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

Category: Who knows

  • Domo Arigato, Mori-sama

    On 6 August 1945, the US dropped the “Little Boy” nuclear bomb on Hirsoshima.  Within days, 140,000 Japanese had died at Hiroshima.

    So had 12 Americans.

    The 12 Americans who died at Hiroshima were POWs. They were all US airmen who had been captured after their aircraft had been shot down.

    They were being held POW in Hirsoshima on the day of the bombing. They’d all arrived there within the previous two weeks.

    Most of the US POWs killed at Hiroshima died immediately.  A few – the number seems to be 2 – initially survived, but died within days of the bombing from radiation sickness.

    The fact that US POWs died at Hiroshima wasn’t publicly acknowledged until the 1970s. Even today it’s not a widely known fact.

    That’s unfortunate. But one individual – an individual who you might not expect – has ensured those POWs end will be properly remembered.

    . . .    

    Shigeaki Mori is a hibakusha – a survivor of the nuclear bombings of Japan. He was a resident of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. At the time, he was an 8-year-old schoolboy.

    Originally Mori attended a school across the street from the Chugoku Military Police HQ in Hiroshima. The Chugoku Military Police HQ was where the US POWs were held captive; it was approximately 820m from ground zero.

    Less than a week before the bombing, Mori was transferred to another school about 1.5 miles away from ground zero. That chance occurrence almost certainly saved his life.  All US POWs that were not killed outright during the Hiroshima bombing died within a week of radiation sickness.

    When the bomb detonated, Mori was crossing a bridge.  He was blown from the bridge into the water.  He was exposed to radiation then, and afterwards.

    However, unlike many in Hiroshima Mori was not fatally injured.  Mori survived, and grew to adulthood.

    He became a historian.

    During the 1970s, Mori learned that 12 US POWs had died in the Hiroshima bombing. As a hibakusha, one might expect Mori to have muttered something like, “Serves them right” – and gone on with his life.

    He did not. Mori also learned something else: none of those US POWs had been formally recognized as Hiroshima dead.

    Japan maintains a register of those who were killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or who later succumbed to delayed effects from the bombings. This register is managed and maintained by the Mayor of Hiroshima.

    Much like the US Vietnam War Memorial, additional names are added as additional individuals are confirmed to have died in the bombing – and as people continue to die from effects related to the bombings. These names are added to the register on the anniversary of the bombing following either documentation of their death during the bombing or their later death from the bombing’s aftereffcts.  As of 6 August 2011, the register contained 275,230 names.

    Initially, all names on the register were Japanese; the POWs who died at Hiroshima were not listed there.  That was the case in the 1970s.

    Mori decided that the 12 Americans who had died at Hiroshima due to the bombing deserved the same recognition. Over a period of many years, Mori worked to make that a reality.

    The process was a slow one. Today, the registration of persons as Hiroshima dead requires documentation – as well as a request from the family of the deceased. Mori thus had to locate and contact the surviving family of each of the 12 US POWs killed at Hiroshima, then convince them to request their deceased relative be listed on the register.

    In 1998, Mori obtained permission and erected a small copper memorial plaque at the remains of the building at which the US POWs had been housed. In 2002, he completed the registration process for 2 of the US POWs killed at Hiroshima; their names were formally entered in the register of Hiroshima dead.

    By 2009, Mori had completed the registration process for all 12 US POWs killed at Hiroshima. Their names and photographs are now on file at the Hall of Remembrance, located at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.

    This year, Mori achieved another of his aims. At his invitation, Susan Archinski – a niece of Airman 3d Class Normand Brissette, who had been shot down and taken prisoner 10 days before the bombing, and who died at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 – came to Japan.  This August, she and Mori visited Hiroshima.  I’m certain they each said a prayer for the souls of those US POWs killed at Hiroshima, and for the others who died that day as well.

    . . .

    Any member of the military comes to terms with the possibility of death, and accepts that possibility.  However, each member of the military fears being lost and forgotten. Thanks to Shigeaki Mori – a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing – the 12 US POWs who also died at Hiroshima will never be forgotten.

    Rest in peace, men.

    And though thoroughly inadequate:  Domo arigato, Mori-sama.

    . . .

