Thoughts on the Secretary of Defense and the Constitution

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, June 11, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said, "The President has constitutional responsibilities and constitutional authorities to protect American citizens and members of our armed forces.  That's what he did.  America does not leave its soldiers behind.  We made the right decision, and we did it for the right reasons—to bring home one of our own people."

Apparently the Secretary of Defense has never read the Constitution.  Hagel’s remark did not sound familiar, so to be certain, I reread Article II of the Constitution concerning the executive branch of government. Sure enough, Hagel is full of crap.  Article II in its entirety is attached to the end of this post in case you don’t believe me.  The President is the Commander in Chief and is responsible for seeing that all laws are enforced—including immigration—but he is not the babysitter of the American people.  He is also supposed to defend the Constitution, but clearly Obama has forgotten that part of his oath.

What I can’t understand is why no Congressman challenged Hagel on his absurd claim.  I can only guess that none of those present had ever read the Constitution.  I’m will to bet Obama has never read the Constitution.  Furthermore, shouldn’t someone have remarked that it’s not right to leave ambassadors behind either?

This Bergdahl business more than stinks.  Hagel contends that he is still in Germany because he needs more psychological evaluation. Don’t we have any shrinks at the VA?  Or is it because he would have to wait six months to get an appointment?  Maybe he needs more time to memorize the official story.

The rumors flying around this case, viz: Bergdahl has not called his parents and his father was heard to say, “Allah akbar,” in the Whitehouse Rose Garden, not to mention that Muslim looking beard he is sporting, lead one to wonder just what we got for five Taliban jihadists.  Snopes is silent on the Bergdahl rumors.

Let’s address the other ridiculous thing Hagel said.  “We complied with the law.”  What part of ‘Congress is to be notified before any of the Guantanamo prisoners are released’ do Hagel and Obama not understand?  I don’t know if that is a high crime or a misdemeanor, but either is an impeachable offense.  Is it going to happen?  Of course not, because Congress is every bit as inept and wrongheaded as the President.

The most insulting remark the half-breed jackass has said is, “We didn’t negotiate with terrorists.”
Give me a break.  The Taliban has an office in Qatar.  Are the American people stupid enough to believe these five Muslim miscreants are going to be held incommunicado?  Well, maybe they are that stupid, after all, they elected the bastard twice.  Let’s say those pillars of western idealism in Qatar turn them loose in less than a year, what are we going to do to Qatar—sanctions?  Even if they do hold them for a year, isn’t that coincidental with the pull-out from Afghanistan?  Five more jihadists is just what the doctor ordered in the vacuum of US involvement.  I guess Obama hadn’t heard about Fallujah and subsequently Mosel and Tikrit.

When we are faced with an Islamic state from Syria to Iraq that is receiving nuclear weapons from Iran and North Korea, and we are forced—I repeat forced—to defend Israel, are we going to look back at this shrug our shoulders and say, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time?”

This is a very sad time to be an American.

The US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, is a brilliant, concise and elegant device.  Contrary to the beliefs of far too many politicians and their minions, it is not a living document to be tweaked at will by the likes of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Waxman, Waters and all the rest of their ilk.  Here is Article II:

Article. II.

Section. 1.

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows: Each State shall appoint, in such Manneras the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their

respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President.  But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes;which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. 

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. 

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Section. 2.

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. 

Section. 3.

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

Section. 4.

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Mission to Morocco

Sam Bradford joined the Army rather than wait to be drafted.  It was 1944 and the draft was inevitable for able-bodied young men, but after enlisting, Sam got recruited by the newly formed intelligence agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).  His first mission was to kidnap a Nazi collaborator code named the Viper from a sleepy seaside town in French Morocco.  Arriving, curiously by blimp, Sam assumes his undercover persona and begins stalking his prey.  On his first pass at identifying the Viper he encounters Mireille, a lovely and charming French Moroccan who engages him in a probing conversation.  When Sam succeeds in snatching his quarry and spirits him off to London, he has good luck interrogating him and learns of a whole nest of informers in Port Lyautey.  So back to Morocco he goes to nab the rest and perhaps the Gestapo colonel who runs them, all the while keeping Mireille in the back of his mind.

