You're In The Army Now

 

Since Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made his speech to the first-ever gathering of generals, admirals, and high ranking enlisted personnel three days ago, the internet in general and TikTok in particular have blown up.  I wish I could say that most of it is positive, but it's not.  Sure, you're going to find some people who support what the Secretary had to say - like me - but for the most part all you're going to see are one of three things - libtards who have never served complaining about what he said, libtards who are currently serving complaining about what he said, and libtards who are just looking for something else to complain about concerning the Trump administration.  I can sum up my feelings on these three groups very easily and in very few words, and here they are.

For the first and last groups - shut the fuck up.  You've never served so you have NO IDEA what the fuck you're talking about.

For the second group - shut the fuck up.  One of the things you give up when you put on the uniform is the freedom to voice your opinions in a public forum about things going on in the military.  You willingly signed this freedom away when you signed your enlistment papers and took the oath, so you have no legal or moral right to publicly criticize ANYONE in your chain of command, no matter who it is.  There's a process set up for this called the Inspector General Program, so I suggest you use it.  And if you think that you won't get any satisfaction from it, let me remind you that the IG program is one of the programs that the Secretary said he was going to overhaul to make it more effective.  So use what's available to you; if you choose not to, then shut the fuck up.

For those of you who have already blasted your opinion in a public forum (such as the black female US Army staff sergeant on TikTok), you have violated at least two articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which means you have opened yourself up to legal action being taken against you.  And should your command decide to prosecute, you'll deserve whatever you get.  You knowingly and intentionally with malice aforethought said things in a public forum to bring discredit upon your service and yourself, and you deserve to be punished.  So shut the fuck up and take what's coming to you.

And if you don't like what the Secretary is doing, then I strongly suggest that when your enlistment is over, you get the fuck out of the military and go work for Starbucks.  

But in the mean time, just shut the fuck up.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

My Kinda Man!

 

In case you're not keeping up on current events, when it comes to the US military and the newly-renamed War Department and Secretary of War, President Trump has picked an absolute winner!  Secretary Pete Hegseth is just what our ailing, DEI-riddled, 'woke' military needed - a swift kick in the balls followed by a bunch of rules that are not new but were discarded over the past 4 years of the Biden administration.  

The Biden administration and its woke Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, transformed the US military from a fighting force to a DEI-riddled, 'woke' bunch of fat, mentally ill, and unqualified pussies.  The US military became the laughing stock of the world, hampered by useless regulations and restrictions on use of force during combat engagements and the unwillingness of the command leadership to stand up to Biden and his band of merry idiots.  They were too busy worrying about their own careers instead of being worried about the fighting abilities of the Armed Forces because the Biden administration made it clear that if you wanted to keep your stars, you got on board with his pussified 'woke' agenda.  This is how we ended up with a mentally ill Surgeon General who was also a Navy admiral - and yes, transgenderism is a mental illness.  It's called 'gender dysphoria,' and before Biden took over it was an automatic disqualifier from military service.  

But Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, a former US Army officer and Iraq War veteran, is changing all that.  He spoke at an unprecedented gathering of every general officer in the US military at Quantico, Virginia yesterday, and he laid the law down to everyone there.  And from the reactions of the audience, 99% of them were elated to hear what he had to say.

Secretary Hegseth said that he was putting out a series of directives that would transform the US military from its current slovely state into a lean, mean, trim, trained, and motivated fighting machine, and that these directives were effective immediately.  Some of them he mentioned were:

-    Service members from all branches now must execute two annual fitness tests, with one being the already existing fitness test and the other being either a combat field test for combat arms personnel or a CFT or regular fitness test for non-combat arms personnel.  

-  Active-duty service members are to perform physical fitness training every duty day, and that National Guard and reserve component members must continue to take at least one fitness test annually.  

-  Warfighters in combat-related occupations must execute their fitness test at a gender-neutral male standard with a score of 70% or higher. 

-  Beards will be no longer authorized.  

A memo on that topic released in conjunction with Hegseth’s speech explains that service members with facial hair-related medical exemptions will have one year to seek and execute a medical treatment plan to resolve the condition.  

“Simply put, if you do not meet the male-level, physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession,” Hegseth said. 

-  The War Department will begin undertaking a full review of the definitions of “so-called ‘toxic leadership,’ bullying and hazing,” in order to re-empower leaders to enforce high standards without fear of reprisal.  

-  The implementation of a military equal opportunity and equal employment opportunity reform, also intended to re-empower leaders to pursue high standards without fear of potentially unjust reprisal. 

-  Making changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel that will allow leaders with forgivable, earnest or minor infractions to not be encumbered by those infractions in perpetuity. 

- He also said that promotions across the joint force should be based only on merit. 

 I hate to sound like one of those old-timers that sit back and say, "Well, back in MY day, we did it like this..." but unfortunately, back in my day we DID do it like this.  All of the items I've just listed here were the norm for military service when I enlisted 50 years ago.  The Secretary is taking a hard line on qualifications and training, stating that ALL combat jobs will have ONE set of training requirements that ALL trainees must meet, male or female.  He said - and I agree with him - that if a female could meet the qualifications then she got the job; if not, she didn't, and that was that.  The age of the double standards - one for men and one for women - are officially OVER.  And this is LONG overdue!

Secretary Hegseth said that the US military should be a fighting force trained to do one thing - win wars, and that our enemies should be afraid of us.  And he's right - thanks to Joe Biden and his bunch of woke pussies, nobody fears the US military anymore, especially after how Biden gave up Afghanistan.  But now all that is going to change, and I predict that a year from now there are going to be a LOT of retired flag rank officers (generals and admirals) who retired rather than try to make the "new" old fitness standards.  I also predict that the US military will once again be a lean, mean, fighting MILITARY machine instead of the bunch of woke pussies it is now.

And thank God for that! 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

A New Level of Idiocy

 

Meet Marcia Morey, a Demoncratic Representative from North Carolina.  Marcia is a former lawyer, a former judge, and a full time idiot.

