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

Author: Hondo

  • The Latest Sinclair Update

    It’s time for yet another update on that “fine general”, BG Jeffrey A. Sinclair.

    You remember Sinclair, right – that Army BG accused of various types of  . . . interesting conduct while deployed to Afghanistan?  The same guy whose defense team (or someone else) apparently set up a PR web site to tell his side of the story – a site which IMO stops just short of admitting many if not virtually all of the accusations against him?

    Recently, it appears Sinclair’s current defense team was trying to convince the military judge essentially to allow a trial by multiple juries. The defense’s rationale was a fear that a single court-martial panel might be “overwhelmed” while considering many different charges involving multiple accusers.  I’m not sure I buy that; my guess is that they were angling for some oddball grounds for appeal if he’s convicted.

    In any case, the military judge didn’t buy it.  Sinclair will be tried by a single court-martial panel on all charges.  The judge observed that the members of his court-martial panel – which will apparently consist of other GOs – would be “highly educated and likely to follow instructions”.

    Gee – ya think?

  • A Court Gets One Right

    We often complain about US courts and their verdicts/decisions.  But on occasion, they get one right.

    Yesterday, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, age 35, was sentenced to 18 years in Federal prison – plus 10 years of supervised release afterwards.

    Abdul-Latif had been convicted in Federal court of conspiring to attack the MEPS in south Seattle with automatic weapons and grenades.  The motive?  Revenge for “atrocities by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan”.

    The MEPS complex Abdul-Latif was plotting to attack contains a day-care facility.

    Abdul-Latif was arrested in June 2011 when he went to a Seattle-area warehouse to pick up the weapons and grenades to be used in the attack.  Turns out someone heard about the plan and tipped authorities.  Authorities then set up a “sting” buy at which Abdul-Latif was arrested.

    Enjoy your time in the crossbar hotel, Abu.

    Now, I wonder if this jackass is naturalized – and if so, if this might be grounds for stripping him of his naturalized citizenship?

  • Federal Fiscal Follies, Part III (Revisited) – The Disability Scam

    I’ve written about this problem before here at TAH.  And I knew then the problem was bad.

    But I didn’t realize how bad the problem had become.  The problem is far bigger than I thought originally.

    When all costs are totaled, the Federal government is now spending more to support those who are “disabled” than it is on classic “welfare” and food stamps – combined.  The government is now making over 14 million Social Security disability payments each month – or more than 5 million more the nearly 9 million monthly payments I noted in my previous article.

    The problem seems to be getting worse as the economy “recovers”, too.  Since 2009, an average of 100,000 more people are applying for disability each month than new jobs are being created.  And less than 1% of those who became “disabled” since the beginning of 2011 have returned to the labor force – in spite of the statutory requirement that a person be unable to perform any type of useful work in order to receive Social Security disability payments at all.

    The overall cost to taxpayers today, including healthcare for these “disabled” folks?  Try about $260 billion – annually.  And increasing.

    Oh, and did I mention that people who are drawing “disability” from the SSA are not even counted as part of the US labor force, even if they’re actually able to work in some capacity?  God only knows what the US unemployment rate would be if Federal law were enforced regarding the criteria for receiving SSA disability payments rather than being widely ignored.  But you can bet it would be far higher than it is today.

    A lady from (of all places) NPR – Chana Joffe-Walt – has researched the problem in great detail and  discusses the issue here.  IMO her article is definitely worth a read.  And it’s depressing as hell.

    Here’s one final bit of “good news”:  according to the Social Security chief actuary, the SSA disability insurance program will run out of funds in 2016.  That’s about 3 years from now.

    In the 1980s, we heard about “welfare queens”.  They’re largely gone today.  But from what I see, it looks like they’ve been replaced by “disability drones”.

    Damn.  Just . . . damn.

  • “Free Man In Paris”? Not Exactly . . . .

    Well, the VP visited Europe recently.  It was a 5 night trip.  He spent one night in London, and one night in Paris.