     

    Author’s Notes

    1.   The following US POWs died at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 or died of radiation sickness within days afterwards.

    Captured crew of USAAF B-24 Lonesome Lady:

    • Co-pilot, 2LT Durden W. Looper, 22, of Arkansas
    • Bombardier, 2LT James M. Ryan, 20, of New York
    • Radioman, SGT Hugh H. Atkinson, 26, of Washington State
    • Nose turret, CPL John A. Long, Jr., 27, of Pennsylvania
    • Engineer, SGT Buford J. Ellison, 22, of Texas
    • Ball turret, SSG Ralph J. Neal, 23, of Kentucky

    Captured crew of USAAF B-24 Taloa:

    • Pilot, 1LT Joseph E. Dubinsky, 27, of Pennsylvania
    • Gunner, SSG Julius Molnar, 20, of Michigan
    • Gunner, SSG Charles O. Baumgartner, 30, of Ohio

    Captured crew of USN SB2C Helldiver from the USS Ticonderoga:

    • Pilot, LT Raymond L. Porter, 24, of Pennsylvania
    • Gunner, PO3 Normand R. Brissette, 19, of Massachusetts

    Captured crew of USN F6F Hellcat from the USS Randolph:

    • ENS John J. Hantschel, 23, of Wisconsin

    2.  In 2008, Mori located wreckage from the US B-24 Taloa that had escaped Japanese wartime confiscation as scrap metal.  With assistance from the Asahi Shimbun Mori located and arranged to send portions of that wreckage to a surviving family member of SSG Charles O. Baumgartner, and to a close living friend of SSG Julius Molnar, as tangible keepsakes.   Both of these individuals died at Hiroshima.

    As of last report, Mori was still searching for relatives of the remaining Taloa crew members.

    3.  In addition to the 12 US POW’s killed at Hiroshima, one US soldier was being held POW at Nagasaki on 9 August 1945.  He survived the bombing.

    This individual was Joe Kieyoomia, a member of the 200th Coastal Artillery Unit, US Army – and a Navajo.  It is believed that the concrete walls of his cell provided enough protection to spare him serious injury from both the Nagasaki bomb’s blast and radiation.

    Kieyoomia had been taken prisoner in the Philippines in 1942. Before the Nagasaki bombing, he had survived the Bataan Death March; 3 1/2 years of captivity as a POW, including torture (the Japanese initially thought he was a Japanese-American vice Navajo); survived additional torture when he could not help the Japanese break the Navajo Code Talker codes.  He then survived both the Nagasaki bombing and being abandoned for 3 days afterwards.

    Kieyoomia died in 1997 – at age 77.  He was the only US POW who was also a recognized hibakusha.

     

    Sources:

    http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/world-war-ii-the-final-chapter/wwii-victory-in-japan/after-fight-to-recognize-hiroshima-s-american-victims-historian-meets-one-of-their-relatives-1.360327

    http://www.stripes.com/news/three-u-s-pows-added-to-roster-of-hiroshima-deaths-1.93398

    http://www.stripes.com/news/hiroshima-historian-returns-fragments-of-shot-down-bomber-to-loved-ones-in-u-s-1.85323

    http://www.stripes.com/news/historian-tells-of-americans-pows-killed-at-hiroshima-1.38375

    http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201205160089

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Kieyoomia

  • Operacja Samum*

    During mid-1990, a group of US personnel were conducting intelligence gathering overseas. They were observing troop movements of interest to the US. They were also operating without official cover.

    I won’t speculate on how common that was, and I don’t know. But obviously such things happened from time to time during the Cold War and its aftermath.

    Reports differ as to the agencies involved. Details are unclear; many have not yet been made public. However, the best information indicates that six US personnel were involved; they were from the CIA and DIA.

    Unfortunately, the events in real world soon intervened. You see, it seems that these individuals were in Kuwait, clandestinely observing troop movements along the Kuwaiti border.

    On 2 August 1990.

    Yeah. “Oh, sh!t,” is right.

    The US operatives went into hiding. For some time they lay low. I’m sure their APF was extreme the whole time.

    In case anyone’s forgotten: this was during the time when Saddam Hussein (may he enjoy the “up close and personal” attention of Shaytan for all of eternity) was taking Western citizens hostage, then using them for propaganda purposes and as human shields. There was a realistic threat of that happening to these individuals if they were caught.

