Zach Vargo

The USS Wasp and 3 other ships had to go through a Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Exercise this past week.  Because they are about to go on deployment soon, they have to be ready to fight off any possible terrorists attacks on the ship.  Because there were 34 Midshipmen on board the Wasp, we got to play the OPFOR (Opposing Forces).  As Midshipmen, playing as the OPFOR is a very rare occurance, so we were blessed with this terrific opportunity.

For the exercise, we got to start riots in front of checkpoints, create a spousal abuse situation as a diversion, smuggle a bomb in a bag, and even send a shooter onto a ship and raise all kinds of Hell. The point of these situations was to see how the sailors were going to react and hopefully, they would do what they trained to do.  Despite a wife being beaten by their husband, if it happens on foreign soil, its not the Navy’s resposibility to intervene, but rather to call the local police. The big event I took part in was starting a fight with another person  in order to create a diversion for the watch team so it would be easier for the “terrorist” to get through the bag inspection.  Unfortunately, our Oscar-Winning Performance did not work and the bomb was found. 

The USS Wasp was the only ship to have a perfect record during this drill.  Because I got to take part in the exercise, when I am an officer going through the training, I will be better prepared and will essentially know what to be looking for while.  Hopefully, the situations will only occur during simulation, but one may never know and must always be prepared.

So, today is my last day blogging for Yovia before I go on my summer training for the Navy and eventually head back to the Citadel to start my senior year.  I just want to say that this was by far the best job I’ve had and because of it, I will continue blogging when I head back to school.  I’m really going to miss Yovia and the friends I’ve made since working there.

This is the bad boy I am going to be on for a month. It’s the USS Wasp (LHD-1), an Amphibious Assault Ship (in case you were wondering).

Here is a video that proves that socialized health care will be a failure.  Many Liberals, including the President, have stated that Canada and many countries in Europe have socialized health care and with it they live longer.  Well, Mr. Steven Crowder went undercover in Canada, to see if their health care actually works.  If you still believe that health care provided by the Government is the best thing for America, you’re view should change after watching this video.

These parents are reason why our generation is so messed up.  It makes me sick.  Watching this is worse than watching Super Sweet 16.

Senator Boxer just got ripped apart by the Black Chamber Of Commerce CEO, Harry Alford. Not only does Alford call her a racist, he gets away with calling her “ma’am.” Remember back in June when Brigadier General Michael Walsh was corrected by Sen Boxer on the use of “ma’am.” A quick fact, Mr. Alford is a democrat who voted for Obama in 2008. This just shows that even democrats are getting tired of this crap.

Yesterday, President Obama threw the ceremonious first pitch at the 2009 All Star Game. This is a tradition dating back to 1910 when President Taft became the first president to throw the 1st pitch. Here is the video:

President Bush may have had the best pitch in presidential history, when throwing the first pitch after September 11, 2001. He threw a strike, but that could be because he used to own the Texas Rangers.

As you all heard in recent news, former Vice President Cheney is in hot water with Congress about the apparent coverup of a proposed CIA program. All the Liberals would like to see Cheney jailed for breaking the law, but let’s be realistic here, where did Cheney break the law? And who is really at fault?

In order to find out the truth, you have ask these questions. Was the program actually implemented? Why is the CIA coming out now? And, is this the truth?

The law is that in order to create a CIA counterterrorism program you must go before Congress to seek approval. So did the CIA implement a top secret assassination squad to kill Al-Queda leaders? We have no proof of this and no documents have been presented to Congress. Right now its just finger-pointing and ass covering.

Now this raises the question: why bring it up now, after 8 years of hiding it? If Cheney was really breaking the law, why did the CIA just give in and keep it a secret? Wouldn’t they have enough balls to confront Cheney about overstepping his bounds or even go public with this information? Unless, it was only a mere suggestion during a meeting and the agency had no intention to take it to Congress. Or better yet, they couldn’t trust Congress.

So is there reason to believe that this is the truth? No. I personally believe that this is another ploy to repair the reputation of Panetta and Pelosi. It makes sense, does it not? Pelosi already called the CIA a bunch of liars and Panetta is doing a good job of protecting her by singing like a canary. Is this an acceptable behavior of a Department Head? Oh wait, Mr. Panetta only inherited the lies.

Despite what the Liberals want you to believe, Cheney hasn’t done anything wrong and won’t be put in jail. Not even President Obama wants to put him in jail. I guess the evil Republicans won again.

Now, what if I am wrong and Cheney actually told the CIA to keep quiet about the program and they actually utilized it in Afghanistan? GOOD FOR CHENEY. The reason why Covert Operations work so well is that very few people know about. There is a reason why Covert Operatives, whether in the CIA or the United States military, hate politicians. They have a big mouth and people die when information is leaked. So would it be wise to tell Congress in the first place? No, and for good reasons. Could you trust a politician to keep their mouth shuts on such a risky operation? Not in today’s government. Besides, we all know that the Democrats would tell the MSM or some liberal newspaper about how ridiculous the idea was in the first place, so it would never have been approved. Instead of being used as a way to ensure victory on the Global War On Terror, it would be used as another “bullet in the gun” pointed at the Bush Administration.

