Scramble Hot

The truck bounced around the corner toward the checkpoint.

Leon Campbell yawned and stretched, rolling over to the prone and getting behind his rifle, still resting on its bipod. He keyed his radio mike. “One truck. Two bodies—driver and passenger. Tarp coverin’ somethin’ in the truck bed.” His voice spoke in a marble-mouth Georgia drawl. His lazy brown eyes found the sight picture through the Les-Baer Custom SWAT’s scope. His brown hands, now much darker from the desert sun, slid into a familiar grip on the sniper rifle. He flipped off the safety and his index finger rested against the trigger guard.

Leon had a nice pair of gloves, but didn’t like having them on for “surgical work.” For some reason, it was a lot more difficult for him sensing when the sears would trip with glove material between his skin and the trigger—no matter how thin that material was.

“Get ready, girl,” he told the three-year old Shepherd mix sharing the shade of a jujube tree with him. Shotgun rose from her sitting position so that all four of her legs were straightened and she watched the truck as he did.

Below the hill Leon and Shotgun observed from, Johnny and Drew got into position, their rifles at the ready. Drew stood in the roadway with one hand raised, palm toward the approaching vehicle, while Johnny remained off to the side.

The truck rolled to a stop some ten meters from Drew. Johnny stepped up to the driver’s window and asked the standard questions. The driver produced his ID and answered the questions.

Examining their faces through the scope, Leon recognized both men in the cab as regular visitors to the power plant. But that meant nothing, of course, in this part of the world.

“On station,” he said, and Shotgun charged down the hill to the truck.

She sniffed all the way around the vehicle and made no fuss. Now Johnny had the two Iraqis get out of the cab. Drew sidled over to stand a safe distance from both of them while Johnny moved around back to have a look under the tarp. Seeing nothing that caused alarm, he lifted Shotgun off the ground and let her snoop around in the truck bed. She finished and wagged her tail a bit.

Satisfied, Johnny put her back on the ground. They let the two men climb back in the vehicle and start it, then waved them on their way.

Shotgun climbed back up the hill and joined Leon with a wagging tail and a dripping tongue. Leon gave her a piece of jerky and said, “Good girl.”

“Mechanic, this is Home Alone, over?” squawked the radio.

“This’s Mechanic,” Leon replied. “I copy, Home Alone. Over.”

“Scramble hot. Romeo-Fox is hammer down, over?”

Leon bolted upright, gathering his rifle and gear. It was time to play war, finally. He’d shot nothing but paper targets for months.

The quick reaction force (Quebec-Romeo-Foxtrot, or Romeo Fox for short) only scrambled when hostile contact was made. “Hot” meant live rounds were already flying. Home Alone was the current call sign for their base camp, and Statler was the one minding the store today.

Leon ran down the opposite hill slope from the checkpoint, where the HMMWV was parked, Shotgun trotting along beside him. Over the radio, Statler gave him the code for the link-up site.

A rough, dusty ride later and Leon’s Hummer rolled up next to the QRF’s helipad. There were two dozen men standing near the ugly old surplus CH-47 Chinook, all armed to the teeth but weighted down with little more than their ammo and ballistic protection.

The other Black American working for Secure Solutions, International happened to be the vice president, Jake McCallum—who was also leader of the quick reaction force. McCallum had the frame of an NBA superstar, but with a lot more muscle on it. His stature was intimidating for a lot of men, offset by a face which somewhat resembled the comedian Eddie Murphy’s.

There was nothing comical about Mac’s expression right now. He was hungrier than anyone else in SSI to get some trigger time and now that it was imminent, he was all business.

“Okay, we’re all here,” Mac said. “Gather ‘round.”

He squatted at the corner of the helipad, spreading a topographic map out, then setting an aerial photograph next to it. The force mobbed in around him.

Mac pointed to a grid on the map. “Here’s where we’re going. Anybody remember those guys from Interpol that came by last week?”

A few men nodded.

“Well,” Mac said, “they got a lead on Liberace.”

“Liberace” was a confirmed leader of a terror cell responsible for over 50 deaths, most of them westerners, with some west-friendly Iraqis, mostly unfortunate Sunnis, thrown in. Nobody could pronounce his real name.

Mac pointed at the photo. “Them and some Iraqi cops came into this place, showing mugshots, asking questions, as if they were in Mayberry with Sheriff Taylor and Barney Fife.”

