Let's Talk "Stupid"

 

So have you heard about the latest bright idea to come from the black community that is still outraged that a black teenager who killed a white teenager was found guilty of murder after several black eyewitnesses and a video proved that he did it?  Yep, that's right, I'm talking about the Karmelo Anthony murder trial.  

The black community threw the race card before the trial even started, whining and complaining that there weren't any blacks on the jury.  They were obviously ignorant (what else is new) of the fact that both the prosecution and the defense have an equal say in who's sitting on the jury, and that the defense could have put a black person or two on the jury - but he didn't.  (Next up:  an appeal based on inadequate legal defense.)  At that point anyone with an ounce of intelligence could see what was coming if the jury came to its inevitable and obvious conclusion.

But what nobody expected was for the blacks to come up with this ridiculous and downright stupid idea:  LET'S BOYCOTT ALL WHITE BUSINESSES.  

Yeah, that'll show 'em, all right.  (Insert sarcastic eye roll.)

So let's take a look at that, shall we?

Black owned businesses make up a mere 3% of all of the businesses in America, with the breakdown being as follows:

Healthcare and Social Assistance - 26%

Professional, Scientific, and Technical services - 14% 

Administrative Support/Waste Management - 8%

Transportation and Warehousing - 9%

Accommodation and Food Services - 7%

Other Services - 15%

While some of these numbers sound impressive, you have to remember that 26% of 3% isn't all that much.  

The simple fact of the matter is that if every black person in America stopped doing business with the white owned businesses, the negative impact on the business world would be negligible while the negative impact on the black community would be catastrophic.  And here's why.

First and foremost, every black person who works for a white owned company would have to quit.  Since blacks make up 13% of the work force, that means that 13% of the work force would now be looking for employment from businesses that make up only 3% of the businesses in America.  A quick look at the numbers and at the categories of black owned businesses tells you that not even half of that 13% would find employment, which means that the black unemployment rate in this nation would skyrocket.  In turn, the number of blacks on welfare or government assistance would also skyrocket, placing an undue burden on both state and federal governments to support them.

Second, when the things that the black community need in their everyday life start to wear out or break and need to be replaced - things like tires, sewing machines, blenders, and cars - where are they gonna get them?  You're gonna tell me that 13% of the population is going to be able to rely on 9% of the transportation services owned by blacks?  Hardly, especially since very few of those services are automobile dealerships and repair shops.  Sure, there are some, but not enough to provide the services needed.

Third, when the food runs out, then what?  Even if you're on welfare, EBT, or some other government program, where are you going to go to buy food?  I'm sure there are some black-owned 'mom and pop' grocery stores out there, but again, there aren't anywhere near enough to support 13% of the population, especially when that population is scattered over a country that is 3,000 miles wide.

Lastly, when the money runs out and the bills come due - specifically the rent or mortgage - what happens then?  Where are the blacks going to go when they get evicted?  I see a drastic rise in homelessness, don't you?

I could go on, but I think you get the idea by now.

Out of all of the stupid ideas the black community has ever come up with, this has got to be the stupidest. 

So y'all go right ahead and boycott white businesses.  Just don't expect any help from the rest of us when your idiotic idea runs its course and becomes the downfall of the black community.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

People and Topics I Don't Waste My Time With

There's a lot of lunacy and misinformation floating around on the internet these days, and it seems to me like it's worse than ever.  The internet, while it is a wonderful thing for communication and self-education, is also prone to what should be criminal misuse.  Some people (and by 'people' I mean libtards) just love to spread their half-truths, downright lies, and all kinds of misleading misinformation, knowing that other people (and by 'people' I mean libtards) will eat it up and accept it as the pure gospel truth. 

As for me, I'm not like that.  If I see something on the internet that piques my interest, the very first thing I'll do before I start talking about it or repost it is to fact-check it and see if it's true.  And NO, I don't use Snopes because that site is run by a couple of married libtards who don't always get it right.  

If it's news from America I'll check Fox News - and before you say it, yeah, I know that Fox is a right-leaning news network, but they get the facts right 99% of the time without putting a political spin in it which is something that NONE of the other American news outlets can say.  If I'm dubious of what Fox has to say, then I'll check either the BBC or Sky News Australia.  Both of these outlets have no dog in the fight on what's going on in America, so they'll pretty much call things as they see them - and most of the time they're right.

But there are some kinds of people and some topics that I just won't waste my time on because they're either so bigoted in their views or so brainwashed by the liberal left that there's no point in trying to discuss anything with them.  Aside from that, they don't 'discuss,' they argue - they do this because they know deep in their hearts that they're wrong and that they have NO facts to back up their opinions, so they won't give you the opportunity to make that clear.  And if you do, by some chance, bring this to light they will ALL do the same thing - they'll insult you and then walk away.

So here are the people and topics I won't waste my time with, in no particular order.

1.  Libtards and ANY political topic.  As I said, trying to discuss anything with them is a total waste of time.  I've seen more than a dozen video clips on the internet where a libtard will say that Trump is a racist, but when asked to name one specific thing he either did or said that was racist, they can't.  Same thing with gun control - when asked what an 'assault rifle' is, I have NEVER seen a libtard give an answer to that question because they can't.  In both cases they'll insult you and then walk away.  And God forbid you should ask them to define what a woman is!  You're gonna be there for the next five minutes listening to the most absurd nonsense you've ever heard before, and when it's over and they haven't made any sense they'll just insult you and walk away in true libtard fashion.

