The Rambo remake gets to be based on a “true” story
If you haven’t yet girded yourself for the post Iraq/Afghanistan round of “crazy vet” movies and other slanderously anti-military entertainment narratives coming out of the liberal enclave of Hollywood you better start now. The latest unfunny anecdote which will no doubt trump the mountain of evidence about vets is a story out of my backyard in Seattle. From Fox News:
Authorities are conducting a manhunt at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State after a park ranger died in a shooting Sunday following a routing traffic stop, authorities said.
Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said late Sunday afternoon Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24-year-old believed to have survivalist skills, was a “strong person of interest” in the slaying of Margaret Anderson. A parks spokesman said Barnes was an Iraq war veteran. Authorities recovered his vehicle, which had weapons and body armor inside, Troyer said.Barnes was also a suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting of four people at a house party south of Seattle, police said.
Authorities believed the gunman was still in the woods, with weapons. They asked people to stay away from the park, and for those already inside to leave.
“We do have a very hot and dangerous situation,” Troyer said.
Troyer said authorities were following tracks in the snow they believe are from the gunman, and crews planned to bring an airplane through the area with heat-seeking capabilities.
“We believe we have a good track on him, but he’s way ahead of us,” Troyer said.
The local Fox affiliate (via the Chicago Tribune here) is circulating a short bio, and this rather unflattering photo of Barnes:
They also assert he was picked up for DUI in 2009 and has a restraining order by the mother of his child. They also speculate (without an evidence) that he’s a currently serving member of the Reserves or Guard. The family and friends of the victims have my sincere condolences. I’m not sure if they’re actually aware of any evidence of his “strong survival skills” aside from being a vet. At this point nobody even seems to know what it is he did in the military.
I hope that those in positions which can make a difference make the best effort to keep things in perspective as they discuss our community.
Category: Crime, Military issues
I’m sure the media already have him as a Republican and teabag…Teapartier.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/02/police-hunt-gunman-after-mount-rainier-national-park-ranger-shot-and-killed/
Latest reports speculate they may have found the perp’s body. Let’s hope this was a short story.
This whole thing pisses me off on several levels. Reading the news articles I pick up the “all you vets are crazy people” meme, the idea floated that this wouldn’t have happened if the restriction on firearms in Federal parks had not been lifted, and the usual picture of the perp with “assault rifles”. That’s just great. Dollars to doughnuts this guy was punted from the service, rather than honorably discharged.
Found him face down after trudging through chest deep snow. If that’s the shooter, I guess his survival skills weren’t quite up to snuff.
Ironic.
Here’s this bunch of vets that are all bent outta shape about one news story, involving one violent criminal suspect, because the story says the man who’s suspected was in the military.
“It’s the ‘all you vets are crazy people’ meme!” [sniff]
Yet it’s largely this same group of vets who has no problem whatsoever painting all Ron Paul supporters as Paultards, pieces of shit, nutbags, douchenozzles, etc. and so forth.
The funny thing is, that didn’t bother me anywhere near as much as this Barnes story apparently bothers you.
Let’s see, what was that “advice” somebody here recently offered me? “Water your skin and add some flour: It needs thickening”?
Fellow bloggers, thicken thyselves.
… oh, and happy new year, gents!
So Eagle Keeper, I guess I’m not the only one to notice the distinct double standard that many of the contributors subscribe to….
For example, now that the DoD may share the pain that so many teachers, fire fighters, cops, factory workers, city, county and state employees have been feeling for years, well now, that’s an emergency!
Joe,
May I presume you’re talking about the “Looming Military Massacree”?
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=28157
There are lots of shitbags with DD214’s. Past military service doesn’t make one a saint…or a ticking time bomb, for that matter.
Whatever this turd’s background, be it soldier, choirboy, or car wash employee, I hope he suffered plenty before death took him. A self inflicted bullet to the head or freezing to death,either way he got off easy.
Just read a piece about them finding the body when it struck me:
Like the Fox News quote from NSOMs OP, it said this dirtbag had “survivalist” skills.
If an Alaskan float-plane crashed out on the tundra, and one of the passengers — say a Navy vet with experience in Antarctica — helped lead the survivors to rescue, I betcha they’d be lauding his “survival” skills.