Most of the men looked confused by this reference. Mac frowned. He had forgotten that the younger generations grew up with a lot more than three channels to watch; all kinds of cartoons and kids’ shows to choose from and never had to watch reruns in their life.

“Like they were on CSI or Law and Order or something. Never mind. As you can see, it’s a collection of 13 abandoned buildings. It’s been populated for a while now, by what were assumed to be just a few families of squatters.”

Leon leaned in to get a better look over the shoulders of a couple contractors. The compound was a scattershot of various-sized flat-roofed structures, out in the middle of nowhere.

“One of the cops has been killed,” Mac went on, “two others wounded. They’ve locked themselves in this small building, here. They’ve only got sidearms and not much ammo to hold off the hostiles. It’s only a matter of time before the door or a wall is breached. When the jihadis give up on having hostages to torture and decide to just kill them, they’ll run up there and plant some demolitions, or just fire an RPG at the building. We gotta get there first.”

A couple of the mercs barked their enthusiasm.

Mac nodded, approvingly, shifting focus back to the map. “We’re coming in east-southeast. The chopper’s gonna set us down in this draw right here. It’s got to be a quick offload, folks. Pilot drops the ramp; we unass the bird; he continues on for the first gun run. It needs to happen so quick that the hostiles don’t realize he’s dropped us off.” Mac pointed back to the photo. “First Squad takes this building with Second in overwatch. Once secure, Second Squad takes this building right next to it.”

Mac continued on with the plan, only going over it once and entertaining few questions afterward. He was investing supreme confidence in his squad and team-leaders because, frankly, he had no choice with the time crunch he was faced with. One question he did answer pertained to the enemy’s strength.

“Estimate is ten armed men,” Mac said, then his expression turned especially grim. “Twice that many women, and an unknown number of rugrats.”

The mercs moaned, groaned and cursed.

“I know. I know,” Mac said. “But this is nothing new. When they can’t hit us, then disappear inside a mosque, they hide behind women and children. They understand that ‘weak infidels’ don’t normally have the stomach for that.” He took a deep breath and tried to grin. “But we’re a bunch of bloodthirsty, cold-hearted mercenaries, right?”

“Hoo-hah!” cried one of the Brits.

Mac abandoned the morbid humor tack, and nodded toward the pilot, who nodded back, shared a look with his copilot and climbed inside the Chinook. “If we go wheels-up right now, we’ll catch them during the next call to prayer.” He pointed at a building in the photo. “The women all gather together in this building.” He made eye contact with Leon and Warner, one of the machinegunners. “That’s why I want you guys where I put you. You get me?”

Leon nodded. “Roger that.”

“Loud and clear,” Warner said, in his Cockney accent.

The Chinook’s turbines whined to life, and the rotors began to turn.

“One minute for weapons check,” Mac shouted over the noise of the turbines. “Then let’s go.”

The mercs formed a rank facing west, where there was nothing but empty countryside, and did a brief test fire. The crackle of small arms echoed across the plain, then safeties clicked back on and they loaded the bird, some topping off their magazines as they went.

 

This was an excerpt from Tier Zero.

Excerpt #1.

Excerpt #3.

What’s the Difference Between an Illegal Semi-Automatic and an Illegal Full-Automatic Weapon?

Read this excerpt from Tier Zero to find out.

Two vessels knifed through the waves, away from the port and out to open sea. The Barbara Gee was a recreational trawler, and the Tinseltown was a diving support craft once used for underwater cinematography, as well as towing robot sharks and other sea monsters. It was now stripped of all deck machinery and had plenty of open space inside the horseshoe-shaped fence of antennas and satellite dishes, bristling from just inside the gunwales like the mutant quills of a giant aquatic porcupine.

Tied down to the deck was what looked like a radio-controlled airplane. Only it wasn’t a scale model of an existing aircraft. There were no fake windows or any markings at all. It was made of smooth, nondescript aluminum painted dull green on top, blue on the bottom.

Rocco Cavarra had procured both the watercraft and the captains when Tommy gave the green light. The line of credit provided by Vince’s new pal in New York paid for them, and a whole lot more.

“How does that work again?” Josh Rennenkampf asked, pointing at the German Shepherd mix on the deck of the Tinseltown.