2.  Yankees and the War Between The States.  I don't mean Northerners, I mean Yankees.  There's a difference, that difference being that Northerners are fully aware of both sides of the story, while the only think Yankees want to focus on is that the South lost, the Confederate Battle Flag is racist, Robert E. Lee was a traitor, and that Abraham Lincoln was the best thing to hit the planet since Jesus Christ.  You can't discuss anything with them because when you hit them with facts, they'll always fall back on the same thing - the South lost.  Yeah, well, no shit, Sherlock, but there's more to it than that.  But of course they don't want to hear that because - you guessed it - the South lost.

3.  Radical blacks and racism in America.  I'm using the term "radical blacks" out of respect for the people I know who hate that "other" word, the word that has (incorrectly, IMO) been called the most insulting word in the English language but that accurately describes the kind of person I'm referencing.  (If you're from the South you know what I'm talking about and understand because you grew up with it.) You can't discuss racism with radical blacks because they have been taught by their culture that EVERYTHING that is wrong in the black community today is the white man's fault, and it's all because of either racism or slavery - or both.  When you bring up the statistical facts that while blacks make up 13% of the population of this country they commit 55% of the violent crimes, they don't want to hear it.  Either that or they'll say that they were forced into committing crime because of the perceived "oppression" being forced on them by "systematic racism," another made-up term used by the libtards to try and prove a fallacy is actually fact.   Nothing is their fault, it's always the white man's fault - but they're strangely quiet when a black kills another black.  And they absolutely don't want to hear that most young blacks are killed by other blacks - noooooo, they insist that even though the crime statistics prove it to be true, it's just not.  It's not true because it's ALWAYS the white man's fault, no matter what.

4.  Non-Harley riders and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  Most people who talk bad about Harley-Davidson motorcycles have either never owned one or never ridden one - and most of the time it's both.  In either case, they have no idea what the fuck they're talking about because they have no practical experience with Harleys and have done ZERO research.  So I don't waste my time with these morons.

There was a time in my life where I'd fight to the death on these topics no matter what, but that time is long passed.  Age and experience have taught me that there's no winning with people like this, that they're so set in there bigoted ideas and opinions that nothing you can say or do will make a difference.  So I just don't try.  

I'll just tie my Confederate Battle Flag bandana around my neck, put on my vest, jump on my Harley and go for a ride.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

'Nuff Said

 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

 

Here's To Us and Those Like Us

It doesn't happen very often, but every now and then you meet someone that 'gets' you, someone who understands everything about you because they're the same as you. The deep bond of friendship forms very quickly and stays there forever, even though life eventually separates you by hundreds and maybe thousands of miles. You stay in touch because the two of you are kindred souls, sharing something that words can't explain.

For me, one of those people was TSgt Gary Bumgardner, the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Dining Hall at the 3711th Basic Military Training Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas where I was a Military Training Instructor in the early '80s. Gary and I had so much in common that it was scary, and I daresay I've never met anyone quite like him since. We had so many things in common that it was hard to believe.

We stayed in touch after both of us left Lackland for other assignments and stayed in touch after we both retired, with him going home to Ohio and me going to my new home in New Jersey.

Last year Gary called me to tell me he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, even though he never smoked a day in his life. 

A little before 8PM tonight his wife Linda contacted me and informed me that Gary passed away this evening around six PM.

To say I'm heartbroken would be an understatement. I've had three people in my life that I would use the term 'best friend' with, and he was one of them.

For me, the world is a little bit darker tonight.

I'll see you later, my friend. 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Yeah, I'm "That Guy"

I'm the guy that believes in rules.  To paraphrase the "John Wick" movies, rules are what separates us from the animals.  Rules allow us to live in a safe, civilized society where we can grow and prosper.  (If you need proof of this, just look at Seattle or Portland or San Fransisco or Chicago or Detroit.)  Rules allow us to reward the righteous and punish the evil.  Rules allow us to interact with each other in a sane, mature manner.  My belief in rules is what led me to become a Law Enforcement Specialist when I joined the Air Force.  That, and the opportunity to help others who needed it. 

So yeah, I believe in rules.  Always have, always will.

I'm also the guy who will call you out if you break the rules.  I'll be polite about it, but I'll be stern.  That's just the way I am, and anyone who knows me - truly knows me - already knows this.  Follow the rules and we'll get along fine.  Break the rules and you're gonna hear from me.

This is especially true on Facebook.  (Gee, imagine that.)  I'm the guy that when I join a group or a page which is devoted to a specific topic, I expect the posts in that page to relate to that topic.  I also expect the members of that page to obey the rules, and I absolutely will call out anyone who breaks the rules.  Yeah, I know this pisses people off, but that's not my problem.  If they had followed the rules to begin with then there wouldn't be anything to be pissed off about, would there?

IMHO the world needs more people like me.  We need more people who are willing to stand up and say, "Hey, that's not right, you can't do that because it's against the rules."  And along with that we need more leaders who are willing to stand up next to him/her and say, "They're right, and now here's your punishment."  This is true both in our government and on Facebook.  Moderators and admins are there for a reason; they set rules for a reason, and when those rules are broken then they need to stand up and do their job.

Obey the rules and your society will flourish and grow.  Ignore the rules and your society will end up like Seattle or Portland or San Fransisco or Chicago or Detroit.  And then the good people will up and leave, just like good people are fleeing Kalifornia and New York City. What was once a paradise will quickly become a shithole.

So yeah, I'm "That Guy."  And I'm damned proud of it.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

 

Jimmy Kimmel is an...

 

'Nuff said.

 Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

How I'd Fix Congress

 

If it were possible, the first thing I'd do is fire every last one of them.  But it's not, so if it were up to me and I had the power, here's how I'd fix Congress.

1.  Make being a natural born citizen a requirement for service.  If it's good enough for the President of the United States, then it should be good enough for Congress.  This will ensure that the Congressman's first allegiance is to the United States and not the country they immigrated here from (not naming names, Ilhan Omar, you bitch).   

2.  Set term limits of 8 years.  Again, if it's good enough for the President, then it's good enough for Congress.  When Congress first set term limits in 1951 with the ratification of the 21st Amendment they did so to prevent the President from gaining too much power.  The same is true for the Congress - we have people serving in Congress now who have way too much power, and not enough common sense to use it in the best interest of the country.   Anyone who is in Congress now for longer than 8 years would NOT be eligible for re-election the next time that event rolls around.  8 years and you're OUT, with NO exceptions.

3.  Reduce Congressional salaries to per diem only.  This is how it was when Congress was first started, and it never should have changed.  The position of Congressman wasn't intended to be a career, but of course the politicians made it that way as soon as they could by raising their own salaries and voting in other plush benefits for themselves while leaving the American citizens out in the cold to foot the bill and fend for themselves.

4.  Prohibit Congress from exempting themselves from any legislation.  If they pass a bill that's good enough for the American people, then it's good enough for them.

5.  Eliminate the Congressional Pension Program.  Right now a Congressman is eligible for a pension after only five years of service, and that's just wrong.  You don't get a pension in the US Military unless you've served for at least 20 years, and since members of Congress will have term limits, that won't happen.  

6.   Eliminate the Congressional Health Care Program.  If the American citizens have to provide their own health care, then so should the members of Congress.

7.  Require members of Congress to pay for their own travel expenses.  Again, if the American citizens have to do this, then so should members of Congress.  

8.  Require members of Congress to sponsor at least one bill per year.  Failure to do so will result in their immediate expulsion and trigger a special election in their state.

9.  Require members of Congress to live in the state they represent.  And when I say "live in," I mean own a home in that state and live there for at least 8 months out of the year. This will ensure they stay in touch with the citizens they represent.

10.  Make attendance at all voting sessions mandatory, and require all members to vote either "yes" or "no" on all bills being voted on.  No more of this 'abstaining' bullshit.  Get out there and do your fuckin' job. 

11.  Prohibit members of Congress or members of their immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, or child) from purchasing and/or trading stocks.  Do I really need to explain why?  (Hint:  Nancy Pelosi.)

12.  Prohibit members of Congress from hiring members of their immediate family to their staff to include re-election campaign staff.  It's called 'nepotisim' and has no place in the government at any level.

Of course, no one has the power to do any of this no matter how good it sounds.  All of this would have to be voted into effect by Congress, and we all know they're not gonna vote themselves out of a job or out of any of the plush benefits of serving in Congress.  The only way to do this would be to have all of these ideas put on the ballot for a nationwide vote, and since Congress would have to approve that, once again I don't see it happening.

But you never know, right?  We can all hope that one day this will happen and we can fix what's wrong with the Congress and our country before it's too late.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

 

A Change in Philosophies

 

To say that the past year or so has been an eventful one would be the understatement of the year.  It has certainly been an educational one - for me, anyway - and that education has resulted in a few changes in me, my personality, and how I choose to interact with others.  And I wish I could say that these changes have all been for the better, but that would be a lie.  Not all of them have been bad, but not all of them have been good, either.  

The good changes first.

I found myself and, more importantly, I found my self-worth.  I discovered that you don't have to be a part of a group in order to have self-worth, and the opinions of others don't mean a fuckin' thing.

I take actions to protect myself both physically and emotionally, with one of those actions being to severely limit the number of people I let into my intentionally small circle of friends.  "Friend" is a word I've never used lightly to begin with, but I use it even less now.  As for "brother," well, that's a word I never used until I got involved in Freemasonry, and after those so-called "brothers" in the Masonic lodge turned on me last year I hardly ever use it now.  There are only five men that I now call "brother," and I'm okay with that.   

Now for the bad changes, "bad" being a relative term.

The big thing that's changed about me is how I treat other people.  I was always taught to treat others as I would have them treat me, first by my parents (specifically my father who was a Mason) and then by the teachings of Freemasonry (which is where my father got it from).  

Once I got involved in Freemasonry I started doing something that I never did before.  Before I became a Mason if you treated me badly, I returned that treatment to you.  Once I took my obligations and learned the teachings that my father had learned I stopped doing that.  If you treated me badly I didn't return that treatment back to you; no, I turned the other cheek and treated you with respect and kindness.

Those days are over now.  My treatment at the hands of my former Masonic "brothers" has shown me the hypocrisy of that group, and I now no longer wish to be associated with either it or them.  I've reverted back to my old ways of treating others exactly how they treat me, but with a big difference.

Treat me badly and I'm gonna give it back to you twice as badly as you gave it to me.

If that sounds mean or vindictive, I can't help that.  Part of finding my self-worth was realizing that NO ONE had the right to trample on me or treat me badly, and my former lodge "brothers" taught me that treating those who had done me wrong with kindness was a fool's errand and would only encourage them to do it again.

Treat me badly now and I'll make damned sure you never entertain the thoughts of doing it to me ever again.

Am I bitter?  Hell, yes, I'm bitter.  I devoted more than 11 years of my life to Freemasonry and the Masonic lodge, and all it got me was insulted, abused, taken advantage of, and ostracized.  Do I blame Freemasonry?  No.  I still believe in the teachings of the Craft, and I always will.  I blame the PEOPLE, the "brothers," who ignored their obligations and treated me badly.  

