This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Jonn Lilyea

  • Jerry Bibb’s hunger strike

    Jerry Bibb’s hunger strike

    According to the Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Arkansas veteran 71-year-old Jerry Bibb has begun a hunger strike to become a veteran of the Vietnam War even though he never set foot in Vietnam or heard a shot fired in anger;

    Bibb, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served overseas on Okinawa Island in Japan, said he is staying on the plaza until he hears from either U.S. senator or the president. Bibb said he is also on a hunger strike, having avoided all food and water since Sunday afternoon.

    “I think I’ve got about three days (before I will die) out here with no water,” Bibb said Monday afternoon. “I’m not afraid of dying. If it takes me dying to get the attention this deserves, I’m willing to do it.”

    Bibb joined the Air Force in 1965 out of high school. He was trained as an inertial navigation repairman and serviced B-52 bombers and KC-135 tanker planes in Okinawa.

    “I was working on the planes that were fighting in the war,” he said. “I’ve had other veterans tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for your work, we would have lost more boys over there.’ ”

    He recently discovered that he is considered by the federal government to be a Vietnam-era veteran and not a Vietnam War veteran, a distinction determined by where he served during the war.

    Bibb says that he won’t move from his protest until his Senator or President Trump contact him.

    Bibb said his protest was not about himself, but about the Vietnam-era veterans being recognized as actual war veterans.

    “There’s not a lot of us left,” he said. “The government won’t do it because of money, because of the additional benefits they would have to give out. We can give tax breaks to the rich, but we can’t give these benefits to our veterans?”

    I’m not sure what benefits he thinks that he’ll get, that he doesn’t already get. It looks like he has been stocking up on calories, so Bibb will last longer than a few days.

    Thanks to one of our ninjas for the link.

  • Master Chief Britt K. Slabinski to receive Medal of Honor

    Master Chief Britt K. Slabinski to receive Medal of Honor

    According to WhiteHouse.gov Retired Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt K. Slabinski will get his Navy Cross stepped up to the Medal of Honor on May 24th for his actions on Roberts Ridge on March 2002. His citation for the Navy Cross reads;

    For extraordinary heroism as Sniper Element Leader for a joint special operations unit conducting combat operations against enemy forces during Operation Anaconda, Sahi-Kot Valley, Afghanistan on 3 and 4 March 2002, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On the evening of 3 March, Senior Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski led his seven-man reconnaissance team onto the snow-covered, 10,000 foot mountaintop known as Takur Ghar, to establish a combat overwatch position in support of U.S. Army forces advancing against the enemy on the valley floor. As their helicopter hovered over the mountain it was met by unrelenting rocket propelled grenade (RPG) and small arms fire by entrenched enemy forces. As a result of several RPG hits, a member of Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski ‘s team was ejected from the helicopter into the midst of the fortified enemy positions. The badly damaged helicopter conducted a controlled crash, at which time Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski immediately took charge and established security on the crash location until the crew and his team were recovered to a support base. At this point, Senior Chief Slabinski fully aware of the overwhelming, fixed, enemy forces over the mountain, but also knowing the desperate situation of his missing teammate, now reportedly fighting for his life, without hesitation made the selfless decision to lead his team on an immediate, bold rescue mission. He heroically led the remainder of his SEAL element back onto the snow-covered, remote, mountaintop into the midst of the numerically superior enemy forces in a daring and valiant attempt to rescue one of their own. After a treacherous helicopter insertion onto the mountaintop, Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski led his close quarter firefight. He skillfully maneuvered his team and bravely engaged multiple enemy positions, personally clearing one bunker and killing several enemy within. His unit became caught in a withering crossfire from other bunkers and the closing enemy forces. Despite mounting casualties, Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski maintained his composure and continued to engage the enemy until his position became untenable. Faced with no choice but a tactical withdrawal, he coolly directed fire from airborne assets to cover his team. He then led an arduous movement through the mountainous terrain, constantly under fire, covering over one kilometer in waist-deep snow, while carrying a seriously wounded teammate. Arriving at a defensible position, he organized his team’s security posture and stabilized his casualties. For over fourteen hours, Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski directed the defense of his position through countless engagements, personally engaging the enemy and directing close air support onto the enemy positions until the enemy was ultimately defeated. During this entire sustained engagement, Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski exhibited classic grace under fire in steadfastly leading the intrepid rescue operation, saving the lives of his wounded men and setting the conditions for the ultimate vanquishing of the enemy and the seizing of Takur Ghar. By his heroic display of decisive and tenacious leadership, unyielding courage in the face of constant enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Senior Chief Petty Officer Slabinski reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

  • Tuesday morning feel good stories

    Tuesday morning feel good stories

    From Lansing, Michigan;

    However, police are currently investigating a death in that same area.