The reason I say that she's a full time idiot is because of this statement she recently made during a session of the NC Legislature when referring to the heinous and horrifying murder of Irenya Zarutska by Decarlos Brown, a career criminal who had been arrested and released 14 times before he committed the murder:

"But don’t correlate what happened in January and a magistrate who set a bail according to guidelines to what happened in August. There is no correlation."

That's right, you read it right - Brown was arrested and released 14 times thanks to the broken bail system currently in place in Charlotte.  

Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that the bail system is broken, and that if Brown had been in jail where he belonged, Zarutska would still be alive today.  And on top of that, in my opinion she made it even worse by trying to defend the actions of the last judge who set this killer free by saying that he was 'just following guidelines.'

Well, here's the truth about that:  guidelines are just that - guidelines, not rules that absolutely must be followed.  A judge has the legal right and legal authority to set whatever punishments or bail amounts he feels is appropriate as long as he doesn't violate the law.  Not the guidelines, mind you, but the law.

In this case the judge, who was a liberal (of course) decided to set this maniac free so he could go murder someone.  

So once again you have a leftist libtard trying to defend the actions of another leftist libtard while placing the blame for that idiot's actions somewhere else.  A page right out of the leftist libtard playbook.

I can't help but wonder how this idiot would have felt if it was HER daughter that was killed.  I'm betting she'd be screaming bloody murder, but that's just me.

I can't wait to see how the trial turns out.  Let's hope and pray that a conservative judge with some common sense is assigned to the case.

Deo Vindice
IHC

 

The Problem With Democrats and the Liberal Left

 

This pretty much sums up one of the major problems with the Demoncratic Party and the liberal left.  To be sure, this isn't the ONLY problem these two groups have, but it's a big one.

Anytime the Demoncrats or liberal left want to do something or say something, they just go ahead and do it whether it's socially/morally acceptable or not.  And if you DARE say something to them about it, they'll immediately respond with "it's my Constitutional right!"

No one said it wasn't, dumbass.  And most of you haven't read the Constitution anyway, so you have no idea what it actually does say.

A leftie will proudly wear a t-shirt espousing the virtues of their particular favorite Demoncrat, and chances are pretty good that no one from the right will say anything to them about it because we know that it's their right to wear whatever they want, whether we like it or agree with it or not.

But let a conservative show up wearing a MAGA hat or shirt, and chances are better than average that the conservative is going to be confronted, yelled at, insulted, and assaulted.  And if you think this is wrong, then I suggest you go to YouTube and do a search for 'liberal MAGA meltdown' or something like that.  Be prepared to be surprised at what you're going to see.

I'm very curious to see what's going to happen at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk today.  There's no doubt in my mind of two things:  considering that the President, Vice President, Secretary of War, and several other high-ranking officials will be there, that arena is going to be the safest, most secure facility on the face of the planet. 

The other thing I'm sure of is that, knowing this and knowing how the general public perceives them in a VERY bad light since the assassination, the idiots on the liberal left will show up at the arena to protest anyway, standing on their Constitutional right to do so.

This is a perfect example of when you SHOULDN'T do something.  ANY demonstration at ANY memorial service is NOT acceptable, regardless of who's being memorialized.  This shows a HUGE disrespect for the deceased and his surviving family, and no conservative in the world would ever do this.

But we're not talking about conservatives; we're talking about the idiots on the liberal left.  There's no doubt in my mind that they'll show up, cause a scene, and a bunch of them will get arrested.  At the end of the day they'll all go home smiling, proud of themselves for the way they 'educated America' on the perceived fascism of the Trump administration.

And they'll be completely unaware that all they did was prove once again to the country and the rest of the world just how inconsiderate, immoral, disrespectful, and downright stupid they really are.  They'll have done more damage to their already tattered reputation than they'll ever admit, and they'll never see it.

Tell me I'm wrong, I dare ya.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Another One Bites The Dust

 

You would think that sooner or later these lefty 'celebrities' would learn to keep their mouths shut, especially since retribution has been coming from all sides for anyone celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk or talking bad about him.  Dozens of libtards have lost their jobs over being stupid enough to A) celebrate the assassination of Charlie Kirk, B) putting it on video, and C) being incredibly stupid enough to post it on social media.  And this retribution has been dealt out to lefties without concern for their position - lawyers, business owners, doctors, nurses, and fast food workers have all swiftly gotten the axe for their incredibly stupid and monumentally insensitive posting of their celebrations over the murder of a husband and a father just for voicing his opinion.  

And then there's Jimmy Kimmel, who has never been the sharpest knife in the drawer to begin with

I will readily admit that I have never liked Kimmel, from the time he hosted his now-infamous "The Man Show" to the present day when he has become nothing more than a libtard shill and overall asshole.  He's a Grade A asshole, and now he's a Grade A UNEMPLOYED asshole.

Seems that his parent company didn't take too kindly to his remarks about the Kirk assassination, especially since they've been trying really hard themselves to shed the 'woke' image that they so careful manufactured over the past 4 years or so.  

So who was his parent company?  Why, Disney, of course!

To me, that's the most pleasantly surprising factor in this whole thing, that a loudmouthed, obnoxious, insulting, moronic clown like Kimmel gets canceled by a company that tried so hard to appeal to the exact audience Kimmel was playing to.  But now that they're trying to reverse their falling fortunes by shedding the 'woke' image, Kimmel has become an albatross around their necks.  But unlike the Ancient Mariner, they were able to shed this particular dead bird quickly and without any trouble at all.

After all, an increase in their stocks is worth $$$ that Kimmel can no longer bring them.  So it's 'bye-bye, Felicia!' to Kimmel, who can now join the ranks of the other unemployed libtard assholes who lost their jobs for the same reason.

And rightfully so.  I, for one, won't shed any tears for him.  Not now, not tomorrow, not ever.

I just can't wait to see who's next!

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

The Difference Between Us and Them

 

Just when you think the people on the libtard left can't do anything more disgusting and vile or stoop to a new low, they surprise everyone by doing just that.   Almost as soon as his body hit the stage, a lot of people on the libtard left began celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

THIS is the difference between US, the conservatives, and THEM, the libtard left.  When they announced that Joe Biden had cancer, the reaction from the right was to send thoughts and prayers, making public declarations that they hoped for a recovery instead of hoping for his death.  When Trump was shot last year, the libtard left cheered the act and bemoaned the fact that the shooter missed. Now that Charlie Kirk has been assassinated, they're literally dancing in the streets.

