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

Author: Jonn Lilyea

  • Norbert Keough aka Norbert MacLean and ANZMI

    Norbert Keough aka Norbert MacLean and ANZMI

    Last year, we wrote about this fellow, Norbert Keough who was known as Norbert Basil McLean III while he was in the US Navy. Within weeks, we started receiving letters and emails from a legal firm in Tasmania threatening to sue us for defamation of the poor fellow. Of course, since Tasmanian courts have no jurisdiction over us, we’ve pretty much ignored the threats.

    This morning, our friends at Australia New Zealand Military Imposters (ANZMI) send us a link to their very extensive work on Mr Keough/McLean.

    While we published his records, and told folks that he wasn’t a participant in the Gulf War despite the awards he wore for that campaign, they found him playing ambassador on New Years Eve 1991 in New York City, half a world away a mere two weeks before the beginning of hostilities.

    On New Years Eve 1991, Norbert MacLean III threw a party at the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park. He mailed formal invitations. He rolled a red carpet from the doorway of the presidential suite to the elevator.

    He hung a United Nations flag at the doorway. He posted signs that read, “Reserved for Ambassador MacLean” in the parking area for the white limousine he’d rented.

    For months, Maclean had been claiming to be an ambassador.

    “He got very offended if you called him Mr MacLean,” JoAnne Guertin, former front office manager at the Berkeley-Carteret said, “He wanted ‘Ambassador Maclean’”

    Maclean, a former Lakehurst resident whose father is that town’s police chief, is far from an ambassador. He’s a 22 year-old former Navy sailor recently court-martialed after being charged with bouncing 81 checks.

    Just two weeks ago, MacLean was seeking legitimacy in a different forum. He was on the November ballot as an independent candidate for one of the two State Assembly seats in coastal Monmouth County’s 11th District.

    Maclean announced his withdrawal from the race on May 19, the day after an interview with the Asbury Park Press during which he was confronted with the Navy charges and other instances of bounced checks. An official in Maclean’s campaign said the interview had not prompted the candidate’s decision.

    …’The reason for this painful decision is because of unfinished business with the United States Navy in Washington, DC,” Maclean wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Daniel J. Dalton.

    So, the little twerp packed his bags and left for the Land Down Under to escape his infamy and he strapped on military decorations he didn’t earn thinking that no one would discover his lies, until we got his FOIA;

    Now ANZMI has questions;

    Norbert Keough, or ‘Norb’ as he likes to be called presents himself as a distinguished veteran of the US Navy, a Gulf War Veteran, a champion of veteran’s rights, and a non-practising Barrister. Don’t however, challenge Norb’s credentials as he is very keen to litigate. We wonder why?

    The truth is, Norb is nothing but a fraud. Yes, he did serve in the US Navy but if you can call being discharged after being Court Martialled ‘distinguished’ you probably believe the rest of his stories.

    After threatening a number of senior members of the RSL with legal action for daring to ask legitimate questions about his past, Norb relocated to Tasmania where he reinvented himself in the Tasmanian RSL and picked up work with Jackie Lambie as an advisor on Veterans Affairs. It also seems Norb is keen to have a tilt at politics.

    Norb has created the image of a distinguished US Navy Veteran to enhance his public image, but in doing so, has left a trail of confusing photographs which depict changing medal entitlements, service not consistent with the published record, and lies about his actual service history.

    Yeah, Norbert likes to threaten people, but we’re accustomed to that. I’m sure I’ll get another costly letter in snail mail from his lawyers. It’ll join the others in my circular file.

  • Floyd Carter Sr. passes

    Floyd Carter Sr. passes

    Bill sends us the sad news that Floyd Carter, Senior, one of the few surviving Tuskegee Airman, has passed at the age of 95. Aside from flying with the famous fighter group during World War II, he continued his service in the Air Force Reserves during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as serving at home as a detective with the New York City Police Department. From the New York Daily News;

    The decorated veteran of three wars and 27 years with the NYPD died Thursday at age 95, leaving a long legacy as a groundbreaking hero pilot and a city police detective.

    Carter, who simultaneously rose through the ranks of the U.S. Air Force Reserves and the police, was honored in 2007 with the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bush for breaking the color barrier in Tuskegee.

    “We mourn the loss of a true American hero,” read a tweet from the 47th Precinct in his adopted home of the Bronx. “Our community & nation has lost a giant.”

    Carter rose to the rank of Air Force lieutenant colonel years after joining the group of African-American pilots at Tuskegee University.

