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

Author: Hondo

  • Yet Another Tantrum from ND:tBF

    Well, it looks like that “august” leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un (“ND:tBF” here at TAH) wants some more attention.

    Specifically, North Korea is now claiming it will launch a “preemptive nuclear strike” on the US.  They’ve also recently said they would end the cease fire on the Korean peninsula that’s technically been in effect since 1953.

    I have to say I’m not particularly worried about Armageddon here.  After all, North Korea hasn’t yet demonstrated the ability to build a weapon small enough to fit on a long range missile.  Their missiles aren’t exactly deserving of paeans regarding their reliability, either.  And although ND:tBF might be as crazy as his late father, I’m guessing the rest of North Korea’s leadership doesn’t have a collective “death wish”.

    “Preemptive nuclear strike” my butt.  This is like a 7 year old kid with a few firecrackers threatening to take on an Infantry company.  IMO it’s nothing but ludicrous political posturing.

  • A Good LT

    Forty-six years ago, a soldier was wounded in Vietnam.

    SPC Robert French was a Radiotelephone Operator with the 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.  He fought in Vietnam.  He was wounded in action on 19 June 1967, during a 3-day battle near Ap Bac in the Mekong Delta.

    French received a Purple Heart for his wound. However, he and three other soldiers had performed exceptionally during the battle.  They were submitted for a Bronze Star Medal for their actions during the battle by their chain of command – specifically, by their Platoon Leader.

    Unfortunately, in a regrettably too-common occurrence the paperwork was lost.  At the end of his tour SPC French went home.  And normally, that would have been the end of things.

    Except . . .

    Fast forward thirty-some years.  In a reunion a decade or so ago, French ran into his former Platoon Leader – then-1LT Jack Benedict.  Benedict asked him if he’d ever received his BSM for his actions at Ap Bac.

    On finding out that French and the others had not, Benedict contacted his Congressman, Representative Gus Bilirakis.  Though it took a while, with Rep. Bilirakis’ help the Army was convinced to right an old wrong and award the long-overdue medals.

    Robert French received his Bronze Star yesterday at MacDill AFB, FL.  It was presented by MG Karl Horst, the CENTCOM Chief of Staff.

    Unfortunately, Benedict was unable to attend.  He now has Parkinson’s disease, and was unable to travel to Tampa for the ceremony.

    Somehow, I don’t think Benedict is too bothered by the fact that he couldn’t attend.  I’m guessing that knowing that his men were finally taken care of is enough for him.

    Well done, 1LT Jack Benedict.  You were obviously one of the good “LTs.”

    And kudos as well to Representative Gus Bilirakis.  I can see why the VFW named him their 2012 VFW Legislator of the Year.

  • Well, It Didn’t Take Long

    Seems that many of the Leftist tools fine Progressives in Hollywood are in mourning today.  And two of them in particular seem to be grief-stricken.

    Oliver Stone is mourning the loss of “a great hero”.  Sean Penn says that he “lost a friend”.

    Yeah, they’re both talking about Hugo Chavez.

    Hey dipsticks:  if you two love leftist dictatorships so much, why don’t both of you emigrate to Cuba?  Or maybe North Korea?

    Freaking idiots.

  • Another Hugo Chavez Update

    It appears that the reports that Hugo Chavez was making a “slow and steady” recovery may have been . . . overstated.

    The Venezuelan government announced yesterday that their Communist Leftist President has suffered fresh setbacks in his recovery.  According to Information Minister Ernesto Villegas:

    “Today there is a worsening of his respiratory function, related to his depressed immune system. There is now a new, severe infection.  The commander-president remains clinging to Christ and to life, conscious of the difficulties he is facing, and complying strictly with the program designed by his medical team.”

    The Venezuelan government has previously indicated on multiple occasions that Chavez is “fighting for his life”.  This latest report doesn’t seem to be good news for the Chavez “home team” on that score.

    Yes, Chavez is a born survivor.  But with each new report, I’m increasingly getting the feeling that he’s nearing the end of his time here on earth.

  • What’s Next – Pop-Tart Control Laws?

    In Baltimore, People’s Republic of Maryland, a 7 year old kid was recently suspended from school for 2 days for an “inappropriate gesture”.

    His “crime”?  Eating a Pop-Tart.  While doing so, one of his teachers saw the half-eaten pastry – and thought it was being shaped to look like a gun.

    I wish I was joking above.  Unfortunately, I’m not.

    We all knew that common sense ceased to be a requirement for public educators years ago.  Apparently now working brain cells are no longer required either.

    Completely asinine.  But hey – it’s just another public-school example of “your tax dollars at work.”