“First you gots to put her in demo search mode,” Leon Campbell replied. He called down to his dog, “On station!”

Shotgun put her nose to the deck and ran immediately to the ammo crates not yet loaded in the hold below. She bellowed low, like a cold engine being turned over with a weak battery.

“That’s her bark for powder-type explosive,” Leon explained. “Good work, girl. Now check that one.” He pointed to the foot locker which contained bricks of C4.

Shotgun trotted over to the footlocker and yelped repeatedly at a higher pitch.

“And that there’s her bark for putty-type ordnance. Good job, Shotgun. Stand down.”

Shotgun stopped barking and returned to Leon’s side, sitting beside his feet.

“I bet she comes in handy in Iraq,” Tommy said.

Leon nodded. “She saved a few lives.”

“How long did it take you to train her?” Gunther Scarred Wolf asked.

“Well, I ain’t done with her, yet,” Leon replied. “Folks say I shoulda’ trained her like the bomb squad dogs, but I didn’t know I’d even be able to teach her this much. She still tend to put herself in demo search mode all by herself when new ordnance come into a secured area. I’m workin’ on it.”

“The last thing we need on this trip is a mutt,” Vince said. “You better clean up behind it, ‘cause the first time I step in something that stinks, I’m throwing it overboard.”

Tommy glared at his brother, then slapped Leon’s shoulder. “Hey, we’re glad to have a mascot, buddy.”

Dwight Cavarra came up the ladder from belowdecks huffing and puffing. “Okay, somebody else’s turn to stack gear down there.”

“I got it, Rocco,” Campbell said. “Go lay down, Shotgun.”

Shotgun slunk away to the stern and curled up on a coil of ropes.

Rocco caught Leon’s attention before he climbed down. “Hey, I think I found a stock for your M21 you’re gonna like.”

“Not one of them ‘chassis’ I hope,” Leon replied. “The ones cost both arms, a leg and your firstborn.”

“I can get you a deal on those, too,” Cavarra said. “But no. This is a polymer stock with a nice grip, and an adjustable cheek piece. A fraction of the price. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Leon said, and disappeared into the hatch.

“Speaking of weapons,” Tommy said, nodding to Josh, “we’re far enough away from snooping eyes, now. Show me what we got.”

Josh nodded, kneeling beside a large plastic case. He unlocked it and swung it open, pulling out a heavily-oiled M10. Out of habit he racked the bolt to check the chamber before handing it to Tommy. “It’s Christmas, Chief. Mr. Ingram has seen to our short-range room-clearing needs.”

Tommy worked the bolt himself, peering into the empty chamber, then inspected the exterior of the little blocky box of a machine pistol.

Vince stepped closer for a look at the weapon. “Is that a MAC-10? Those are illegal.”

Josh cocked an eyebrow up at him as he pulled another Ingram from the case. “According to who?”

“According to the law,” Vince said.

Tommy groaned. He knew there was a volatile mixture of personalities aboard, but it looked like they were going to touch off even faster than he feared.

“The law says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Josh said. “If you’re a cop, and you sure act like one, then you swore an oath to uphold that law…not the so-called laws that violate it.”

“Those are easily converted into automatic weapons,” Vince declared. “And full-auto weapons have been banned from civilians for 80 years, hot shot.”

“These are full-auto, Vince,” Tommy said.

Vince’s complexion darkened. He appeared ready to blow a gasket. “Do you even know…? I mean, I could throw all of you… I could lose my badge just for…”

Josh handed one of the submachineguns to Cavarra. “Why waltz when you can rock & roll? Do you know what the difference is between an ‘illegal’ semiautomatic weapon and an ‘illegal’ full automatic weapon?”

Cavarra worked the bolt and gave it the once-over. “Yup. Firepower.” He snapped the fingers of his free hand and strode across the deck, stooping to unzip a nylon rifle case. From it he produced a Galil rifle with an M203 grenade launcher mounted underneath. “Remember this?”

“Fondly,” Tommy said. “In fact, I got a variety of 40mm rounds for it in some crates downstairs. Brought a 60mm mortar too, just for giggles.”

“Tommy,” Vince protested. “You know better than this! These guys are all…” the words froze in his mouth when he saw Josh screwing a suppressor onto the threaded barrel of an Ingram. “Silencers? Silencers!”

