Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake release report accusing Pentagon of using taxpayer money to promote "paid patriotism" at sporting events.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

The Pentagon has paid more than $9 million to professional sports franchises the past four years, including $6.8 million to stage “paid patriotism” events, Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain disclosed Wednesday. 

The events ranged from full-field displays of the American flag to enlistment and re-enlistment ceremonies and emotional reunion events where a service member returns to the surprise of family members. 

“Unsuspecting audience members became the subjects of paid marketing campaigns rather than simply bearing witness to teams’ authentic, voluntary shows of support for the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform,” the report by the Arizona Republicans said. 

“It is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayer funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism,” it states. McCain is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

According to Politico more than10 million dollars of taxpayer money has been spent in the last four years alone: 

In the report unveiled Wednesday, the two senators cataloged $879,000 spent by the Georgia Army National Guard with the Atlanta Falcons on color-guard performances and video board tributes and $450,000 spent by the same unit on the Atlanta Braves. Beyond Atlanta, investigators say the Defense Department paid the Seattle Sounders soccer team $128,000 over the past four years on “a compelling Army National Guard public service message” to be played at games and $115,000 spent was spent on the Indiana Pacers for perks including parking passes and access to a luxury conference room. College sports programs and NASCAR were also dinged by Flake and McCain, along with the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS. 

But the bulk of the spending was associated with the NFL, where four teams received more than $500,000 a piece over the past four years from Defense Department contracts. 

I actually wrote about this back in May where I suggested that this program has likely been going on for far longer than the four years cited in this investigation, and that it is quite likely that taxpayer money was spent in various other places as well, such as cable news channels and reality shows.

Personally I have a very strong suspicion that if one were to follow the trail of evidence that it would lead right up to Dick Cheney's secret super villain hideout.

Hmm, I wonder if it is because of things like this report which convinced Sarah Palin's pet Senator to suggest doing away with the Senate?


27 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:12 PM

    Of course it's been going on longer than 4 years. These yahoos think if something went on during this administration and they "discover" it they can make points with the American people. Just like every other time the truth will come out and McCain and Sarah's butt boy Flake will look like the self serving assholes they are. The republicans are getting desperate right now and are trying to look responsible and reasonable. It'll all come out in the wash.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous3:13 AM

      They've been slapping their branch logos on NASCAR vehicles for a long time...

      Delete
  2. Anonymous2:20 PM

    Where better to enlist brain dead patriotic types than through sporting events? Sports have always been a pantomime of armed warfare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wrong, sports represent hard work, fair play, a sense of honor, teamwork and provide positive role models to kids who feel they have no way out....like anything else, there are bad eggs, but there are also professional athletes and franchises who do great charity work

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2:30 PM

    McCain, Flake urge review of U of Phoenix military base ban
    http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2015/10/26/university-of-phoenix-military-bases-ban-john-mccain-jeff-flake-reconsider-request/74649964/

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  4. Anonymous2:33 PM

    Gee, if a Republican were in the White House, McCain and Flake (is that really his name???) would be all for it.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous3:06 PM

    NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr's sponsored by the National Guard - there's also an Army sponsored car too but I can't remember who the current driver is - and yep, those are our tax dollars .. might make mention too that their sponsorship's been in place for years, way before the Obama administration existed ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:44 PM

      Dale Earnhardt, Sr was the antichrist.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:07 PM

      WTF ?!?

      and you must be drunk/high ?

      Delete
  6. Anonymous3:10 PM

    Those emotional "reunions" really upset and annoy me. What kind of parent would do that? If I hadn't seen my kids for months, as soon as I could I'd want to grab them and hold onto them and cry if we all wanted to- in fact, I've done that even after an absence of just a week when I've been away safely at a conference. I just can't imagine the kind of ego that would hold off on a reunion in order to embarrass/expose family members at a public event for a few minutes of "fame".

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  7. Anonymous3:14 PM

    Instead, that event may have been paid for by the Pentagon, part of a multimillion-dollar program to promote the armed services and boost recruitment through patriotic events, game tickets, player appearances and other perks.
    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paid-patriotism-senators-accuse-military-wasteful-sports-tributes-n457246

    Who paid for George W's patriotic service? These people are some of American's worst criminals. I am waiting for John McCain to come out tell all about his famous service in the Navy. How much did he cost the Pentagon, DOD, military?