The spin is all around us. We don’t even pay attention to it half the time.
@12 – “The spin is all around us. We don’t even pay attention to it half the time.”
Personal ideology and preconceived notions usually drive accusations of media bias. Nearly everybody on the planet is guilty at some time or another…or all the time.
More spinwords from the piece:
“Barnes, who was believed to be carrying a cache of weapons …” If you’re carrying them, they’re no longer a cache.
“She [his babymommy] alleged that he gets easily irritated, angry and depressed and keeps an arsenal of weapons in his home.” Sel-explanatory.
“The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal for people to take loaded weapons into national parks.” Because the only reason this dirtbag was able to shoot the ranger in the first place was because of this law.
“Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision. ‘The many congressmen and senators that voted for the legislation that allowed loaded weapons to be brought into the parks ought to be feeling pretty bad right now,’ said Wade.” See? The Special Interest Group Spokesman even says so. (Who knew that national park retirees had a “coalition”? Maybe they can join forces with HCI, or at least Sarah Brady may be able to recruit the dead ranger’s surviving park ranger husband …)
On and on it goes.
@14 – “Because the only reason this dirtbag was able to shoot the ranger in the first place was because of this law.”
No. The law, if opposite, would not have stopped him from carrying a weapon into the park. It would have only garnered him a penalty if caught.
Hey, Joey @#9, perhaps, as I’m busy tonight, you could point out where in the Constitiution, that we’re mandated to provide “so many teachers, fire fighters, cops, factory workers, city, county and state employees”?
Thanks, in advance, because we all know you’re such an expert on all things Constitutional.
Isn’t it against the law to shoot at people, even in National Parks? The guy broke the law, but it doesn’t seem to have bothered him. After shooting at people earlier, at a party. I believe that’s also against the law. So, this guy would have been deterred by a law proscribing the carrying of a loaded weapon into a National Park? The folks at the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, or at least their spokesperson, are delusional.
And, why weren’t his weapons taken from him, if the female half got a restraining order, based on the fear of domestic violence? That’s usually the first thing that happens here, if one of the parties in a domestic situation gets a PIO, the guns end up at the PD or Sheriff’s Department.
KING 5 reports he was found dead via cold weather exposure. T-shirt, jeans & one tennis shoe…For a guy supposedly raised around there, one would think he’d been a little more prepared for his “trek” in Rainier NP. Hey Joe, what UpNorth said….
?
‘PTSD.’
Again.
How many news stories, and movies, songs, and such created in the last year feature a vet with PTSD?
OK, For Chicken Fucker and Jose: Nice that you can call out the “double standard” here, but kind of funny how any time something like this happens the media immediately runs to paint it as being a crazed vet or a Tea Partier, but they will do everything in their power to NEVER mention any Muslim connections whatsoever. Just like they try to paint the Occutards as being just like the Tea Party (except for the rapes, murders, overdoses, etc).
Update (he’s dead Jim):
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/gunman-in-mount-rainier-shooting-identified.html
Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said it is likely Barnes died of exposure. When found, he said, Barnes was wearing only jeans, a T-shirt and one shoe.
“Meanwhile, officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near the base of Mount Rainier, confirmed that Barnes served as a private first class with the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq and was granted a general discharge under honorable conditions in November 2009 after facing criminal charges for driving under the influence and transporting a privately owned weapon improperly.”
Well Joe, I see lots of pain when the budget gets cut and Soldiers Sailors Airmen and Marines get sent to fight God knows where, with the wrong tools, not enough of them, and worse their shit breaks because it was built by the lowest bidder.
But Federal funding shouldn’t go to Firefighters Police, and Teachers because that’s got to be a LOCAL MUNICIPAL FUNDING “providing for the common defense” is one of the few actual ya know enumerated powers. I know libs are always going on about the constitutionality. . . amazingly having a competent military is about as constitutional as it gets.
EK:I don’t really care for Paul about Paul supporters. Except that they have a habit of getting hysterical like Libs. That tends to make me nervous.