And to make matters worse, the leadership of the Demoncratic party had the chance to reshape their party and change both the rhetoric and the party's course.  All they had to do was publicly denounce the shooting and tell the members to STFU and be respectful, and tell their representatives in Congress to stop with the hateful rhetoric (are you listening, Maxine Waters?).  But did they do this?

NOOOOOOOO, of course not!  They played down their role in the assassination by denying the hateful and violent rhetoric of their party for the past TEN YEARS, even trying to blame the Republicans and the right for the shooting.  And of course the immediate call for more gun control came just as we expected.  

Rather than go into what I'm sure would be a long-winded rant about all of the things wrong with the Demoncratic Party and the monumental hypocrisy they display on a daily basis, I'll save that for another post at another time.  So instead, let me just say this:

Anyone who celebrates the death of another human being regardless of your political/religious affiliation is scum, the lowest form of life on the planet.

So to all of you who have celebrated the assassination of a great patriot, a husband and a father, for nothing more than voicing his opinions and hoping for debate, I simply say this:

FUCK YOU.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

What To Expect Next

 

I went to bed last night filled with despair and sorrow, hoping that I would awaken this morning to the news that the asshole who assassinated Charlie Kirk had been caught while I was asleep.  I didn't wake up to the news, but the news came shortly after that.  Needless to say, that brightened my whole day.

So now half of the nation - the half with morals, common sense, and a sense of decency - is celebrating the capture of this assassin, while the other half of the nation is preparing to make excuses for this asshole's actions.  Keep in mind that these are the same people who openly celebrated Kirk's assassination, so that should tell you what you can expect next.

But just for giggles, let me tell you what I think we can expect next.

We can expect the libtard left to make excuses for this killer's actions.  Those excuses will run the gamut of bullshit excuses, everything from his lousy childhood to his not being picked for basketball to his inferiority complex from whatever bullshit reason the left can come up with.  

Next, some libtard asshole will start a GoFundMe account to pay for this asshole's defense, but that will be short lived because as we saw last week with the killing in Charlotte the nice folks at GoFundMe will not allow any account to be created for the support of someone who is accused of a crime.  But the libtards will try anyway, and they'll bitch, whine, moan, and complain when GoFundMe shuts them down.

Then they'll try to shift the blame someplace else other than where it belongs, that being square in the lap of the asshole who pulled the trigger.  That's a play right out of the libtard playbook - never accept blame for your actions because it's always somebody else's fault.

And of course, there will be the renewed cries for gun control.  That has actually already begun, with the first libtard making that absurd statement within an hour of the incident taking place.  The ones who will be saying this are the same ones who will ignore the fact that the shooter is a libtard, just as they ignored the fact that the previous 9 shooters were all libtards of which 8 were trans.   The simple fact is that if democrats stopped shooting people, gun violence would drop by 90%.

The information on the purchase and legal/illegal possession of the rifle used hasn't been released as of the time I'm writing this, but when - not if, but when - it's proven that the rifle was legally purchased, that will only serve as yet more proof that gun control laws don't work.  After all, murder is illegal, but that didn't stop the Asshole of the Century, did it?

In the mean time, all we can do now is sit back and let the Trump DOJ do what it does best.  As a rule I'm not a supporter of the death penalty as I've explained in a previous post, but in this case I'm willing to make an exception.  I'll say here what the libtards in control of TikTok won't let me say there:

FRY THE BASTARD!

 Off on the bike to take a road trip to NC to see my family.  Catch you on the flip side.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

"Well Done, Thy Good and Faithful Servant"

 

Like the rest of the people in this country who have both common sense and a conscience, I'm still in shock over the political assassination - and that's what it was, make no mistake - of Charlie Kirk.  Here was a man who did nothing but speak the truth about both life and Christianity, and one of those people who preach 'tolerance, acceptance, and understanding' shot him in the neck and killed him for it.  He never advocated nor called for violence against anyone for any reason, yet his words upset some radical nutjob on the libtard left enough that he felt justified in taking Charlie's life.  Now there's a wife without a husband, and two small children without a father.

My only hope at this point is that they find the assassin and capture him ALIVE so he can stand trial.  And while I normally don't support the death penalty, in this case if the assassin is found guilty he needs to die.  Period.

I don't know which disgusts me more, those on the liberal left who refuse to acknowledge that it was THEIR rhetoric which caused this, or those demented, lowlife, scum-sucking assholes who are actually celebrating Charlie's assassination.  Those people are the lowest of the low, lower than whale shit, and it is my fervent hope that Karma pays them a visit very soon.

In the mean time, America has lost a true patriot and a hero, and Christianity has lost one of its most fervent supporters.  The only source of solace in all this is knowing that Charlie is with Jesus now, free from the hate and idiocy that surrounds us, courtesy of the liberal left and the Demoncratic party.

"Well done, thy good and faithful servant.  Enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." 

Rest in peace, Charlie.  

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Sometimes I Wonder

Sometimes I just sit back and wonder to myself how in the hell the Demoncrats in this country believe the things they do, and why they are so stubbornly resistant to change that will not only benefit them but everyone around them.

Such is the case with the nation's illegal immigrant problem.  Thanks to the utter stupidity of "Creepy Joe" Biden and his equally stupid cohort, "Kameltoe" Harris and their open border policy, more than 7 MILLION immigrants crossed the border illegally during his disastrous term in office.  Those illegal immigrants are now placing an undue burden on the social support programs of the cities they're in, and to make matters worse many Democratic mayors are providing them with enough free stuff to keep them here forever.  Chicago's idiot mayor, Brandon Johnson, has announced that the city is bankrupt and has no more money, demanding that the Federal government bail him out.  (All this while refusing to enforce immigration laws in his city and ordering Chicago police not to assist ICE in their efforts to get the illegals out.)  