    McCain did not know they manufactured lies about Track Palin that cost plenty? McCain is not part of that cover up? Yeah, the Colonel that lied about Track Palin being a driver for military brass in a war zone did take back what he lied about.

    Other lies are still going on and costing taxpayers when the culprits are not caught and jailed for those crimes.

    I suppose this makes McCain feel better about all the costs and lies he is responsible for.

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    1. Anonymous4:56 PM

      If the lies about Bush and the National Guard been revealed he would have never been elected.

      Without Bush it is unlikely there would have been Iraq.

      Think of the money that would have been saved.

      There may be a few GOP that also care about the lives saved and those injured.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous3:18 PM

    OT: I'm having a strong feeling (and some clues) Bristol had her baby girl. You hearing anything up there?

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    1. Anonymous5:01 PM

      I have the same feeling. Isn't there a tea leaf reader or astrologer out there to tell us something. No one in Wasilla/Anchorage area that would know can say or do anything.

      It is very strange she had zero interest in Tripp having a good fun Halloween. She would have been so pleased and proud and like any mother, she would have shared her pictures and the fun time.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous3:26 PM

    Guess they didn't learn anything from that foiled effort to create video games.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:29 PM

    Now, he cares? Of course he does. His light's fading. Gotta act like he's against impropriety. Too bad he forgot about all that when he picked $arah as his running mate.

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    1. Anonymous3:25 AM

      Hero McCain has his military and medical records sealed. I wonder just what he is hiding? Flake is a GREAT name for a republican politician. Wasn't it his son who caused the deaths of those dogs in the kennel?

      Delete
  11. Anonymous3:33 PM

    WHAT THE FUCK???????

    Congress Will Honor Dick Cheney With A Statue In The U.S. Capitol

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dick-cheney-statue_563a8e80e4b0b24aee48e5a2

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous11:45 PM

      Georgie Boy can't speak so half dead pa is trying to help the family dynasty out. It makes Jeb look more Presidential. George H.W. Bush slams ‘iron-ass’ Cheney, ‘arrogant’ Rumsfeld in new biography. Also faults Bush 41.
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/05/george-h-w-bush-slams-iron-ass-cheney-arrogant-rumsfeld-in-new-biography-also-faults-bush-41/

      Delete
  12. Anonymous3:34 PM

    Three words for Cheney.
    http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/11/04/bryan-cranston-has-three-very-specific-words-for-dick-cheney/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous3:47 PM

    And as a first step, they're both donating their salaries to Veteran's cause oh wait that's wrong, they're both singing "Bomb Iran" acappello.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous4:13 PM

    O/T but GO BERNIE!!!

    Bernie Sanders stopped the Koch propaganda tour dead in its tracks by delivering the facts about the Koch brothers agenda on MSNBC.

    Video:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2015/11/04/bernie-sanders-blows-koch-publicity-tour-ten-megaton-truth-bomb.html

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous4:57 PM

      Have a gander at these two links if you don't know how disgusting the Koch brothers really are:

      http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924

      http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/koch-industries-responds-to-rolling-stone-and-we-answer-back-20140929

      Delete
  15. Anonymous7:12 PM

    They know how much is spent on propaganda. It is a huge amount.

    ReplyDelete
  16. There was a good 2012 book on this. Billy Lynn's The Long Halftime Walk takes place with Bravo Squad flown from the war zone for a two week publicity tour and then right back to the war. Most of the book takes place at a Dallas Cowboys game where they are being honored. It's coming out as a movie in 2016. Maybe Flake and McCain's report is part of the movie publicity campaign. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:58 PM

    Col. Burt Thompson
    http://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/news/local/palin-s-son-to-protect-former-county-resident/article_a209c690-b43b-5794-92ef-1e67581bbae4.html

    "One of the soldiers assigned to protect the commanding officers is Track Palin, son of Gov. Palin."

    NOT TRUE.

    It was retracted that these lies were told.

    Try to find the news where Thompson retracts his propaganda.

    We pay him and others to lie to us. They do these lies for recruitment. It costs more than money, it cost lives. People die when these lies are told.

    Has anyone found one photo of Track Palin in the Army in Iraq or Afghanistan? Perhaps he had photos taken like authentic service members do. I have only seen the photo ops where Track was having dinner with Parnell and he played football. He was in the states.

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  18. Anonymous3:56 AM

    If they really wanted to save taxpayer dollars they would take away the NFL's tax-exempt status.

    ReplyDelete

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