Let me be clear about one thing:  I treat EVERYONE with kindness and respect, whether I know you or not.  Treat me the same way and we'll get along fine.  I would much rather make friends than enemies, that's for sure, and I certainly don't go around looking for trouble.

But treat me badly, and all bets are off. 

As Walter Cronkite used to say, "and that's the way it is."  Like it or not.

Deo Vindice

IHC  

 

 

Why I Fly the Battle Flag

 

And that's pretty much the answer to the question as stated in the title of this blog entry.  I fly the Confederate Battle Flag - and the First National 'Stars and Bars' flag - for the same reason, that reason being PRIDE.  

 

I realize that this is a concept that non-Southerners (meaning Yankees) either can't or refuse to understand, that concept being that I'm proud of the South and of being a Southerner. And whenever I tell people that, if they're a Yankee they'll immediately say the same thing that every ignorant (ignorant as in uninformed, not stupid) Yankee always says at this point:  "How can you be proud of a government that defended slavery?"

 

Well, it's like this - I'm not.  I'm not proud of the Confederate government at all, nor am I proud of the fact that seven of the eleven seceding states (South Carolina being among them) specifically cited the preservation of slavery as one of the reasons, if not the main reason, for secession.  But neither am I proud of the fact that the UNITED STATES government failed to outlaw slavery at the formation of our country, and then did nothing about it for EIGHTY FIVE YEARS.  And even then, they did nothing about it until the Confederacy forced their hand with secession.  So if you want to talk about not being proud of something, let's talk about how the United States not only condoned slavery but made money off of it until 1861.  (And then we'll talk about how the Yankees treated the Irish during the same time period as they were fighting to free the slaves, followed by how the US government treated the American Indian tribes.  THAT is gonna be an interesting conversation!)

 

When a non-Southerner sees the Battle Flag the first thing they think is, "Oh, that person must be a racist!"  You can thank the KKK for that - them, and the liberal media that propagated the idea that everyone who flew the flag was a Klansman and therefore a racist.  The truth is that only a small percentage of Southerners are Klansmen these days, and most of the people who fly the Battle Flag fly it because they're proud of their Southern heritage.

 

What heritage, you ask?  Simple - the heritage of doing what's right, standing up for what's right, and fighting to defend your family, friends, and land.  THAT is why the majority of Southern men fought - not to preserve slavery, but to defend their homes.  And you have to keep in mind that in those days, "home" meant your state and/or your land, not necessarily just your house.  You also have to keep in mind that in the 1860's people had a much higher sense of loyalty to their state than they did the still-new Republic.  This is why Robert E. Lee turned down command of the Union forces in early 1861 - he knew that Lincoln was raising an army to invade the South, and he refused to be a part of it.  The South was his home, and he was going to defend it.  

 

From "Battle Cry of  Freedom: The Civil War Era" by James M. McPherson:  "A Confederate soldier captured early in the war put it more simply. His tattered homespun uniform and even more homespun speech made it clear that he was not a member of the planter class. His captors asked why he, a nonslaveholder, was fighting to uphold slavery. He replied: 'I'm fighting because you're down here.' " 

 

And that's why the average Confederate soldier was fighting.  I have three ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, and none of them were slaveholders.  One of them was a farmer, and I'm not real sure what the other two did for an occupation, but I do know that none of them owned slaves.  They fought to defend their families, their homes, and their states; they fought against overwhelming odds from the outset, knowing that they would probably lose, but they fought anyway because it was the right thing to do.

 

That is why I fly the Battle Flag - to honor them and show my pride in both them and the South in general.

 

And if you can't understand that, then I can't help you.

 

Deo Vindice

IHC  

 

 

Why We Do It

 

Last week while I was in the grocery store I got into a conversation with another customer - a total stranger - who saw my vest with the South Carolina Patriot Guard patches on it and asked me what the organization was all about.  After I explained it to him he asked me the same question I get asked all the time, one for which I am more than prepared to answer.

He asked me, "Why do you do it?"  And this was my answer.

We do it because our veterans deserve it.  Most of us are veterans ourselves, with many of us having served for 20 years or more, so we understand the sacrifices that veterans have gone through in order to serve our country

We do it because it's our way of honoring our fallen comrades.  Whether we knew the veteran personally or not is totally irrelevant.  The fact that he/she was a veteran makes him/her our brother/sister and comrade for the rest of our lives.  Veterans share a bond that non-veterans cannot ever understand, a bond that cannot be explained in mere words.  It has to be experienced to be both understood and appreciated.

We do it because we know they would do it for us.  That's how comrades are.

And we do it simply because it's the right thing to do.

He then told me that he didn't own a motorcycle, and I told him that didn't matter, that anyone could join.  I then directed him to the national website and gave him instructions on how to join.  I don't know if he did, but I hope so.

Because it's the right thing to do.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Yeah, Pretty Much

 

If you have any doubts at all about my stands on the most important and sensitive topics floating around today, here they are.  And make no mistake about it, I stand completely and unashamedly behind ALL of my beliefs.  Allow me to elaborate a bit on each.  I'll try to be brief.

I'm pro ICE.  Absolutely.  ICE agents are removing the illegal immigrant criminals from our country, which makes us all safer and eases the burden put on our economy by these mooching criminals.  And yes, they're criminals because they are here ILLEGALLY.  End of story.