Yet every time Trump makes a move to try to do ANYTHING that will benefit the country, especially enforcing immigration laws, the Demoncrats fight him.  They do this while shouting 'No one is above the law!' while at the same time refusing to enforce the laws on their own elected officials and refusing to enforce the national immigration laws.  In the mean time, Demoncratic-run cities are going broke, crime is on the rise, and people in those cities are less safe than they've ever been.

And to make matters worse, even though their cities are crumbling around them, the Demoncrats continue to elect one stupid Demoncratic official after another, proving that you can't teach an old dog (or in this case, jackass) new tricks.  

Once again, look at Chicago.  You'd think that the people of Chicago would have had enough after the disastrous term of Lori 'Beetlejuice' Lightfoot, but noooooooooo.  Instead of electing a Republican who ran on the platform of law and order, they elected yet another liberal leftist idiot who has turned out to be worse than Lightfoot ever was.  And one year later the city is still the murder and crime capital of the nation, even with the strictest gun laws in the nation.  (Don't get me started.)

So now, after using the National Guard to clean up DC, Trump has set his sights on Chicago.  The reaction from the Demoncrats is as expected - the idiot mayor has vowed resistance, as has the equally idiotic governor.  And now, in the latest wrinkle to a story straight out of the Twilight Zone, the gang members - I'm sorry, the BLACK gang members - in Chicago have said that they'll unite to 'fight the National Guard in the streets.'

Yeah, right.  In the first place, I don't see the gangs in Chicago or any other big city ever uniting for anything.  In the second place, ghetto thugs with stolen guns up against the National Guard who are armed with automatic weapons, armored vehicles, tanks, and aircraft?  Something tells me this isn't going to end well - for the gangs, that is.

And in the mean time, both the lardass governor and moronic mayor continue to do nothing, reaffirming their status as a 'sanctuary' city and state while crime in their cities continues to rise.

This is gonna be good.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Change My Mind

 

Here's a tip for you - no matter what you say, until the Demoncratic party changes their policies - which they won't - I will continue to believe that the biggest threat to the safety, security, and very future of our nation is the Demoncratic party.  And here are the reasons why.

1.  They're fighting for open borders.  Biden started this fiasco, and in the four long, disastrous years of his Presidency more than 7 MILLION illegal immigrants have entered our country.  This flood of illegals has put an unreasonable and unmanageable burden on the economies and services provided by the 'sanctuary cities' that they settled in, with the perfect example of this being Chicago.  (Chicago can actually served as the example for every disastrous policy the Demoncrats support, from gun control to illegal immigrants.)   The Mayor of Chicago recently announced that the city was going to run out of money, and TOLD - not ASKED, but TOLD - the Federal government that they had to come bail the city out.  

2.  They're fighting to keep illegal immigrants in the country.  Liberal judges across the nation have issued injunction after injunction to try and stop Trump from deporting these illegal immigrants, with the Supreme Court of the United States just releasing an opinion that District judges have NO AUTHORITY to issue nationwide injunctions, nor do they have the legal authority to rescind an Executive Order issued by the President.  So why are the Demoncrats fighting to keep the illegals here?  Because they know that the illegals will vote for them in the next election, that's why.  (That's also why they opened the borders.)

3.  They're fighting to protect criminals.  Trump proved when he sent the National Guard into the District of Columbia that enforcing the law isn't that hard, and that crime will drop when you do.  But of course the Demoncrats are fighting his efforts, trying to keep him from doing this in other cities (like Chicago) and protecting the criminals in the process.

4.  They're fighting efforts to require an ID to vote.  This goes right back to the reason why they're fighting to keep the millions of illegal immigrants in this country - they know that if the United States requires an ID in order to vote, the illegals can't vote for them.  

5.  They're fighting to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses.  Which is the ONLY way to get around the requirement to show a valid ID in order to vote.

I could go on, but I think you're getting the idea by now. 

By now you should be asking yourself why the Demoncrats are doing all of this, and the answer is simple.  They're doing it to try and regain control of the Federal government.  Once they have a Democrat in the Oval Office and a Demoncratic majority in both houses of Congress, then they're free to do all of the crap that they want to do in order to make our country 'a better, safer place to live.'  Like what, you ask?

Like repealing the 2nd Amendment.  After all, every good dictator knows that the first thing you have to do in order to control the public is disarm them.  

Like make abortion legal.  Abortion is murder, end of fuckin' story.

Like raise the national minimum wage to $25.00.  If you want to destroy the economy, this is the way to do it.

Like reinstate DEI policies and make them the law of the land.  Racism in its purest form, but of course they don't see it that way.

IMHO the only way to eliminate this threat is to eliminate the Demoncratic party.  Yeah, I know, that's never gonna happen, so the next best thing is to vote Republican to keep a Republican in the White House and a Republican majority in the Congress.  Do this long enough, and I believe the Demoncratic party as we know it today will self-destruct and change their policies to what they were back when they actually were "the party of the people" in the sixties.

We can only hope.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Well...Bye

 

This is my reaction every time a so-called 'celebrity' makes the announcement that they're leaving the US because they don't want to live here while Trump is President.  Here's what I have to say to them - ALL of them, both the ones I like and the ones I don't.

First off, this isn't an airport.  You don't have to announce your departure.  Just pack your shit and leave.

Second, who cares?  I mean, really, aside from your close family, who cares?  You do what you think is best for you and your family, but do it without the unnecessary fanfare and drama.  Yeah, I know, you're a celebrity and a very important person, so you're used to the fanfare and the people drooling over your every move and expect this to happen every time you blow your nose or skin your knee.  

News flash - WE DON'T CARE.  Not even the most rabid of your fans will give a damn where you live, as long as you keep acting or singing or doing whatever it is you do.  Oh, a few of them will cry and moan and whine about you leaving - the ones with blue hair and a septum ring - but they'll be the exception rather than the rule.  Everyone else will just move on.

Third, and most important, what makes you think that your decisions and your opinions are worth more than mine or anyone else's?  Are you an expert in politics?  Science?  Math?  No?  Then why do you think your opinions matter more than anyone else's?