    He met his wife Atherine there, where the Alabama native was working as part of an all-female repair crew.

  • Monday morning feel good stories

    Monday morning feel good stories

    From El Cajon, California;

    El Cajon Police responded at 1:15 a.m. to a report of shots fired in the vicinity of Mona Place and West Chase Avenue.

    Investigating officers said the homeowner was awakened by the sound of his dogs barking, looked outside and saw a man breaking into his vehicle in the front yard. The homeowner took a handgun, confronted the burglar and fired multiple shots.

    The burglar then fled the scene and crashed into the front yard of a nearby house on West Chase Avenue. Arriving officers and paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.

    The 32-year-old man’s name was not released pending notification of next of kin.

    The incident remains under investigation by homicide detectives.

  • Utah teen brought a bomb to school

    Utah teen brought a bomb to school

    I know this has been all over the internet and the broadcast news programs and you’ve been bombarded every 30 minutes with images of frightened school children fleeing the smoldering bomb. What? You haven’t? Well, here it is now.

    A teen was arrested in Pine View High School in the city of St. George when a bomb in his backpack began smoking. He’s also suspected of raising an ISIS flag at another school. From Associated Press;

    No one was hurt Monday after the backpack was found in a common area of the school by a student who reported it to a teacher.

    The boy was arrested and booked into a detention center on charges of manufacture, possession, sale, use or attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, St. George police said in a statement.

    No one was hurt, no damage was reported and the school reopened Tuesday morning for classes. Police did not describe the homemade bomb in detail but said it “had the potential to cause significant injury or death.”

    “Based on our investigation we can confirm this was a failed attempt to detonate a homemade explosive at the school. It was also determined that the male had been researching information and expressing interest in ISIS and promoting the organization,” police said.

    So why isn’t the story more popular? Well, there’s no blood, so the media doesn’t care and it doesn’t involve firearms, bombs are boring, especially when they fizzle and don’t kill and maim. No crying white mothers.

    If the little terrorist MFer had only used a gun, especially a black, scary-looking gun with lots of accessory rails and a bayonet lug.

    A bomb only highlights the fact that it’s people not guns that are a danger to kids in schools – can’t put that on the news.

  • David Jameson; phony SEAL

    David Jameson; phony SEAL

    Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on this fellow, David Alfred Jameson who was honored by Elks Lodge #104 in Newport, Rhode Island for being their Veteran of the Year.

    Of course, he’s not a SEAL. But he tells folks that he was on social media and in LinkedIn;

    When he was confronted, the sockpuppets cometh;

    The Navy doesn’t know what records his commander and 1SG are looking at;

    David Jameson did serve in the United States Navy. He went to schools for submarine duty and served on the USS Atlanta, SSN 712. Jameson did not go to BUD/S or earn a Trident. He did not serve at SEAL Team Four. I still would like to know what Davids Commander saw in his records to make him believe David was a SEAL. I would hope that Stolen Valor is enough to get that Veteran of the year award revoked.

  • Sunday morning feel good stories

    Sunday morning feel good stories

    Rural homeowners in Canada are pushing back after a neighbor is arrested for defending his property;

    “It doesn’t matter if you’re a rural person, a city person — it’s property rights,” said Rod Hertz, who attended the rally. “You have to defend yourself, you should have the right to defend yourself.”

    Edouard Maurice woke up early Feb. 24 to find two suspected trespassers rummaging through vehicles on his property.

    Shots were fired and Ryan Watson was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm. He was charged with trespassing by night, theft under $5,000 from a motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and failure to comply with probation.

    Maurice was charged with aggravated assault, pointing a firearm and careless use of a firearm — charges locals say aren’t fair.

    Derek Ully lives on a farm in the area and says rural crime has been on the rise. While he believes no one should have to fire a shot to protect their property, he said, “I don’t know what the answer is, but something has got to happen to make this stop.”

    From Canada Broadcasting Company;

    “They feel like sitting ducks because of the times and distances to get a response or there may be no resources available.”

    Oel is a councillor with the M.D. of Foothills and president of the High Country Rural Crime Watch Association.

    The association had a meeting Thursday night and Edouard Maurice was top of mind. He was charged with shooting a trespasser on his rural property in the early hours of Feb. 24.

    In Phoenix, Arizona;

    The alleged shooter told authorities they heard two people arguing in a car parked on 31st Avenue. After listening to the couple’s argument, the suspect decided to intervene because it became “so disturbing,” a police spokesperson said.

