By Lester Haines for The
Register.
This story has been reproduced with permission.
According to the Contra Costa Times, Senior Airman
Travis Gruber of Sacramento - who's been Major Gen. William Wade's
aide for a year - didn't actually provide handy tips on how to kill
people, but rather let rip against "African-Americans, Jews,
Asians, women, gays, and people with physical handicaps".
The paper lists a catalogue of shockers, including "several
pictures of Gruber holding what appear to be automatic weapons,
including one of him pointing a gun at black people in tribal
garb", an attack on Arnold Schwarzenegger "whom he trashes in a
posting that questions the governor's intelligence", and a
no-nonsense statement reading: "I, honestly, would like nothing
more than to assist in the wholesale slaughter of every idiot on
the face of the planet."
Gruber claimed on the website to be 26, and made no reference to
his National Guard post other than alluding to a job that "allows
him occasional access to the governor and others". He referred to
his boss as "the big guy" and noted that "when once ordered to
drive 'the big guy' to Oakland earlier this year, he loaded a
shotgun with extra shells and filled a pistol 'to the brim with
hollow-point' bullets because he feared entering the city
unarmed".
Just to be certain of attracting the right kind of attention,
Gruber wrote of Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver: "Could you
imagine waking up, as a child, to the gaping maw of this
demon?"
Sure enough, the National Guard put Gruber on "paid
administrative leave" as soon as it learned of the site. Spokesman
Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann said investigators will "look into the
content of the website and make a determination into whether any of
it is a violation of military law and regulations".
Former National guard commander Gen. Frank Schober noted it's a
crime under military law for a soldier, "including an enlisted
member of the National Guard" to use "contemptuous words" against
public officials. He suggested Wade might "deal with it humanely
and get this man the help he obviously needs," adding: "I don't
know if he should be court-martialed. The website seems so far out
there. But we certainly don't comment on the governor publicly. We
don't do that."
The former commander of the state Army National Guard, William
Wenger, offered: "The question has to be asked why an individual
with this type of access wasn't vetted more. He would be privileged
to a lot of confidential information and conversations. He might be
asked his opinion on important matters."
The offending website is currently pretty well shut down, and simply
offers the following statement:
If you're coming here from the Contra Costa Times
article or the associated press story; this is the entirety of the
statement that I released to the author of the article.
This website is comprised of my personal thoughts, feelings and
sense of humor and as such does not reflect the thoughts or
opinions of The California National Guard, The California Air
National Guard, The United States Air Force or any of the
commanding officers that represent those organizations. I was under
the impression that I was writing anonymously and in that writing I
have never mentioned my relation to any of those organizations due
to the nature of my opinions. How Mr. Peele acquired that
information is beyond me.The purpose of the website is political
satire, social commentary and an outlet for my opinions. In no way,
shape or form do I condone acts of violence or aggression and this
website is not a learning tool for those activities. Certainly some
may find the sense of humor and opinions represented here as dark
and distasteful; and that may very well be. However it is my sense
of humor and these are my opinions alone.I’m sorry if I have
misrepresented or left a black mark on the California Military
Department, The California National Guard or The United States Air
Force. I have the utmost respect for all of these organizations and
would not want my website or opinions to tarnish their good
names.
Very Respectfully
Travis
© The Register
2007
