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

Author: Hondo

  • No Latin American ‘Lenin’s Tomb’

    It appears that previous reports that Hugo Chavez’s remains would be put on permanent view – like those of his ideological brethren Lenin and Stalin – were incorrect.  Venezuela’s information minister has announced that it will not do so “based on the advice of a Russian medical commission”.

    Funeral arrangements for Chavez were not announced.

    I’m heartbroken – just heartbroken.  I was so hoping one day to have a chance to visit a Latin American version of Lenin’s Tomb.

    Oh well, there’s always Fidel . . . .

  • USS Miami Arsonist Gets 17+ Years

    Regular TAH readers likely remember NHSparky’s previous articles on the USS Miami arson incident.  In that incident, a shipyard worker – Casey James Fury – intentionally set a fire on board the sub.  He later told authorities he set the fire because “he wanted to go home because he was suffering from an anxiety attack” and “never envisioned such extensive damage”.  The resulting fire did what is currently estimated at $450 million in damage to the sub – and injured seven.

    Fury was sentenced yesterday in Federal court to 205 months in prison – just over 17 years.  He was also ordered to pay $400 million in restitution.

    Yeah, right.  Good luck on getting $400 million from this doofus, Uncle Sam.

    Oh well.  At least Fury will do something approaching a reasonable amount of time for his crime.  And at least no one was killed during the fire.

    But I guess Fury now has bona fide reasons for his anxiety attacks.  I understand prison can be kinda scary.

  • “The Food is Safe, Your Excellency”

    Apparently the POTUS recently attended lunch with Senate Republicans.  However, he passed on eating lunch himself.

    The reason?  According to Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the President couldn’t eat because his “taster” was not there.

    I’m not joking.

    “He looked longingly at it,” Collins continued. “He honestly did look longingly at it, but apparently he has to have essentially a taster, and I pointed out to him that we were all tasters for him, that if the food had been poisoned all of us would have keeled over so, but he did look longingly at it and he remarked that we have far better food than the Democrats do, and I said that was because I was hosting.”

    Geez.  And people called the Nixon Administration an “Imperial Presidency”.

  • An “Allied Veterans of the World” Update

    Well, it didn’t take too long for the curtain to rise on Act II of the Allied Veterans of the World drama.

    Earlier reports indicated the next phase would concentrate on campaign donations.  Those reports seem to have been correct.

    Persons tied to Allied Veterans and its software supplier, International Internet Technologies, apparently made donations to political candidates and parties totaling over $1.15 million – over $1 million in Florida, and over $150 thousand in North Carolina.  Donations were made to both Republican and Democratic candidates and organizations.

    Details so far don’t really seem to show any real “smoking gun”.  But the donations appear – in some cases at least – possibly to have targeted lawmakers playing key roles in regulating Allied Veterans’ gambling activities.

    There’s still no clear indication as to why Florida’s former Lieutenant Governor chose to resign immediately after being interviewed by investigators.  As was reported initially, she did work as a consultant for Allied Veterans prior to her election as Lieutenant Governor, and did so while serving as a state legislator.  But the newest information doesn’t seem to tie her directly to the scandal.

    Stay tuned.   This one might get even more interesting.

  • “How Dare You Photograph the VP Without Permission!”

    No, that remark wasn’t actually made.  But based on what happened it might as well have been.

    It seems the VP attended a domestic violence event recently.  A student from the University of Maryland, Jeremy Barr – who is also an accredited journalist for the Capital News Service – attended.  He was covering the event.

    Barr took pictures.  So did some of the other people around him.

    After the event, Barr was approached by a member of the VPs staff.  That staffer demanded to see his camera – and deleted his photos.  He also demanded to see Barr’s iPhone to ensure Barr had not downloaded any of the photos to that device.

    Barr was further detained another 10 minutes because the staffer needed to “talk to a supervisor”.  Then he was permitted to go.

    The VP’s press office later apologized, saying that the incident had been “a mistake”.  Of course, they only did so after the dean of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, Lucy A. Daglish, called them with a complaint.

    “A mistake.”  Certainly.  Everybody knows you can’t take photos at a public event held in a public place.  How dare he!