The truth is that they don't.  No matter who says it, an opinion is just that - an opinion.  And you know what they say about opinions, right?   

My advice for any performing artist of any kind, be it acting, singing, comedy, whatever, is very simple.

Just shut up and act.  Or sing.  Or whatever.  Keep your personal/religious/political opinions to yourself, and do whatever it is you do that makes you popular.  Speaking as a consumer, I don't listen to a singer or watch an actor because I like their religion or their politics.  As long as you can sing or act, that's all I care about.  I don't give a damn who you voted for or who you pray to, or even if you pray at all.  (On the other hand, if that person comes out as a rabid liberal ala Robert DeNiro, I'll never spend another cent on that person or watcth/listen to anything they do ever again.) 

Just shut the hell up and sing.  Simple as that.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

 

The Day The Music Died

 

I still can't believe he's gone, much less that it's been two whole years already.  There have only been two singers who have affected my life and touched me as deeply as Jimmy Buffett did, with the other one being John Denver.  

I remember hearing "Come Monday" when I was a teenager, but never paid much attention to it.  Jimmy first came to my attention when I was in the Air Force and stationed at Taegu AB, South Korea.  It was a Sunday afternoon and the base was dead quiet; pilots didn't fly on the weekend, so the flight line was just as dead as the main base (which was dead because everyone was still sleeping off the previous night's hangover).  I was the Flight Chief and was driving around the flight line doing post checks, listening to AFKN (Armed Forces Korea Network, the ONLY English-speaking station in the country) on the radio in the Dodge truck assigned to the Flight Chief.  Sunday was the day that AFKN played a newly-released album in its entirety without commercial interruption, and on that day they were playing the newest release by Jimmy Buffett called "Off To See The Lizard."  

Halfway through the album I thought it was pretty damned good, and by the time the album finished I was hooked.  I was a Jimmy Buffett fan, also known as a "Parrothead" as I would discover later.

The next morning I went to the Base Exchange to see what Jimmy Buffett albums they had in stock, and to my delight they had every single album he'd released up until that time in cassette form.  (Hey, this was 1989, remember.)  I bought them all, around eight or so, for a whopping $3 each.  I spent the next few days listening to them both on and off duty, and the more I heard of his music the more I loved it.  Like John Denver, he wasn't just a singer, he was a storyteller.  And like Denver, each of his songs had a story, and to me this is the one thing that set him apart from all the others out there.  

I finally got to see him in concert in February of 1999 thanks to my sister in law, Kim, when he played Madison Square Garden during his "Don't Stop The Carnival" tour.  He was even better in person, and that concert was one of the best times of my life. 

When he died two years ago, it felt like I had just lost a family member.  There have only been 3 celebrities that I've cried over when they died; John Wayne, John Denver, and Jimmy Buffett.

And I'm not ashamed to say it.

Sail on, sailor.  Bubbles up, Jimmy.  We love you and miss you.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

You Say 'Auditor,' I Say...

 

ASSHOLE.  Here's why.

To a man, every video I've ever seen by these self-proclaimed 'auditors' shows that they are doing nothing but causing trouble.  They call themselves 'auditors' and say that they're 'auditing' their ability to exercise their First Amendment rights, but let's be real.  That's total bullshit and everyone knows it, including the asshole with the camera.  The ONLY reason they're out there sticking a camera in everyone's face is to provoke them into a confrontation that they can record and then post on YouTube or TikTok to get 'likes' or catch their 15 minutes of fame.  

That's it.  There's nothing noble or righteous or even necessary about what they're doing.  They're attention-seeking assholes who are looking to get famous at your expense.  They pick an area that they know is going to be sensitive or controversial - like a military base or a doctor's office - and stand outside on the sidewalk on public land, turn on their camera, and wait for the inevitable response.

And I say 'inevitable' because just as sure as the sun is gonna rise tomorrow morning and God made little green apples, some well-meaning soul will get in front of the camera and make a scene about the asshole being there.  99% of the time these well-meaning souls will be tragically unaware of what's legal about this and what's not, but that only makes the video juicier which will result in more views, more likes, and more stroking of the asshole's ego.  (Every now and then the asshole will fuck up and film from private property, and when he gets arrested it's VERY satisfying to watch!)

So why is recording in public like this legal?  Simple - because the Supreme Court of the United States has said that when you are out in public you have 'no reasonable expectation of privacy.'  That means anyone can record you, and they don't need a signed release from you or your permission to record you.  Now, if they were going to use the recording for commercial purposes and make money off of it, THEN they would need a signed release from you.  Either that, or they'd have to obscure your face so you can't be recognized.  But these assholes aren't in it for the money, they're in it for the attention, so no release is necessary.  They know that most people simply don't like being recorded without their permission, and they're going to take advantage of it.

And THAT is what makes them ASSHOLES. 

How to handle these assholes is so simple it's ridiculous, but it requires control over your emotions which sometimes can be a challenge.  All you need to do is IGNORE THEM.  Just go about your business with the knowledge that if you don't give these assholes anything to post to TikTok, they won't post the video with you in it.  Don't even wave at them and tell them 'hello,' because they'll post that as an acknowledgement that what they're doing is OK and that no one has a problem with it - which will only encourage them to continue. 

So as tough as it may be, just ignore them and they'll go away.  You'll be glad you did, trust me.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

DUI Procedures - What's Really Going On

 

So let's talk about what's going on during a traffic stop for a suspected DUI.  But first, my credentials so you'll know that I know what I'm talking about.

From 1987-1989 I was a Certified Type II Breath Alcohol Operator in the State of Missouri.  This means that I was certified to operate AND REPAIR the Breathalyzer 900/900A in the state of Missouri.  From 1993 to 1998 I was a Certified Breath Alcohol Instructor for the Division of Forensic Science, Commonwealth of Virginia.  This means that I was certified to operate the Breathalyzer 900/900A and the Intoxilyzer 5000; additionally, I was certified as an Instructor and taught police officers from all over the state how to operate these machines.  I was also certified as a Field Sobriety Test Instructor from the DFS in Virginia, which means I taught police officers from all over the state how to conduct Field Sobriety Tests to include Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN).  I also have 212 DUI arrests with 212 convictions under my belt.  And just for giggles, I was also a Certified RADAR Instructor which means - well, you get the idea.

