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

Author: Hondo

  • Don’t Fear the Commie

    (With appropriate apologies to Donald Roesner and Blue Öyster Cult.  Regular TAH readers should recognize the inspiration for what follows.)

     

    He said, good times now have come
    Threat from Karl Marx now is gone
    No one should fear the Commie
    Not in the wind, the sun or the rain . . . never be like they were
    Come on people . . . don’t fear the Commie
    Come talk to the hand . . . don’t fear the Commie
    They’re no longer a threat . . . don’t fear the Commie
    Baby that’s the plan . . .

    Da da da da da
    Da da da da da

    Dissidence is done
    Once was here but now is gone
    The kulaks and “enemies”
    Are in the gulag for eternity . . . kulaks and “enemies”
    40,000 men and women everyday . . . like kulaks and “enemies”
    40,000 men and women everyday . . . redefine “happiness”
    Another 40,000 coming everyday . . . you can be like they are
    Come on people . . . don’t fear the Commie
    Come talk to the hand . . . don’t fear the Commie
    They’re no longer a threat . . . don’t fear the Commie
    Baby that’s the plan . . .

    Da da da da da
    Da da da da da

    Ignore those chains around your heels
    Come with us to the killing fields
    Or to Hotel Lubyanka
    Where you check in but you never check out
    Your door kicked open when they appear
    Dissenting voices shall “disappear”
    The curtains part and then they appear . . . saying don’t be afraid
    There will be no pain . . . still they showed their fear
    They forced them to their knees . . . as they started to cry
    “Useful idiots” said goodbye . . . now would become like they are
    Cocked pistols in their hands . . . one bullet enters the brain
    Come on people . . . don’t fear the Commie

     

    “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
    — George Santayana

     

    Author’s Note: the “one bullet enters the brain” line above is not a reference to suicide. A single pistol shot to the back of the head of a restrained prisoner (some accounts indicate the prisoner was forced to kneel) was the method of execution used by the NKVD at the Ostashkov prisoner of war camp during the Katyn massacre and, reputedly, elsewhere. The KGB also reputedly used the method.

    Any sane person who is not a moron fears any and all authoritarian regimes.  Historically, Communism taking power has uniformly resulted in one thing:  the establishment of an authoritarian regime that has little or no respect for human rights – or for personal freedom.

  • Questions Raised About an Icon

    Questions Raised About an Icon

    This has already appeared in other places, so it probably should be noted here too.

    Apparently, questions have been raised about – and an investigation begun regarding – the awards and decorations of a rather famous figure from Vietnam. The individual? The late CSM Basil L. Plumley.

    BLUF: per the Army, it appears his being a 3x recipient of the CIB cannot be substantiated from documentation contained in his official records. The same is also apparently true about him being a 2x CIB recipient, or having received multiple awards of the Silver Star and a third award of the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device. My interpretation of what I’ve read is that at least some of these latter awards do appear on one or more of his DD214s, but that there is no other documentation for them in his OMPF.

    You can read the details for yourself if you desire. Here is an article that covers the matter in some detail. Here’s a link to the Army memo detailing a review of CSM Plumley’s OMPF by US Army HRC – which indicates that some of the awards listed on CSM Plumley’s DD214s cannot be validated. And here’s the photo that apparently sparked the review.

    And yes, CSM Plumley is one of those listed on the 3x CIB list formerly displayed by the National Infantry Museum. I don’t know if he was one of the original 230 or was later added by museum staff.

    As I said above, the matter apparently is under investigation.  I’ll post a follow-up if/as new info becomes known.

  • So, How’s the Fight Against Daesh Going?

    Remember those little conflicts with Daesh that have been ongoing in Iraq and Syria for a while?  (I say “conflicts” because from my perspective they are indeed multiple separate, apparently uncoordinated efforts.) You know, the ones the POTUS pledged to “accelerate”?  The ones that the POTUS said would require no US “combat troops” or “boots on the ground”?