If your taste runs to deep, rich descriptive writing that paints a mental picture of the setting and the detailed actions of the characters, then Mission to Morocco is for you. The plot is intriguing and realistic. JR Rogers depth of knowledge of the subject and the locale is clearly profound.  The characters are well developed except, in this reader’s opinion, the main character, Sam. This juvenile James Bond lacks a personality.  The bulk of his conversation is, “Yes, sir.  No, sir. I won’t, sir.”  A bit more dash and savoir-faire would have been helpful. The ending is true to life, but for a work of fiction, it is perhaps a little loose ended and unsatisfying.  But I won’t reveal it, you will have to discover it for yourself.

110,650 words

Price $4.99

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Pirates or Patriots

What if your uncle told you that he and your father killed Bonnie Parker?  Jeb is naturally
skeptical of this and some other tall tales about Jean Lafitte and Andrew Jackson, but he has been tasked with writing a book and he is a history professor, so he delves into these matters, if somewhat reluctantly.  Well, it seems that three English brothers, left with no means of support, join the King’s infantry only to desert when faced with the prospect of fighting in the War of 1812.  When privateers attack the ship on which they stowed away, they are faced with the prospect of hanging or joining the pirates.  The choice is simple and they soon discover that being in the employ of Jean Lafitte is not a bad life.  Enter Charlotte, down on her luck and destitute in New Orleans.  Ephraim, spellbound by her beauty, literally bumps into her, but fails to prevent robbers from stealing all her possessions.  Then the governor decides it is time to sweep the pirates from his state at the same time that the British attempt to enlist Lafitte’s assistance in their invasion of New Orleans, the loss of which threatens the entire Union.

This complex and compelling story of a man discovering the astonishing truth about his ancestors, and a pivotal battle in the history of a young country that actually took place after the end of the war, is a masterwork of tension and suspense.  L.D. Watson has brought the period to life and carries the reader to the French Quarter before there was a statue of Jackson in the square that bears his name.  The prose is magnificent, the characters wonderfully developed, and the aforementioned tension, keeps the pages turning.  I was hooked from page one, and happily, the ending makes it clear that there is sequel in the works.

98,420 words

Price $3.99 

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The Disposables

Good cops, bad cops, dirty cops, ex-cops, they are all here.  Bruno Johnson is an ex-cop with a murder conviction.  Now, he is on a crusade with his red-hot Puerto Rican girlfriend to save battered children from the incompetence of Child Protective Services.  To fund his plan he has stooped to working for a Los Angeles mobster, which is risky business for a parolee. All Bruno needs is one last big score and he will be over the border but the Violent Crimes Task Force and the FBI have other plans.

The Disposables exposes the lawlessness within law enforcement from an insider’s viewpoint. This fast-paced story is so loaded with violence, corruption, double dealing and back stabbing the reader may want to wash his hands every time he lays the book on the nightstand.  Even the altruistic Bruno is so dirty from his past life as a cop that it is difficult to bond with him.  There are so many villains in this book you don’t know who you hate the most.  The treachery builds steadily toward a twisted, deceit filled climax.  This is an excellent cop story written in cop jargon and told from the level of the gutter.  Read it.

$9.99 At Amazon


Not available at Smashwords

Hitler's Children

When Carlos the Jackal joins forces with the Red Army Faction (RAF) with the intention of toppling the West German government, Inspector Rainer Lombach of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force is stretched to the  breaking point.  He is forced to deal with two murders, a high profile kidnapping and a hijacked airliner while balancing reconciliation with his estranged wife.  Then Carlos and his multinational gang plot the coup de grâce.

Hitler’s Children is a true to life tale of terrorist activities in Europe during the seventies.  The realism of Ralph Young’s story shows tremendous depth of knowledge of the topic and the setting.  The characters and the plot are richly developed making this is a first class detective story.  The prose is excellent and flows beautifully, there is however, just too much of it.  My personal taste tends toward fast-paced fiction and there were times when I became impatient reading details that I believe were not necessary to advance the story.  Those who love to be drawn into the scene by intimate description will be delighted with the sumptuous minutiae.  Hitler’s Children is a very interesting read no matter your pace preference.

166,400 Words 

Price $3.99

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A Little Gloating

Today I shall indulge in a little boasting.  Golden State Blues was favorably reviewed by an honest to God New York Times bestselling author, Burt Boyar.  Burt, in collaboration with his late wife Jane, wrote the ‘autobiography’ of Sammy Davis, Junior, Yes, I Can.  His other works include World Class, Invisible Scars, one of my favorites, Hitler Stopped by Franco and his fascinating memoir, Blessed.

