16 Comments
User's avatar
Bahrainiac's avatar

It’s all fun and games until the enemy starts taking shot at you…..

Expand full comment
Just Plain Me's avatar

Thanks Ken, I saw on X and commented on the racist and ethnocentric patch as did others.

Expand full comment
Ken Klippenstein's avatar

I'm amazed at how quickly DOD took the page down after my post. Was gone the next morning. No explanation provided of course.

Expand full comment
Just Plain Me's avatar

Good on you for getting it out before the censors. Otherwise we would never have known!

Expand full comment
Just Plain Me's avatar

Actually I should say it’s a race to beat the censors.

Expand full comment
Susan Becraft's avatar

Yet another example of the government treating us like idiots.

Expand full comment
Ken Klippenstein's avatar

Yup

Expand full comment
Jahan's avatar

Can't place it but the "wearing dresses" bit in that tweet feels a bit iffy 😒 great article though!

Expand full comment
Mr. J. Citizen's avatar

I can’t wait to see how much those patches sell for on eBay

Expand full comment
Inverted Pyramid's avatar

Ken: you will not be on the DOD’s “nice” list come Christmastime. Posting official pictures reduced their response to a silent removal of that picture... I have to say that is Power of the pen. Nice!!

‘Success’ is now defined... as pitting top shelf technology against a group of religious misfits without indoor plumbing... who are disliked by all Sunnis, Israelis and American armed forces and getting your butts kicked in the process.

Our government currently spends more time redefining definitions/words instead of conducting activities that are actually helpful to the American people.

Expand full comment
Todd's avatar

Huh. Have to wonder what George Lucas and/Or Disney thinks of this . . . .

Expand full comment
John Quiggin's avatar

This has attracted a lot less attention than it ought to. Sending a carrier battle group has been the go-to US response for any crisis in the Middle East. Until now, the display has been accepted as a credible threat of effective force. But now that the bluff has been called, we can see that this is essentially a piece of pyrotechnic theatre.

As the commenter you quote suggests, this badge is like a participation trophy for the runners-up in the contest between the US Navy and the Houthi militia.

Expand full comment
Denise O'Leary-Siemer's avatar

AMEN! How many people have the Houthis killed?

Expand full comment