Well the Obama Administration is at it again, trying to force their ways down your throat. With the newest czar, Cass Sunstein, the administration is preparing to shut down all the lies spread around by bloggers and online news organizations. You may be kissing some more of your First Amendment rights away.

Cass Sunstein, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, has been appointed as the head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. His claim to fame is his soon to be released book, “On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done.” His is also known, and possibly appointed, because of his book, “Nudge,” which encourages the government to gently force people to become human beings. In “On Rumors,” Sunstein wrote, “that we are headed for a future in which people’s beliefs are a product of social networks working as echo chambers in which false rumors spread like wildfire.” He also wrote, “We hardly need to imagine a world, however, in which people and institutions are being harmed by the rapid spread of damaging falsehoods via the Internet.” And continued with, “We live in that world. What might be done to reduce the harm?”

So what does this mean for the blogging world? It means that if you spread falsehoods about the government, you will be asked to remove your blog. You are also responsible for the comments that are posted on your article. However, if you refuse to take down your blog, you can expect to be taken to court, which will determine the fate of your blog.

The real question that is brought up is what determines a false statement?   I guess the internet regulators will decide, and you have a chance to prove them wrong in court.  But is a false statement only going to be anything that denounces Obama, his administration, or any other Liberal politician/ activist?  How about the Alaskan blogger would started the rumors of why Gov. Palin decided to leave office?  She was incorrect, but would Sunstein have deemed that a false statement?

Many people fear that this is another method to suppress the “Republican Attack Machine,” or in layman’s terms: anyone who opposes the Liberals.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when the government is regulating that, then it has been taken too far.  How would you feel if you were only stating the facts, and the government deems it a lie because it made Obama look bad?  You better hope that the judge is on the same side as you. Conservatives may again be falling victim to the vicious attacks conducted by the Liberal “victims”.

Take my blog Sunstein, I DARE YOU.

Instead of targeting President Obama this time, they are attacking the publicity of Michael Jackson’s death.  The first one to speak out against the mass media coverage was Rep. Pete King of Long Island, NY.  I was reading other people’s blogs about Rep. King’s video and some of the comments are just amazing.  People are saying that King was a racist and a hateful person.  One person even exclaimed, “I guess PETER KING is JEALOUS since Michael Jackson is always on TV.”  Do people actually think before they write?  Rep. King was just tired of the media’s overzealous coverage of Michael Jackson.  How does that make him a racist? I know, he’s a Republican.

Before you go spewing about how Rep. King is a racist, first you must be educated with the word’s definition. I took the liberty for you all; it is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”

Where in Senator King’s statement does he mention race? His description could be of a male or female, black, white or Hispanic person.

A day before New York Rep. Peter King called Michael Jackson a “pervert” unworthy of nonstop media coverage, the aunt of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan on the same day Jackson died asked why her nephew’s death went virtually unnoticed while the King of Pop got memorial shrines across the country. “Mr. Jackson received days of wall-to-wall coverage in the media,” Martha Gillis wrote to the Washington Post. “Where was the coverage of my nephew or the other soldiers who died that week?”

Like Rep. King is, I am tired of always hearing about Michael Jackson.  I will say that he was a talented and inspiring artist, and I still listen to his music.  His death is tragic, but it is time to move on.  The media moved on when Robert McNamara died, only really saying, “And today former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara died today at the age of 93.  He is famously known as the ‘Architect Of The Vietnam War.’  Coming up is more information on Michael Jackson…”  They did the same for Karl Malden and Ed McMahon.  Granted that they all died of old age, while Michael Jackson was only 50.

But if age is the factor of making Michael Jackson’s death a bigger deal, then how about Billy Mays.  Billy Mays was 50, I don’t hear anything about him.  He was a great pitchman, and when I think of advertising, Billy Mays usually pops up in my head.  However, when I think of great musicians, I don’t immediately think of Michael Jackson.  I can name a bunch of other artists who are significantly more talented than Michael Jackson.  I guess Billy Mays doesn’t get media coverage because he wasn’t accused of molesting children.

Rep. King was not being hateful or racist, he was just simply speaking out, exercising his 1st Amendment right.  He believes that the media should glorify the brave men and women who put their lives at risk everyday. MJ never served in the military, made millions because of his entertaining talent, spent foolishly, abused illegal drugs and was accused of child molestation and settled out of court. He also showed disregard towards his race by sanctioning the artificial insemination of his wife with white person’ sperm. So who is the racist? And the media portrays MJ as a hero? Perhaps that is one of the problems with America in that our role models are drug offenders and child molesters who have no clue about budgets and finance. We cut Rep. King down because is right?

It is time for the news networks to move on from the old and start covering something new. Isn’t that what the news is for? And if you want to still make a big deal about it, don’t worry he’ll be back. I will guarantee you his name will pop back up when the US government has to bail out California because they forked out millions for his memorial service.

For the 4th of July, my family and I went downtown to Metro Park and saw Richard Marx, Neil Geraldo, and Pat Benatar in concert.  Pat Benatar still has that powerful voice and that made an excellent show.  You can’t beat a free concert to celebrate our freedom.

Also, rest in peace Steve McNair and Robert McNamara.