A lot has changed in the life of former Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Kelly A. Stewart since the last time his name appeared on the virtual pages of Big Government’s sister site, Big Peace, Jan. 2, but the highly-decorated Green Beret and combat veteran is still fighting to clear his name from sexual assault charges that placed him behind bars.

SFC Kelly A. Stewart

On Aug. 26, 2010, Brig. Gen. Steven L. Salazar reduced Stewart’s sentence from eight years to three years, making him eligible for parole immediately. Seven months later, Stewart was released on parole from the U.S. Military Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, KS. Today, he is living and working in Virginia.

Despite being out from behind bars, Stewart is still fighting to clear his name and shed the “sex offender” label that will stay with him the rest of his life if justice remains out of reach.

How did he get that label in the first place?  Here’s the short version:

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In the wake of President Obama asking America’s richest and most successful to do their patriotic duty and contribute their fair share to our Nation, more and more are refusing to be content with merely ostentatiously asking to have their taxes raised.  The hot new trend in Democrat circles is taking personal action to show patriotism through concrete actions and real sacrifice.

“I had a net worth of $200 million, so I wrote a check to the federal government for $199,999,900!” said high tech legend Frank Spindleman.  The big-time Democratic contributor and pioneer in the field of foreign Internet drug store spam was inspired by the President’s call to action.  Sitting in the open door of his new home, a beige 1973 Ford panel van parked down by the river, Spindleman is proud that he put his money where his mouth was.

Merely raise my marginal rates a little?  That’s nothing to me.  I wanted to really make a difference, so I gave the country everything.  Sure, it’s a little less comfortable here than my mansion, and I’ve got fewer and lower quality hookers hanging around, but it’s worth it for the personal pride I feel in not being one of those loudmouth jerks pretending to sacrifice in order to impress the media!

One of the founders of leading Internet search engine Gaggle felt the same.  Chet Vingly sold off his 401’ yacht, his Ferrari collection and his prized unicorn herd and sent all his cash to Uncle Sam.

I was listening to the President at a Beverly Hills fundraiser and lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills when it hit me – he was right!  The people who rely on government support – cowboy poets, performance artists, people who have better things to do than supporting themselves – these are the people we need to really focus on.  They deserve my money, not me.  I only earned it, but they really, really want it.  So, I think it’s pretty clear who’s entitled to it.

But for some, just giving away all their money isn’t enough.  Democratic impresario and synergy industry mogul Lance Gordon gave up his corporate jet.  He’ll be taking no more trips to his houses in Hawaii and Martha’s Vineyard.

Thanks to the President’s warnings about the threat posed by global warming deniers, I bike everywhere now.  I mean, if you really, really believe that the science is settled and that climate change is real, you’ll absolutely stop flying around on private jets.  I’d be an incredible hypocrite if I believed in global warming but still jetted everywhere.  People would look at me and wonder why, if global warming was such a threat, all I was doing about it was having my butler separate my garbage into trash and recyclables.  Heck, if I was such a blatant poser jerk as that I couldn’t look myself in the mirror.

But for some prominent and wealthy liberals, President Obama’s inspiring call to patriotism demanded even more sacrifice.  Steve Berkley was a big-time Democratic bundler and the owner of the ubiquitous Buckstar’s Coffee shops.

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One of the most popular stories about members of the “Greatest Generation” is that of “The Fighting Sullivans” who died aboard the U.S.S. Juneau during the Battle of Guadalcanal. That story is heroic, in part, because it has to do with five brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during World War II.

Whenever I hear talk about the Sullivans, however, I can’t help but think of four not-so-famous brothers — Max, Verle, Guy and Ted — who also answered their nation’s call. Like many thousands of others, they set aside any personal plans they had for a while and went into harm’s way to fight for freedom.

Max, the oldest, was among the first to be drafted into the Army. Next in line, Verle went to the Navy. Guy followed, donning Army green.

By March 1943, only the youngest son remained at home. That fact prompted a conversation to take place between the 19-year-old Iowan and his father.

“Ted, do you want me to declare you essential to my farm work?” his dad asked, knowing that one son from each farm family could be deferred from entering service if he was needed to work on the farm.

Ted took little time to answer.

“No. If my brothers can go into the service, then I feel that I should go also,” he said, adding, “Besides, I want to do my part in the war” and “Dad, you really don’t need me.”

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A motorcycle rally to support one imprisoned soldier has blossomed into a nationwide ”freedom ride” to support a group comprised mostly of Army soldiers who have become known as “The Leavenworth 10.“

On July 18, Scott and Vicki Behenna, parents of Army Ranger 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, informed me that plans were in the works to stage a motorcycle rally to bring attention to the plight of wrongfully-imprisoned soldiers such as her son, whose story has been highlighted in several posts at BigGovernment.com and is now serving a 15-year sentence for killing a known Al-Qaeda operative in self-defense.  Today, it appears those plans are coming to fruition.

“FREEDOM RIDE FOR THE LEAVENWORTH TEN” will originate in many states and culminate the morning of Sept. 4 in Leavenworth, Kan., according to the Behennas, and Army Lt. Col. Allen West, a congressional candidate from Florida, scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the event.

