VIDEO: Pentagon to contract out military guard duties at the Capitol

The Congressional Budget Office, always on the alert for ways to reduce spending -- particularly when we don't know if there will be any budget at all -- read with interest documents from the United Nations confirming that countries volunteering uniformed personnel to peacekeeping operations are reimbursed by the UN at a standard rate, approved by the General Assembly last year, of $1428 per soldier per month.

The money doesn't actually go to the troops but to the governments of those countries. How much of the money actually finds its way into the soldiers' pockets is a mystery. But even if they got all of it, $1428 per month isn't a lot, is it. Compare that with the basic pay of an American soldier, sailor or airman. They probably get three or four times the salary of someone from, say, Chad. That thought, dear readers, engendered an idea in the tiny mind of someone at the CBO, who passed it on to the Pentagon.

Thus, in a brilliant cost-saving measure, the US military has decided to contract out non-combat duties to the armed forces of other countries. "Non-combat duties" include things like forming honour guards at places like the Capitol. "Other countries" includes the likes of the People's Republic of China. Effective today, the Chinese military will take over from American troops responsibilities for guarding the Capitol, the White House and other important sites.

Visitors who are paying attention will observe such ceremonies as the Mounting of the Guard being performed with more precision and efficiency, and at much lower cost. Yes, we have video.



Note from Ed.: Oups! Looks like I posted this about six hours early. Hit "publish" instead of "save". It was supposed to appear tomorrow, April 1st. If you need me to explain why it makes a difference, never mind, just keep writing to your Congressthingy.

VIDEO: You can't trip up a real Canuck!

Poor Len here, celebrating the arrival (at last) of hockey season. Fans of the sport know that every game must start with the singing of the national anthem(s), which can be inspring, entertaining or just plain dreadful. Sometimes strange things happen. The sound system fails. The singer forgets the words -- especially Americans made to sing "O Canada" -- or the lights go out. It's an ideal situation for the observance of Murphy's law.

Murphy's law struck again this past weekend in beautiful Penticton BC, where Mark Donnelly, who usually graces the Vancouver Canucks home games, had been imported to do the honours prior to the Penticton Vees home opener against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. What makes Mr. Donnelly's performances memorable is (1) his booming voice and (2) the fact that he sings while skating around the rink.

On Friday night, Mr. Donnelly failed to notice that a strip of the ice surface was still covered by the red carpet on which local notables had come out for the opening ceremonies. So he tripped over it! But did the singer let the fall ruin his performance? No way, eh! He continued to sing the anthem while picking himself up off the ice. The crowd didn’t miss a beat, carrying on the song at his cue. Here's the video.



Sorry we couldn't show the whole thing... copyright problem perhaps... but you get the idea! Great stuff, Mark!

Obama national anthem - CENSORED by the alphabet people

Ed. here. I see some of you have been looking for this video. Sorry, but it's been removed from YouTube by the liberal fascists. - 22/5/25.

Today's really ho-hum episode of The Simpsons -- all the new ones are uniformly lame -- reminded me of The Glorious Fourth and got me in the frame of mind to listen to some patriotic music, something bloody and racist. Like "La Marseillaise". See "Is the French national anthem 'racist'?"

I thought about posting a video of "La Marseillaise" but Ed. asked what would be the point of that, and suggested something better -- The Obama National Anthem. Here `tis...

Oh say, can you seeeeeee?

Perhaps you've heard the story about the little Puerto Rican boy who went to visit his cousins in New York City. As a special treat for him they decided to take him to a baseball game at Shea Stadium. It would be his first time to see real major league ball in a real major league stadium.

Unfortunately, being poor, the party found themselves way up in the nosebleed section, and the little boy was sitting behind a big steel pillar, to boot. The view wasn't very good, but still he was thrilled to be there.

"And," he told his friends when he got home, "the people were so nice. Even before the game started they all stood up and they sang a song to me...Jose, can you see?"

I was reminded of this when I endured a terrible rendering (yes, I mean "rendering", not "rendition" -- look it up!) of the national anthem before a football game the other day. Can we not find even one singer who has the voice and the musical ability to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" the way it was written? Not one?

Now I grant you, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a hard song to sing compared with, say, "O Canada" or "La Marseillaise". It's not a particularly good piece of music.

No matter what key you choose, you have to have an above-average range to hit the highest notes at all, let alone hold the worst one, "the ho-ome of the freeeeeeee". A good baritone or tenor might pull it off, but it's been years and years since I heard any woman hit that note without sounding as if she just saw a large mouse!

While I'm ranting, could I also make a plea for singers to give up on "modernizing" the tune by warbling each note so that it rises and falls a tone or more before going on to the next note? I can't remember where or when this fad started, but I believe it's a refuge for those who simply can't read music. There's only one note there! Sing it! Sing ONLY that one note! Thank you.

Now let me offer an alternative. If a patriotic air must be sung before a game, how about choosing something that's easy to sing, so the soloist can handle it and everyone can join in.

That would be "God bless America"! It's a nice simple tune, easy to sing, and quite stirring. The Philadelphia Flyers use it occasionally when starting a crucial game. They used to wheel out Kate Smith to do the honours. Now they have to show her on film, but the crowd still loves it.

Yes...God bless America. But I suppose it wouldn't be politically correct to invoke the deity. Pity about spineless America, letting minorities dictate what the majority can or can't do in their own country.