So having said all that, let me tell you why it's never a good idea to drive after you've been drinking, and what goes on from the moment a cop suspects you of DUI.  This is gonna be a tad lengthy, so get comfortable.

 First and foremost, most DUI arrests begin with a traffic stop for something completely different.  Most of my DUI arrests came from speeding violations, but the national average was 'Driving Too Slow.'  But for the sake of argument, let's say that the cop sees a car traveling down the roadway, and the car is weaving from side to side.  This is called 'Failure to Maintain Lane Position' in legalese, and is sufficient probable cause for a traffic stop.  Once the blue lights come on, the process begins.

First thing the cop is going to notice is how long it takes you - or how short it takes you - to see the lights and pull over.  If it takes you more than a minute or so to pull over, that's a clue.  If you pull over right away and slam on the brakes, that's a clue.  And trust me when I tell you that from the moment the cop decides to turn on the lights, he/she is making notes of EVERYTHING you do.

When the cop gets up to the car the first thing he's going to look for is the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the car and/or your person.  (Yep, more legalese for you.)  If it's there, that's a BIG clue.  

Next, he's going to look at your face and your eyes.  He's looking for flushed cheeks, a red nose, and bloodshot eyes.  If he sees any of these, that's a clue.  He's also looking at the condition of your clothing.  If you're covered in vomit, then yeah, that's a clue.  If the car reeks of urine because you've wet yourself while sitting in your car, yeah, that's a clue.  (Yep, I encountered both of these during traffic stops for DUI.) Then he's going to ask you for your driver's license and vehicle registration.  While you're searching through your wallet to get your driver's license, he's watching that, too, because if you're having trouble finding it, that's a clue - especially if you go PAST it at least once.  

And while you're searching for your driver's license, he's going to ask you a simple non-incriminating question.  With me, most of the time it was "Sir, what year is your car?"  If you're drunk, you're going to stop, look up at the cop, and go, "HUH?"  It is a scientifically proven fact that an intoxicated person cannot have two thought processes at once, so once the drunk gets asked a question while looking for his driver's license, his thought train is immediately derailed.  This is another BIG clue.   

Once you hand the cop your driver's license, he's going to ask you another non-incriminating question.  My go-to question was always, "Sir, what's your middle name?"  Invariably, if the driver was drunk he/she would tell me their LAST name, because that's what they're used to.  I mean, really, how many times has someone asked you your MIDDLE name?  This simple question involves a separate thought process, and a drunk won't be able to do it - they'll respond out of habit, especially if they're still looking for their registration, and will tell you their LAST name.  Another clue.  (Sometimes I'd ask, "What month were you born?" and most of the time the suspect would tell me their ENTIRE birth date.  Another clue.)

By now the cop has enough probable cause to ask you to submit to a series of Field Sobriety Tests, but most cops will take it one step further.  They'll ask the driver, "Have you been drinking tonight?"  For those of you who say, 'THIS IS A VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!' my reply is no, it's not.  It's not a crime to have a drink if you're of legal age, and it's not an infringement of your rights to ask this since drinking itself is not a crime.  Now, if the cops asks the drive if he's drunk, then THAT is a violation of the driver's rights because the answer could incriminate the driver.  That's why a properly trained cop will NEVER ask this question.   

Now it's time for the Field Sobriety Tests.  Do you have the legal right to refuse to take the tests?  Absolutely.  Can you be charged with a separate offense for refusing this?  NO.  And about the FSTs - there is no 'pass' or 'fail' grade assigned.  The suspect either 'performed the tests as instructed' or 'did not perform the tests as instructed,' which will be followed by exactly what the suspect messed up during the administration of the tests.  

One of these tests is the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, or HGN.  This is the evaluation of the ability of a person's eyes to track a moving object traveling from side to side, and the cop is looking for three things:  smooth pursuit, onset of nystagmus (jerking of the eyeball), and degree of nystagmus at maximum deviation (how badly your eyeball is bouncing when you're looking all the way over to one side).  This test has been proven to be 70% accurate if a minimum of TWO of these clues are observed; that means if you have two of these clues, there's a 70% chance that your blood alcohol content (BAC) is AT LEAST 0.08%.  

In short, you're drunk.  And this test, unlike the Field Sobriety Tests, cannot be practiced because nystagmus is a naturally occurring involuntary condition present in ALL human beings, and intoxication only makes it visible by making it more pronounced to the point where it's easily observable.

This is the point at which the cop should advise you of your Constitutional right against self-incrimination, because if you've given him enough probable cause to ask for a breath test, he has enough probable cause to arrest you - and trust me, he's going to arrest you. 

Next is the Chemical Test, or Breath Test, if you prefer.  This is when the cop asks you to submit to a chemical analysis of your blood/breath/urine for the purpose of determining alcohol intoxication.  When the cop asks you this, shit just got real.  Do you have the legal right to refuse to take the test?  Absolutely.  Can you be charged with a separate legal offense for refusing?  ABSOLUTELY.  And I can guarantee you that you WILL be charged.  It's called the Implied Consent Ruling, and is a law in every state of the Union.  This law says that by operating a motor vehicle on the public/private roadways of your state, you have been deemed to have given your consent to a chemical test of your blood/breath/urine for the purpose of determining alcoholic intoxication when asked by a law enforcement official.  A failure to consent to this test is a separate criminal offense and WILL result in the AUTOMATIC suspension of your driver's license for a period of not less than 1 year.   

Tack that onto the 1 year suspension you're gonna get for the DUI charge (if it's your first offense), and you're gonna be taking an UBER for the next two years.