    And has Hussein’s intelligence services discovered their true reason for being in Kuwait, well . . . .

    As you might expect, the US Intel Community was rather chagrined by this turn of events. They began seeking assistance in extracting these personnel from Iraq.

    Unfortunately, every nation they approached was either unwilling or unable to help. Save one.

    In late August, the CIA contacted the Polish intelligence services. Poland agreed to help.

    At the time, Poland had a large commercial presence in Iraq. Specifically, Polish engineering firms were then doing much construction work throughout Iraq – as contractors to the Iraqi government. For a number of reasons, the government of Poland determined it was in their national interest to assist the US in this matter.

    The fact that the US was apparently willing to support a renegotiation of Poland’s foreign debt – reputedly by 50%, or over $16 billion – probably was among those reasons. (smile) And for what it’s worth: such a reduction was in fact negotiated in April, 1991.

    The Poles reportedly insisted that their intel officers run the operations in-country. After some wrangling, the US agreed. The operation was then placed under the command of Gromoslaw Czempinski – who, ironically, previously been involved in or led numerous intelligence operations against US and other western nations.

    Polish operatives arranged a linkup with the US operatives in hiding in Baghdad and/or Kuwait. They moved to a Polish construction camp near Baghdad. They stayed there for a number of weeks.

    In the interim, Hussein had imposed travel restrictions on most foreigners. Military checkpoints were also established on major highways. However, because of their government contracts, “employees” of Polish firms working in Iraq generally could travel – and could leave the country.

    This provided the necessary opportunity.

    False passports and exit visas were obtained. Transportation to the Iraq-Turkish border was arranged.

    The US operatives were each given passports from a Slavic nation; it’s unclear which. However, there was a problem: none of the US operatives spoke a Slavic language. Though the Polish technician in charge of the exfiltration tried, he could not teach them how to properly pronounce their own cover names.

    This was a real concern. During the 1980s, many Iraqis had been educated in Poland. There was a reasonable chance that they might run into one during their exfiltration – one who spoke Polish well enough to detect the ruse.

    The work-around was that the US operatives would use a common stereotype:  that of the “drunken Slav”. The US personnel being exfiltrated would not speak to any Iraqi. The Poles with them would blame their poor pronunciation (if any was overheard) on their being drunk.

    The exfiltration was planned to be via auto convoy. It was to be led by the technician who’d tried and failed to teach the US operatives to pronounce their Slavic cover names.

    After some hesitation, the go was finally given for exfiltration. The CIA reputedly nearly caused a last-minute abort – they didn’t want the Polish intel officer in charge to accompany the exfiltration, and sent a cable to that effect.

    This was a showstopper, as the Polish civilians involved (not all Poles involved were Polish intel operatives) balked at going if he was not to be on the convoy. So Czempinski ignored US objections and in fact accompanied the group.

    One of the Polish intel officers had obtained 4 bottles of Scotch, which he brought with him. In northern Iraq, he brought them out and had the US operatives drink the stuff. That way they’d actually be drunk if and when they reached any checkpoints with a Polish-speaking Iraqi. (Reputedly the US agents were so wired at that point that the liquor had little discernible effect, other than to make them smell like drunks.)

    North of Mosul, what was feared might happen . . . in fact happened.  An Iraqi officer approached one of the cars in the convoy.  He glanced at a few of the passports, then said – in flawless Polish – “How lucky I am to see my best friends.”

    Whether by inspiration or design, the Polish technician leading the convoy had the perfect response.  He immediately approached the Iraqi officer, gave him three kisses on the cheeks and a hearty bear hug – an in the process, moving him away from the car. They spoke for a bit; he complimented the Iraqi officer on his excellent Polish.

    He then offered the Iraqi the remaining passports, telling him: “Ah, you must check these.”

    I’m certain about then six anuses clenched so tightly shut that it would have taken a sledgehammer to force a needle into them.

    The Iraqi’s reply? “No problem. You are friends; you can go.”

    The 6 US operatives were taken to the border with Turkey, where they departed Iraq.  It’s unclear precisely where they crossed the border.