I'm pro Military.  I served in the USAF for 23 years and am a Gulf War veteran, so this one goes without saying.  Oh, and before you start talking shit about the Air Force being the lamest of the services, don't.  You won't get a favorable response from me.

I'm pro Law Enforcement.  My job in the Air Force for 19 of those 23 years was Law Enforcement, so yeah, I'm VERY pro Law Enforcement.

I'm pro Trump.  And very much so.  Sure, he's rude and can be crude at times, but there are two things about him that I love - first, he says what he means without any of the usual BS surrounding it.  If he thinks you're an idiot then he's going to say so.  And while some may think a President should conduct himself with a bit more dignity, I can't say that I disagree with that.  But at least he's being honest, which is more than can be said about 99% of the politicians out there.  The second thing I love about him is that he does what he says he's going to do.  He's the ONLY President to keep 99% of his campaign promises, and that's a first.  So yeah, I'm pro Trump.  And when his term is over and Vance runs for President, I'll be pro Vance as well.

I'm pro Life.  There's always adoption, you know.  And if it's a choice between saving the mother or saving the baby, then that's a decision for either the mom or the family, not me.  So I won't voice an opinion on that other than to say I'd support the family regardless of their decision.  But to abort a baby just because it's inconvenient or that you didn't want to have one in the first place?  Shoulda thought about that before you spread your legs, darlin'. 

I'm pro Charlie Kirk.  This man was the epitome of the champion of free speech, traveling all over the world to allow liberals the chance to talk with him and discuss their differences.  And what did he get for it?  A bullet.  And I hope the asshole who killed him rots in hell.

I'm pro Voter ID.  You need to show an ID to buy booze and cigarettes, so why not have to show an ID to vote?  Only US CITIZENS should be voting in US elections, and if you don't have an ID to prove that you're a citizen and eligible to vote, then you don't vote.  And as for voter ID laws being racist, that's the stupidest shit I've ever heard, so don't even go there.

I'm VERY pro 2nd Amendment, and there are NO BUTS to my support.  If you say that you're a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and then say "BUT" in the next sentence, then you are NOT a supporter of the 2nd Amendment.  There's no "BUT" in the amendment, and the wording is very clear.  "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED."  End of fuckin' story.

I'm pro Accountability.  No matter who you are, no matter your position in life or your political affiliation, YOU are accountable for your actions and you do NOT deserve a pass just because of the aforementioned reasons.  

George Floyd was a criminal, and his criminal record proves it.  'Nuff said.

There are only TWO GENDERS.  PERIOD.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong, and that includes those so-called 'scientists' who say there are more than one gender.  NO, there are TWO - male and female.

And just for shits and giggles, here's an extra one.

Transgenderism is a mental illness.  It's called "Gender Dysphoria," and if you have it you are NOT qualified for military service in this country.  And if you think you're a woman when you were born a man or vice versa, then you have Gender Dysphoria which means you have a mental illness for which you need treatment.

Last but not least, it's Friday, so make sure you wear red.  ("Remember Everyone Deployed," you know.)

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

This Is A Test...

 

 

..and it's been a test for a little more than two months or so now.

Everyone knows that I dropped off of Facebook last spring, just about the time that I left the Masonic fraternity.  I had some serious re-evaluations about a few things that I had to do, my choice of friends and who I was going to trust being just two of them.  That process is still going on and most likely will go on for the rest of my life, since I don't trust people anywhere near as much now as I did this time last year.

I know there was a lot of negative things (spelled lies) being spread about me, and I decided early on not to waste my time and efforts chasing them down and proving them wrong (which they are) because I knew that people who really knew me and who were really my friends would know they were lies and wouldn't pay them any mind.

That description fits less than a dozen people at the present time.  But I'm glad to say that number is slowly growing as people are slowly proving to me that they don't believe the bullshit and want to remain a friend.

One of the ways I've been weeding out the frauds and fake friends/brothers from the genuine, sincere ones is with my new Facebook account.  You see, it's like this:  when I started this new account the only people I chose to add to my Friends list were my immediate family and a very small, very select few people whom I knew to be genuine friends.  I didn't go seeking out the people from my previous account because 90% of them were on my friends list because of their ties with me through the Masonic fraternity.  And since the events of last spring showed me just how much my being in the fraternity was no longer desired, I haven't reached out to any of them.

And I won't.  I'm going to let them reach out to me.  One of the ways I'm doing this is with my Facebook account.  

I haven't made a whole lot of posts there as compared to how many I used to make, but I have acknowledged some posts made by friends of mine.  And I knew when I did it that there would be people who were on my former friends list that would see it, and that if they wanted to be on my friends list again they would contact me.  And they'd do this for one of three reasons.

Reason #1:  they didn't believe the bullshit they heard about me last spring and truly want to be my friend.

Reason #2:  they don't know what happened last spring because they either aren't in the fraternity or just didn't hear about it.

Reason #3:  they heard the lies, they believe the lies, and they want to be my friend again for various nefarious reasons.

As the meme at the top of the page says, I know more than people think I do, and I'm not talking about it.

So now that I've broadcast my strategy, let me say this:  just because you send me a friend request doesn't mean I'm going to accept it.  I know who the key players in last spring's kangaroo court are, and you can bet your sweet ass that I'll never let those assholes into my life again under any circumstances.  I also know who's been talking shit since then, and you can bet I won't let those assholes in either.

You see, it's like this - I'm done asking people to be my friends, either on Facebook or in real life.  You either take the time to get to know me and decide for yourself if you want to be in my small circle of friends, or you don't.  And if you do, all you have to do is ask.  That's no guarantee that I'm gonna let you in, but unless you're in one of those two groups of assholes I just mentioned, you've got nothing to lose.

