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

Author: Hondo

  • An Egypt Update

    Well, it appears that the Islamists running Egypt are continuing to follow the “playbook”.

    As you probably heard, Egypt approved a new constitution last month – though there were reportedly substantial voting irregularities and a voter turnout of less than 33%.  This new Egyptian constitution defines Egyptian law as being derived from “the principles of Islamic law” and has no explicit protections regarding the rights of women or religious minorities.  But don’t worry, the Islamists say; they’ll respect minority and women’s rights.

    Yeah, right.  Suuuuure they will.  The rest of the Islamic world does that so well – especially in those places where anti-Western Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood have influence.

    In short:  the new Egyptian constitution gives anti-Western Islamist hard-liners the green light to take over.  And that appears to be precisely what the former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and current Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, is beginning.

    He’s now shaken up his cabinet, replacing three former cabinet officers with members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Surprise, surprise, surprise!

    Let’s see – take power through anti-Western street protests while the US stands by and does nothing; gain a veneer of legitimacy via an election held shortly afterwards; re-write the Constitution to eliminate Western influences like religious freedom and women’s rights; ram the new Constitution through in a hasty referendum; and marginalize the opposition afterwards.  So far, we could be talking about either Cairo, 2011-13  –  or Teheran, 1979-1980.

    Unfortunately, the next steps in the “playbook” are fairly nasty ones.  Let’s see if/when they occur.

    I’m hoping they won’t.  But history says they likely will – and that we’ll be feeling the effects for decades.

  • A Few ‘Fiscal Follies’ Updates

    Food Stamps and the Current Economic Recovery

    Yeah, the current administration has the economy just humming along.  Just look at the money spent on food stamps during the last 4 years.  It’s increased each year the current administration has been in power – from a bit over $56 billion in 2009 to over $80 billion in 2012.  And other various Federal food assistance programs have raised the total Federal tab for “nutrition assistance” to nearly $106 billion in 2012.

    Two things about this bother the hell out of me.  First, an improving economy should show a declining need for food assistance – not a continuing rise.  And as our liberal brethren keep telling us:  the current POTUS has made the economy “way better” – right?

    Second: as I’ve previously written, the Obama administration quietly gutted Clinton-era legal limitations on the receipt of food stamps by able-bodied singles back in 2009.  Those restrictions have never been restored.  I have a REAL problem with paying for people’s groceries so they can to sit on their ass when there’s no reason whatsoever they can’t work and use what they earn to pay for their own.

    Isn’t It Nice to See Their Eyes Finally Opening?

    You probably noticed a jump in your taxes already this year.  Specifically, your Social Security deduction went up by close to 50% (from 4.2% of taxable income to 6.2% of taxable income, an increase of 2% of your taxable income; [ 2 / 4.2 ] = 0.476, which is an increase in social security taxes of 47.6%).

    Predictably, many liberals are outraged; some of the comments from DU quoted here are priceless.  I guess they missed the “temporary reduction” part.

    You can thank the current POTUS and his administration for that particular increase.  After all, it was the Obama administration that engineered that temporary Social Security tax reduction during 2011 and 2012 in order to help the economy when it was clear that the 2009 stimulus boondoggle was a failure.  But apparently the economy has now recovered, and that reduction is no longer necessary. (Yes, I’m being sarcastic.)

    Hey, DUmmies: for once, the POTUS delivered on a promise.  You’re getting exactly what you voted for.

    Support Your Local Strip Club – with Taxpayer Dollars!

    Well, that’s the case if you live in NY – and probably anywhere else that pays cash welfare benefits.  But it seems that’s particularly easy these days in NY.  Apparently NY gives both SNAP (formerly food stamps) and cash benefits via EBT card.  And there aren’t any restrictions on where folks can get that cash.  Rather, it’s ATM owners that make the call whether or not they’ll dispense cash from EBT cards that show a cash benefit available.

    As a result, there are plenty of EBT-card cash transactions at ATMs in NY these days. Many of those transactions are at ATMs near liquor stores, strip clubs, hookah bars, and porn shops.  Your tax dollars at play.

    Now, Where ARE Those Pesky Welfare Recipients?

    But at least NY can tell where some of their welfare payments are being spent.  Apparently MA can’t find a rather large number of their welfare recipients.  That could make one wonder just which are real – and which are Memorex.