    Why, Barr should just be glad he wasn’t sent to a closet to cool his heels.  Or prevented from talking to members of the public at the event.  Oh wait – sorry, those were “mistakes” by the VP’s staffers, too.

    Daglish had a rather dim view of the incident, calling it “intimidation”.  Barr’s editor thinks that Barr has a good case if he wants to sue.

    I have to agree with both.  Although I’d personally probably use a somewhat earthier term than “intimidation” to describe what happened here.

  • Modern “Edukayshun”

    Saw a reference to this on Drudge.  Maybe it’s just me, but today’s scheduled activity seems oddly apropos for a place named Brown University.  Perhaps they should change their name to “Brown 25“.  (smile)   (WARNING:  links  may be considered in bad taste and are probably not safe for small children.)

    And before anyone asks:  yes, the first link seems to be legit and not satire.

    Oh well, at least they’re a private institution so they’re not wasting public funds.  Other than the tax breaks they get.  And the grants/loans/subsidies from various governments they and their students waste while promoting and attending stuff like this.

     

  • Yet Another Scam Veteran’s Charity?

    Looks like we may have yet another scam masquerading as a charity that “helps veterans”.  And it appears this one was no small-time scam, either.

    Florida-based Allied Veterans of the World was founded in 1979.  It first ran “bingo games”.  It’s since moved up to internet video gambling.

    It claimed to be raising money primarily for charity.  Indeed, in some states (like Florida), that’s the only reason their operation was legal.  Some states allow what would otherwise be illegal gambling activities so long as more than half of the proceeds in fact go to charity.

    Allied Veterans was quite successful.  From 2007 to 2012, they apparently took in around $290 million.

    The problem is, when authorities looked at their books they could only find about $6 million in charitable donations for the same period.  That’s just over 2% of intake.  Meanwhile, the guy heading Allied Veterans – a former president of the Jacksonville Bar Association – allegedly also received $6 million.

    Authorities found nearly $65 million in various bank accounts; these accounts have been seized.  And they also found that the organization’s execs seemed to be living the proverbial “Life of Riley” – complete with boats, beachfront condos, and high-end sports cars (Porsches, Ferraris, and Maseratis).

    A total of 57 arrest and 54 search warrants were executed in six states in connection with the Allied Veterans investigation.  Charges to be filed next week are expected to include racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, and possession of slot machines.  Additionally, the owner of what was apparently Allied Veterans’ partner – International Internet Technologies – and his spouse were also arrested and charged with racketeering and conspiracy.  International Internet Technologies supplied the software used in the internet gambling scheme.  According to IRS records they apparently made over $60 million dollars from the enterprise from 2007 to 2010.

    Florida’s current Lieutenant Governor has resigned due to the scandal.  It seems she’s appeared in at least one TV commercial (2011) lauding Allied Veterans and their work supporting vets.  Prior to being elected, her PR firm also worked for Allied Veterans.

    She resigned a day after being questioned in connection with the investigation.  She is not facing criminal charges.

    Investigation reportedly continues – focused on political donations and lobbying.  There may well be a second act to this little drama.

    Kudos to the State of Florida and their Attorney General’s office for putting these scammers out of business.

  • More Words of Wisdom . . .

    . . . from guess who:

    “The one person I don’t want to have a weapon is a fugitive from justice.  I’d rather have an ex-felon have access to a weapon than someone fleeing the justice system.”

    Yeah, you guessed it.  That was our “brilliant” VP, Joseph Biden, speaking to the National League of Cities this past Tuesday.

    Suit yourself, Mr. VP.  Personally, I’d rather neither had a weapon.

    But I do have to wonder about the VP’s statement after thinking some about what he said.  As I recall, someone with an outstanding unpaid traffic ticket is technically a “fugitive from justice”.  I think I’d rather see that particular fugitive with a gun vice some unrepentant 35-year-old hard case who’s just got out after doing 15 years for rape and attempted murder.

    (No, that’s not unrealistic.  This guy will be eligible for parole after 20 years after being convicted of the kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder of a 10 year old child.)

    There are some other real “gems” in the VP’s remarks.  There is a short video at the link, so you can hear them yourself if you like.

    I’d say enjoy, but unlike liberals preaching gun control I refuse to be a public hypocrite.