And if all of this sounds self-important or self-serving or even egotistical, to be honest I really don't care.  I'm past the point of caring what other people think about me.  You either accept me as I am or you don't.

Your call.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

My, How Time Flies

 

Exactly 35 years ago today, January 17th, 1991, I was at Dhahran Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where I had been since August 8th, 1990 in support of Operation DESERT SHIELD.  It was 0100 hours or so (that's 1AM for you civilians) and I was posted as CM-3, the mobile patrol for the part of the flightline that included the parking area for the Kuwaiti aircraft that had been evacuated out of the country when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait the previous August.  One of the things about the fighters from my base (Langley AFB, Va) was that they ran flight operations 24/7, so it wasn't unusual to see jets taking off and landing at all hours of the day and night.  They always flew in groups of 4, but they always took off in pairs.  So it wasn't unusual for me to see several pairs of aircraft taking off at 0100 hours.

Then it suddenly dawned on me that I had been hearing aircraft taking off non-stop for the past fifteen minutes, and that was unusual. I parked my vehicle and sat on the ramp, watching pair after pair of F-15s take off one after the other.  I sat and watched for a good half an hour, and when the final pair of F-15s had left it was strangely quiet.  I had just watched both squadrons of F-15s leave the base, all headed northeast - towards Iraq.

"We just went to war," I said out loud to myself.  (My partner was doing chow relief for one of the listening posts so I was alone for the moment.)  

Two hours later the news was reporting that Baghdad was being bombed.  Operation DESERT SHIELD had just turned into Operation DESERT STORM, and the Gulf War had begun.

Things got kind of frantic after that.  The game we had been playing since August had just gotten very serious, and things suddenly became very real again - just as they had been for the first month or so that we were there.  For the first month or so everyone was very serious, very cautious, and very alert, but the longer we went without any hostile action taking place the more complacent everyone got.  Pretty soon Dhahran had become what we called "Langley East," with it just being business as usual - except that we were in Saudi Arabia.

Now all that changed.  We broke out the helmets, flak vests, and gas masks, and the orders came down to wear them at all times both on and off duty.  Everybody suddenly got serious again, and the change in attitude was so intense that you could almost hear it when it changed.  I spent the next 4 hours or so going from post to post, trying to explain what was going on to everyone and trying to calm the younger airmen down.  The Reservists that we had received the week before were having conniption fits, with one of them - a female - going so far off her rocker that we had to relieve her of duty and send her to the medics.  She was found mentally unfit for duty and was shipped back to the States the next day.

We were at war, and we all knew that it was only a matter of time before it came our way.

24 hours later Iraq launched the first of 27 SCUD missile attacks, and for us the war was truly underway. 

None of us would ever be the same again.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

Much Ado About Nothing

 

 

I have a serious disdain for network television because I hate commercials - I have for a long time now - so if there's a show coming on TV that I want to see, I'll wait for it to hit the streaming services before I'll watch it.  This means that I normally don't see the show while it's in its prime, but will watch it later after all the clamor has died down.

Such is the case with "Mad Men."  I'd heard a lot about this series and put it on my list of shows to watch, and two weeks ago I started watching it on HBO+.  I finished the series two days ago, and to say that I'm very disappointed would be an understatement.  There were lots of good and bad things about the series, so I'll start off with the good stuff.

Christina Hendricks.  Hands down THE BEST reason to watch the show.  Not only is she an excellent actress, but she's drop-dead gorgeous as well.  If you have a thing for well endowed women and redheads as I do, then you're gonna love seeing her in this show.  She played her character perfectly, a smooth, sophisticated, smart as a whip woman who was able to hold her own against any man, a rare thing in the '60s.  I was VERY disappointed when the writers had her compromise her values and sleep with a prospective customer to get his business; I don't think her character would have done that considering how smart and independent she was, but the writers had her do it anyway.  It took away from her character just a bit, but I guess it made her human at the same time.  

Robert Morse was a gem in this show as Bertram Cooper, one of the founders of the ad agency.  Quirky to be sure - you had to take your shoes off when you entered his office - but smart as a whip as well.  He was the wise elder in the show, and one of the rare few that didn't jump into bed with anyone who passed by.  (More on that in a few.)

I think the thing I liked about the show the most was its historical accuracy (something that it was praised for) and the way they included the events of the '60s into the show's plotline.  If it was important and happened in the '60s, it was in the show - the Playboy Clubs, the 1960 elections, JFK's assassination, MLK's assassination, RFK's assassination, Kent State, the Vietnam War, the Apollo 11 moon landing - it was all there, and was very well blended into the show.

I was also impressed with the mannerisms, fashions, cars, and furniture used in the show.  You could trace the progress of the '60s by the character's clothing, cars, and furniture.  They even used a silver aluminum Christmas tree in one of the episodes, something that I remember from my childhood when my father bought one of those silver monstrosities.  This show was truly a glimpse into a time capsule of the '60s, and in that aspect it was very well done.

The one thing that really stood out about the show was that everybody smoked.  And I mean EVERYBODY.  And they smoked everywhere - at work, in the office, in restaurants, in airplanes, on trains, everywhere.  And I remember that very clearly from when I was growing up.  I remember the stink of cigarettes wafting through the air whenever someone lit up in a restaurant or, worse yet, in an airplane.  The first time I walked into the Personnel Office at my first base I walked into a large room filled with both desks and a blue haze of cigarette smoke.  There was an ashtray with a cigarette burning in it on almost every desk, so this part of the '60s was accurately portrayed.