This man has enjoyed a storybook life.  As a columnist in New York in the fifties and sixties he hobnobbed with nearly every celebrity who was popular at the time and thus became best friends with Sammy Davis, Jr.  From that friendship grew the biography that launched his career as a bestselling author.

Then he and Jane traveled to Spain to research the world of professional tennis for their novel, World Class and were so enamored of the place that they stayed for twenty-eight years, improbably renting a house on the beach from the daughter of the dictator, Francisco Franco.  When it comes to falling into primary source material, how lucky can you get?

Tragically, Jane died suddenly, in her sleep, with no prior warning of anything being wrong.  Shortly thereafter Burt returned to the US where he now resides on the West Side of Los Angeles.

You bet I’m going to include the review!  For which I thank Burt Boyar very much.  Scroll down to find links to Burt’s books at Smashwords and Amazon, and Golden State Blues, too.

FABULOUS PAGE-TURNER April 20, 2014

Review of Golden State Blues by Burt Boyar

Verified Purchase

This marvelous book, superbly written, is the story of a man who sees his state of California and all of its God given glory being trampled on and destroyed by self-serving "public servants,” the police and teachers' unions and decides to do something about it by becoming Governor. Once in office he starts to clean house. He addresses issues such as officials of bankrupt towns paying themselves salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. He fires them. When some reject his dismissal because they were voted into office he finds ways to oust them, cutting budgets he controls, etc. He empties the prisons of illegal immigrants (saving California millions) by sending them to Nevada and Colorado. He is a ruthless dream come true who literally fixes a broken state. His actions that eliminate insane spending fill the State's coffers so well that he is able to remove sales tax and state income tax. Some of the many toes he steps on reach out for help to Washington, D.C. and when the lady president of the U.S.A. cannot reach him (he won't take her many calls) she threatens to cut Federal funding, to which he is able to reply, "Keep your money, we don't need it." California is rich again. In the course of his house cleaning he confronts the Legislators in Sacramento who decide "We'll show him" and leave town and their responsibilities. In the absence of a legislature he is able to  assume powers to further clean the mess and crookery. This is not a book for supporters of illegal immigrants and other darlings of the liberal Left. Hopefully it will be an inspiration to some politician who will see that it can be done, that The United States of America can be raised from the dust.

The ending broke my heart, when the Legislators, hungry for their lost power, reconvene, vote for impeachment and are supported by the liberal Left voters and this brilliant man is  removed from office. In his absence they begin to re-instate all of the destructive, unaffordable policies he had abolished and by which he had saved the State.

Sadly, the author who writes and thinks brilliantly, is a realist and understands the inevitable. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, Conservatives who'll say "Yeah!!!" and Liberals who might become influenced by the other side of the aisle's thinking. That is, if they are truly liberal.

This is a great book.

Well, there you go, my head won’t quit swelling.  Scroll down for links to Burt’s books and, of course, Golden State Blues.

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Don't Forget!

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Coming soon in paperback to Createspace

Pacific Paradox

Beresford Branson is the quintessential upper class twit.  As second son of a baronet, he is ineligible to inherit his father’s title so happily he drinks, chases girls and careens his MG through the hedgerows until Sir Branson decides he must be “blooded.”  Exiled to the South Pacific for three years with a modest sum of cash, Berry must learn to make his own way or else.  On landing in Tahiti he confirms his suspicion that not being French, he is forbidden to work, thus he makes his way to Pago Pago working as a deckhand for an American family, thence to British Samoa where he finds unrewarding employment.  However, he is mugged and mystified as to why his American friend and benefactor from Pago Pago is threatening his life over a post office box number in Sydney.  Enter Josh Noble, entrepreneur and business partner with Berry’s father, who puts the young dilettante to work peddling cassava across the South Pacific.  Calling on Guadalcanal at the outbreak of war in the Pacific, Berry is one of two white persons who opt not to evacuate, instead volunteering as coast watchers for the Allied cause.

Pacific Paradox is an absolutely delightful book that lets us sail along during the coming of age of a bon vivant who ultimately spends two years living in caves while spotting Japanese troop and ship movements.  The attention to historical detail with regard to the battles for strategic Guadalcanal shows Kev Richardson’s depth of knowledge.  His prose and pace are excellent and characters well developed.  The end is both true to life and satisfying.  I am going to look into something else by Kev Richardson.

69,680 Words

Price $4.99 Smashwords  $6.00 at Amazon

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