    They also were not the only westerners that Poland helped escape.  Poland reportedly afterwards assisted an additional 15 non-US Western citizens in leaving Iraq prior to the outbreak of hostilities in January 1991.

    I do hope that full details of this operation are made public while I’m still on this side of the dirt. I’d love to hear them.

    Oh, and one more thing: Wielkie dzieki, przyjaciele. Wielkie dzieki.

     

    * Author’s Note: “Operacja Samum” is the name given to a  Polish 1999 film made concerning the operation described here.  I’ve not seen the film.  It’s available on YouTube here, but it’s in Polish and unfortunately does not appear to have subtitles.  It also reputedly takes some artistic liberties regarding what actually occurred.

    “Samum” is Polish for simoom – a type of dangerous windstorm prevalent in the Middle East.  As one might guess, “Operacja” translates as “Operation”.

    Though the name “Operacja Samum” was used in the film for the operation, the actual name used for the operation itself has not been made public.

     

    Sources:

    http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950117&slug=2099750

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Simoom

    http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/drinking-a-way-out-of-hostile-iraq/343947.html

    Unfortunately, John Pomfret’s original Washington Post article concerning the operation (which revealed its existence to the public) is behind a paywall. While I believe the first article linked above to be a substantially complete reprint, I am not certain of that fact, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read the original.

    I have never seen any official files concerning the operation.  (I damn well wouldn’t be writing this article if I had.)  Until a few days ago, I had never heard of the events noted above.

  • Score One for NASA

    NASA has been busy.  And this time, “They done good”.

    What am I talking about, you ask?  Well, here ya go:

     

    A higher-resolution image may be viewed here.

    In case you don’t recognize at first glance what’s shown above, perhaps this might help.

     

    This article has further details. It’s a relatively short article, and the animated sequence alone found there IMO is worth the time it takes to read the article.

    Well done, NASA.  Damn well done.

  • It’s the Cover-Up That Gets Ya Every Time

    Even though the NFL plays football, this looks more like a slam dunk to me than anything else.

    You shouldn’t have prevented the other two guys involved from testifying, Tom.  You also shouldn’t have ordered your assistant to destroy your old phone immediately before your initial interview with investigators – particularly when you knew investigators (and your employer) wanted to examine it.  You shouldn’t have hidden the fact it had been destroyed from everyone for roughly 3 1/2 months. And you damn sure shouldn’t have claimed that destroying your old phone was merely something you routinely did on getting a new one when you hadn’t done that to its immediate predecessor.

    You should have owned up and come clean.  You’d probably be playing after the 1st game this season if you had.  And your team likely wouldn’t be out two draft picks and $1M, either – though it might have lost some $$$.

    But I’ll give you this much:  you stuck to your story, even after it became clear it was as plausible as ISIS suddenly converting to Buddhism en masse and turning pacifist.

    But it was . . . well, it was stupid.  This guy puts it all in perspective damn well.

    Enjoy the in-season vacation.  And the addendum to your legacy.

     

  • The strange case of Jeffrey Alan Lash

    The strange case of Jeffrey Alan Lash

    A couple of folks have sent us links to the investigation of Jeffrey Alan Lash who had amassed more than 1200 firearms and tons of ammunition – so much that it took law enforcement more than three days to remove it all from his home. He also had 14 cars registered in his name, of which police have only recovered eight so far, stashed around the city. He told his girlfriend of 17 years that he was a secret squirrel and that he was constantly being followed.

    Back on July 4th, while in a shopping center parking lot, Lash felt ill (probably because he was in the late stages of cancer) and refused to allow his girlfriend to take him to a hospital, so while she tried to treat his symptoms, Lash expired, but not before he told her to abandon his body in the car because the folks who had been following him would recover it. So she went to Seattle for ten days. When she got back, his body was still in the car and he was decomposing in the California heat, so she called the police.

    From CBS Sacramento;

    LAPD Deputy Chief of Detectives Kirk Albanese said there’s no indication the man was doing anything illegal with the weapons. Detectives were reviewing everything, but so far the guns appeared to be registered to him. Many were still in boxes or had price tags.

    […]

    Police say they don’t believe there was any foul play involved in his death, but the official cause has been deferred pending further investigation.

