United States of America

…All Boehner has to do is squint and say that there’s a quorum present and he may hold a voice vote.

As long as no one requests a recorded vote, Boehner is free to do this.

That’s where Massie’s 500-yard sprint comes in.

Massie says he’s discovered that "it’s about a 500-yard dash between my office and the floor of the House." So, when Boehner starts to do voice votes, Massie sprints to the House floor and demands a recorded vote. That means there has to be a real quorum: 218 live people on the record with their votes. Several unpopular bills have died as a result of Massie’s dash.…

…What is apparent is that HUMINT intelligence assets were not used to validate imagery. Then again, why would anyone want to support U.S. intelligence gathering in Pakistan after how this administration has treated Dr. Shakil Afridi who assisted in the identification of Osama bin Laden’s hideout? The preeminent question must be, who granted approval? …

On April 27, 2011, Afghan Air Force Colonel Ahmad Gul gunned down eight U.S. Air Force personnel and a civilian contractor inside the Afghan Air Force headquarters, including investigators who had just arrived in the country to examine rampant corruption in the Afghan military. … Multiple Air Force and CENTCOM investigations claimed to find no motive for the attack, leaving the families of those killed with no answers. … Now, a senior U.S. official has gone on the record claiming that a United Nations team tracked substantial payments to the killer and his family made days just prior to the incident. …

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It” [more]

…tens of thousands of veterans are being called mentally defective and banned from gun ownership? …if you need financial assistance to manage your benefits, you’re mentally defective? You mean, like calling an accountant is a sign of mental illness? This is outrageous!…

…the A-10 Thunderbolt, aka the “Warthog” …no greater sound to a ground combat soldier than the high pitched whine and the “blurp” sound of the Gatling Gun cannon in its nose. … Let me make one thing clear, no senior officer should impart such undue command influence against any member of our Armed Services. The A-10 is a potent aircraft and should not be retired and should undergo a service life extension program. I would recommend that the Secretary of Defense… transfer the A-10 from the U.S. Air Force to the U.S. Army and here’s why….

…Gunnery Sgt. Brian Jacklin, of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, will be presented with the Navy Cross Thursday during a ceremony at his unit's headquarters at Camp Pendleton, California.

Jacklin earned the award for actions carried out June 14, 2012, while serving as an assistant leader of a team conducting village stability operations in the Upper Gereshk valley in Afghanistan's Helmand province, according to his medal citation.…

[Read for the whole incredible citation.]

Rep.Louie Gohmert (TX-01) talked to Tucker Carlson on Fox and Friends about the Obama Administration's prisoner swap and handling of the Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl matter.

[Video, 3:27]

…"We enlisted an 8 year old boy, suffering from a rare and life-threatening disorder, into the Texas Army National Guard. His nurse, is one of our guardsmen, and found out that being a Soldier was his dream…."

…"I have never been so proud to be an American in my life. It was just beyond perfect.” – Rowan’s mom…

“Best day ever of my whole entire life”

According to Brown, several Somali men were recently apprehended crossing the border into Arizona. …When ICE officials came to pick up the illegals they told the rancher that the aliens were Mexican. The rancher argued that of course the men were obviously from Somalia. That’s when ICE told the rancher that they were ordered to report all illegals as either from Central America or Mexico – including these men from Somalia. It’s the latest trick by the Obama administration to deceive the American public on the calamity at the border. …

Naval Base Kitsap, a marine base 20 miles from Seattle, may be home to the world's largest single-location arsenal of nuclear weapons, and it's defended by dolphins trained by the US Navy. …

The Navy Marine Mammal Program at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (or SPAWAR) in San Diego, California currently trains 85 dolphins and 50 sea lions for service in the US Navy.

When a dolphin finds a swimmer, the animals swim back to their trainers, who might give them a transponder to drop near the intruder.

Alternatively, according to Clayton Swansen, a dolphin handler who worked in the Navy program between 2003 and 2005, the marine mammals are equipped with a bite plate that holds a shackle that the dolphins can use to disable an intruder. …

The commandant of the Marine Corps told lawmakers that Marines who disarmed before departing Sanaa, Yemen during an embassy evacuation last month did so on the orders of U.S. Central Command and State Department officials.

The U.S. Army says it will soon be sending armored Stryker vehicles on a 1,100-mile convoy through six European countries to show solidarity to allies in the wake of recent Russian actions in the Ukraine and Crimea that have Eastern Europe on edge. …

"For his 92nd birthday dinner on Feb. 21, a World War II veteran’s son took him to Outback Steakhouse. When it came time to pay, instead of a bill, the son found a hand-written note that brought 'tears' to his eyes."