Why does this story bother me? Because I do have PTSD. I deal with the stereotype that goes with that. Tell someone you’ve been to Iraq, people will ask first “did you kill anyone?” and if you answer honestly (in most cases “yes”) you are marked. In WWII we knew as a country how horrible the war was.
In Vietnam, we saw how terrible the war was, and as a society turned our back on the soldiers that fought it, when they grew bitter, it was used as an excuse to ostracize them more.
It goes back to that whole thing between sheep and sheep dogs. I don’t want to be seen always as a ticking timebomb. It tends to cut deep.
And a loony libtard said, in the FOXNews item: “Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks.
He called Sunday’s fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today’s political climate.”
Yeah sure, dope; if guns weren’t allowed in the park, this guy wouldn’t have headed there to hide out. Yeah right.
Country Singer called it:
“Maj. Chris Ophardt, an Army spokesman, told The News Tribune that Barnes had been stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, and was released from the Army in November 2009 after two years and seven months on active duty after charges of driving under the influence and improperly transporting privately owned weapons.
Steven Dean, an FBI special agent, said Barnes worked in Army communications.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45850791/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.TwJdBZjgpVA
The report on KOMO TV stated that his MOS was COMMO, do you think the was in the rear with the gear when the PTSD hit him?
Just because someone doesn’t hold a combat arms MOS, doesn’t mean they couldn’t have PTSD. A couple of my commo guys rolled out to cruise the mean streets nearly everyday for 15 months.
#6 “Yet it’s largely this same group of vets who has no problem whatsoever painting all Ron Paul supporters as Paultards, pieces of shit, nutbags, douchenozzles, etc. and so forth.” Vets don’t tend to swarm and crash every server or conversations they disagree with like Paulites do. Their behaviour has always been the primary reason their is so much ire aimed at them. Second most of the rejection of Paul has to do with his policies, they are simply unacceptable to the vast majority of the republican party. P.S. I just noticed the title of this post and that was the first thing I thought of. Isn’t that how the first Rambo movie began? 11# “There are lots of shitbags with DD214?s. Past military service doesn’t make one a saint…or a ticking time bomb, for that matter.” Completely Agree. Being a Vet doesn’t suddely make one beyond reproach. There have been and will be Vets who are criminals and Dreggs. Yet all statistical evidence points that the opposite image, the crazed or “ticking time bomb” to be extremely rare. Veterans in fact are less likelytocommit serious crimes then the general population. 12# “If an Alaskan float-plane crashed out on the tundra, and one of the passengers — say a Navy vet with experience in Antarctica — helped lead the survivors to rescue, I betcha they’d be lauding his “survival” skills.” If he had them, then yes. Did his training or background possibly lead to such a conclusion or success? From above. “They also speculate (without an evidence) that he’s a currently serving member of the Reserves or Guard. The family and friends of the victims have my sincere condolences. I’m not sure if they’re actually aware of any evidence of his “strong survival skills” aside from being a vet. At this point nobody even seems to know what it is he did in the military.” Well since that was written more has come out so I’ll leave it there. Mentioning that he was a Vet was factual and was rightly stated. It was the allusion to “Survival skills”, being a… Read more »
CA@30: “Vets don’t tend to swarm and crash every server or conversations they disagree with like Paulites do.”
And therefore every Ron Paul supporter everywhere deserves nothing more than name calling?
CA@30: “Second most of the rejection of Paul has to do with his policies, they are simply unacceptable to the vast majority of the republican party.”
Well by all means, disagree with them.
But don’t pretend that “the majority of the republican party” is where all the wisdom lies.
Like it or not, Ron Paul is capturing the imagination of a great number of Americans who are sick-and-damned-tired of the lies and duplicity they’re being spoon-fed by the establishment wings of both political parties.
Check out this comparison of the employers of individual donors to Romney’s vs. Paul’s campaigns.
If you wanna side with the banksters (Romney’s top three donor-employers — Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley), go right ahead — like they say, it’s a free country.
But ain’t it interesting who the top three employers are for Ron Paul’s top donors: The Air Force, the Army and the Navy.
IOW, the people of the United States (via the Pentagon).
Just what are you guys so flippin’ scared of?
“Just what are you guys so flippin’ scared of”? An anti-Semitic isolationist. How’s that, One sentence.