    The man took his gun to confront the man and tell him to stop yelling, police said. The 23-year-old victim got out of his car and the suspect was able to calm him down before he became agitated again and punched the suspect in the face.

    The 29-year-old man shot the victim in response to the assault, authorities said. His wife then called 911 to report the incident.

    Witnesses tell ABC15 that a passerby attempted to perform CPR on the injured man before paramedics arrived at the scene. However, the man died at the scene.

    The alleged shooter was taken into custody but was released. An investigation is ongoing.

    From Gig Harbor, Washington;

    The hunt is on for a violent burglary suspect Pierce County detectives say assaulted a woman while trying to break into her home.

    They’ve released a sketch of the suspect.

    The victim lives on 149th St. NW in Gig Harbor.

    Detectives say she was walking out of her garage last month, when she was thrown to the ground, grabbed by her throat and punched in the face several times. But then — her attacker ran off — because detectives say she was able to arm herself with a pistol and fired a shot into the garage’s ceiling.

    Top Kone sends a link from Baton Rouge, Louisiana;

    Tuesday around 5 a.m. authorities say a 34-year-old man kicked in the door and forced his way into an apartment that was occupied by three people.

    One of the residents armed himself with a handgun and shot the suspect multiple times. According to a release, the suspect attempted to flee the scene on foot but collapsed outside the apartment.

    The suspect was transported to a local hospital and is expected to survive his injuries. After he is released, the suspect will be booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for home invasion.

  • Kevin McGrath; Beirut phony

    Kevin McGrath; Beirut phony

    Our partners at Military Phonies share their work on Kevin Michael McGrath. Mr McGrath claims on his résumé that he was an embassy guard and a sergeant of Marines as well as being in Beirut with the 3/8th Marines in Beirut, Lebanon;

    Not according to the Navy, though;

    Mr McGrath joined the Marines on April 9,1980. He was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island South Carolina (MCRDPISC) where he was assigned to the 1st Recruit Training Battalion on April 23, 1980.

    After Graduation from Boot Camp in July of 1980, Mr McGrath was transferred to Pensacola Fl where he was assigned as a student for training to become a Cryptologic Digital Network Technician Analyst. MOS — 2611. Due to Academic reasons ( flunking out), Mr McGrath was transferred to Headquarters Service Company, Marine Corps Detachment, Quantico VA for the MOS training of 4621 Audio/Visual Equipment Operator. Upon completion of this training, he was transferred to Headquarters Servi-ce Company, Marine Barracks, Washington DC with the MOS’s of 0151 Administrative Clerk and 4621 Audio/Visual Equipment Operator.

    The National Personnel Records Center did not find a record showing that Kevin Michael McGrath held the MOS’s of 0311 or 8152. They also didn’t find any evidence of Mr McGrath being assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines. Mr McGrath’s chronological record does not show that he ever deployed off of the Continental United States. He was discharged from active duty with the Marine Corps on May 2, 1984 as a L/Cpl (E-3).

  • Hasta Muerte Coffee; cops not welcomed

    Hasta Muerte Coffee; cops not welcomed

    Bobo sends a link from KCRA which reports that Hasta Muerte Coffee, an employee-owned co-op in Oakland, California has refused service to police for the “physical and emotional safety of our customers and ourselves.”

    Last Friday February 16th a police (OPD) entered our shop and was told by one of our worker-owners that “we have a policy of asking police to leave for the physical and emotional safety of our customers and ourselves.” Since then, cop supporters are trying to publicly shame us online with low reviews because this particular police visitor was Latino. He broadcasted to his network that he was “refused service” at a local business and now the rumblings are spreading.
    We know in our experience working on campaigns against police brutality that we are not alone saying that police presence compromises our feeling of physical & emotional safety. There are those that do not share that sentiment – be it because they have a friend or relative who is a police, because they are white or have adopted the privileges whiteness affords, because they are home- or business- owning, or whatever the particular case may be. If they want to make claims about police being part of the community, or claims that race trumps the badge & gun when it comes to police, they must accept that the burden of proof for such a claim is on them. OPDs recent attempts to enlist officers of color and its short term touting of fewer officer involved shootings does not reverse or mend its history of corruption, mismanagement, and scandal, nor a legacy of blatant repression.

    I sure hope that their name, “Hasta Muerte”, “Until Death” in English, isn’t prescient.