    He stayed at very nice hotels – the Hyatt Regency in London, and the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand in Paris.  I won’t begrudge him that; after all, he is the VP of the United States.  And he did have to send an advance party, and bring security, staff, etc . . . .

    But perhaps whoever booked his rooms needs to work on their negotiating skills.

    Hotel cost for the VP’s London stay:  $459,388.65.  The sole-source contract was awarded non-competitively, and was for 136 rooms – and a total of 893 room-nights.  Average cost per room was somewhat over $510 per night.

    And the hotel cost for the VP’s stay in Paris?  A cool $585,000.50.  Not as many details are available here, so it’s unclear precisely what the nightly cost per room really was.  But if the number of room-nights is the same, that works out to around $650 per night.

    The above contracts appear to be for lodging only – no staff salaries, fuel, etc . . . .

    Yeah, you’re reading that correctly.  That’s apparently over $1,044,000 for lodging alone to support the VP staying one night in London and one night in Paris.

    In case anyone’s wondering:  the normal maximum authorized overseas lodging rate for US government travelers in London is $301 per night.  For Paris, $379 the normal maximum authorized is per night.  Exceptions exceeding this amount require special authorization.

    Obviously, this is a case where an exception was authorized.  And yeah, the VP doesn’t just walk in and get a room for the night; security considerations nix that.

    But it seems to me that you should be able to negotiate a nightly rate at least somewhere close to the maximum authorized for Federal travelers when booking a block of 130+ rooms including the POTUS or VP – like maybe within $50 or $100 per night, anyway.  Here, in each case it looks like the rate negotiated was at least $200 per night per room over that.

    And 136 rooms?  Really?

    But hey:  it’s the for the VP of the United States, so it’s cool.  And it’s only money, right?

    Yeah, that last bit is kinda my point.  It’s the US taxpayer’s money.  Over $1 million for lodging alone so the VP can spend two nights overseas just seems a bit much.

     

    PS:  it looks like the VP got around in style while he was in Paris, too.  His limo bill for the stay appears to have been $321,665.

    He’s got nothing on his boss, though.  According to the same article, when the POTUS visited Cannes in November 2011 for the Cannes Film Festival the limo bill there was estimated to cost $731,938 – with a “not to exceed” limit of $1,400,000.

    That visit to Cannes by the POTUS lasted approximately 36 hours.

  • In Memoriam: Ten Years Ago

    On 23 March 2003, the US military suffered its first wartime “fragging” incident since Vietnam.  On that date Hasan Karim Akbar – then a soldier assigned to A Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Infantry Division – conducted a grenade and firearms attack on fellows soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait. 

    To execute his attack, Akbar first disabled a generator to disrupt lighting during the early morning hours while most troops were asleep. He then threw four grenades stolen from supply into three sleeping tents. In the resulting confusion,  he fired at other US troops with his assigned weapon.

    Akbar’s attack killed two US personnel – CPT Christopher S. Seifert, 101st Airborne, and Maj. Gregory L. Stone, 124th Air Operations Squadron, who was attached to the 101st Airborne at the time.  Fourteen other US personnel were wounded.

    Akbar was apprehended after the attack.  He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of premeditated murder in April 2005.  During his court-martial, he attacked and injured an MP escorting him to the latrine with a smuggled sharp object. 

    Akbar was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death.  His case was automatically appealed to the Court of Military Appeals, which heard his appeal in 2012.  A decision on his appeal is still pending. 

    Rest in peace, Maj. Stone and CPT Seifert.  You’re not forgotten.

    And as for you, Akbar: it may take a while, but I’m guessing that your days are indeed numbered.  I’m also guessing that you won’t die of old age.

    I recommend you start making your preparations to meet Shaytan. 

  • Loving to Fly

    Apparently the former SECDEF wasn’t the only one regularly flying home most weekends.  It seems as if our VP loves flying on government aircraft, too.

    The VP has an official residence in DC.  He also owns a home in Wilmington, DE – about 110 miles away.

    As a Senator, he apparently took the train from DC to Wilmington on weekends.  Once he became VP, according to Biden the Secret Service put the kibosh on that for security reasons.