Except for also pointing out that you didn’t address the salient point about his followers, “Their behaviour has always been the primary reason there is so much ire aimed at them”.
31# “And therefore every Ron Paul supporter everywhere deserves nothing more than name calling?” They have gotten far more then just name calling. “Well by all means, disagree with them.” I shall. “But don’t pretend that “the majority of the republican party” is where all the wisdom lies.” Umm, there is more wisdom there then with Paul’s followers. “Like it or not, Ron Paul is capturing the imagination of a great number of Americans…” and repelling and even larger number who reject him. “…who are sick-and-damned-tired of the lies and duplicity they’re being spoon-fed by the establishment wings of both political parties.” Whew, I thought I was the only one and yet I don’t believe in Ron. Ain’t that something. “Check out this comparison of the employers of individual donors to Romney’s vs. Paul’s campaigns.” See I disagree with Ron Paul and find his followers annoying. Lew Rockwell and his PaleoLibertarian followers are just as bad as the left and he has zero credibilty. Paul maybe silly and naive but Rockwell is outright evil. Lawrence Auster has taken apart Rockwell and his cadre many times. If I’m not mistaken Mark Levin has also commented on him. “If you wanna side with the banksters (Romney’s top three donor-employers — Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley), go right ahead — like they say, it’s a free country.” Being a Banker doesn’t make one evil and better to be affliated with them then Rockwell. At least they don’t openly yearn for the destruction of our nation. This is the difference between you and I, I have no problem with the banking industry, I have a problem with the bailouts that some got and why. “But ain’t it interesting who the top three employers are for Ron Paul’s top donors: The Air Force, the Army and the Navy.” Paul’s people keep saying that, yet I have never seen any evidence to verify this. I should clarify, I mean someone other then Rockwell. Frankly, I bet that claim is mostly lying shit. A few years ago the prose was that “Vets” were the largest… Read more »
There is something just basically wrong with turning this tragic situation into a defense of Ron Paul. Among other things, it just reinforces our correct conclusion that our pet trolls have nothing but contempt for the military in general, veterans, and any opinion other than their own.
Whatever.
“There is something just basically wrong with turning this tragic situation into a defense of Ron Paul.”
My point wasn’t to turn it into a defense of Ron Paul.
It was to point out the hypocrisy of (certain) veterans being prickly about a news story in which one military veteran committed an horrendous crime, while engaging the same kind of overbroad generalizations against Ron Paul supporters as they perceive the media commits against combat veterans.
“Among other things, it just reinforces our correct conclusion that our pet trolls have nothing but contempt for the military in general, veterans …”
I can say in good conscience that doesn’t describe me.
“… and any opinion other than their own.”
Hmm. Seems like I see alot of that among the “accepted participants” here, as well. I.e., if you don’t toe the militarist/interventionist/American exceptionalist line, you’re a libtard/Paultard … you ain’t squat. If you’re a veteran who has questions about this nation’s foreign policy, your loyalty and patriotism is suspect.
But then, that could just be an overbroad generalization on my part.
CA @ 33: “Paul’s people keep saying that, yet I have never seen any evidence to verify this. I should clarify, I mean someone other then Rockwell.”
Digital Journal, 25 Aug 2011:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/310783
The Spin Factor, 16 Jul 2007:
http://thespinfactor.com/thetruth/2007/07/16/military-support-for-the-republican-candidates/
(CAUTION: If you want to keep not seeing any evidence, don’t click on those links.)
UN @ 32: Ron Paul is neither “anti-semitic” nor “isolationist.”
You see, words actually have definitions. They don’t simply mean whatever you want them to mean.
“Except for also pointing out that you didn’t address the salient point about his followers …”
I don’t have to answer for “his followers” any more than you have to answer for Benjamin Colton Barnes.
Doc @ 24,
I’m sympathetic to veterans feeling unfairly stereotyped. Ever read Andrew Bacevich? He’s written about (among other things) the need to repair the disconnect between the military and the citizenry.
So, EK, another “inconvenient fact” for you to ponder…Paul very publicly left the GOP in 1987, and trashed the party, Reagan, and a lot of other bridges got burned in the process.