    […]

    The guns are worth more than $5 million, Braun said, and along with the ammunition, took three days to remove from the home, which remains piled 6-feet high with items throughout.

    “Hoarding times 10,” Braun said.

    I always thought that there was no such thing as too many guns, but I think Mr. Lash found the limit. According to the LA Times, some of his neighbors (who knew Lash as Bob) tell the Times that he told them whacky stories, like his night missions which required him to swim to Catalina.

  • Guest post; American Lives Matter

    Guest post; American Lives Matter

    American Lives Matter Flags Oval Th

    The following ruminations come from Ex-PH2;

    AMERICAN LIVES MATTER

    I spent the afternoon on Sunday making chocolate chip cookies and sampling them, of course. I have the Tollhouse recipe memorized, so I don’t even need to see it any more. That recipe was the product of a woman who ran a restaurant called the Tollhouse Café. She sold the recipe to Nestlé and they made it an iconic recipe that is printed on the back of every bag of Nestlé chocolate chips, semi-sweet or otherwise. She was an American.

    Tollhouse cookies are as American as apple pie (English), corned beef (Medieval Europe), cider (England), beer (Mesopotamia, Egypt), ice cream (Chinese – 3,000BC; Italy-17th century).

    There are many, many things that were either brought here from the Old Country (still haven’t found that place on the map) or were invented here. Pasta is Italian but pizza is not? Hah! Flatbreads with toppings were around centuries ahead of modern pizza. Rice is Asian? The Italians had access to rice from Africa centuries before Marco Polo made his famous journey to Cathay (China). What he brought back was long grain Asian rice, a variety different from the African variety.

    We are composites. We come from everywhere on the planet. My ancestors started coming here from England in the mid-17th century, and they just kept on coming from other countries, but they came in by the front door and set up housekeeping. I think if I go back far enough, a bunch of my ancestors are probably Sicilian and Spanish Moors. And so what? I come from everywhere, but I was born here.

    Everyone who wants to be here should be required to use the front door. If they won’t use the front door, then send them back where they came from. Period. We are in the land of opportunity, a place that acts as a magnet for people who want to have a chance to make use of that opportunity. WE invent things here. Other countries mostly just copy us.
    Alexander Bell invented the telephone. He really wanted to create something for deaf children to use. Instead, he invented the telephone. Sam Morse developed the telegraph using wires to transmit messages. He worked out that code we still use for getting help – S-O-S , which comes out of Morse code. You can still send telegrams at Western Union if you want to but I think that now, they go by way of the internet. The internet was around in the 1960s, long before Al Gore was out of diapers ;), but only the DoD used it. Now, it’s the way most of us communicate. Anyone besides me remember teletype?

    Competition drives people to succeed. That’s just one benefit of being here.
    The Wright brothers, those two bicycle repairmen in Ohio, were competing with a lot of other people to be the first to fly, including Weisskopf and Langley. But the evidence for most of those others was anecdotal, not corroborated. The Wright brothers got off the ground at Kitty Hawk in sustained flight in a heavier-than-air powered biplane flyer. They repeated it and recorded it. And it happened here. We’ve gone from a powered glider in 1903 to a stealth fighter before the end of the 20th century.

    The point is that we’ve been first in a lot of things that make a difference in this world and make it a better place. It is the drive to succeed and the chance to do so that make this a great place to be born and grow up, to find out what you can do with the gifts you were given. It doesn’t have anything to do with which sex you are, what your skin color is, or what part of town you grew up in. It’s on your shoulders from the get-go. You can take the high road and make something of yourself, or you can sink to the lowest level and become a mindless moron who blames others for his failures and gets into trouble with the law.
    I’m as appalled as the rest of you when someone who has every chance in the book offered to him decides to go on a rampage and shoot up a storefront in a Midwestern town and then goes some place else for the sole purpose of killing people he doesn’t know. It isn’t the first time it has happened, but it should not happen at all.

    We complain about words coming out of Foggy Bottom, someone saying all the correct things, and we know that it is meaningless because nothing really matters to the person who says them. We get annoyed because one part of the media denies reality, when anyone in touch with reality knows it would do them a world of good to not be so desperately nice once in a while.
    My mother never, ever said the wrong thing. She constantly corrected what I said: ‘you can’t say that, you can say whatever was nice’ because ‘whatever’ means that you’re willing to lie your ass off just to get someone to like you. The truth is just too harsh.