Now for the bad stuff.

If the men truly treated women in the workplace in real life as they did in the show - and I'm sure they did or they wouldn't have shown it - then it's no wonder that the women eventually rose up and demanded better treatment.  The men were shallow, condescending, and arrogant, expecting every woman in the workplace to fall on her back and spread her legs at his command.  Either that or they were expected to be "step and fetch it" employees, maids in dressy clothing to service their every whim.  I'm very glad to say that we've come a very long way since then!

Most of the characters had the morals of an alley cat, especially the men.  The main character, Don Draper, went after anything in a skirt despite the fact that he was married - twice.  ALL of the men (with the exception of Bertram Cooper) had various and assorted flings with several women, while all of them were married.  Again, I'm sure this was the way it was back then, although I hope it wasn't as prevalent as the show depicted. In any event, this continual cheating on wives and running around got to be boring after a while and took away from the show.

The ending sucked, especially with the way the main character, Don Draper, ended up.  The ad agency they were all working for got swallowed up by their competitor, with only two of the main characters staying with the company.  The rest left (or died) either before the merger or shortly after.  There was one character that I found especially obnoxious in that he was egotistical, self-centered, rude, insulting, and a total ungrateful asshole. I spent the entire series waiting for him to get what he deserved, but that moment never came.  He ended up being offered a better job with a better company for much higher pay, a private jet, a personal car, and his wife got back with him after she left him because he cheated on her (surprise, surprise).  Christina Hendrick's character left the agency and started her own production company, which I was glad to see.  

But the biggest disappointment was what happened to the main character, Don Draper.  He was a millionaire, a free spirit who quit the agency after the merger because they treated him like crap, demoting him from a senior partner to a copy manager.  He was just divorced for the second time (another big surprise) and had the chance to do anything he wanted with his life, so what did he do?  He spent 9 months roaming around the country, ending up in California where he - hang on to your hats - joined a commune.  The show ended with him sitting on the ground in the classic 'lotus' meditation position, the ocean in the background, humming while some hippie led them all in a meditative chant, a stupid smile on his face.

I mean, c'mon, really?  You have this handsome millionaire who can charm the panties off of a nun and is as smart as a whip, has no ties to anyone or anything and can come and go as he pleases, and he ends up in a freakin' commune?  Nope, I ain't buying it.  I would rather have seen him get killed off than end up like this.

Was the series worth the watch?  Yes, if nothing else for the accurate depiction of a decade that I was a very small child in and didn't realize what was going on in the adult world.  It also gave you a very detailed and educational look into the world of advertising, something I found very interesting.

And Christina Hendricks.  Yowza!

Would I watch it again?  Not unless you strapped me to a chair.

So last night I started watching "Suits," another show I'd heard a lot about.  I just hope this one turns out better than "Mad Men."  (Yeah, I know one of the main characters gets caught and goes to prison.)

We'll see.

Deo Vindice

IHC

  

I Stand With ICE

 

With today being National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, I figured this would be a good topic for today's post.

IMHO - and that's what this blog mostly is, my opinion - the members of ICE are some of the bravest people in the country.  They've been given a bad rap by the liberal media, and the libtards on the far left are doing everything they can to not only prevent them from doing their jobs of making the country safer by getting rid of the criminal illegal immigrants in this country, but to get them killed as well.  

I find it totally disgusting that there are people out there who really want to reveal the ICE agent's names and addresses so the drug cartels can find them and kill them and their entire families.   These are the same assholes who preach "tolerance and acceptance" with one breath and in the next breath are screaming in your face what a fascist you are because you disagree with them.  They're trying everything they can to protect the criminal illegal immigrants in this country, including trying to kill the ICE agents themselves.

And that's not working out quite the way they had planned.  Just ask Renee Good about that - or ask her family, rather, since her dumb ass is now dead because she tried to kill an ICE agent by running over him with her SUV.

So in case you haven't been paying attention, the cops around the country in general and the ICE agents in particular are getting reeeeeeeealy tired of the stupid games the libtards are playing, and they're starting to fight back - or shoot back, rather.  While the liberal media would have you believe that this is nothing more than some individual "protesters" exercising their First Amendment rights, the truth of the matter is that this is an organized, coordinated plan being carried out by various subversive liberal left groups.  Renee Good was a member of one of these groups, and had spent the few days before her death following the ICE agents around and getting in their way as much as possible.  But of course the liberal news media won't tell you that because it doesn't fit their "innocent protester" narrative.

Make no mistake about it, ICE is doing the job they are supposed to be doing, and they're going to continue doing it as long as Trump is President.  And I'm behind them and all Law Enforcement 100%.  Every single illegal immigrant in this country needs to be deported, starting with the criminal elements first.  After that, then start rounding up the rest of them and get all 12 MILLION of them out of this country.  We don't need them and we don't want them, so get them O-U-T.

And if you try to kill the ICE agents for doing their job, then you deserve to get shot.

Deo Vindice

IHC 

 

 

A Great Start to the New Year

 

I'm very happy to report that my New Year has gotten off to a great start, all thanks to the members of VFW Post #8738 in Lexington, SC.