    On April 27 a man allegedly broke into a couple’s home on the same block and died.

    Police say the alleged intruder was fighting inside the house with the homeowner and when officers arrived, he was found deceased.

    The homeowner and his wife were outside with minor injuries.

    From St. Louis, Missouri;

    Just after 4:30 p.m., police said a man in his 20s was shot in his side after attempting to rob a man in the 900 block of Switzer Ave. He was taken to the hospital and listed in critical, unstable condition immediately following the shooting but was later pronounced dead.

    The victim was shot in the neck by the alleged robber and is stable condition.

    From Tucson, Arizona;

    Sgt. Dugan with TPD says the male suspect walked inside the store on Sunday and immediately pulled a mask over his face.

    When the suspect pulled out his handgun, another customer pulled out his own handgun. That’s when Sgt. Dugan says gunfire exchanged between the suspect and the customer inside the store.

    Some of the windows of Metro PCS were shot out during the gunfire.

    Police say multiple rounds were fired by both people. The suspect ran away and it is unknown if he was injured by the gunfire. No one inside the store, including the customer who fired his handgun, were injured.

    From Baker, Louisiana;

    According to Police Chief Carl Dunn, the victim was working on a house he’s been building when a man with a handgun rode up to him on a bicycle.

    The armed robber forced the victim go to an ATM to get cash, but Dunn said the robber was not satisfied with the amount of money he got.

    The victim then told the robber he had another ATM card at his house in Baker. They went to the house and the robber allowed the man inside to get the supposed second card. But, the robber got antsy while waiting and went into the house. Police say the victim had his own gun inside the home and shot the robber once as he walked inside.

    Dunn said the victim showed quick thinking and restraint.

    “This guy to me is a hero,” Dunn said.

    He kept a cool head under pressure, protected himself and then stopped firing when the threat was removed, Dunn said.

    When the attacker dropped his gun, the victim stopped firing, Dunn said.

    After being treated at a hospital and released, the robbery suspect is expected to be booked into Parish Prison.

  • Lieutenant Adam Sacchetti; saving the world

    Lieutenant Adam Sacchetti; saving the world

    AW1Ed sends us a link to the Air Force Times which tells the story of Lieutenant Adam Sacchetti, a supply and logistics officer with 2nd Security Forces Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, who was getting a tattoo a few weeks ago when he heard an accident outside.

    “I looked up and all I saw was a vehicle flying vertically through the air,” Sacchetti said in the release. “It flipped and landed, crushing right down on the roof.”

    Sacchetti has been a security forces airman for almost 12 years, and he immediately ran out to the busy three-lane road and tried to stop traffic.

    “I could see this kid was in complete shock, but he was moving around trying to get out. The car was smoking and there was fluid all around. That was when I made the decision to pull him out,” he said.

    Sacchetti reached in and pulled the 17-year-old to safety. When first responders arrived, the airman relayed the information and went back to the parlor to get his tattoo.

    “Being prior enlisted, I have had a lot of deployments and have dealt with these sort of situations overseas,” Sacchetti said in the release. “When it happens, you don’t do it for notoriety or recognition, you do it because you have to. My adrenaline was pumping and I didn’t really think about myself. I saw that kid in need and felt I had to get to him. It was just instantaneously reverting back to my training.”

  • Craig Graham; needless embellishment

    Craig Graham; needless embellishment

    Someone sent us their work on this Craig Graham fellow. According to former workmates, he’s full of tall tales, like his work history on his Facebook page;

    He was a cannon cocker Staff Sergeant E-6, in the Army National Guard for 14 years, an honorable endeavor, but then he had to add that he has training in reconnaisance, basic infantry, long range operations, small arms, demolitions, operational planning, LRRP, and SAS training. He claims 20 years of service in the active duty Army on LinkedIN;

    No reason to embellish this record, at all;

    In social situations he’s suddenly become CIA agent, I hear.

  • AP goes all in for Manning

    AP goes all in for Manning

    The Associated Press has thrown all of their chips in for the former soldier formerly known as Bradley Manning, the convicted traitor, in his bid for the US Senate seat currently occupied by Democrat Ben Cardin.

    She’s certainly got an eye-catching platform: Close prisons and free inmates; eliminate national borders; restructure the criminal justice system; provide universal health care and basic income. The top of her agenda? Abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency created in 2003 that Manning asserts is preparing for an “ethnic cleansing.”

    Manning ticks off life experiences she believes would make her an effective senator: a stint being homeless in Chicago, her wartime experiences as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst in Iraq — even her seven years in prison. She asserts she’s got a “bigger vision” than establishment politicians.