 So let's say that you refuse the FSTs, and you also refuse the breath test.  Can the cop still get a DUI conviction?  If he's properly trained to recognize the clues and you've given him enough of them, absolutely.  I went into court on several occasions with nothing more than my visual observations during the screening process (which began the moment I suspected intoxication) and got a conviction every time thanks to the copious notes I took on the many and varied clues the drivers gave me.  I even got a conviction with no FSTs, no breath test, and no advisement of rights.  When the defense attorney moved to have the case dismissed because I didn't advise his clients of his rights, the judge asked me why I didn't advise the suspect of his rights.  My reply was, "Because I didn't ask him any questions."  Case closed, 1 year suspension for Violation of Implied Consent, and 1 year suspension for First Offense DUI.

Why am I telling you all this?  A couple of reasons.  First, to let you know that there's a hell of a lot more going on when a cop stops someone for suspicion of drunk driving than the average person knows, and that the cops are more highly trained than anyone would think.  But the main reason is to try and get you to see while you're sober just how bad an idea it is to drive drunk.  A DUI charge will cost you somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 dollars, not to mention what it's going to do to your insurance.  If you have a job that requires you to drive, you're really fucked now because you're going to lose your job.  If you have a CDL, you can kiss that goodbye for the rest of your life.

Even worse, drunk drivers kill more than 10,000 people each year, and the last thing you want is to go through the rest of your life with the knowledge that you were responsible for one - or more - of them. 

Unless you become one of them yourself.  Then your family gets to live with that for the rest of their lives.

Get the point?

In closing, let me say this:  if you're a friend of mine and if you ever need a ride home because you're too drunk to drive, call me and I'll come get you, no questions asked.  I won't tell anyone it happened, either - not your wife, not your mom, not your dad, no one.  Ever. 

That's what friends do.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

 

What I Believe - Burning the American Flag

 

Yeah, I know, yesterday I said I'd be discussing DUI procedures, but this topic popped up and caught my attention, so here it is.  I'll talk about DUI processing tomorrow, I promise! 

My feelings on burning the American flag are simple.  Burning the American flag in protest of whatever it is you're protesting is not "freedom of speech" and should be illegal.  The ONLY time the American flag should be burned is when it has reached the end of its serviceable life.  Other than that, nope.  I don't give a damn what you're 'protesting,' or what 'message' you're trying to convey - you DO NOT burn the American flag.  Make a sign, march in protest, shout until you're hoarse, but don't burn the flag.

Before someone says it (and I'm sure they will), no, I don't claim to know more than the SCOTUS.  But then again, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written in language that is designed to be understood by the average citizen, and as I understand the Bill of Rights, nowhere in the First Amendment is burning the American flag covered or deemed to be okay.  I have no idea where the Justices got their reasoning from, but I vehemently disagree.  

For those of you who have never read it, here's what it says. 

Amendment I

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

To me, the average American, 'abridging the freedom of speech' covers placards and signs, because written words are a manner of speech.  Instead of vocalizing it you're writing it down, and that's fine.  But IMHO nowhere in the realm of realism and common sense can ANYONE construe this as meaning that it's OK to burn the American flag.  NOWHERE.  Again, IMHO when the SCOTUS delivered this opinion they fucked up.  And to me this is rather incredulous considering that in 1989 when this decision was published 6 of the 9 justices were Republicans.

Now for the elephant in the room.

While it is my opinion that burning the American flag should be illegal, the President of the United States does not have the power to make it illegal or order the prosecution of those who burn an American flag.  Regardless of who he/she is or what good he/she has done, they don't have the authority to make laws.  Only Congress can do that.  So yes, while I agree with his feelings on this, President Trump does not have the authority to make this act illegal, and I'm not surprised to see that he's getting backlash from conservatives on this.  We love what he's doing for the country, but we love our Constitution more, and that document says that only the Congress can make laws.  So no matter what the topic is, the President doesn't have that authority.  End of discussion.

But I will say this:  burn an American flag in my presence, and there's gonna be trouble.  I'll gladly go to jail over this and will laugh all the way to lockup while you're on your way to the hospital in an ambulance.

And now it's time for someone in Congress to introduce a bill making the burning of an American flag for any reason other than its disposal when it reaches the end of its life illegal.  Considering that the President has already made his feelings on this known and that the Republicans control both houses of Congress, any bill such as this could become the law of the land in a very short period of time.

The only question now is will someone in Congress have the balls to stand up and do this?  Judging from their dismal performance so far this year, I'd say no.  

And that's a shame. 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

The Worst Legal Advice EVER

 

Social media, just like cellular phones, is a two-edged knife that cuts both ways.  It can be the best thing that ever happened to you, or the worst.  You can get really good advice from social media, but you can also get some of the worst advice you'll ever find as well.

Such is the case with these lawyers who post a video on social media where they tell you, "NEVER ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE POLICE!  NOT EVEN YOUR NAME!'

Speaking as one who worked within the legal system for 19 years as a street cop, I can tell you that while there is some good in this advice, there is more bad than good.  The good is, if you're a bad guy who's trying to hide something illegal that you've done, then not answering questions is not only a good idea but your Constitutional right as well.  And if the cops think you've done something wrong, they are required to advise you of your Constitutional rights before asking you any questions about it.  When this happens, your very best choice is to refuse to answer questions.  At that point the questioning concerning the illegal event being investigated is legally required to stop.  The cops CAN ask you other questions, such as your name, address, things like that, but once you've invoked your 5th Amendment rights they cannot legally ask you anything else about the suspected crime.

But the absolute worst thing you can ever do is refuse to answer ANY questions from the police.  If a cop pulls you over, the first thing you need to realize is that he has a good reason for it.  (99% of the time, anyway.)  If he asks you where you're coming from, he has a reason for it.  Maybe he's looking for a car like yours that was involved in a crime, and he wants to see if he has the right car or not.  If not, he'll let you go.  Simple as that. 

So what's the harm in telling the cop your name when he asks?  If you refuse, he's just gonna ask you for your driver's license and find out that way, so why not just tell him?  I can guarantee you he's got a reason for asking instead of getting it from your license.  Most of the time he's screening you to see if you're intoxicated, and your ability to speak clearly and concisely - and the ability to remember your name - is one of the ways he does it.

Here's what happens if you choose to refuse to answer ANY questions from the police.

