Tag Archives: Marines

Marines in Flight

Are those Marines in the photo above running to a fight or running away from a fight? Well, Fellow Marines, it appears the current sick societal norms have now finally affected our Corps. Sadly they are running away from a fight — UNBELIEVABLE! I am sickened by the below article, which by the way was sent to me by my bride. 

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has a legendary history of bravery and esprit de corps when it comes to defending America’s freedom. From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, the Corps hasn’t shrunk back from meeting any foe of the United States. So it may surprise some to learn that recently the Marines surrendered to a single activist who complained that an instructor at an upcoming seminar on strategy and tactics was a Christian.

The USMC scheduled an annual training for military lawyers earlier this month, at which the Battle of Gettysburg would be discussed. The instructor for one portion of that training was supposed to be Jay Lorenzen, an Air Force veteran who taught for 10 years at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Lorenzen’s biography, provided to the military lawyers in advance of the training, included references to Christianity, including his affiliation with Campus Crusade for Christ, now known as Cru, and a couple of religious-themed courses he teaches in his spare time. Several of those lawyers complained to Mikey Weinstein, who heads up a secular, anti-Christian group called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, that Lorenzen was going to teach about religion.

That allegation was false. It didn’t matter.

Weinstein, himself an Air Force veteran, is adamantly opposed to any form of Christian expression within the military, and immediately contacted the USMC to voice his displeasure at Lorenzen’s scheduled appearance at the training, calling Lorenzen a “fundamentalist Christian extremist parachurch official.” Within 64 minutes, according to Weinstein, the USMC informed him that the event had been canceled. It was replaced with an instruction regarding systemic racism within the military.

First Liberty Institute, a public interest law firm specializing in religious liberty, represents and has represented military personnel, including chaplains, who have seen their religious freedom rights unfairly and unconstitutionally curtailed by the various military branches. The legal firm is calling a foul.

Jeremy Dys is the Special Counsel for Litigation and Communications for First LibertyIn an op-ed this week, he explained why the USMC is making a big mistake in this case.

“Let us be very clear: the Marine Corps bravely cancelled a speaker chosen to lead a discussion on the battlefield tactics and leadership lessons of Gettysburg based upon his expertise as a retired military officer and academy professor because that retired officer, in his speaker’s bio, confessed to be religious and associated with a religious organization,” Dys said.

“Such open discrimination against people of faith is unbecoming of our beloved Marine Corps. From Article VI of the U.S. Constitution to cases like Trinity Lutheran to numerous Department of Defense (DOD) policies, the law is clear: the government cannot require a religious test for office, nor insist that religious people be excluded from benefits—like teaching to a class of Marine Corps reservists—because they are religious.”

In a statement furnished to Fox News, the USMC confirmed only that the event had been cancelled when scheduled attendees “raised concerns” about Lorenzen.

When the Marines go into full retreat mode over the issue of religious freedom, it’s time for an explanation and some new direction from the Department of Defense. The treatment of this instructor should not be allowed to stand.

Bullshit, it’s time for some serious discourse by we Marines with some of the so-called leaders of our active Corps. I would expect the retired Generals to be rising up in protest, but then maybe not. There are a few I know personally who will certainly come up on line. They were going to discuss the Battle of Gettysburg, not the resurrection of Jesus. I am seriously sickened by this action. Commandant, where are you taking my Corps?

Originally posted 2020-08-08 11:11:51.

Taxes

Once again, I am remiss in posting anything. My only excuse is age-related – I guess having turned 83, I’m just slowing down. Otherwise, my health is good. I find this latest from my friend and fellow Marine Greg earth-shattering as well. I cannot believe the Supreme Court can find anything in the Moore case to go along with the government. Absolutely crazy and could change everything about a capitalistic economy.

Taxing Tremors                                                              By: Greg Maresca

A 7.6 earthquake and its resulting tsunami on New Year’s Day that shook Japan set the stage as the faultless metaphor that will reverberate throughout 2024 and beyond.  With the impending presidential election aside, the tremors of improbability arrived a month earlier when the Supreme Court decided to hear a case with profound implications for the federal income tax.

Moore v. U.S. will decide if the federal government can tax unrealized capital gains not yet received under the 16th Amendment.  The justices agreed to hear the Moore’s appeal as the couple wanted their $14,729 refund that the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against. The Ninth Circuit, known in legal circles as the “Ninth Circus,” has the worst record of any appeals court before the Supreme Court.

Like Roe v. Wade did last year, this case will have a huge and lasting ripple effect regarding future taxation that should concern everyone.

It is no secret that the nation is accruing debt that is unsustainable. The day of reckoning approaches. The irony is the case is named Moore – indeed “more” income through taxation.

Over a century of income tax laws has resulted in thousands of pages of decrees that carve out craters of exemptions in a labyrinth of directives. The tax code is a bloated, crony orchestrated, lobbyist measured disaster for those unable to manipulate it by hiring all those cunning accountants and attorneys who are paid handsomely to circumvent it.