“The intent of the Freedom Ride is to bring awareness to how our soldiers are being imprisoned for killing the enemy during a time of war which one news commentator compared to ‘giving speeding tickets at a NASCAR race,’” the Behennas said in a recent e-mail. “These soldiers, serving multiple deployments, are provided complex and ever changing rules of engagement and then have to deal with untenable ‘catch and release’ policies against an enemy the U.S. military generals have yet to figure out how to defeat.”

Organizers are also looking for celebrity involvement in the ride to help increase the amount of attention paid to the plight of soldiers behind bars.

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Individuals for whom government buildings, highways and bridges are named usually fall into one of four categories.  They are:

1. Politicians;

2. Wealthy benefactors;

3. War heroes who died on battlefields far from home; or

4. War heroes who lived to tell about their experiences.

As a small token of appreciation, the folks at the Quad Cities Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America held a ceremony Saturday morning in Rock Island, Ill., to dedicate the I-280 bridge in honor of one of those individuals — John F. Baker Jr., a man who, without a shadow of a doubt, falls into the fourth category above.

Baker, a retired Army sergeant and Vietnam veteran, earned his nation’s highest honor — the Medal of Honor — for service above and beyond the call of duty on Nov. 5, 1966. The award citation read by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the East Room of the White House included the following language:

“Sgt. Baker’s selfless heroism, indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible for saving the lives of several of his comrades, and inflicting serious damage on the enemy. His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”

Ironically, a man who falls into the first category above was invited to join in honoring Baker but did not. That man was U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, the stumbling, bumbling incumbent Democrat from Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

Take a look at this video, and you’ll understand why Sergeant Baker used the words below in a letter endorsing Hare’s challenger, Republican Bobby Schilling:

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Conservatives need to be wary of the notion that General David Petraeus – or, for that matter, any other general or admiral – is necessarily the answer to their fervent prayers for victory in 2012.  GEN Petraeus is a true hero, an awesome leader and a great American whom every citizen owes a debt of gratitude.  But politically, he presents an ideological blank slate upon which many on the right are merely projecting their hopes and aspirations.  For several reasons, GEN Petraeus is likely to disappoint them.

The most obvious reason is that GEN Petraeus himself has repeatedly and unequivocally rejected the idea of ever running for public office.  Cynical observers routinely discount such disclaimers, but there are several reasons to believe that he really means it.  As the commander of CENTCOM, responsible for both Iraq and Afghanistan, GEN Petraeus has a full plate and a mission he has not yet completed.  He is committed to the mission, and has worked for its success for nearly a decade (I have not worked for GEN Petraeus personally, but I have close friends who have worked directly for him – to the point of receiving emails from him at home at odd hours after their return to civilian life – and they uniformly deeply respect him).  He was also diagnosed with prostate cancer.  But the most powerful evidence against a possible run is that he has said he would not run.  Unlike many in the political arena, his word and a dollar are together worth more than 100 cents.

But assuming he could be enticed to run – say, if he was absolutely convinced that the good of the nation depended upon it – what then?  His storied military career and his ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Iraq via “the Surge” have fueled speculationabout whether he can follow in Eisenhower’s footsteps from the command post to the White House.  Like Ike, GEN Petraeus would probably be most comfortable as a Republican.  He was registered in the GOP before 2002, when he stopped voting.  The American Enterprise Institute recently honored him.  And he doesn’t seem like he would have much use for defeatists and pacifists, social parasites or the unbelievably corrupt, so he couldn’t be a Democrat.

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On Thursday, the Army Clemency and Parole Board reduced the sentence of Army Ranger 1st Lt. Michael Behenna from 20 to 15 years, according to a news release from Rep. Mary Fallin (R-Okla.).

Lieutenant Behenna, who is currently serving his sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was convicted of unpremeditated murder in the shooting death of Ali Mansur, a known Al-Qaeda operative, while serving in Iraq.

Previous cases of similar or more aggravating circumstances, where the defendants were found guilty of premeditated murder, have resulted in less severe sentences, which prompted the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation to appeal to the board for a careful review of this case and relevant precedent.

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I hate football. Not as much as I detest baseball and basketball and NASCAR, but the mere thought of sitting in a stadium watching a football match or game or whatever it’s called makes me dream of the sweet release of death. So when I heard that Rush Limbaugh wanted to buy one of these teams or crews or squadrons or whatever they are called, I shook my head. If I had a couple hundred loose mil to spend, it would be on a tropical island, not a bunch of ‘roided-up dudes bashing into each other and preempting my favorite shows. But its Rush’s money and this is America.

Well, it was America. Apparently, that’s changed in the last few days because now it appears that Rush cannot be allowed to spend his own money as he wants to because his political views are unsatisfactory. He’s conservative, and therefore the rights, privileges and immunities or any other American citizen no longer appear apply to him. Just ask Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who urged the NFL not to allow Rush’s bid to buy some team (The Rams? The Raiders? The Yankees? I really don’t follow this stuff).

Let me get this straight, because this is more disturbing than the thought of having to attend a hockey doubleheader: An American political leader is demanding that a private business not do business with an American citizen because she does not approve of his politics.

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