    Obviously, Manning doesn’t realize that one Senator can’t do that shit all by himself. One vote among a hundred. Another perfect example why we should rescind the 17th Amendment and go back to the days when a state legislature chose Senators to represent the state’s interests.

    The Associated Press should wipe the drool from their collective chin.

  • Eric Swalwell wants to take your guns

    Eric Swalwell wants to take your guns

    Democrats have been telling us that they don’t want to take your guns away. They only want to make it harder for people to buy a gun legally. Well, a corner of that tent flew up last week when Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell of California admitted that he wants to confiscate your gun like they did in Australia;

    Reinstating the federal assault weapons ban that was in effect from 1994 to 2004 would prohibit manufacture and sales, but it would not affect weapons already possessed. This would leave millions of assault weapons in our communities for decades to come.

    Instead, we should ban possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons, we should buy back such weapons from all who choose to abide by the law, and we should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons. The ban would not apply to law enforcement agencies or shooting clubs.

    There’s something new and different about the surviving Parkland high schoolers’ demands. They dismiss the moral equivalence we’ve made for far too long regarding the Second Amendment. I’ve been guilty of it myself, telling constituents and reporters that “we can protect the Second Amendment and protect lives.”

    Only a moron would listen to high school students’ demands and take those demands seriously. Someone who is opposed to an amendment in the Bill of Right is just one such moron. I wonder how Swalwell intends to find all of the owners of semiautomatic firearms – suspend the protections against unreasonable searches in the Bill of Rights, too?

    Swalwell claims that if the government pays us $1000/rifle it would cost the government about $15 billion to buy the whole bunch back;

    The federal government is spending an estimated $4 trillion this year; $15 billion would be 0.375% of that, not that we must spend it all in one year.

    Meanwhile, the GOP’s tax “reform” — a giveaway to corporations and the rich that threw comparatively meager scraps to working families — is projected to increase the national debt by $1.9 trillion over the next decade.

    What is it worth to American taxpayers to not see our families, friends and neighbors cut down in a hail of gunfire? Consider this an investment in averting carnage and heartache and loss.

    So $15 billion is the cost of hyperbole. I wonder if he did the math on the cost of making prosecutors enforce the existing laws.

  • Dan Helmer; gun show loophole liar

    Dan Helmer; gun show loophole liar

    There’s a fellow running for the 10th Congressional District of Virginia by the name of Dan Helmer. He claims to be a veteran and he’s running on a gun control platform. He made the above video in which he purchases an AR-style rifle at a gun show in the district. He says, “Last week, I went to a gun show to find out how easy it is to buy an assault rifle. What I found was terrifying – it took less time to buy a weapon of war than a cup of coffee.”

    What he did was buy an AR-style rifle from a private seller – the guy who sold it to Helmer is a veteran and Helmer showed his own military ID to the guy. The seller thought that he was doing a fellow veteran a favor, not knowing that Helmer was looking to screw someone over. The seller even asked Helmer if he is a felon before he sold the gun to him.

    Helmer claims that it took less time to buy the rifle than it would take him to buy a cup of coffee. Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. talked to the seller, a collector, and Helmer was not truthful about the time constraints of the purchase;

    The story says 10 minutes to purchase, while the seller says it was almost an hour! During the first 20 minutes Dan Helmer showed the seller his military ID and they spoke about their military experiences. Mr. Helmer claimed to be doing reserve duty at the Pentagon. The seller used this time to also make sure that Mr. Helmer was telling the truth and didn’t have any obvious mental problems. Prices were negotiated. Mr. Helmer left for about 20 minutes and then came back, saying his wife had given him permission for the purchase. The purchase was then completed in the final 20 minutes. The seller asked Mr. Helmer if he was a felon, to which Helmer replied, “no.” (The reason that Mr. Helmer wanted the gun was supposedly to take his accompanying friend to the range. The accompanying friend was really there to surreptitiously film everything.)

    There is no “gun show loophole”. According to the Justice Department, less than 1% of criminals admit that they purchased their firearms at gun shows;

    Federally licensed dealers must conduct National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks at gun shows, just like they do in their shops. Private sellers who are not Federally licensed, don’t have to do NICS checks just like they wouldn’t if they were selling from a yard sale table on their lawns. Gun shows are not the problem. Law abiding gun owners are not the problem. A real caring person running for government office would highlight the real problem – prosecutors are not prosecuting gun crimes like they should. There are enough gun laws without writing more that prosecutors won’t enforce.

    Our friends at Victory Girls wrote a very good piece on Helmer that you should read.