    But of course, the MA Governor says “don’t worry about it”.  Or was that “pay no attention to the man behind the screen”? (smile)

  • About That Former MDA Director . . . .

    LTG Patrick O’Reilly, former director of the Missile Defense Agency, received a Christmas present this holiday season.  The SECDEF determined that O’Reilly  had “served successfully” as a Lieutenant General – thus allowing O’Reilly to retire at that grade.

    I’ve previously written that O’Reilly was not exactly the best “boss” in the world.  He was allegedly abusive, and yelled at subordinates in public and private settings.  The DoD IG investigated O’Reilly and substantiated these facts.  Yet there appears to have been no clearly criminal behavior on O’Reilly’s part.  The DoD IG Report of Investigation (ROI) on O’Reilly can be found here; read it yourself if you like.  It’s fairly short, and very little is redacted.

    When I wrote my earlier article linked above, I was convinced LTG O’Reilly was an abusive jerk who fully deserved to be relieved of duty.  After locating and reading the DoD IG ROI, I’m still convinced of that – but it’s also not exactly the “slam-dunk” case I expected.

    Effectively all the DoD IG ROI says is that O’Reilly’s leadership style was very poor – e.g., that he chewed ass in public (sometimes profanely) , he sometimes was overly critical of subordinates; and he didn’t take bad news well.  That’s about it.  No other misconduct is alleged or substantiated.  Its conclusions, quoted verbatim, are:  “LTG O’Reilly engaged in a leadership style that was inconsistent with the JER and AR 600-100.”  I also see nothing in the DoD IG ROI I haven’t seen – though admittedly on a much smaller scale – in numerous otherwise excellent leaders.

    Leadership styles vary; what’s appropriate in one environment may not be appropriate in another.  The same criticisms levied against O’Reilly in the DoD IG ROI can also be accurately applied to an individual named George S. Patton, Jr., between 1942 and 1945.  Or to a guy named Curtis LeMay pretty much anytime between 1945 and 1965.

    In short:  I think the SECDEF got this one right.  O’Reilly apparently was the wrong choice to lead MDA and needed to go; the SECDEF was IMO correct in replacing him.  I don’t really “get” how O’Reilly ended up with 1 star, much less 3.  He appears to have been the proverbial “boss from hell”; in my experience, such behavior doesn’t develop overnight.  He simply doesn’t seem to have the leadership ability one would expect in a General/Flag Officer.

    But being pleasant or even a good leader isn’t the regulatory criteria for determining retired grade; serving successfully at a particular grade is.  And it does appear that LTG O’Reilly served successfully – though not pleasantly or with distinction – for the requisite amount of time before being removed as MDA Director.  So based on what’s contained in the DoD IG ROI I don’t see how the SECDEF had much choice but to allow O’Reilly to retire at his final grade.  There simply doesn’t seem to be evidence of anything but an inappropriate leadership style.

    YMMV, though.  And I’d be interested in hearing what others have to say on the matter.

  • I Don’t Care If It IS the Best Thing Since the Invention of Beer . . .

    . . . my answer is still, “Uh, no thanks.”

    Wynkoop Brewing Company’s Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout will now be sold nationwide in cans–available in (what else?) two-packs starting this month.

    No, I’m not kidding.  And yes:  it is indeed flavored with what its name implies.

    Edited to add:  Here’s the April Fool’s Joke video that started this whole brew-haha – which later turned serious.  Enjoy.

     

     

  • And in Latin American News Today . . .

    . . . . it looks like Generalissimo Francisco Franco Hugo Chavez is still – breathing.  Maybe.

    Reports are scanty, but it seems that recovery from Chavez’s last cancer surgery hasn’t gone all that well.  Chavez is allegedly now in an “induced coma” with “very weak” vital signs, being kept alive only by life support that doctors could decide to terminate “at any moment”.

    It appears the decision Chavez made to use steroids for strength during campaigning for Venezuela’s last presidential election might not have been  best one he ever made.  I’m no doctor,but using high levels of drugs known to promote unusual levels of cell growth as a cancer survivor – who probably was in the midst of an active recurrence of his cancer at the time – doesn’t strike me as a good idea.

    There are rumors Chavez has already died.  There are also calls by Venezuelan opposition figures for “the whole truth” regarding Chavez’s condition.

    Stay tuned.