    Well, we have some recent updates from the Pentagon and the IC regarding the “big picture” status of operations against Daesh.  And it turns out things are apparently going . . . a bit slowly.

    Yes, we’ve supposedly beaten up their financial infrastructure somewhat via air strikes.  But on the ground things don’t exactly seem to be going well.

    Per Pentagon sources, since December US allies have retaken a 5% of the territory Daesh held in Iraq at maximum extent.  That’s an average of a whopping 1% per month.

    At that rate, it will only take 55 more months (40% had been recovered prior to December) – or until December 2021 – to eradicate the Daesh regime in Iraq.  Behold the Swift Success, doubters!

    Oh, and regarding retaking Mosul:  don’t hold your breath.  Last week the US Director of National Intelligence said that it’s “unlikely (Daesh) would be pushed out of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, during the Obama administration”.  Gee, that’s . . . wonderful.  Just freaking wonderful.

    Even so, things seem to be going substantially better for US allies opposing Daesh in Iraq than in Syria.  Per Pentagon officials Daesh controls about the same amount of territory in Syria today that it did in January.

    Oh, and did I mention that it appears we now have a “small number” of us troops on the ground in Libya opposing Daesh elements there as well?  I guess US involvement in two simultaneous and       poorly thought-out and unsuccessfully executed interventions based on fatally flawed strategy       less than perfectly successful interventions against radical Islamic forces just isn’t enough for the current Administration.

    Fox News has an article giving more details about the above.  IMO it’s worth a read.

    National Security and Foreign Policy competence:  that’s not what this Administration “serves for dinner”.

  • More News About the Clintoons

    Well,time for a recap of recent info about Clintoon and her email issues.  And we have some other recemt news about that “fine upstanding individual” and others around her, too.

    (Yeah, that part in quotes in the preceding para is satire – as is some of the commentary about Wasserman Schultz below.  That should be obvious as hell.  However, at least one of our frequent commenters often appears unable to recognize satire unless it’s explicitly flagged as such.  I thus elected to do so.)

    First:  Ms. Clintoon recently claimed that the FBI was merely conducting a “security inquiry” into that unauthorized and marginally-if-at-all secured “private e-mail server” that she used after flatly refusing to use official government email systems for official business.  (Yes, that’s the same e-mail server that has been confirmed to have contained over 2,000 classified items, some of which were classified Top Secret and were either compartmented or SAP material.)  Well, unfortunately for her, she didn’t coordinate that      baldfaced lie       account with FBI Director James Comey before publicly telling it.  Comey flatly contradicted Clintoon’s assertion, stating outright that the FBI is indeed conducting an investigation relating to the matter – not some type of “security inquiry”.

    However:  fear not, Clintoon fans!  That paragon of truth and sincerity, the DNC Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is positive . . . that Clintoon is NOT a target of that FBI investigation.  She recently said exactly that in an interview.

    Sure, Debbie.  And I’m the Emperor of China, too.

    Geez.   Why in the hell do you think the FBI is interviewing all her closest aides before interviewing her, Debbie?  It’s called “building a case”, you ditz!

    It now appears that refusing to use government email systems – then having classified information sent to her on a private server not authorized for receipt of same – aren’t the only security corners that Clintoon cut while SECSTATE.  Seems she also on occasion refused to use secure voice communications systems as well, directing subordinates to call her on a private device in order to have a sensitive conversation.

    It also appears that the “hits” aren’t limited to Ms. Clintoon, either.  Remember a couple of years ago, when Clintoon’s husband – cigar-and-intern-lover “Slick Willie” himself – was reported to have flown “a few times” with a reputed wealthy perv and pedophile to various locations (some OCONUS) on said individual’s private jet?  Well, it turns out that aircraft logs show he in fact did that on far many more occasions than initially reported – on over 22 occasions, to be precise, vice the 11 that were originally reported by the press.  (And yeah – that last linked article does describe stuff that seems pretty damn sordid to me.)  On at least 5 of the trips, Willie apparently also managed to ditch his security detail while traveling with that “fine fellow”.

    Nice people.  Maybe they should go into public service.