Josh rose to his feet with an irritated scowl, gesturing toward Vince with his free hand, and asked Tommy, “Is he gonna do this the whole trip?”

Excerpt #2.

Excerpt #3.

Stick It to Big Brother

Below is a link to the petition for the Internet Bill of Rights. If you want to stop the Leftist Thought Police from censoring everything that doesn’t agree with their Narrative, you really need to get on board.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/internet-bill-rights-2

Do you want a few monopolies like Goolag, FascistBorg and Twatter to determine what information can be published and what can’t?

They’ve avoided anti-trust litigation by lobbying their fellow travelers in government to designate them as utilities. Then they censor and purge those who express non-leftist political opinions. In other words, they are denying utility services to people for political reasons.

Contrast this with say, private bakeries choosing who they will bake wedding cakes for (the worst atrocity since the Holocaust!). The Thought Cops have made this bed–they should be forced to lay in it.

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.

  • First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

Alternate Covers For Tier Zero

I could use some feedback on these covers. I plan on replacing my cool retro-men’s adventure cover for the E-book version of Tier Zero…at least temporarily.

Here’s Alternative 1:

And here’s Alternative 2:

I’m having trouble deciding which I like better. Any constructive criticism would be helpful. Shouldthe font be more like it is in the other books of the series? Do you think the overall tint should be tweaked to the muddy, muted colors of the other books? (I know the weapons and gear don’t reflect exactly what’s in the story–this is more an attempt at a striking image that connotes, thematically, the content in a general sense.)

All the Deep State’s Men

Layer after layer of corruption and abuse are being peeled back from the political swamp in Washington, proving what some have suspected for a long time: that the US government–nominally of the people, for the people, and by the people–has been hijacked.

The hijacking took place a long time ago, but sadly, the truth would never be known to the mainstream if it weren’t for alternative media.

More facts are turning up every day, so the picture we have now is not definitive. Undoubtedly, more information will be added as this unravels. But here is a tentative summary of the sequence of events leading to what some are now calling “Obamagate”:

  1. The deep state’s plan for the “choice” we would have for President in 2016 came down to Hillary (Evil) or Jeb Bush (Evil Lite). They rigged the Democrat primary so Hillary would beat Sanders (who is a little too honest about his ideology), and tried to rig the Republican primary in favor of Jeb, by splitting the vote with so many candidates that he would win a plurality.
  2. Unfortunately for them, one of those candidates on the Republican side–despite being rather ignorant in some ways, and a former Clinton/Obama supporter–was not a “made man,” and inspired more enthusiasm in voters than any other single candidate–despite the establishment backing of Bush III. In order to cover all bases, they needed some way to either bribe, threaten, or blackmail him so that he’d dance to their tune (and gracefully lose to Jeb). Bribes and threats evidently didn’t work, so they had to find or manufacture some kind of dirt on him, just on the remote chance he might present a serious challenge to their made man (and made woman).
  3. Trump stunned the deep state by trouncing Jeb and all other opponents, despite all the efforts of the lapdog media (and despite his unpolished speech and politically unorthodox personality).
  4. While using their MSM puppets to proclaim that Hillary would obliterate Trump in the general election, the deep state developed an “insurance policy” against the rogue upstart just in case the unthinkable happened.
  5. It turns out Carter Page might have been an FBI employee or informant long prior to these events, involved in surveilling  actual Russian agents (not that the Obama Administration was interested in stopping Russian threats to our country, as proven by the Uranium One fiasco). Moreover, the Obama DOJ/FBI may have planted Carter Page inside the Trump campaign for the very purpose of generating a “Russian Collusion” Narrative. Hopefully this will become more clear as information is released.
  6. Using Carter Page and his Russian contacts as an excuse, the witch hunt began. Page being associated with the Trump Campaign would give Obama’s dirty secret police a toehold from which they could “inadvertently” find or manufacture dirt on their real target: Trump.
  7. An avowed Trump-hater and British spy Richard Steele was contracted by the Hillary Campaign/DNC for “opposition research” against her political opponent.  It’s been assumed for months that Steele’s “sources” for the Dossier were Russians happy to receive Yankee Dollars for lying about an American; but it’s beginning to look like the sordid tales of golden showers in Moscow hotels were actually invented by long-time Clinton henchmen, including Sydney Blumenthal.
  8. Knowing the Dossier was fabricated by agents of the DNC/Clinton Campaign, the dirty cops in Obama’s Secret Police (the hijacked FBI & DOJ), took it to a secret court (FISA), which rubber-stamped it. The warrant was subsequently renewed every 90 days by the same secret court. This gave Robert Mueller the justification to assemble a team of partisan dirty cops and spend over a year and millions of taxpayer dollars trying to dredge up some kind of scandal on Trump. Jim Comey has admitted the Dossier was “salacious and unverified,” but that didn’t matter to the criminals in charge.
  9. Steele leaked excerpts from his dossier to the press, then Obama’s Stasi used the resulting press coverage to “corroborate” the Dossier to the secret court.
  10. Despite Hillary’s “98% probable victory” in November, and despite massive election fraud and a painfully partisan press, Trump won the presidency. Deep state operatives and their useful idiots across the country broke out in hysterical panic. A Hillary presidency would have ensured that the astonishing levels of corruption, high crimes and treason taking place for years would have been swept under the rug. But now they were missing an essential tool for keeping everything under wraps: the Chief Executive. Hence all the FISA renewals and the “Russian Collusion” Narrative, coinciding with shrieks about impeachment for undefined reasons.
  11. After all the time and money spent on the witch hunt, Mueller’s “investigation” has been unable to turn up any evidence that Trump colluded with Russians (which, apparently, is not a crime anyway). To this day, nobody in the DNC/media machine is able to even provide a hypothesis as to how “Russian Collusion” “hacked” the election, or has influenced President Trump’s policies. But while pushing this nothing-burger on their audience of TV zombies, the MSM has dutifully helped cover up a number of actual scandals which do have supporting evidence.
  12. After obstructing justice and stalling Congress for months, the FBI finally released evidence (what they didn’t still try to destroy/hide). Some of this evidence was summarized in the Nunes Memo. The Democrat/Media machine shrieked that the memo couldn’t be made public because “muh democracy!” Once it was released, however (proving they were lying about a danger to national security or revealing sources and methods), they immediately adjusted The Narrative to convince the public we shouldn’t bother to read it because it’s a dud. “Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along!”
  13. Adam Schiff and his fellow deep state operatives concocted a counter-memo, purposefully including sources and methods so that it would have to be heavily redacted for national security purposes. In other words, they themselves did what they (falsely) accused Nunes & Co. of doing, knowing the Lapdog Press would parrot their Narrative: “Trump has a double standard! He’s obstructing justice!”
  14. Other memos are coming out in the mean time, proving what many in the alternative media have been saying for a year. And evidence is beginning to trickle down that Obama himself was directly complicit in the illegal surveillance of American citizens, including President Trump and associates.
  15. There’s been more than enough evidence to indict these and other high-level criminals in our government for some time, but they have yet to face any consequences. Meanwhile, folks like General Flynn were ruined with the flimsiest of cases. There is an undeniable double standard, completely determined by the partisan divide. It seems little has improved with the appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General (in fact, the appointment appears to be another multi-level deep state coup, as his vacated Senate seat was handed to the Democrats via election fraud and a demonization campaign based on the flimsiest of cases). There might be an avalanche of additional revelations coming, but if nobody in the “Justice” Department acts on it, the swamp will never be drained anyway.
  16. Both sides are trash-talking about a resounding victory in the mid-term elections. The left’s arrogance is well-founded, since their voter base is on-board for destroying America by any means necessary, and couldn’t care less about truth or the depravity of their own political champions. The deep state also pulls the strings of the MSM, Hollywood, etc., which will force-feed The Narrative to the public 24/7. The right does not have such a fanatical voter base–in fact, it tends toward apathy and defeatism. Also, the GOP is rife with swamp creatures merely masquerading as ideological adversaries to the Democrats, and some of Trump’s own appointees are proving to be ineffectual at best. Trump is alone on a raft made of popsicle sticks, surrounded by deep state sharks.

There is scuttlebutt circulating among the anons that Trump is playing 4D chess here, and has trolled the Democrat/Media Machine. Specifically: that Sessions is actually hard at work behind the scenes and that heads are already rolling as he herds the swamp critters into a trap often referred to as “the Storm.”

