Stars in the Navy

On Feb. 2, 2012, NavyTimes.com reported a change in federal law to provide higher retention rates for “top brass” with the purpose of keeping military leaders active longer.

Prior to the law change, an officer’s retirement pay was based on 26 years of service. Today, a four-star officer with 43 years of service can retire with more than double the $134,400 four-star officers received a year ago. Active-duty officers’ lifestyles are boosted further with housing allowances and other compensation.

Perhaps most officers deserve these remunerations; however if their rewards are at the expense of the morale of the enlisted personnel they lead, something is tragically wrong with the system.  Some believe the increased pension payment may not entice senior officers to remain in the military, but younger officers might choose to remain active longer, hoping to reap the payoff when they retire after more than 26 years.

The Project on Government Oversight, which looks at waste in government, suggests these pensions are extreme. Nearly 150 three-star officers and 44 four-star officers currently receive the higher pensions.

“At a time when the Pentagon is struggling to pay for the men and women who actually fight wars, and is shrinking the size of its fighting force and civilian employees, it doesn’t make sense to nearly double the size of a retired four-star’s pension,” said Nick Schwellenbach, director of investigations for the group.

The Facebook group, Sailors Against ERB  asks, “Did our sailors get fired so we could pay these guys more than double what their pension used to be?”

In November 2011, the Enlisted Retention Board informed nearly 3,000 sailors their active contracts will terminate on September 1, 2012. One tenth of those “ERB sailors” will take advantage of the early 15-year retirement option recently approved by Congress. Many of the remaining sailors are concerned with the quota game being played by “Big Navy.”

They want to know why they were selected to be involuntarily separated from their military careers, despite what their superiors called excellent work performance, especially when they know other sailors who had openly expressed regret at being retained.
They feel betrayed.

According to another NavyTimes article, “Some sailors who volunteered for early outs were turned down; others with less-than-stellar records were able to escape because their ratings and year groups were safe. Some of those losing their jobs will be eligible by a matter of days (to retire at 15 years) and miss out on as much as $950,000 over the course of their lifetimes.”

Meanwhile, high-ranking officers receive raises and incentives to remain on active duty. Our military requires strong leadership, but not at the expense of our enlisted personnel, the backbone of the military.

1,000 Veterans to March on the White House

Adam Kokesh is a controversial figure - probably because he isn't a sheep, bleeting and following along behind those who would try to make him fit into a role that does not fit.  He challenges authority and reveals the reality of a government based not on protecting the freedoms of the American people. He believes his experience as a former Republican Congressional candidate and member of the USMC qualifies him to encourage everyone to live as free, dignified humans and he urges everyone to live as if government does not exist. He is Adam of Adam VS the Man.

Adam versus the Man is more than a cable or Internet show, it's his way of life. His Facebook page states:

Who is “the man?” The man is anyone who thinks they can tell you how to live your life and impose their will on others by force of government. But maybe the man behind the curtain is the would-be man in all of us. Because really, the message of freedom that this show is based on, is about conquering that desire to rule over others and that willingness to accept rule by force. They are temptations all are subject too, but in order to establish true liberty for humanity, we must condemn all forms of freedom-violating initiation of force against others and embrace the love and respect for our shared humanity of which we are all capable.

His current press release follows:

1,000 Veterans to March on the White House for Ron Paul, Organizers Overwhelmed
Thousands expected to turn their backs on Obama for "RON PAUL IS THE CHOICE OF THE TROOPS"

    It's only been up for a couple weeks, but according to the Facebook event page, which just passed 1,250 "going" this past Friday, Veterans for Ron Paul 2012 are going to be an undeniable presence in Washington, DC on President's Day. The organizers have been overwhelmed by the positive response, much of which is from veterans and active duty troops who are hearing Ron Paul's message for the first time because of this event. Many passionate veterans are even coming from as far away as the west coast, and almost every other post on the wall for the event page is a request or offer for long-distance transportation. Emails to organizers have also indicated that there will be a large contingent of active duty troops in the formation who have declined to RSVP publicly on Facebook. However, organizers are realistic about the numbers, as former US Marine and Fallujah combat veteran Adam Kokesh said, "We know 1,250 on Facebook includes some supporters who won't be there, but we think it's a reasonable goal now to have 1,000 veterans in the formation."

    On President's Day, February 20th, 2012, the founders of Veterans for Ron Paul 2012, Nathan Cox and Adam Kokesh, will lead a formation of veterans and active duty troops who support Ron Paul's candidacy for President of the United States from the Washington Monument to the White House. Upon arrival at the White House, they will do an about face and render a hand salute to a folded American flag. They will hold the salute for as many seconds as troops have died under the Presidency of Barrack Obama, including suicides.

    The purpose of this event is to make it clear to the American people that Ron Paul is the choice of the troops and the candidate who will have the greatest support from those he would lead as commander-in-chief. This is already evidence(d) by the fact that Ron Paul has received more campaign contributions from active duty service members than all other presidential candidates combined, INCLUDING Barrack Obama. The troops want a President who is going to be decisive, put America's security first, and only send them into harm's way with a clear moral imperative. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who even comes close to meeting those criteria.

    Any active duty service members who join will be invited to march at the front of the formation. Proof of service will be required to march in the formation for all current or former military personnel. Family members are invite(d) to march behind the formation and supporters are encouraged to line the route of the march and be present for the ceremony at the White House.

For more information about this event, please contact Veterans for Ron Paul 2012 at VFRP2012@gmail.com or see the facebook event at:

http://www.facebook.com/events/create/?eid=192677970828185

To see the first official announcement of this event:
http://youtu.be/v0LxI7_v9vA

I don't typically involve myself in politics because I believe our system if flawed and based on an antiquated electoral college. There comes a time, however, when everyone must ask the question:" if not me, then who; if not now, then when?"

I have to do my part or my freedoms mean nothing.