By Jay Sekulow
The left's outrage over the IRS turns to a plea to 'move on'

Military chiefs acknowledged Tuesday that more needs to be done to combat sexual assault within the ranks but insisted that commanders need to maintain the ability to discipline their troops, rather than giving that authority to an outside entity, as some lawmakers suggest.

He wears his uniform beautifully, and he's got undeniable charisma. That would be Pfc. Chesty XIV, a young English bulldog who made his first official appearance as a U.S. Marine when he received his eagle, globe and anchor emblems in a ceremony Monday at Marine Barracks in Southeast Washington.

The Marine Corps commandant took to YouTube to ask Marines and civilians to sacrifice under defense cuts known as sequestration and to conserve as much as they can.

The automatic across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester will force the U.S. Marine Corps to "cut into bone" this year, the Corps' commandant warned in a letter to troops and their families over the weekend.


Afghan troops in Helmand province have taken charge of planning and conducting operations against insurgents, the commandant of the Marine Corps said Thursday.Afghan troops in Helmand province have taken charge of planning and conducting operations against insurgents, the commandant of the Marine Corps said Thursday.

By the end of this year, more than half of the Marine Corps' units will be below "minimal acceptable levels of readiness for deployment to combat" as a result of military spending limits currently in place, Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos said Tuesday.

Automatic defense spending cuts set to begin Friday will hurt troops’ morale, readiness and their families and could damage the Pentagon’s ability to recruit an all-volunteer force, military chiefs told Congress on Tuesday.

Almost a year ago, Pentagon officials announced their incremental intent to order (not allow) military women into infantry and Special Operations Forces battalions.

There may be some anxiety among male Marines as female officers work their way into infantry and other combat jobs that historically have been open only to men, the Marine Corps commandant said this week.

In December 2009, our commander in chief went to West Point and proclaimed that he would withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by 2014. Since then, he has proudly emphasized, "We are on a course to end this war responsibly."

Western nations preparing to withdraw from combat in Afghanistan increasingly are alarmed by Afghan security forces turning their weapons on allied troops, attacks that the Taliban claim as proof of their sway over local troops.

The Marine Corps' top officer is trying to soothe the rattled nerves of his troops in Afghanistan, who saw six of their comrades gunned down by Afghan security forces Friday.
Dear. Sgt. Shaft: I am writing you to ask for assistance in helping me in time of need.

Marine Corps Sgt. Brandon Morgan's passionate kiss with his boyfriend at an on-base military-family homecoming was photographed and posted on the "Gay Marine" Facebook page, triggering an outpouring of support — and some dissent.
"We've failed in this in the past. It has not been a top priority in the years past, in the decades past. If it was, we wouldn't be here today. But it is now. It is now in my service, and I speak for probably all of us. It is a priority in our services now, and we're after it. And we hear you loud and clear," Gen. Amos told the Senate panel Tuesday.
Military chiefs defend commanders' authority to discipline sex abusers →
In the video, Gen. Amos said the Marine Corps has a $1.4 billion dollar shortfall through the next seven months and a $2 billion shortfall over the next nine years.