    The difference between her and me was that she was never willing to admit that she was as prejudiced as you can get and that my father was the same way, because it wasn’t nice and she didn’t want anyone to think she wasn’t nice. And yet, when I was in high school in the early 1960s, she told me that when World War II was declared, she had told her father that ‘the yellow race would never conquer us’.

    So you see, I was raised to not be prejudiced by two of the worst hypocrites on the planet. The phoniness I saw in my parents is what I see in this imbecilic world of political correctness which has no purpose other than getting votes.

    Trump has stirred the pot, because he is so outspoken. He’s pissed off a lot of people in a lot of ways, but he likes the attention and he doesn’t care who gets pissed off at him. He has brought up issues that are real issues, that people are unwilling to face and discuss openly, just like my mother would never do. Butter wouldn’t have melted in her mouth. Let’s not offend people by what we say, because we want them to like us, even though they never will. Let’s never admit that they hate us because we exist, and that people like my ‘nicey, nice’ mother would find themselves buried alive. Admitting that wouldn’t be nice, and we must always be nice, mustn’t we?

    They hate us because we are free and they are not. They hate us because we exist. They want to kill us. They get a euphoric rush just like a drug rush out of it. Since they do not value human life, they have absolutely nothing to lose, and that’s all there is to it. You don’t negotiate with murdering thugs.

    This government doesn’t want to face these things, or admit that it is lying to the people of this country, and address the reality of these attacks by going back to their origins which are not just recent stuff – they go way back and have next to nothing to do with this country.

    Without the AIC facing those issues, all the things that we hold dear are up to US to save. If WE are a symbol of hope and opportunity, WE can’t afford to let that die.
    WE are Americans. WE have the right to defend ourselves against those who wish to destroy US, whether the scaredy-cat PC addicts like it or not, whether they want to let US do so or not.

    It’s called self-determination. WE built this country on that quality. WE decide our fate, not some obnoxious jerk with a hair up his ass about some imagined wrong.
    WE count for a hell of a lot in this world.

    WE are Americans and AMERICAN LIVES MATTER.

  • From the Beginning: A Musical Impression

    Longtime readers know I’m rather into music.  And longtime readers know that I’m also into musical parody.

    Yeah, I’m about to ramble again somewhat – both ways.  You’ve been warned.  (smile)

    . . .

    A couple of months back, I posted a short musical parody. At the time it seemed to be relatively well-received. (Smile)

    But it turns out that that was only half the job; it was based only on a short portion of a longer work. So I decided to go back and finish the job.

    I hate to speak for others. But this time I’ll go out on a limb and say that I can’t help but think that the sentiment in the first few verses below – or something damned similar – was on Jonn’s mind a few years ago when he founded TAH with TSO and COB.  And I’m guessing B. G. Burkett felt much the same 17 years ago when he and Glenna Whitley wrote Stolen Valor.

    [As an aside: if you’ve never read Burkett and Whitley’s book . . . you should go get a copy and read it.  Today.  It brought the issue of stolen valor to the forefront after Vietnam, and demonstrated just how widespread and serious it  was.  Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.]

    OK, enough intro blather.  With appropriate apologies to Greg Lake, here ya go – the complete

     

    Clown Central 69 (TAH Impression)

     

    Cold and misty morning, I heard disturbing rumors in the air
    Concerning lying bastards about whose lies no one did seem to care;
    Of true heroes ignored, their honor now purloined, just taken cold
    Their valor being stolen by packs of lowlife jackals damn bold.
    Liars here,
    Liars there,
    They’re everywhere.

    Suffering in silence, good men are betrayed;
    Lies hurt them and steal from them, their honor now waylaid.
    Liars obtain false glory a dishonorable way.
    There is no damn excuse this game to play.
    Liars here,
    Liars there;
    They’re everywhere!

    It’s time that someone exposed their lies,
    Made sure their tall tales just don’t fly;
    Helped those who truly rate kudos
    And tore those liars some new a-hos.
    We agree,
    We agree,
    We agree!  Yeah

    Expose them?
    Expose them . . .
    Yes, expose them!
    They’ll know some sorrow.
    They’ll beg and borrow.
    Start tomorrow.

