Obama’s war on July 4th: The perfect right-wing scandal

[DonViejo]

An Independence Day-themed right-wing fever dream: The president wants to deprive our troops of fireworks

BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD

It’s been almost ten years since Barack Obama first exploded onto the national stage in a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, but after three elections, two years in the Senate and five years in the White House, some people are still not convinced that the president of the United States is “pro-America” enough. At least that’s what the latest mini-controversy lighting up conservative blogs and Fox News suggests.

“Obama Spends $100M on African Trip But Cancels Marines’ July 4th Fireworks,” the headline on FoxNation read. “Shocking! While Obama Funds Syrian Rebels, Military Bases Must Cut Fireworks Celebrations,” another read. “Those funds would have covered every federal Fourth of July event nationwide with plenty left over for a president’s vacation [in Africa],” wrote Brent Bozell, whom allies call “a beloved and critically important player in American history.” Fox gave the controversy airtime twice this week, also contrasting it with the spending on the presidential trip to Africa.

The implication is clear: Obama doesn’t really love America, or else he wouldn’t be insulting our troops by depriving them of fireworks on the Fourth of July, of all days, and taking the money go to spend it in Africa or the Middle East. It hits all the right buttons for an Obamaphone-esque right-wing mini-scandal, and just in time for the holiday weekend.

What’s really going on here? Sequestration. Remember the package of budget cuts that the White House warned would lead to the sky falling while Republicans shrugged? The AP reports that because of cuts to the military’s budget in sequestration, a handful of military base commanders are deciding to forgo their annual Independence Day festivities, which can cost up to $100,000, in order to devote their diminished resources to other arguably more important things like keeping people employed. It’s unfortunate and unjust for American service members affected, but Brig. Gen. Thomas Gorry, the commander of the Marine’s Camp LeJune in North Carolina, told the AP that it was necessary to “ensure that we can mitigate the fiscal challenges we are currently facing.” And it was Obama who repeatedly pressed to undo the sequester.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/04/obamas_war_on_july_4th_the_perfect_right_wing_scandal/

[Sunlei]

1. Rs foreign policy= more mirrors, slave labor and gold plated guns for resources!

It's how they grew their family empires, leech off other countries for decades.

The only good economy most southern states have ever had were their slave decades and the following 80 years of chain-gang labor. All Rs are wannaB massas.

Rs..."Will Put America 'Back In Chains"
-Joe Biden-