During the 2016 campaign, when fielding questions about military operations, Trump said he wouldn’t follow the idiotic practice of previous administrations by warning our enemies (ISIS was the specific enemy discussed) before we struck. (In fact, this was what first started pulling me toward the Trump Camp. This simple little nugget of wisdom hinted at a foreign policy more sensible than any since Reagan…maybe since Coolidge.) If he applies this logic to domestic as well as foreign enemies, then this “4D chess” theory may not be farfetched.

Jerome Corsi Interviewed About “Q Anon” and the FISA Memo

The “mainstream” (left-wing lapdog) media first tried to convince their audience that the FISA memo was a “threat to the rule of law” (as if they care about that), would undermine the fabric of our “democracy,” etc. Notice how, once the memo was released, the Spin Machine reversed gears and now tries to convince you that it’s much ado about nothing?

In fact,you can tell there’s chaos in the enemy camp because their coordination has broken down. Some Democrats and media talking heads (but I repeat myself) are still pushing the first official story (lets call it Narrative 3.1), while their fellow travelers have already switched to Narrative 4.0. Corporately, at least, the Democrat/Pop-Culture Machine is broadcasting cognitive dissonance throughout the land. Releasing the memo will end life as we know it; but at the same time the memo is insignificant and laughable.

The more I watch Dr. Corsi, the more I appreciate that there are still a few good men who love our country and hope to save it. Here he discusses Q Anon’s recent coded messages to the patriot community, and the significance of the Nunes memo.

There could yet be hope for America. My son may yet grow up in a free country.

The investigation leading to the FISA memo barely scratches the surface of the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more that the people need to find out, and hopefully they will.

It remains to be seen if the “Normies” are jarred out of their trance; if Trump’s counterattack is forthcoming; and if the perpetrators will finally suffer consequences.

NUNES FISA MEMO RELEASED

You can view a scan of the document here.

Here’s a summary (because the document is in pseudo-legalese):

The Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee, using shells or front companies, paid to have former a British spy and anti-Trump fanatic fabricate a story that would malign Trump’s character during the 2016 campaign. He put this disinformation material into a dossier, which was subsequently leaked to the press.

Two media organizations that spread the story were Yahoo and Mother Jones.

The corrupt, weaponized FBI and DOJ, controlled by Obamunist lackeys at the top levels, used the dossier, and the news coverage of it, to illegally obtain a FISA warrant to spy on American citizens, despite knowing who funded it and why. It appears likely that the FBI helped pay for the dossier (with our tax dollars).  Furthermore, the FISA warrant was renewed twice during and after the election.

The initial warrant, and subsequent renewals, were for the purpose of justifying a witch hunt against Trump and his campaign and administration (initially via Carter Page). The alleged reason for the witch hunt was “collusion” between Trump and “the Russians.” The ultimate goal was to ensure Trump would lose the election. After that failed, they (with their willing accomplices in the media) hoped they could use it to overturn the election. This was possibly part of the “insurance policy” spoken of by FBI bureaucrats in the 15% of private texts the FBI is not still hiding from Congressional oversight.

Among those involved in these crimes and abuses of power were Jim Comey; Andrew McCabe; Rod Rosenstein; Sally Yates; and Dana Boente. And, of course, they worked for Barack Hussein Obama.

This is the tip of the iceberg, but also part of the reason the traitors to our country were so desperate to keep this information from We the People. The most important immediate question is: Will Attorney-General Jeff Sessions have the guts now to do his job and bring these criminals to justice?

 

The Exception – a Review

Coincident with the German blitzkrieg into France, Heinrich Himmler assigns a special detail to “protect” Wilhelm Hohenzollern, the former Kaiser of the Second Reich, who is exiled in Holland.

The assignment is passed down to young Captain Brandt, a veteran of the Poland Campaign who was wounded winning the Iron Cross, but also got on the wrong side of the SS after witnessing an atrocity. Still recovering from shrapnel wounds to his stomach, he nonetheless doesn’t want this cushy rear-echelon job. But orders are orders, so off he goes.

Brandt is quickly caught in a tug of war between the Kaiser’s military attache; the Gestapo; Wermacht Intelligence (trying to track down a British spy in the area), and a young, nubile war widow who is down for cheap, meaningless sex.

It’s a pleasant surprise how good this movie is. While it certainly has its faults, it’s not always easy to guess what will happen next.

Marco Polo – a Review

Even the most fanatic revisionist white knights couldn’t ruin a story set in the Mongol Empire during the conquest of south China, right?