  • Time for More Dog Control?

    Maybe.  It seems like a police K9 in Massachusetts managed to fire a pistol into an occupied dwelling.

    Police in Lawrence, MA, were investigating 3 shots fired.  They spied a vehicle containing suspects.

    The suspect vehicle led police on a high-speed chase.  When it stopped, one of the vehicle’s occupants got out and buried something in a snowbank.

    The police detained the 3 occupants of the vehicle.  The police soon afterwards released a K9, who located the buried object – which turned out to be a firearm.  In doing so, however, the K9 managed to discharge the weapon into an occupied dwelling.  Thankfully there were no injuries.

    The 3 occupants of the vehicle are now facing various charges.  No word on whether the K9 was placed on administrative leave pending investigation of a negligent discharge.  (smile)

    No, I’m not joking – well, except for the “administrative leave pending investigation . . . ” part.

    At least, I think that was a joke.  With some big-city police departments, you never know. (smile)

     

  • “Fixing” the Economy, Eh?

    It looks like the current Administration really is doing a great job of “fixing” the US economy.

    In January 2013, disposable inflation income – adjusted for inflation – dropped 4%.  For those who’ve forgotten:  disposable income is what you have left after taxes and other mandatory deductions.

    That’s the largest single-month drop since 1959 – or in at least 54 years.  I say “at least” because 1959 is when the statistics for monthly changes in inflation-adjusted disposable income begin.

    Consumers spent a bit more in January 2013, even while having 4% less to spend.  What that means is that consumers are saving less or going further in debt.  Neither is a good thing for the economy’s long-term health.

    Other indicators, except for inflation, were similarly bad.  Inflation was about the sole bright spot – 1.3% for the Jan 2012-Jan 2013 period.  However, even that low level of inflation hurts when disposable incomes are shrinking.

    And in case you were wondering – yeah, the new taxes which kicked in at the beginning of the year were the primary cause of the drop in disposable income.

    Details can be found here.

    Oh, by the way:  that 1.3% inflation (Jan 2012 to Jan 2013) does not include the recent spike in gasoline prices.  That price spike happened largely in Feb 2013.  On January 28, 2013, the national average price of regular-grade gasoline was $3.296/gallon.  On February 25, 2013 – $3.722/gallon – an increase of $0.426/gallon, or over 12.9%, in less than a month.

    On another “cheery” note – under the current administration, the Federal government has now added $6+ trillion in new debt – in 4 years and 40 days.  That’s “trillion” with a “T”, or

    $6,000,000,000,000.00+

    That’s an average of not quite $1.5 trillion in new Federal debt added during each of the past four years.

     

    The words of Pyrrhus of Epirus come to mind:  “Another such ‘victory’ and we shall be utterly ruined.”

  • A Hugo Chavez Update

    Been a bit since I’ve posted anything about our “good friend” and Communist leftist extraordinaire Hugo Chavez.  So I thought today would be a good day to do that.

    Chavez’s Vice-Dictator President, Nicolas Maduro, continues to publicly claim that Chavez is making a “difficult and slow recovery”.  As they have for weeks, Chavez opponents are questioning the veracity of those claims. And Spanish newspaper ABC has added fuel to the fire by reporting that Chavez’s cancer has “spread to a lung” and that Chavez has been “moved to an island compound in the Caribbean”.  (ABC did not identify their sources.)

    (Author’s note:  the linked ABC article is in Spanish.  My Spanish is so rudimentary as to be virtually nonexistent, but I’m pretty sure this is the correct article – I recognize “medicos”, “isla”, and “células cancerígenas”, and I’m pretty sure that “tumoración pulmonar” translates as “pulmonary tumor”.)

    Predictably, Maduro has castigated Chavez opponents, ABC, and a Colombian media network (Caracol) for “spreading lies” about Chavez’s condition.  However, Maduro hasn’t been particularly consistent himself regarding Chavez’s condition, either.  Two days ago, Maduro indicated publicly that Chavez was “fighting for his life”.   And he’s made that same “fighting for his life” statement about Chavez previously.

    Ask not for whom the bell tolls, Hugo.  It appears to be preparing to toll for thee.

    – – –

    Update:  I found a web service to translate the ABC newspaper article.  That’s indeed the correct one.  It specifically claims the new tumor is aggressive and now involves 35% of Chavez’s left lung.  It further claims Chavez’s immune system is severely degraded; that Chavez also has abdominal metastatic lesions; that Chavez is receiving palliative care; and that he was moved to allow his family to be with him and react on short notice.

    If any of that is accurate, that’s not good news for Hugo.  If all of it is accurate, well . . . .