So if the cranky old racist anti-Semetic truther is so principled, why didn’t he STAY the fuck gone?
Again, that Lew Rockwell shit’ll rot your brain.
The biggest reason we as a group are as upset about this besides the obvious false broad brush this will paint vets with is that it further stigmatizes those wih PTSD and does nothing to help those who truly need it. Capiche?
EK here’s waht really gets me. Paul supporters and Uber Libs like Joe there keep talking about “hidden truth(s)” indeed there’s always some shadowy bad guy, (Usually an actual Republican or someone affiliated with the GOP) who had this really in-depth plan that would make a Bond Villain’s head spin.
The funny thing is that Most of the GOP are the general cogs that keep things going. They are most often in the Belly of the beast, keeping things going.
Please tell me EK if you are a Veteran (perhaps not combat certified) why doesn’t this bother you? Why doesn’t it bother you that a “combat soldier” with “survivalist skills” is painted with such a broad brush as to include all Veterans to include you. What if it were insinuated that all AF types were geeks or raging man-hoes or retards that couldn’t figure out that they had loaded actual live Nukes on a B-52 then “lost” them while they were flying over the Continental US. Or misplaced a whole crate of M-4’s. You might take offense if some job you had done was painted in such a brush.
This pretty well sums up the Ron Paul I’ve watched for these past 30 years, and the mindset of his supporters.
http://aw1tim.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/ron-paul-read-my-lips/
It’s as if he and Lyndon Larouche were moron twins separated at birth.
I’ve been wondering, this election cycle, that amongst the ‘anybody but Obama’ crowd…who would garner their vote if Paul were to gain the nomination?
Veterans who take umbrage at the media’s pointing out that some criminal is a veteran and our painting Ron Paul supporters with the same broad brush are not comparable, despite E. Keeper’s insistence otherwise. By describing a criminal or criminal suspect as a veteran, all veterans are wrongly and innocently tainted by the description. Ron Paul supporters, on the other hand, consciously choose to support him and voluntarily pitch tent in his camp. Thus, they are co-owners of his proposed policies, his positions, and his platform. And if someone regards those things as wrongheaded, retarded, or shortsighted, it is appropriate to describe his followers as wrongheaded, retarded, and shortsighted too.
CI–for the record, if it came down to a Paul/Obama matchup, I’d either stay home or vote for Obama.
No joke. Paul is THAT fucked up.
I’d have to agree with my shipmate NHSparky. If Ron Paul is the answer, it’s a pretty fucked up situation.
When this story first broke they labeled Barnes as Iraq vet suffering from PPTSD with survival skills. Now as more information comes available he was a communication soldier that was in trouble with military authorities for domestic violence, driving while under the influence, and transporting weapons. Sounds to me he was just a dirt bag with discipline problems probably before Iraq or joining the army. Where does the survival skills come from? To take off on foot through the woods in tennis shoes and a t-shirt in the dead of winter leads me to believe the media was trying to compare him to the rambo movie not based on any investigative reporting.
@#42, if it came down to that, I’d write in my own name for president. I know I have more common sense than either of them, it’d be a symbolic vote. Then I’d make sure that I took care of everything on the down ticket.
Like I said, the Senate is far more important than the White House, in ’12.
“Ron Paul is neither “anti-semitic” nor “isolationist.” Your opinion, EK. Mine is the opposite of yours.
@47 – Fair enough…..sort of gives a new angle to the tired refrain of ‘throwing your vote away”.
I think Obama is beatable, but do you think he is, separate from the support of Ron Paul Republicans and Libertarians [two distinct groups].
If not, where is the GOP outreach to those elements?
Oh for Petes sake! Somebody tell me how the flock a post about some dillweed graduate of KaLiFoRnIcA’s criminal yoot system (probably Tracy) ends up in the US Army, had “PTSD” and now this about Ron F’ng Paul? Which of you can tell us what the bulldog tats mean on the front of his left & right shoulder? “NO”….How about the neck tat “Pride, Envy, Gluttony & Lust”? “NO”….
So, hey there Bill P(Perry, I am willing to bet)! This story fits your…..Vietnam “PTSD” narrative, huh?