  • A Soldier’s Night Before Christmas

    I’d guess we’ve all seen one of the multiple versions of this poem at some point in time. It’s based on the famous Christmas poem by Clement Clarke Moore, tailored to reflect that reality experienced by all too many in the military over the years: a Christmas spent far from friends and family.

    I said “multiple versions” because I’ve personally seen at least four: one specific to three different services, and at least two different versions for the Army. I’d guess there are dozens if not hundreds of different versions.

    Indeed, even the authorship of this particular work has been variously attributed to individuals from multiple different services – “a Marine Stationed in Okinawa” and “a USAF LtCol stationed in Korea” being two. The best claim to original authorship seems to belong to USMC LCpl James M. Schmidt, who apparently wrote the first known version in Washington DC in the 1980s.

    In the end, it doesn’t matter all that much. The basic idea is constant: voluntary service in the defense of others causing family separation at Christmas.  My background is Army – and I’m writing this article – so I’m using an Army version. (smile)

     

    The Soldier’s Night Before Christmas

    ‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone.
    In a no bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

    I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
    And to see just who, in this small house did live.

    I looked all about, a sad sight did I see,
    No tinsel, no presents; not even a tree.

    By the mantle, no stockings; by the door, boots on sand.
    On the wall hung some pictures of a far distant land.

    Seeing medals and badges, awards of all kind,
    No thoughts of Christmas would stay in my mind.

    For this house was different, it was dark; it was dreary,
    I’d found the house of a soldier, once I could see clearly.

    The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
    Curled up on the floor in this no bedroom home.

    The face was gentle, the room in disorder;
    Not how I’d pictured a United States soldier
    .
    Was this the hero of whom I had read?
    Curled up on a poncho, just the floor for his bed?

    I knew most the families I’d see on this night,
    Owed their lives to these soldiers, who were willing to fight.

    Soon, round the world, the children would play,
    And grownups enjoy a bright Christmas day.

    They all had their freedom each month of the year,
    Because of these soldiers, like the one lying here.

    I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
    On this cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.

    The thought of their service brought a tear to my eye,
    I dropped to my knee and started to cry.

    The soldier awakened, and I heard a rough voice:
    “Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice;

    I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
    My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”

    The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep.
    I couldn’t control it, I started to weep.
    I
    kept watch for hours, silent and still,
    And both of us shivered from that cold night’s chill.

    I hated to leave, on that long, dark night,
    This Guardian of Peace, with his Honor so bright.

    The soldier rolled over, and his voice soft and pure,
    Whispered, “Carry on, Santa, all is secure.”

    I looked at this soldier, on this cold Christmas night.
    I thought of his comrades, and knew he was right.

    The world is freer, for they’re willing to fight,
    For Freedom and Christmas, and all that is right.

    So to all you, my friends, to U.S. soldiers in all lands,
    Know that you are remembered, by family and friends.

    For this one special night, may you rest without fight,
    With a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

     

    A very Merry Christmas to all my brothers- and sisters-in-arms, past and present.  And for those still serving who are spending this Christmas away from home and hearth:  a fervent hope that next year finds you spending Christmas at home with your family.

  • Committment, and the Blood of Innocents

    A bit over a week ago, a guy named Adam Lanza snapped.  He went full-blown batshit crazy, murdered his own mother, then stole her guns and used them to commit mass murder of innocents.  He then killed himself.

    Ever since, the “liberals” and “progressives” have been virtually falling over each other to be seen advocating more gun laws.  How dare Lanza’s mother have owned those “evil” guns!   Those guns were to blame for this tragedy!  And in true “never let a crisis go to waste” spirit, we’re already hearing rumblings about more Federal legislation to restrict exercise of rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment vice any actual discussion of what happened.

    Let me offer a theory to explain this.  They’re following the playbook.  In part, this is a deliberate attempt to change the subject and divert attention from the actual cause of the Sandy Hook massacre.

    In fact, the political left is directly responsible for the massacre at Sandy Hook – not law-abiding gun owners or morally-neutral things called guns.  I’ll explain why.

    By all accounts Adam Lanza was a profoundly mentally disturbed youngster.  While he allegedly had been determined to have Asperger’s syndrome, very obviously that wasn’t all that was wrong with Lanza.  His actions prove that quite clearly.

