[MILITARYTIMES] A senior mortuary employee at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware twice offered horrified inspectors a peek at American icon John Glenn's dead body while the famed astronaut awaited burial earlier this year, according to an internal memo obtained by Military Times. Things have certainly changed a lot, apparently. The last time I was at Dover, ten years ago, they were almost over-correct about military remains.
The disturbing allegation has outraged Pentagon officials and sparked a top-level investigation to determine whether misconduct was committed. The memo, written by Deborah Skillman, the Defense Department's director of casualty and mortuary affairs, states the employee's alleged actions were "clearly inappropriate and personally shocking." The document is dated May 11.
Glenn, who in 1962 became the first American to orbit Earth, was 95 when he died Dec. 8. A combat-decorated Marine, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors April 6, on what would've been his 74th wedding anniversary.
Glenn's family asked the Air Force to care for his remains in the interim, a request that was granted to "ensure an increased level of privacy and security for a renowned public servant, Marine Corps officer, and pioneer of space exploration," Skillman's memo states. It was during that time, first on Feb. 28 and again on March 2, when William Zwicharowski, the mortuary's branch chief, "offered to allow the inspectors to view the dear departed." Skillman was among them.
"Moreover," she wrote, "this offer to view the remains was also made in the presence of, and observed by, junior personnel on the Dover Mortuary Branch staff."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
...This may not entirely explain things, but it's a start (from TFA):
Skillman noted in her memo that Zwicharowski made comments indicating he believed the inspection was an act of reprisal for having exposed, six years prior, how the mortuary mishandled the remains of some fallen service members returning home from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. She disputes that in memo, writing “it is important to note that this inspection was pursuant to a new DoD inspection policy, and three other sites had been inspected prior to the team’s inspection of Dover."
It's unclear what that new policy entails, though Ryder said the mortuary passed its inspection with a score of 94 percent.
Zwicharowski, along with two other mortuary employees, was at the center of a whistle-blower scandal that revealed body parts had gone missing or were disposed of improperly. They were subsequently honored with Public Servant of the Year awards after nearly being fired for going outside their chain of command to report what they believed were code violations, public health dangers and gross mismanagement.
...So let me get this straight:
1. The guy does the right thing, and - in the end - is rewarded for it.
2. He's convinced that what appears to be a routine inspection is actually retribution, so he
3. Does something every bit as bad and reprehensible as the things he reported on.
Got it.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/26/2017 5:24 Comments ||
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#2
When I read the headline I thought it might have been a former member of Lincoln Savings and Loan or one of his debtors from his reelection campaign.
#3
There's always the possibility he offered to allow the inspectors to check that Glenn was stored properly, and misconstruing that offer is the retribution for earlier whistle-blowing.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/26/2017 12:45 Comments ||
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#4
I have to wonder if what Mr. Zwicharowski was really offering the inspectors was the chance to see for themselves that things were being done properly, given his history of going outside the chain of command to report improprieties. A shop that passes inspection with a score of 94% doesn't blatently make inappropriate offers to inspectors, especially in front of junior personnel.
Then there is all the bosom-heaving vocabulary. In order:
[RT] Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte has been charged with assaulting a reporter hours before polls were due to open on Thursday for a special election. He probably should have just hollered "Can we get some muscle over here?" and the guy woulda known he was serious.
The alleged altercation took place at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, on Wednesday. The tech millionaire was in a side room with a local television news crew when Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs attempted to ask his question about the Republican healthcare bill.
“He took me to the ground,” Jacobs told the Guardian. “I think he whaled on me once or twice… He got me and I think he hit me… This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in reporting on politics.”
Jacobs reported the incident to the police. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said there were four witnesses to the incident, in addition to Gianforte and Jacobs. It completed its investigation and “determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault,” Sheriff Brian Gootkin said in a statement.
Gootkin said the nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory conditions for felony assault.
Gianforte's campaign didn’t deny Jacobs’ claim, but countered with its own statement that the reporter had provoked the altercation.
“Jacobs was asked to leave,” the statement read. “After asking Jacobs to lower the recorder, Jacobs declined. Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg’s wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground.”
“It’s unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.”
[LIFEZETTE] A news hound who was a firsthand witness to an incident late Wednesday involving Montana GOP candidate Greg Gianforte and a news hound for the Guardian now admits she may have misstated some details of her initial story.
Guardian news hound Ben Jacobs claimed Gianforte, locked in a hotly contested special election for Congress, body-slammed him and broke his glasses at a campaign event Wednesday. Local authorities have brought misdemeanor assault charges against Gianforte.
There is, so far, no direct video of the incident; only audio has been produced publicly. Among the small handful of eyewitnesses was Fox News news hound Alicia Acuna.
Acuna wrote a report published on Fox News that detailed what happened as Jacobs aggressively questioned Gianforte.
"At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him," she wrote, "Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the news hound. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, ’I’m sick and tired of this!'"
Acuna repeated her initial version of events during an appearance on Fox News Wednesday evening.