When was the last time a member of Congress did their own taxes?

A fundamental reckoning from the ground up is long overdue to bury the income tax along with the IRS and replace them with a consumption tax or flat tax.

To tax unrealized capital gains not yet received is extreme. The power to regulate and tax is the power to destroy. Congress’s authority to tax does not include reinvested capital and personal property as income.

Income is money received.

Assets may increase in value, but until they are collected as interest, dividends or sold, there is no income. If you cannot spend it, it is not income.

You can’t pay the rent or fill your gas tank with paper gains or the appreciation of your home.  When you gain on any financial instrument but do not sell you earn a “paper profit.”  If unrealized gains are taxed, and the taxpayer has no cash to pay, a forced liquidation would be necessary for payment.

Are you prepared to pay a tax because your assets go up in value?  House, car, pets, trading cards, comic books, Auntie Estelle’s antique coffee table – where does it end?   Provided market values decline would monies be refunded?  Stop laughing, that was no joke.

Uncle Sam wants all the golden eggs without having to buy the hens, the henhouse, and the chicken feed. The power brokers in Washington believe everything is subject to taxation real or imagined.

It is pitiful that this case is even necessary.

A tax in bad faith resulted in a revolution nearly 250 years ago. Such taxation realizes the socialist dream of equal outcomes regardless of effort, ingenuity, innovation, or lack thereof. Ayn Rand’s nightmare is finally realized.

The Supreme Court’s job is not about maximizing taxable income for Uncle Sam but to interpret if this tax is constitutional.

A ruling in favor of Uncle Sam will unleash Congress’ taxing power and devastate our economic system as we know it.  Going forward, all unrealized income will become whatever the government says it is.

The Supreme Court’s decision is expected in June right in the middle of the presidential campaign. Provided the government loses and refusing to allow what they perceive as a crisis; Democrats will condemn the decision as a political red herring.

A Moore victory would also challenge other sections of the tax code that stands at nearly 7,000 pages.  Provided they are unconstitutional; they must fall, too.

The income tax has been around since 1913 and its ability to produce revenue has never been assuaged by politics. The hardcore issue is the United States does not have a taxing problem, but a spending problem. Revenue is up but it can’t compete with current spending levels.

A ruling in favor of the government would only exacerbate such spending.

Postscript: I have given up on all the latest coming out of the military and especially our Corps. Absolutely sad! I am simply too old to even bother with it anymore. My stress level is more important to me.

In case you have not read your copy of the latest “Semper Fidelis, or if not retired and don’t get it, I always look at the “Taps” column looking for friends with whom I served. I saw MajGen Dennis Murphy listed this month. Sad, I considered him another Ernie Cheatham – a warrior. He gave me Huxley’s Whores.

Well, this is election year. Do we really believe the liberals are going to allow a legal, valid election? I don’t!

 

 

Time Out for a Commercial

Okay, time out from my political rant for a commercial break. Many of you who follow me here have read “the book.” Yes, I am talking about my humble approach to become a writer, the title of which is the  name of this blog. However, for those who simply stumbled onto this site you may not know of the book, let alone having read it.

So if you will beg my pardon I thought I’d throw in a short commercial break, I mean, damn it’s my blog right? LOL 

BTW, that’s 2nd LT Bathurst standing in front of the world famous Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at Marine Barracks, 8th&I Streets, SE, Washington, D.C. which was his OCS and TBS

The book is a print on demand, which means I paid to have it printed through a POD publisher (IUniverse), and while it was costly, they provide nothing, no marketing, advertising, etc. Oh, they’ll do that, but at a significant cost. I bit into their BS the first year and bought a few  of their packages, but never once could I point to a sale and say it came from their marketing.  For any future authors on here, I would not recommend a POD publisher, especially IUniverse. 

It comes in soft cover (not a paperback, but better), eBook, and hardcover.  IUniverse did an outstanding job on the cover based on my stern guidance. It is a beautiful book. I had no voice on the prices except on the eBook, it was the publisher’s call based solely on page count, and it’s a big book (564 pages including numerous  pages of photographs). The list price is $42.95, $38.95 for the soft cover, and the eBook is $7.95.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble and few other online book stores sell all three at the list prices, plus shipping in most cases. I do sell the hard cover, but bear in mind I do not get the same deal from the publisher as do the online book stores, I’m only the author! UGH!

Okay, here’s my deal, I have recouped my initial printing costs; therefore, it is no longer a money thing to me, I simply want folks to read it and hopefully enjoy it.  I sell the hard cover personally inscribed anyway you want it, signed, and dated for $35.00. And if you are a Marine, or if it is for a Marine, I will eat the postage myself. Truth be known, for every book I sell to a Marine I lose $0.63! 

Personally, I believe it makes a great gift for a birthday, Christmas, or any special occasion, especially for a Marine, who I guarantee will enjoy it and rekindle many fond (and maybe not so fond LOL) memories of his/her time on active duty.

