“Was the door open?”
Looks like the Secret Service has some more ‘splainin’ to do.
White House fence-jumper enters front door
The linked article is pretty comprehensive. And yeah, it sure looks like the Secret Service fornicated Fido* once again.
But I’ll quote one part of it anyway:
“Unfortunately, they are failing to do their job,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Chairman of a House Subcommittee on National Security Oversight, said. “These are good men and women, but the Secret Service leadership has a lot of questions to answer.
Was the door open?”
I generally agree with Rep Chaffetz above, but I do have one minor quibble. I think he needs to replace “Secret Service leadership” above with “this Administration”. IMO, that would be much more accurate.
(* – If you know a more polite and/or PC way to say “screwed the pooch”, let me know.)
Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Government Incompetence
Well. I guess the secret servies were on a coffee break or something, maybe telling fishing stories.
I’ve always wondered what ass-first leadership was like. Now I know.
And, yes, I did fall off my chair, laughing over this. Screwed the pooch? How about poked the poodle?
The White House is said to be one of the more secure buildings in the world. So, a guy named Omar Gonzalez (nice combo) scales a perimeter fence, dashes up to the front door, and walks into 1600 PA Avenue. At about the same time, staffers and others, alerted to the intrusion, boogie out a side door or two. Now, I’ve got no experience in security, but I have to conclude that if Omar had an explosive device strapped to him, or he had a handful of confederates who were also ambulatory bombs, well, today’s headline news would not be about the latest NFL player to punch his wife or beat a child. Now, don’t misunderstand my comments. I do not want anyone to blow up or otherwise damage any piece, portion, or part of our White House. And I am very concerned regarding the safety of our next president and his family. That gives the Secret Service more than a year to study the security situation, maybe draft a paper or two on the matter, engage Congress, and make recommendations to the decision makers. I hope that the Secret Service will take painstaking care to leave no detail unexamined before implementing whatever changes need implementing.
“And I am very concerned regarding the safety of our next president and his family.”
Excuse me, but I thought all Americans were concerned with the safety of our president regardless of who it is. Maybe you should remove “next” and avoid coming across like an insensitive jerk.
Well, John W, this may come as shocking news to you but contrary to what you think, not all Americans were or are concerned with the safety of the president, regardless of who he is. Hold on to your hat, now, but here’s the news: There have been four presidents assassinated and all four were slain by Americans. Additionally, there have been many unsuccessful assassination attempts and, likewise, Americans were the culprits (I am omitting plots which a couple of times were hatched by non-Americans.) I am also omitting killings of US Congressmen by Americans, by the way. Perhaps you recall the hanging of Bush in effigy? That was done both here and overseas, a real international exercise. So, in short, you could not be more wrong in what you thought. Now, about your suggestion that I omit the word “next” from my sentence. That ain’t happening, bub.
One other thing there, John W. I don’t know the depth of your knowledge regarding the profound damage the current president is doing to this country. For all I know, you could be applauding as he declares acts of Congress unconstitutional (!), plays lawmaker by executive order and agency regulation, and openly refuses to enforce laws, directly and indirectly, despite his Constitutioal duty to faithfully execute his office. There is a difference, you see, between the Office of the President and the current office holder. Blind allegiance to an officeholder is not the same as loving, respecting, and honoring the office or the Constitution which created that office. I am sure that if you put your mind to it, you’ll be able to appreciate the profound difference between the two. The current occupier of the White House (was occupier too subtle a descriptor?) is not someone I respect, to be kind about it. The damage he has done and is doing will well outlast his regime, what with his hard-left Supreme Court appointees and the myriad, agenda-driven bureaucrats he unleashed or won over. Nonetheless, 2016 cannot come soon enough for me.
Your opinion of profound damage notwithstanding, JohnW has a point. You are essentially supporting the idea of the assassination of the sitting president- and implying that those sworn to protect him either conspire to assist it or are at least complicit.
I get it, you don’t like Obama. But that constitution you once swore to uphold outlines a peaceful process for removing a president or electing a new one.
Of course, a successful assassination via suicide bomber (SBIED as we called them in Iraq) would no doubt kill more people than just the president, to include White House domestic staff and his family. It would also shake this nation to its core.
Go ahead, hope all you want. I’m going to hope that you think this through and come to your senses.
“You are essentially supporting the idea of the assassination of the sitting president- and implying that those sworn to protect him either conspire to assist it or are at least complicit.”
Are your reading skills really this bad, or are you just projecting your wishful thinking onto others? Whatever. Your conclusion jumping surely has caused some sort of major injury.
Jaqck, you are out of your cotton-picking mind with that outlandish opening sentence. Nowhere and in no way do I or did I advocate the assassination of anyone, let alone the piece of shit in the White House. Try reading what I wrote instead of commenting on what you mistakenly think I wrote or, worse, delusionally attributing to me what you have conjured. And, Jack, don’t pretend to lecture me on the Constitution. At this juncture, anyone who supports the current Golfer in Chief (as opposed to the office he temporarily occupies) is standing squarely against the oath that you mention.
Now, Jack (or is it John?), I know you have a reading comprehension deficiency so I’ll explain the last sentence of my 8:02 comment for you. There are two oaths, one of office and one of enlistment. They are not identical but both have NOTHING to do with supporting the president. No serviceman or woman has to support the president. All are to support and defend the Constitution; the enlisted oath also requires one to OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT. It’s a distinction that’s rather important but one you probably hadn’t pondered. Do so, instead of playing Pollyanna with me.