    However, as VP most weekends he’s still been going home. He’s a member of a rather exclusive club in Wilmington, and likes to golf there.  And since it’s his home, presumably he likes the area too.

    So he’s been flying home.  He’s generally been using Air Force Two to fly to Wilmington.

    Air Force Two is a modified Boeing 757.  It has an operating cost of around $8,800 per hour.  Add to that operating cost whatever it costs to get him to/from Andrews AFB to catch his flight and to/from his home in Wilmington, DE, of course.  Plus crew salaries, and travel expenses if they stay for the weekend.  Plus the travel expenses for his protection detail – as well as additional salaries for same whenever his family doesn’t come with him.

    Ya know, if it were me I think I’d just drive.  Seems to me that would be possible for the VP, too – even if he might have to wait until after rush hour to leave.  By the time he gets from his Naval Observatory residence to Andrews, catches his flight, flies to Wilmington, gets off, and then goes home, I’m guessing he burns at least an hour – if not closer to an hour and a half.  At off-peak hours, it’s only about a 2-hour drive.  And I’ll guarantee someone else will be doing the driving, too.

    And if the Secret Service nixed that (which is entirely possible due to security concerns if being done on a regular basis), I think I’d either just stay in DC most weekends – or at least see if Marine 2 might be available to take me vice Air Force Two.  Even a VH-3D has to be less expensive to operate than a 757.

    But we should feel sorry for our poor Mr. VP.  According to recent remarks Biden made to the National Association of Attorneys General, sequestration is going to force him to go back to using the train.

    Which brings a question to mind:  if it’s OK for you to resume using the train due to sequestration, Mr. VP – then why in the hell haven’t you been using it all along?

  • Sequestration? What Sequestration?

    I seem to remember hearing somewhere that the government was broke, and had to cut back spending as a result.  I think that was supposed to be the reason for something called “sequestration”.

    But I must have heard wrong.  Seems that the current Administration has just approved the release of nearly $500 million in funds to our firm allies the Palestinian Authority.  And they’ve asked Congress for another $200 million for the Palestinian Authority for this year, too.

    This is on top of the $250 million in “economic assistance” we just sent to our firm friends, the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government of Egypt.  And the $37 million in additional education aid we gave that steadfast US “friend” Pakistan about a week ago.  And I’m sure there are a few other such giveaways out there that have happened during the last few weeks.

    By my math, that all totals close to a billion dollars.  I’m guessing it’s more than $1 billion when it’s all added up.

    And it’s all going to regimes that are often less-than-friendly to the US.

    Sequestration?  Yeah, that sequestration is really helping us cut back on nonessential Federal spending, isn’t it?

  • “The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves”

    Recently, 10 soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea were involved in serious and apparently alcohol-related incidents.  One incident was a 5-person knife fight.  Two other incidents involved wee-hours fights with civilian Korean police.

    Those are bad news.  So the offenders are getting “hammered” for getting hammered and stupid, right?

    Well, yes.  But so is every other soldier in the 2nd ID.

    The CG has announced the following corrective measures in response to these incidents.  He’s imposing them ostensibly to “ensure readiness”.

    • Suspension of alcohol consumption.
    • Termination of all three- and four-day weekend passes.
    • A complete review of the pass policy.
    • A review of all soldiers who have had past misconduct.
    • Training on responsible conduct.
    • Leadership seminars that will focus on discipline and its relationship to readiness.

    It’s your command, General.  Yes, political impact and relations with your host nation are realities you have to consider.  And yes, it’s completely within your authority to do exactly what you did.

    But from what I’ve seen in the past, indiscriminate mass punishments of innocent and guilty alike often are counterproductive.  And I’ve always thought that treating troops like adults rather than children was generally a better approach.

    The knuckleheads who get drunk and seriously stupid indeed need to be nailed to the wall.  But I frankly don’t see a need to punish the other 99+% who weren’t total idiots.

    (sigh)  I’d hoped we’d moved past this kind of 18th Century leadership in our armed forces.  I guess I was wrong.