Reid raises sequester debate after deadly military training accident

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

Just hours after an explosion killed seven Marines in his home state, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid used the fatal training accident as an opportunity to talk about the potential impact of the sequester on military readiness.

The Senate Democratic leader initially took to the floor Tuesday to mourn the deaths of the seven Marines, killed during a training exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.

"My thoughts are with those who are injured and of course the families of those who lost loved ones," Reid said.

But then, after explaining that the Marines were at the depot for training, Reid went on to use the tragedy as a segue to talk about the importance of canceling the automatic budget cuts known as sequester.

"It's just not appropriate, Mr. President, that our military can't train and do the maintenance necessary," Reid said. "These men and women, our Marines, were training there in Hawthorne and with the sequester it's going to cut this stuff back, and I just hope everyone understands sacrifices made by our military, they are significant."

While using the activities at the Nevada facility as an example of critical training that would be cut, Reid did not appear to directly link the budget cuts to the deaths.

Still, some took offense at his comments.

"I don't know how anyone could link this accident to budget cuts. Budget cuts would never cause Marines to operate in unsafe conditions," one Marine official told Fox News.

Reid urged Congress to pass a bill allowing the military flexibility to move around money and spare certain parts of the budget.

________

 

Just when you think Harry Reid can't sink any lower...

[righteousmomma]

That is despicable --- NO Harry Reid is despicable.

[Draggingtree]

That is despicable --- NO Harry Reid is despicable.

Close your ears righteousmomma I am "fixing" to talk to Harry, was that clean enough

[righteousmomma]

You go , draggingtree

[Draggingtree]

I am

 

BESOFFEN

 

And you should be also seven of out finest were lost early Monday night/Tuesday morning by a faulty mortar failure, I understand how things

 

happen and miss fire but / (been there done that) But the President lowered the flag for Whitney Houston

but not for the seven who gave it all this day / question WHY not them.

 

 

 

 

 

I think most of you know understand why

[Draggingtree]

When Honesty Becomes Optional

 

Frank Salvato

February 28, 2013

 

Back in February of 2012 – in what seems like a political eternity ago, I dared to broach the subject of honesty in American politics. Being equally disgruntled with the establishment Republicans, as was I (and still am) with the entirety of the Left side of the aisle, I provided instance after instance about how disgusted I was (am) with our political class’ abdication of ethics in their embrace of “the narrative,” and how I viewed the various special interest groups and media – from both sides of the aisle – pathetic in their abdication of a quest for truth. With recent events surrounding a plethora of issues, but specifically the “sequester,” I feel the need to address the issue again.

 

When I crafted my analysis back in 2012, I wrote:

 

“Throughout time politicians and their handlers have been prone to omitting unpleasant facts or manipulating them so as to mold issues to their advantage. This is the concept behind ‘spin’; a form of propagandizing that crafts an ‘alternative’ interpretation of an issue, organization, person, event or campaign in order to sway the public’s opinion ‘for’ or ‘against’ said issue, organization, person, event or campaign. In fact, the ‘art of spin’ has created an entirely separate category of political animal; the ‘spin doctor,’ many of whom are regularly featured on the many mainstream media news outlets disguised as ‘political strategists.’ But somewhere along the line, the art of employing wit, reason, personality and persuasive rhetoric in order to achieve a political ends gave way to the blatant lie, and never before has it been as evident as it is today.

http://newmediajournal.us/indx.php/item/8540