    After all:  they’re apparently quite experienced at “servicing” the American public.

  • Yer Monday Smile: Wonder If Anyone We “Know and Love” Might Be Interested?

    Ain’t modern medicine wonderful?

    First penis transplant in U.S. performed in Boston

    This not a worldwide first.  The first successful such surgery was apparently performed in South Africa some 2 years ago.  It is, however, the first such surgery in the US.

    The individual concerned has yet to heal, so it’s unknown whether or not he’ll eventually be able to “cometh” or not.  (smile)  There’s also no word on whether the procedure was/will be covered under Medicare, Medicaid, or an ObamaCare policy – which would mean American taxpayers help pay for it.

     

  • Coronado Turns Out to Honor SOC Keating

    Last week, Coronado turned out to honor SOC Charles Keating IV.  Twice.

    The first was on Thursday.  On that day, in excess of 1,000 turned out for a memorial ceremony for SOC Keating.  At that ceremony he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.  He was also posthumously promoted to Chief Petty Officer.

    The second occurred on Friday.   Over 3,000 lined 6th Street for his funeral procession.  The profession took SOC Keating’s remains to the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, where he was interred in a private ceremony.

    Rest in peace, brother-in-arms.  You did your duty, and you did it well.

    And thank you, citizens of Coronado.

  • Gee. What A Surprise.

    I’m sure everyone is aware of the economically inane push by our “good friends” on the      Socialist      “Progressive” left to mandate a minimum wage that is higher than reality will support.  Something to do with “fairness” or “it should be a living wage” – or some other such similar bullsh!t.

    I guess they must have slept through Econ 101’s classes about supply and demand.  Or maybe they simply think that they can create new economic reality by legal fiat.

    Well, pretty much anyone with a clue predicted that the effort would be counterproductive – e.g., that it would either lead to layoffs from lost business (due to higher prices) or would lead to job loss through employers replacing human employees with machines.  The left either ignored the warning, or claimed it was bogus.

    Well, libidiots – read ‘em and weep:

    Wendy’s response to minimum wage hike:
    Replace staff with machines

    Wendy’s isn’t the only one.  Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are also considering doing likewise.  I’m guessing a bunch of others are too, but simply haven’t made that fact publicly known yet.

    Let me ‘splain it to ya, lefties:  some jobs simply aren’t worth $10+ an hour.  Flipping burgers and mopping floors are such jobs.

    Minimum wage jobs are not and never were designed to support a family.  They’re low wage positions that by design (1) require few skills, (2) can be done by most anyone who isn’t physically disabled or a moron, and (3) are intended to be part-time or entry-level positions.  Anyone who expects to support a family by working such a job, without some second source of income (either in cash or in kind – like SNAP or public housing assistance), is seriously deluded.

    The moral?  Be careful what you ask for, libidiots.  The law of unintended consequences always applies.

    And in this case, the unintended consequences were both predictable and obvious.

  • Good Riddance

    The military leader of the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, Mustafa Badreddine, is reported to have been killed in an explosion in Damascus, Syria, recently.  His demise was acknowledged by Hezbollah yesterday.

    Hezbollah military forces are currently fighting in the Syrian civil war.  As an Iranian ally, Hezbollah’s forces are supporting Syria’s current government under Assad.

    Badreddine was a known explosives expert and was suspected of involvement in numerous terrorist attacks – including the 1983 bombings of the French and US embassies in Kuwait (5 were killed in those attacks).  However, Badreddine escaped Kuwaiti custody (he had been sentenced to death and had been incarcerated for years) and disappeared after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

    Initial news reports attributed his demise to an Israeli airstrike; however, those reports have been withdrawn.  It is currently unclear precisely what caused the explosion that took out Badreddine.

    And you know what?  I couldn’t care less who or what was responsible.  Another terrorist bastard with American blood on his hands is dead, thus making the world a better place.  That’s enough.

    May this evil terrorist bastard enjoy the “personal attention” of Shaitan for all eternity.  And may all of his 72 virgins look thusly.