"Gianforte grabbed [Jacobs] by the neck, slid him to the side, and body-slammed him, and then got on top of him and started punching," she said.
Details from Acuna's report quickly went viral online, but she said Thursday during an interview on "The Laura Ingraham Show" that she misstated the neck grab.
"One of you guys said last night that he put his hands around his neck," Ingraham said. "Which, as somebody who's done a lot of taekwondo and self-defense, to me that seemed, that might not be exactly right."
"You know, and I'm the one who said that," Acuna replied, "I saw both his hands go up, not around his neck in a strangling type of way, but more just on each side of his neck, just grabbed him and I guess it could've been on his clothes, I don't know."
Ingraham asked Acuna if that meant she was changing her story.
"Again, just to clarify, he didn't grab him by the neck with both hands in the way that was initially described, that's not quite accurate," Ingraham asked at the end of the interview.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/26/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds like a resume enhancer for a GOP politician to manhandle a socialist Grauniad jackass. Should have given him a wedgie too.
#10
Gianforte might be on to something in regards to a campaign strategy for others. However, I'm afraid the snowflake RINO pajama boys would be disgusted, triggered by such a suggestion and they might have to retreat to their safe spaces, put on their pampers, suck on their pacifiers and cry.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/26/2017 11:16 Comments ||
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#13
...now admits she may have misstated some details of her initial story
Now that the GOP candidate won and this can go to a court appearance ....pesky thing being required to swear under penalty of perjury, what?.... she feels that maybe her earlier words were non-operative*. (*Nixon Era reference)
Gianforte dropped out of sight after he was cited by police and ignored calls on Thursday by national Republicans for him to apologize to the reporter.
He emerged only at his victory celebration Thursday night, where he said he accepted responsibility for the incident. “Last night I made a mistake and I took an action I can’t take back and I am not proud of what happened,” Gianforte told the crowd. “I should not have responded the way I did and for that I am sorry.”
Posted by: Regular joe ||
05/26/2017 13:32 Comments ||
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#16
Sorry I had to kick your ass
The guitar smashing scene in Animal House:
All Bluto said was "Sorry..."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/26/2017 13:43 Comments ||
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#17
I look forward to the day that we can get rid of AA for Hispanics. It's ridiculous that a white woman should be AA-eligible, just because she's got a vowel at the end of her last name. Heck, why are Spanish-speakers of any color from south of the border eligible for AA anyway?
Has Nancy Pelosi completely lost her mind? Or does she just have to complain about everything President Trump does? "I'll take 'losing her mind' for $2000, Alex"
During a press briefing on Thursday, the House Minority Leader criticized the president's choice of visiting Saudi Arabia first during his inaugural foreign trip.
"I thought it was unusual for the President of the United States to go to Saudi Arabia first. Saudi Arabia!" Pelosi said.
"It wasn't even alphabetical. I mean, Saudi Arabia."
The Democrat leader contrasted Trump's visit with George W. Bush first visiting Mexico, and Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama visiting Canada first. "Which were alphabetical! I mean, Saudi Arabia!"
"Our friends and neighbors," she said. "What was the decision-making process to go to Saudi Arabia first? That is a question that I have," she said.
If Trump were to begin visiting foreign countries by alphabetical order, he would first visit Afghanistan, followed by Albania, Algeria, Andorra and Angola.
Is Nancy Pelosi really advocating for a Sesame Street strategy to boost foreign relations?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/26/2017 09:11 ||
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#8
Arabia starts with an A. Saudi just is a modifier, because the Brits took it from the Hashemite family and gave it to the House of Saud after the first world war. As I recall, the Hashemites were given Iraq and Jordan to make up for it -- and they managed to keep Jordan.
#2
A day after he beat a reporter. Glad it didn't affect his results (may have improved them). But he still should have called me to beat the reporter instead.
Posted by: Big Bumble2120 ||
05/26/2017 1:48 Comments ||
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#3
How'd that early voting you love so much work out for ya this time around, dems?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/26/2017 2:40 Comments ||
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Look for the MSM to be silent on this.
They were bigging it up as a referendum on "unstable" "troubled" (insert MSM stock headline words for non-dem politician) Trump
From today's NYT, natch. They really ought to change their motto from, "All The News That's Fit To Print" to "We Have Always Been At War With Eastasia".
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/26/2017 5:10 Comments ||
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#6
The dem bus has already rolled furiously over Quist. Virtually no coverage of anything he has said since losing the election. Non-person, memory holed. All hat, not enough comrades...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/26/2017 13:40 Comments ||
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#7
69-year old Mr. Quist, the cowboy poet folksinger, was a Bernie Bro anyway, not a real Democrat -- though apparently most of his donations came from out of state Dems. And The Bern himself flew in to campaign with Gramps. So it isn't just Hillary Clinton who can't deliver votes...
#8
Would Montanans have voted for Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for the state’s lone House seat, if they knew he was the kind of person who body slams journalists?
Yes. Hell, yes. I'd vote again and again, if I could.