The cop automatically thinks that you're trying to hide something that he doesn't know about or hasn't noticed yet.  (Either that, or you're just being an uncooperative asshole.)  When THAT happens, the cop is going to start an investigation right then and there into your suspicious activities (and yes, refusing to answer simple questions such as what your name is can be considered suspicious) and he's going to legally detain you.  And he can detain you until one of two things happens:  until he's satisfied that no crime has been committed and that you're just being an asshole, or he proves that a crime has been committed at which time the detention is going to become an arrest. 

See, it works like this:  honest people have nothing to hide, and shouldn't have any problems with answering simple questions.  If you're one of those people who just don't trust the police and will refuse to answer any questions including what your name is for this reason, then you're just making things harder on yourself.  Your refusal to tell the cop your name is a giant red flag to him, and you're just asking for what comes next.  The cop is going to treat you as an uncooperative and possibly hostile suspect, and he's going to act accordingly.  His next step will most likely be to get you out of the car to separate you from any weapons you may have in there - but of course you'll refuse, and things will go downhill quickly from there.  End result - you face down on the ground in handcuffs, possibly with a couple of taser probes sticking into your skin and your nerves still tingling from the 50K jolt you just got.

Remember, you asked for this. 

Is there a point at which you should stop answering questions?  Yes, there is.  If the cop asks you a specific question concerning a specific illegal activity, if you are guilty of this offense then yes, you should invoke your 5th Amendment right and STFU.  (And it's not illegal to drink alcohol unless you're underage, so the cop is legally allowed to ask you this.) If you're not guilty, why not answer?  You've got nothing to hide, right?

Oh, yeah, you just don't like cops because you don't trust them, especially if you're black.  Gotcha.  Do you need me to tell you (again) how this is gonna turn out?

If you just feel uncomfortable answering questions from the police, there's a right way and a wrong way to let the cop know.  The wrong way is to just say, "I'm not answering any questions" and not elaborate.  Your attitude and tone of voice have a lot to do with it, too, and most of the time this response is given in an irate/hostile tone of voice with the person either glaring at the cop or not looking at him at all.  The right way is to look the cop in the eyes and in a smooth, non-confrontational tone of voice simply say "I'm sorry, officer, but I just don't feel comfortable answering any questions at this time."  If the cop replies with something like "Why not?" then he's not paying attention.  Just repeat what you said and let it go.  But most of the time the cop will just say "All right, then," and will just give you your ticket and be done with it.  

Now let me address the elephant in the room.

Are there bad cops out there who will break the law to get what they want with a suspect?  Sure there are.  Just as with any profession, there are good cops and bad cops, but the good news is that the good cops outnumber the bad ones by a couple hundred thousand to one, so your chances of running into one is slim.   But if you do, just keep your cool, stand on your rights, and let things play out.  

And when it comes time to get a lawyer, don't get one like Saul Goodman.

Tomorrow we discuss DUI procedures and what's really going on when the cop pulls you over.  Trust me when I tell you that there's more going on than you realize.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

 

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

 

Saw this slogan on another site this morning and it really struck home with me, because it describes me to a "T."

 

And the side effect of this, the side effect that most people won't recognize and will criticize the 'loner' for it when they finally do see it, is that having people you once trusted turn on you and betray you makes you not want to trust anyone.  It makes you suspicious of people and their reasons for doing things, which keeps you from doing things that you truly want to do.

 

I know because I'm going through this right now.  There are several groups I would love to get involved with that are motorcycle-related, because as much as I love riding it's a lot more fun when you're riding with others.  But because of just how bad I was burned by most (but not all) of the so-called 'brothers' in my former Masonic lodge, I'm very hesitant to get involved with these groups because I don't want to be hurt again. 

 

So I guess I'll just do the 'lone wolf' thing and wait until things get better, which I'm sure they will.

 

I hope.

 

Deo Vindice

IHC  

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

 I'm sure just about everyone else in this country has heard that slogan at least once in their life, right?  

Well, maybe everyone but Julie Felss Masino, that is.  She's the new CEO of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and she's made some changes to the chain that aren't going over well.  This is her:

I don't know about you, but I can take one look at her and tell that she's a screaming liberal.  The giveaway for me is the glasses - NO conservative that I know of would wear glasses like that.  Combine that with the changes she's made to a much-loved and revered brand, and it all becomes clear.  Her reasoning behind the changes is that the brand "isn't as relative as it used to be" and needs to be "revitalized."

Anyone who has been paying attention over the past 4 1/2 years or so knows what THAT bullshit means.  It means a liberal wants to change the way something has always been just because THEY don't like it, because it's not "modern enough."

What this woman fails to understand is that the draw of Cracker Barrel was just that - it wasn't modern.  When you walked into the country store lobby of a Cracker Barrel you took a step back in time to a place where the world was simpler, less complicated, and enjoyable.  Seniors would go there because it reminded them of their world when they were growing up, and younger people would go there because they just liked the decor and the feel of the place.

And the food.  The food was always top-notch, especially the biscuits and gravy.

But not anymore.  You won't find that item on the new menu.  Neither will you find the country store-like entrance, as that has been done away with as well, all in the name of "modernization."

We don't want "modern," Julie.  We want "old fashioned."  We want our biscuits and gravy.

The first thing she did was change the logo, the one that the company has been using for 48 years.  Here's the old and new logo side by side:

I don't know about you, but I think that the new logo has all of the charm and appeal of a dead fish.  There's no substance to it, no soul, no meaning.  It's just another corporate logo in a sea of corporate logos.  In other words, it's just another dead fish in a sea of dead fish.  But if you think that's bad, take a look at what she'd done to the inside.

Here's the old Cracker Barrel we all knew and loved:

And here's the new version:

Now I don't know about you, but that new version has all of the charm and family appeal as a McDonald's.  It's lost ALL of the country charm that made Cracker Barrel as popular as it was.

So now it looks like Cracker Barrel is going to go down the same path that Bud Lite took two years ago, and that's too bad.  I refuse to set foot in any of the "new" restaurants, no matter what.

This is a prime example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  And if Cracker Barrel wasn't broke before, it sure as hell is now.

Deo Vindice

IHC