives me the means to limit tyranny--whatever form it takes.

It is my duty as a citizen, as an Army officer and defender of the constitution, and my right, a right that is mine by the simple nature of my existence, which the good "justice"thinks he has the ability and authority to limit.

If the government tries to disarm me, or passes any law saying that I am no allowed to own, possess, or otherwise operate a firearm, I will disobey. I guarantee that any person who attemps to enforce any such law will have a gun, which clearly demonstrates a tyranny of government giving itself rights it will not confer to its citizens. That is 180 degrees off true from what 10,623 of my countrymen sacrifices life or limb to protect during the revolution. If the gummint is unable or unwilling to police itself of these nitwits who think we, the people exist to support them and their Utopian ideals, and the cost of our liberties, then sadly it is time for the streets of our nations capital to once again flow with the blood of patriots, scoundrels, and tyrants.

--Chuck

Well, I'm not dead...

Three years ago last Saturday, I died.

Then, three years ago yesterday, I died again.

Since then, I haven't died (except, of course, for la petit mort, which is all The Mrs.' fault.) And to be honest, I've never complained about that.

Many of you, (is two equal to many?) have written to wonder if I had fallen off the face of the earth. Not quite, but I can see it from here. I planned to blog my cross-country trip to Washington, and other than a few restaurant reviews, that failed miserably.

I planned to keep everyone up to date on my current state, and that too, has failed miserably. My beloved code monkey has even wondered where I went.

Here's the 411:

Like last summer, I am out at the Leadership Development Assessment Course, living in the woods at Fort Lewis, Washington. Unlike last year, where I led patrols and had a direct impact on training individuals, this year I am the overall operations planner for the patrolling committee. I write the plans, others go on to lead the patrols. Granted, the job is more in line with my pay grade, but is far from personally rewarding. Most days I sit in a tent and work on PowerPoint slides and excel spreadsheets, get yelled at by our fairly belligerent committee chief who enjoys servicing targets with shotgun blasts instead of well-aimed and placed shots. I attribute it to poor leadership styles of those who've led him over the years.

Because I have been sequestered for so long in the woods, the internet access we were supposed to have out here (100Mbps) and backup wireless broadband, was in actuality no wireless broadband and twisted pair 9600 baud. Not exactly conducive to blogging. I managed to find and purchase a high-gain antenna for my Verizon air card, and now I have teh intarweb on my laptop, but folks seem to think that my personal laptop is open for anyone to use to chat with teen boys on yahoo and such.

Even changing my password to "eatshit" wasn't discouraging to them. I had to stop bringing my laptop to the woods, which greatly reduces my ability to use the voice software, and as such slows productivity in producing slides and such, which leads to more frequent ass-chewings. Of course, working in a noisy tactical operations center isn't exactly a prime location for the voice software either, so I suppose I'm screwed either way.

So, I've driven three thousand miles to sit in a tent for the summer. I will not get to see Bubba's first few football practices, Adelle's soccer games, or get the whole le petit mort for the next two months because I am an overpaid slide bitch. Unlike last year, hard as the training was, I actually got as much out of it as I put into it, and made an impact on training leaders. Not so much this summer, the physical discomfort is greatly reduced, but the mental stress and lack of job satisfaction has increased exponentially.

I hate this job; toc bitch, S-3, Operations Officer, whatever you want to call it. I've done it everywhere from Kuwait to Kosovo and all points in between. It's a job where the boss is never happy with you, and the people who actually need your products never get them in a timely manner because a font is wrong, or a slide isn't formatted properly. Worse still, the end users never provide good feedback to tell you when your products help, how to improve to better help them, or when you are 90 degrees off true.

Most TOC's (and especially this one) focus on form over functionality, and eye wash takes precedence over common sense. On my desk (a folding table) is a phone that isn't connected to anything, a printer with no ink, a painter's paper dropcloth as a table skirt (god forbid someone should see the stuff under my desk, and a power strip. We had to build a 1/2 height wall out of sand bags across the TOC, for no reason other than it looks cool. All charts are printed on a plotter, and hung on plastic backing boards, which means that after I figure out which slides to display above my desk (not to be confused with which slides I can actually use) I have to drive the electrons in a thumb drive 20 miles to the training aid support center to get printed on a plotter, mounted on the boards, and covered in clear plastic. Since it's a drop-off, not while you wait, that means I have to drive back (20 miles) to work, and then make a return trip (20 miles) to the training aid center later in the day (20 miles) to pick up the finished product (assuming they are complete (and I can't very well call, because there is seldom a signal in these woods) and IF the products are ready, drive them back to the TOC, hang them up, and forget about them.

80+miles in a pickup truck (a gummint vehicle, not my own) for pure unadulterated eyewash. And then someone will decide that they need a different chart, or that they don't like they way I track information because it isn't intuitive to them, or that it isn't the way they did it when they were the ops guy in another unit with a different mission.

So, work sucks, I'm tired (days start at 0500 and usually seem to end at 0400) I'm getting tired of a steady diet of beef jerky and funyuns, stale burned coffee, and cold soup. (Actually, those are supplements to my steady diet of anger, regret, and nicotine.) I'm really sick of getting my ass chewed because other people couldn't give clear guidance if they were giving someone directions down a one way street, and because things aren't progressing as fast as they want, in the manner they want. So far, I've been nodding my head and doing the "yes sir" dick dance, but my dance card is getting full and my stupid shit o-meter is pinging in the red. Sooner or later the "I'm medicated but still in pain, tired, frustrated, and really don't give a flying fuck if you don't like the way I did something, especially when the end product is only for my use... sir." argument is going to come out, and since I can only be fired and sent home early, I really don't see many drawbacks to doing that.

Just bitching.

--Chuck