My reading comprehension is fine, but If you didn’t mean to imply anything, why the insertion of ‘next’ and the refusal to remove it?
Actually, your original comment did not bother me much until I read your angry response to JohnW (not me, by the way) full of references to assassinations and attempts by Americans. If that isn’t what you meant, clarify what you did mean to say.
With regard to the oath, you are correct, one swears to support and defend the Constitution, not the president. However, the Constitution lays out the procedures for impeaching and electing a president, and neither involves violence. You are obligated to ‘support and defend’ this process whether you like the president or not. Unless, of course you have retracted your oath.
Say what you want about the current president, I am no fan either. I disagree with his policies, foreign and domestic, and I think he has mortgaged our future for short term personal and political gain.
However, bombastic comments and glib humor about assassination is simply wrong. I haven’t pretended to lecture you, nor have I insulted you. I am simply calling you on your inconsistencies.
OWB, I would love to respond but you didn’t actually make a point. Maybe next time.
The Chimp-in-Chief wasn’t even there, but, so what? No loss at all.
We will fix it for the real Commander-in-Chief.
Exactly.
Hell, this nitwit ran past an armed man guarding the damn door. A man who “on his own initiative did not shoot the intruder because he could see no gun”. This brings up your point, a suicide vest under a light jacket could do more damage than a pistol in his hand. I might not shoot someone strolling across the lawn, but a man running toward my post would more than likely bring a wall of bullets. I don’t think too many people would fault a guard for firing on a man running toward the front door of the executive residence.
I guess Omar really needed to use the bathroom.
“Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas….”
Maybe an illegal alien wanting to ask his amigo B. Hussein 0bama for someplace nice to crash?
Copperas Cove is right outside Ft Hood. Used to live in Cove actually.
So, how until the media tries to connect this guy to the Army and spin it into something interesting?
Done:
http://twitchy.com/2014/09/20/yesterdays-white-house-fence-jumper-identified-as-omar-j-gonzalez-a-homeless-veteran-with-ptsd/
Hondo – I’m partial to the phrase (but not the activity, in either sense of the phrase) ‘engaged in physical stimulation of the canine companion’, myself. Takes a bit long to actually say or type, though.
So, uh…
What’s the kick like on a Nagant?
Well, as the joke goes, the first shot dislocates your shoulder, but don’t worry – the second’ll put it back in.
Well maybe the Secret Service isn’t doing its job to save Obama but here’s your chance to help the guy:
http://media.y8.com/system/contents/13365/original/Falling_Obama.swf
Well, the jaded cynic in me wonders if the SS was intentionally looking away while this guy got inside. Maybe they’re as tired of Obama as the rest of the country and were simply seeing if an inside coup could work.
Nah….. couldn’t be.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
There’s not a single guy in the Secret Service that likes the President and his family, from what I’ve read.
Least popular since Carter.
Dunno. From what I hear, the Clintoons were NOT beloved by the Secret Service and treated their Secret Service detail quite poorly. I hadn’t heard the same about Carter.
You may be thinking about the current VP vice the POTUS. I’ve read that longtime Secret Service people say an assignment to his protective detail is the 2nd worst ever – right after that of Hillary Clintoon.
From a Fox News interview a few yrs ago. A revealing dish on Carter…yeah, take it w/ that whole grain of salt thing.
I’m sure that they aren’t fond of the man but I doubt they would shirk their responsibilities.
No electrified top fence and no shoot line?
Good grief what a soft target.
Given the number of idiots and mentally disturbed individuals roaming the streets of DC (literally), the lack of either an electrified fence or a shoot line doesn’t surprise me. If it had either, the Secret Service would be doing little more than defending itself in lawsuits brought by the NOK of that subset of those idiots and mentally disturbed people who decided on the spur of the moment to “go visit the POTUS”.
I am, however, shocked at the demonstrated lack of (1) effective 24/7/365 observation of all parts of the fence and all approaches to the front door, (2) reaction by a team onsite to a perimeter penetration before the individual made it to the door, and (3) no security immediately inside the front door itself. The guy should IMO never have made it to the front door unobserved and unchallenged, and should never have gotten inside before staring down the barrel of several Secret Service weapons. And if he did make it inside the door, he should never have taken more than 1-2 steps before being forcibly put on the floor.
Don’t care and neither should the people in charge of such responsibilities.
You don’t litigate security just like you don’t litigate war.
True in theory. But in practice, that’s also irrelevant.
Unfortunately, in the USA today strict security measures inevitably very often eventually bring litigation. That’s true of both private industry and government – at all levels. And the courts often side with the idiot who tests security and gets hurt (or his/her NOK).
Hmmm. So where were the very special, civilian protection folks? The real SS protection detail was not thought to be sufficient for the current occupier, so he hired a bunch of union thugs whose main job, supposedly, is to thwart any efforts of the real SS protection detail. Or so it’s been said.
In any case, yep, someone does indeed have some ‘splainin’ to do.
Ohh, so NOW the government gives a shit about illegals jumping borders.
Well done Sir
And of course it is being reported that he served as a sniper in Iraq.
Well, someone else made a second attempt today, this time trying to enter the grounds of the White House and refusing to leave the gates at the driveway.
There’s some reference to Gonzalez, that after he left the Army, he became increasingly paranoid, according to his neighbors, and one day simply left the neighborhood with no explanation.
Inclined planes wrapped helically around an axis connected to a canine.