I joined the VFW when I returned from the Gulf War in '91 thanks to the generosity of the Senior Class of Cary High School in Cary, NC.  The school had an "Adopt A GI" program going on during the war, and while I didn't live in Cary my parents did, and they submitted my name to the school for the program.  I got cards and letters from the students on a regular basis while I was over there, and when I returned the school held a big "Welcome Home" celebration for the 23 or so GIs that they had adopted.  During the ceremony they presented all of us with a VFW membership, which I thought was pretty cool.  I transferred to Post #3219 in Phoebus, Virginia which was the closest post to my base at Langley AFB, and went to the meetings on a regular basis.  When I retired from the AF and moved to NJ I kept my membership since I was a Life Member, but never transferred to any post up there, nor did I transfer my membership when me and my wife moved to SC in 2006.

In the fall of 2021 I was talking with a former trainee of mine from Basic Training who also happened to be the Assistant Director of Membership for the VFW in Kansas City, Kansas and whom had contacted me on Facebook a few years ago when I mentioned that I was thinking about transferring my membership to the post in Lexington and becoming active.  He immediately emailed the required forms to me and contacted the Post Commander to let him know I was coming.  I went to my first meeting of the Post in October of 2021 and introduced myself, telling everyone that I wanted to become active in the Post but was unable to do so until 2023.  The reason for this was that I was the Senior Warden of a Masonic Lodge and was going to be the Worshipful Master in 2022, and since the Post and the Lodge met on the same night I wasn't going to be able to attend the VFW meetings until 2023 when my year as Master of the Lodge was over.  

But fate had other plans.  In the annual lodge elections of 2022 I was elected Secretary of the Lodge, which meant that I had to continue attending meetings and would not be able to attend the VFW.  I served as Secretary from December 2022 until April 2025, but I didn't attend the VFW meetings right away as I still had a bad taste - a VERY bad taste - in my mouth from the way the so-called "brothers" of the lodge had treated me.   It wasn't until last month that I finally felt like I was ready to get involved in a group again, so this past Tuesday I went to the monthly VFW post meeting.

I was very pleasantly surprised when the members of the Post, led by the Post Commander, the Senior Vice Commander, and the Post Surgeon welcomed me with open arms.  Every member of the Post that was there made sure to come over and talk to me, welcoming me to the Post and doing everything they could to make me feel right at home.

And they did just that.  I felt more at home and more welcomed in the VFW post than I had ever felt in any Masonic lodge that I visited in my 11 years in the fraternity.  Everyone there was a war veteran so we all had something in common, the same thing that enabled us to be a member of the VFW to begin with.  There were members there from every conflict the US has been involved in since Korea, and to listen to some of their stories of service was nothing short of awe inspiring.  The Post Surgeon and I were both Air Force Security Police, so we hit it off right away.  (The next time I see you in the canteen, Al, I owe you a beer!)

I'd been there for about half an hour when I sent my wife a text that simply said this:  "I think I've found myself a home!"

I came away from the meeting with a renewed sense of brotherhood and belonging, something that I had been missing since last April, and I'm hoping that becoming involved with the VFW will restore my faith in organizations in general and people in particular.

And so far it's looking pretty good!  Thank you, Comrades! 

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

  

A New Year, A New Start

 

The thing I love about the New Year is that it's just that - a new year and a chance to start over.  It's a chance to sit back and look at the previous twelve months, sorting out the good times and the bad ones, and make up a plan from the lessons you've learned.

And God knows I learned a lot in 2025, as I'm sure we all did.  But the one important lesson I learned out of everything that happened to me in 2025 was that I learned who my true friends and brothers are, and who aren't.  Unfortunately, as it turns out I put my faith and trust into a group of people who proved to me this past year that I made a mistake, that they weren't the friends and brothers I thought they were, and that I could neither trust nor count on them as I thought I could.  So as a result I'm a lot less trusting than I was, and my circle of friends is smaller now that it has ever been.  And I intend to keep it that way.

All of this came about because of one person, one sad, spiteful little man who thought that he was ruining my life by exacting his revenge on me for a perceived wrong from three years ago through the Masonic lodge.  But the truth of the matter is that all he did was open my eyes to the truth, that truth being that the men who I thought I could trust and who I thought were my friends and brothers were anything but.  Instead of being surrounded by friends and brothers, I was surrounded by hypocrites and liars.  And anyone who knows me knows that I abhor both hypocrites and liars.

So I am no longer a part of that group, and have no desire to return to it.  And instead of being mad at the sad little man who started all this, I'm thankful.  I'm thankful that he opened my eyes to the truth and the circle of liars and hypocrites with whom I had surrounded myself.  Because of his actions there is no more drama in my life, no more worrying about who's going to like what I do or the decisions I made, and no more people giving me crap just because they're envious of me and my dedication to the things I'm involved in.  

If you're a part of my life now, you should know two things:  First, that you're in my life because you've proven to me that you're trustworthy and deserving of my friendship; and second, that I appreciate you and your friendship very much and am happy that you're in my very small circle of friends.

If all of this sounds conceited and vain, the truth is that I don't care.  I don't care what other people think of me and my opinions anymore.  You either accept me as I am or you don't.  If you do, great!  Let's go get a beer and have some fun!  If not, just leave me alone and go about your business.  I'm done chasing people to be my friend.  I reached out to several people who I thought were my closest friends, and all but one of them ignored me.  Okay, message received.  But there have also been some people who have reached out to me, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  That means more to me than you'll ever know.  

All in all, I'm looking forward to 2026.  I'm going to make it one of my best years ever, and I'm not going to let anything - or anyone - stand in my way.  The past is in the past, and I'm not going to let the events of last year dictate what happens this year.  To quote the immortal Jimmy Buffett in his song "Changes In Lattitude, Changes In Attitudes:" 

"Yesterday's over my shoulder and I can't look back there too long; there's too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong."

Happy New Year!

Deo Vindice

IHC