You can go to Amazon and Barnes & Noble and read all the reviews. I have even included some here on the website. Please click on “About the Book, About the Author, and About the Editor, as well as peek inside the book for selected pages, If you would like to order a book, simply go to “Buy The Book,” fill out the form, and submit it. Your message will come to me and I will contact you with details.

Okay, the commercial break is over, now back to the liberal BS we’re having to put up with in today’s rabid society.

Originally posted 2019-11-09 10:02:42.

VFW Windbag

I apologize for my absence, been too darn busy, but don’t ask doing what; I haven’t the slightest. I have no idea where my daytime hours go but they certainly speed by. One thing that has garnered my attention is trying to sell this damn RV. Can you imagine a guy with two motorhomes? Well, that be me. Should not have bought the second until I sold the first, but it’s not the first time I have done something stupid like that. Bought houses without selling the one we just moved from several times. DUMB!, and for someone with a degree in  Economics you’d think he’d know better. Still trying to sell the Navion 24D, what an absolute steal for some young couple with children.

Anyway, I digress.I am a life member of the VFW thanks to my parents who moved to PA when Dad retired and to a dry county. Mom asked if I was a member and wasn’t so she asked if I’d join so they could go as associate members . This was immediate post RVN war when we were not welcome in those places. So, I joined and finally did the life membership things vice renewing every year. Great story in the “The Book” about my first visit to their VFW in 1974.

Anyway I get their trashy magazine that’s filled with nothing but advertises which I never read. And I even sometimes get emails from them when the higher ups think they have something important to say which is always a joke. Anyway, I got one today that really pissed me off so I am posting here.  Please read what the Commander of the entire VFW worldwide has to say. And even look at the date he chose to write this POS.

VFW National Commander Reacts to Resolution on Military Promotions

‘Let’s remember, veterans vote’

WASHINGTON — “The VFW is relieved the nearly year-long obstruction of hundreds of general and flag officer promotions has ended thanks in large part to Senators and fellow VFW members Dan Sullivan and Joni Ernst. The hold on military promotions was endangering our national security and that of our allies, further jeopardizing the sustainability of our all-volunteer force, and negatively impacting the lives of countless service members and families. Going forward, we urge Congress to work together to resolve political disputes within the halls of Congress and permanently abandon the dangerous practice of casting partisan politics on to those wearing the cloth of our nation. Let’s remember, veterans vote.”  — VFW National Commander Duane Sarmiento

Yes sir Mr Heavy, let us please remember Veterans Vote! I certainly hope like hell they vote! This fellow hasn’t a clue. I can’t believe that even the VFW has gone woke.  Congressman Tuberville’s “hold on the the flag promotions is jeopardizing the sustainability of our all-volunteer force.” WHAT? And “negatively impacting the lives of countless service members and families.” Give me break. He hasn’t a clue what the hold on the promotions was all about, but then maybe some of you are in agreement with this windbag. I shall not embarrass my readers by outlining why the astute congressman did what he did and continues with the four stars. Do you know how much a three star makes? A 3-star over 24 (that’s his max) makes $212,101.20 a year, and that’s only his base pay. So this poor fellow won’t get his 4th star until the congressman says so. And guys, he is punishing the right people, although I wish he would not have eased off lower Gen/Adm promotions. They are the problem! They are carrying out the orders of that idiot in the WH instead of standing up for what’s right.

Did you know that an officers oath of office is not the same as the oath of enlistment? The officer’s oath does require him to follow the orders of the president of the US and those officers appointed over me. The officer’s oath acts as a safeguard against power corruption by not swearing obedience to the president or other officials, but rather to the Constitution.  Many people do know there is a difference. If you want to read more about why there is a difference copy and paste the link below for a very good explanation from the Marine Corps. You just may learn something. So, these generals and admirals should be sounding an alarm vice rubber stamping everything DOD says.

I simply find it so sad that this VFW fellow is one of “them” The libitards have invaded the VFW.

https://www.quantico.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Tag/53864/oath-of-office/

At “The Tomb.”

Four Young Marines of Fox Valley, who will never ever forget what they did this day. They were YM/Sgt Luis Gutierrez and Cpl Alex Gutierrez (our two senior YM’s, ages 15 and 14 respectfully, and the two who actually laid the wreath, YM/LCpl’s Andrew Fidanzia and Xavier Koczka, ages 13 and 11 respectfully. Can you imagine how nervous they were?

Now you see why I am so very proud of this unit and how much I will sincerely miss them.

My final act on Saturday before stepping down was give them what I titled “A Gift from the Colonel.” It was the “Message From Garcia,” which I am certain many of you reading this know to which I am referring. Then we talked about it and how becoming a “Message Carrier” will allow them to accomplish whatever it is they desire in life. My hope is they retain it and read it often. God Bless them!

Originally posted 2019-07-22 16:46:42.