Ahem.

I wish I could say I’m surprised by what they’ve done with the subject matter.

First off is the main character, Marco Polo. His motivations are sketchy at best, beyond some vague desire for a father figure. In the first season he’s habitually stupid…but not as stupid as the series writers assume their audience is.

The sad fact is, that assumption may prove correct.

There’s all the formulaic theater, white-knight feminist tropes, and contrived plot devices you can find in any other TV show, and the Trojan beach head of perversity we can expect from a Weinstein Company-backed tale of palace intrigue.

(But to be honest, it’s doubtful Harvey Weinstein is any worse than the other producers in Hollywood. In fact, he’s probably mild compared to some of them.)

But the sterling character of the morally pure saints headquartered in Homowood, Commiefornia never rests until it has delivered a hypocritical moral message. And so their favorite perversion (pedophilia) is represented not accurately (like, say, in the character of an entertainer or leftist politician), but in the form of a Christian Mongol.

Nothing special here.

 

Birth of the Dragon – a Review

This film was inspired by the fabled showdown between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man.

I was only vaguely familiar with the story; and only as told from the perspective of Lee and his legions of devoted fans. But there is controversy surrounding not only the outcome of the fight; but why it took place.

If you’ve seen Bruce Lee biopics before this, you’ve seen Lee’s victory over Man depicted. In Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, the showdown occurred because the Old Guard of Kung Fu demanded Lee endure trial-by-combat, for the crime of teaching their ancient secrets to non-Chinese.

Pretty heroic narrative. The stuff of legends.

This film, however, tells the story from an entirely different perspective:

Wong Jack Man was not sent to San Francisco to spy on Bruce Lee, to punish or kill him. Although he was reluctant to share Kung Fu with non-Chinese, it wasn’t his motive for coming to the USA. Rather, he came to work as a dishwasher as a form of pennance, while ostracized from his Shaulin monastery for badly injuring a Tai-Chi master during a demonstration that was not supposed to be full-contact. Washing dishes will put his pride in check and help him restore internal balance.

Bruce Lee fans probably hate this movie, because (although he has some likable qualities, including his fighting skills) he’s an egomaniacal bully blinded by his own ambition. He delights in publicly humiliating others, and it is he who tries to goad Wong Jack Man into a fight. The prideful, childish side of alpha male behavior is portrayed accurately in this regard. Nobody knows for sure how the real life events played out, because there are few witnesses, and those witnesses tell contradictory versions of the story. However, this version does have the ring of truth to it. Certainly it’s not 100% accurate; but it strikes me as more plausible than the more popular Bruce Lee hero myth.

The acting is good–especially Xu Xia as Wong Jack Man. Philip Wan-Lung Ng has a physique much like Bruce Lee, and has mastered Lee’s poses, gestures, and movement. This was displayed best when fighting or sparring, when he would dance around his opponent (in western boxing this is called “the bicycle”–Bruce Lee’s bicycle was distinct and rather flamboyant).

What eventually persuades Man to fight Lee is a sub-plot concerning an American Kung Fu student trying to rescue a Chinese babe (Jingjing Qu) from indentured Servitude to a Chinatown mob boss. Perhaps the premise is too fairy-tale, but the part of Steve “Mac” McKee (Billy Magnuson) was written and performed adequately. I appreciate that they didn’t make this fictional character the stereotype “arrogant racist American who had to be taught a lesson before he could believe in equality” yada yada yada. He’s a very likable character, with his own ego in check (if not his emotions); a teachable student who respects both Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man.

We know that in real life, after the fight with Man, Lee abandoned traditional Wing Chun and went on to develop Jeet Kun Do. In the film we see a more extensive turning point for Lee–that he has actually learned some humility by the end. Not to sound like the message in a fortune cookie, but this film version of Lee is closer to bringing his inner self “into balance” before the final credits.

The older I get, the harder it is to sit through the old Hong Kong martial arts flicks, pioneered by Bruce Lee. The Hollywood-produced Enter the Dragon is watchable, but still a little on the cheesy schlock side of B-movie-dom. The production values of this movie are miles higher than those old exploitation quickies. Mainstream critics (pompous SJWs who get paid to spout off their opinions) have panned this film, but I assure you it’s both written better and more exciting than any Star Wars flick made within the last couple decades.

 

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