    Lanza’s mental health issues appear to have become more pronounced as he got older.  In fact, Lanza was so profoundly disturbed that his own mother – who’d consistently supported and protected her son, pulling  him out of school and home-schooling him when his issues started to become severe – was apparently at her wit’s end.  She was reportedly in the process of attempting to have her son institutionalized at the time her son murdered her.  Indeed, her attempt to have Adam Lanza committed is thought by some to have been the trigger for his rampage.

    Now, here’s something you won’t see much of in the media.  Under Connecticut law, Lanza’s mother had little to no chance of getting him involuntarily committed.  It seems Connecticut law in general only allows people to be involuntarily committed after they have harmed themselves or others.  Before they hurt someone?  In general, you can file that under “Not Gonna Happen”.

    That’s bad enough, but it gets even “better”.  It also seems that Connecticut considered a change to its laws earlier this year that would have allowed Lanza to have been involuntarily committed.  However, the proposed law did not pass the Connecticut legislature.  It was defeated.

    Connecticut is quite liberal.  It is today one of the bluest of the Blue states.  The Democratic Party rules there with an iron grip.  It currently has in excess of a 60% majority in each house of the Connecticut General Assembly:  22 of 36 seats in the Connecticut Senate, and 99 of 151 seats in the House.  The current Governor is also a Democrat.  Clearly, laws in Connecticut pass or fail as the Connecticut Democratic Party desires.

    I’m not a fan of making it easy to involuntarily commit a person to a mental institution.  That’s an extreme step; it should be rare, and should always be the option of last resort. So long as a person isn’t a danger to themselves or others, and is capable of caring for themselves, more power to them – whether we consider them crazy or not.

    But society does have the right to protect itself.  Some people are simply full-blown batshit crazy and are also dangers to themselves and others.  There should be a legal mechanism – one having  appropriate legal due process and other safeguards – to allow dangerous lunatics to be removed from society before they injure or kill themselves or others.

    One doesn’t need to wait for the car to roll over the cliff before hitting the brakes.  By then, it’s too to save the driver – or the folks at the bottom of the cliff who get hit.

    In practice, such a mechanism does not exist in Connecticut today.  The Democratically-controlled Connecticut legislature had the chance to institute such a measure earlier this year – and refused.

    Viewed in this context, it’s easy to see why the liberal side of the political spectrum is beating the gun control drum so hard.  IMO at least part of the reason is that they’re doing so to distract attention from the fact that the blood of innocents is on their hands.  They’re simply trying to shift that blame to someone else.

    They could have acted to take Adam Lanza off the street earlier this year. And they consciously decided to let that remain impossible, consequences be damned.

    So if you want to see who’s truly responsible for the murdered innocents at Sandy Hook, my liberal “brethren” – just look in a mirror.  You’re the ones who decided that letting lunatics live free among you – danger to others be damned – was more important than the lives of innocents.

  • In Honor of Doomsday Tomorrow . . . .

    I wonder how popular the original version of this song will be tonight and tomorrow?

    That’s great, world’s end December date, feathered  snake looks so damn great
    True believers not afraid
    Date from a Mayan Rock, took years to learn their talk
    World doesn’t give a care, dummy don’t be so scared.
    No it’s not just BS, grunt
    No strength the ladder starts to clatter with the fear, jump from heights.
    Won’t end in fire, or stuck in the mire seven miles from a government for hire and Obamacare
    Turn Left bow down it’s coming in a hurry furies breathing down your neck.
    Team by team reporters bored, tramp tramp show their scorn.
    Look at that dumbass shaking! Oh well
    Uh oh, overflow, no space in the safety zone but it’ll do.
    Save yourself, leave yourself.
    World serves its own needs, does that make your heart bleed?
    No this ain’t the rapture and the reverend  ain’t right – right.
    You idiotic, vitriolic, fool who’s not real bright,
    Feeling pretty psyched.

    It’s the end of some squirrels and they know it.
    It’s the end of some squirrels and they know it.
    It’s the end of some squirrels and they know it,

    And I dont’ mind.

    Yeah, not one of my better efforts. Makes as much sense as the original, though.

    I understand France has started blocking access zone to the “safety zone” at Pic de Bugarach because of an excess of gullible idiots. At least the French are getting this one right.

    All the “true believers” are going to be really pissed when they find out that tiny missing fragment right at the end of the stone translated as “rinse and repeat”.  (smile)

    PS:  Don’t like the above?  Bite me, Stipe.  It’s called parody.

    (Author’s note:  edited to provide IMO a more apropos chorus.)