    . . .

    Step inside, HELLO!  It’s the Stolen Valor show,
    You’ll enjoy it all we know.
    Step inside! Step inside!

    You’ll see lies that will appall, sh!tbird bastards with no balls
    Then you’ll see their just downfalls.
    Come inside! Come inside!
    Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
    See the show!

    While they tell lies in bars their world gets knocked ajar
    Proven liars wide and far.
    Spectacular! Spectacular!

    Now come follow me, here’s today’s specialty
    Fresh poser tears you’ll see
    Misery, misery.
    Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
    See the show!

    Next to feel the flame in Jonn’s house of poser shame
    Who’s that liar truly lame?
    Pick a name! Pick a name!

    Watch that fake hero as he blusters and he blows,
    Then he tucks his tail and goes.
    Hurrah, bravo! Hurrah, bravo!
    Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
    See the show!

    . . .

    Welcome back my friends, it’s the show that never ends.
    We’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside!
    There behind the glass stands one more repeat jackass
    Smack full of BS gas, move along, move along!

    Come inside, the show’s about to start,
    Guaranteed to pick their lies apart!
    Rest assured you’ll get your money’s worth
    Bullsh!t tales ’bout Heaven, Hell and Earth!
    You’ve got to see the show, there’s some real a-hos!
    You’ve got to see the show, posers a-go-go!

    Right before your eyes you’ll watch the posers lie
    They’ll keep lyin’ till they die, till they die, till they die.

    Come inside, their lies pack quite a punch
    Guaranteed to make you wanna lose your lunch!
    You’ve got to see the show, here’s a real wacko
    You’ve got to see the show, poser rodeo, oh . . . .

    Soon the ARCOM Queen behind an on-line screen
    Will tell us we’re so mean – while Falconing, Blue Falconing.
    Next upon the stand will you please extend a hand
    To the “great” Dutch Rudder Band, Dixieland, Dixieland.

    Roll up, roll up, roll up!
    See the show!

    Performing on a stool we’ve a sight to make you drool
    Purple jumpsuit wearing fool (WhAt A tOoL, WhAt A tOoL).
    We would like it to be known that the shady tales we’ve shown
    Were exclusively their own, all their own, all their own!

    Come and see the show, come and see the show,
    Come and see the show!

    See the show!

     

    For those having a bit of trouble following along with the first part, here’s a clip of the full tune on which it’s based.  It’s ELP’s Karn Evil No 9 (1st Impression), from their 1973 album “Brain Salad Surgery”. The complete work is about 13 1/2 minutes, and includes several fairly extended instrumental interludes.

    The tune was part of a larger work:  Karn Evil No 9, which contained 3 sub-works:  1st Impression, 2nd Impression, and 3rd Impression.  The total work was over 29 minutes long.

    Because of it’s length and the album’s sequencing, 1st Impression was split on the original vinyl album into 2 parts; Part 1 was at the end of side 1, while part 2 began side 2.  Only the last roughly 4:43 – part 2, containing one of the instrumental interludes – generally got much airplay.

    So if you haven’t ever heard the whole 1st Impression (or if it’s been a while), grab a good set of headphones, crank up the volume, and enjoy.  If you enjoy music of that era and genre, it’s definitely worth the time.

     

  • Military Collectors, Eat Your Heart Out!

    Many people enjoy collecting things.  Some even collect military items and other military memorabilia.

    But this one is going to be pretty hard to top.  In fact, maybe this guy went a bit overboard.

    Seems a 78 year old German man in the town of Heikendorf had an interesting collection in his cellar.  As you might guess, his collection included a few old German military items.

    Including a torpedo, an anti-aircraft gun, some other old weapons . . . and a complete Panther tank, circa 1943.

    Seriously.

    The man also apparently made no real secret of the fact that he had the tank.  The town’s mayor indicated he’d been seen driving it previously during the 1978 snow emergency in the region.

    German authorities have at least temporarily confiscated the man’s collection.  It’s unclear whether he’s broken German law or not, since the weapons the man owned appear to have been rendered inoperative.