#9
Would Montanans have voted for Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for the state’s lone House seat, if they knew he was the kind of person who body slams journalists?
Hillary Clinton, special guest at Tuesday night’s SeriousFun Children’s Network Gala, knew just the right antidote for her trying political year.
"I’m looking for some serious fun," she confessed to the crowd gathered inside New York’s Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. "I have a big fun deficit."
Clinton offered her services as a counselor for the global community of camps -- founded by late actor Paul Newman in 1988, to serve children with serious illnesses -- and her personnel suggestions didn’t stop there. "I know of a really good guy who might also fit in when it comes to serious fun. I’m all for hiring guys for the right jobs," she added, to much cheer.
Out stepped Bill Clinton, another eager counselor volunteer. "This is one of those jobs, unlike some of them, where it helps to have experience," he joked, before addressing his wife. "Having been counseling with you now for over 40 years, I’d be perfect for these kids because it doesn’t bother me anymore if nobody takes my advice!"
...
Ex-Secretary of State John Kerry ripped President Donald Trump for pulling out of the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, which would have leveled barriers to commerce and standardized regulations between the United States and an array of Pacific Rim nations, arguing that the swift pivot away from the accord damaged American influence and credibility internationally.
Former President Barack Obama--with the help of Kerry and his predecessor, Hillary Clinton--hammered out the TPP with Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, New Zealand and Singapore, against the urgings of labor and other left-liberal interest groups. Obama fought his own party to secure so-called "fast-track" authority from Congress, which would have allowed the House and Senate to only vote "yea" or "nay" on the agreement, without changing its particulars. In total contravention of the democratic process. And yet they scream and squawk at Trump for overthrowing democracy. Classic case of psychological projection.
But that vote never took place and Trump, who ran a fiercely nationalist campaign, signed an order to withdraw from the deal.
"Something that I in the administration, and the president, worked extremely hard on through the years was the TPP, the Trans Pacific Partnership," said Kerry, who accepted an award in Manhattan today from the nonprofit The Common Good. "You can say ’I don’t like Clause C, or E,’ or whatever. You go and negotiate. It was just thrown out, completely thrown out. In doing so, we walked back eight to ten years of our work American efforts and credibility in the region." So American credibility - i.e. Kerry's credibility - is more important than the interests of the American people. We already knew that, but it's nice to see it confirmed.
Kerry predicted "a long-term downward payout" from the current administration’s decision, which will limit the U.S.’s ability to promote its interests abroad in the future. The TPP was designed to counter the growing influence of China, but critics on both ends of the spectrum warned about the loss of American sovereignty, and exposing U.S. workers to competition with those in poorer nations with weaker workplace regulations. "limit the U.S.’s ability to promote its interests abroad in the future." i.e. place limits on globalism. F U Kerry, we don't need that crap.
Nonetheless, the former State Department head sounded upbeat about the possibilities for the global future, asserting Americans can find prosperity by fighting to resolve the problems of the world. This makes zero sense. Globalist scumbag. Globalism means no prosperity for Americans, it means poverty and joblessness. Boy did we make the right choice in Trump.
Posted by: Herb McCoy7309 ||
05/26/2017 00:00 ||
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Globalism for self-styled elites like John F. Kerry is all about where you park your yacht. The little people don't have the same freedom.
Alleged Antifa bike lock attacker Eric Clanton held in Berkeley jail
...
Eric Clanton remained in custody in lieu of $200,000 bail at Berkeley Jail on Thursday and is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Friday at Oakland’s Wiley W. Manuel courthouse. He was arrested on three counts of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon that isn’t a firearm and assault causing great bodily injury.
In a statement Thursday, police acknowledged that video of the incident, captured by onlookers and posted on social media, helped them identify Clanton as the suspect behind "several violent assaults" that happened April 15 during the demonstration at Civic Center Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
Police confirmed Clanton can be seen in videos hitting people in the head with a U-shaped bicycle lock. Three people received "significant injuries" because of the beatings, police said.
Homicide detectives handled the investigation because of the seriousness of the assaults, police said. Investigators served warrants Wednesday at unspecified addresses in San Leandro and Oakland, the latter of which is where authorities took Clanton into custody.
#7
Berkeley mayor also a big supporter of BAMN, which counts a number of local educators among their midst - most notably Yvette Falarca. In fact, in each of the Berkeley incidents, local educators are confirmed to have taken part. They greatest threat of radicalization our young face comes from the very education system we pay for
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
05/26/2017 15:23 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[RT] Montana Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte has been charged with assaulting a reporter hours before polls were due to open on Thursday for a special election.
Has Nancy Pelosi completely lost her mind? Or does she just have to complain about everything President Trump does?![]("https://i.imgflip.com/1mtj36.jpg")
Ex-Secretary of State John Kerry ripped President Donald Trump for pulling out of the controversial Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, which would have leveled barriers to commerce and standardized regulations between the United States and an array of Pacific Rim nations, arguing that the swift pivot away from the accord damaged American influence and credibility internationally.
