Book promo…

First, a mea culpa to John. I ‘thought’ I had promo’ed his latest Wolfhounds book, but I was told by a friend I had not…so…

John Van Stry has his 5th book in his Wolfhounds series out- Manifest Destiny

Click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

The Tomb has acknowledged Chase’s lineage, and declared him Emperor to the universe. But what good is being an Emperor if you don’t have an Empire? While the Wolfhounds have conquered, or perhaps liberated, a fair number of planets, the core worlds have not yet been touched. Furthermore, the crown jewel of them all, Cor Imperii, still stands under the control of Speaker Phillip K. Neill, and the rest of the members of the coup that seized control of the empire over a decade ago.

But Neill’s days are numbered, whether he fully realizes it or not, as his dictatorship is slowly dismantled, one piece at a time and he clings to whatever hopes he has left. While the road before Chase is still long, and still fraught with peril and a good many dangers. However, for Chase and the Wolfhounds, the end is finally within view – now it’s only a matter of time.

The challenges may be different, but they are by no means less than the ones he’s faced previously. In fact some of them he may find to be harder, now that he is no longer ‘pretending’ to be the prince, having proven to all his right to reign and having finally accepted the responsibilities that have now become his.

I’m happy to say I got to beta read this one, and it’s GOOD!

Next up is one that Larry Correia brought to our attention that was being throttled on Farcebook… Blaine Pardo and Mike Baron’s Tenure

The blurb-

Push a Good Man Too Far…

Braxton Knox was a veteran, a university professor, a conservative family man—a good person, commanding the respect of those who knew him. Until the day when one innocent slip of the tongue brought down the merciless wrath of the woke social justice mob—ultimately costing him his career, his family, his home, and almost his life.

Unfortunately for the SJWs, they chose the wrong person to abuse. They expected Braxton to do what so many do: roll over and take it. It never dawned on them that he would fight back.

Braxton unleashes a war against those who sought to ruin him. His unique brand of vigilante justice is vicious, violent, vindicating, and fraught with risk…

… but at this point, he’s got nothing left to lose.

From the minds of legendary comic writer Mike Baron (FlashThe Punisher) and political thriller/sci-fi author Blaine L. Pardoe comes the story of a new vigilante in an age that demands such a person. It is a mix of Falling Down, Death Wish, the Equalizer, and Reacher amped up on energy drinks and rage. Ripped from today’s headlines, Tenure is a powerful story of justice, vengeance, and open rebellion against everything deemed politically correct.

Braxton isn’t the hero we want… he’s the hero we need.

I’m about half way through it, and I can see it really IS ripped from the headlines! No wonder Farcebook is throttling it… sigh…

And a bit of humor…

Petty…

Thy name is Kamala… One last hissy fit on the way out the door!

During this election, Democrats never missed an opportunity to lecture about their commitment to the peaceful transfer of power, but Kamala Harris, still lingering in the shadow of her humiliating defeat, is proving those claims to be nothing more than empty rhetoric as she opts for a spiteful exit.

As Vice President-elect JD Vance and his family prepare to move into the Vice President’s residence, they’ve encountered an unexpected roadblock: Kamala Harris. 

Apparently, Harris has declined to host a customary pre-move walkthrough or even a formal sit-down with Vance and his wife, Usha. The residence is typically handed off with professionalism and grace — two qualities seemingly absent in this case.

“When JD Vance, his wife Usha, and their three young children move into the Naval Observatory residence on Jan. 20, it will be their first time inside the white Queen Anne-style mansion that has been home to vice presidents since the 1970s,” reports CBS News. “Vice President Kamala Harris has not extended an invitation for a formal sit-down or tour, multiple Democratic and Republican sources told CBS News.

Full article HERE from PJ Media.

I can’t help but wonder what ‘else’ the administration will do to the White House and the West Wing???

This reminds me of the crap when W took over from Clinton. Clinton’s ‘people’ stole ALL the W’s off keyboards in both the White House and West Wing. This was verified by a friend who was on the WHCA…

And at Hegseth’s confirmation hearing yesterday, Tim Kaine (D-Asshole), IMHO, stepped WAY over the line by bringing Hegseth’s daughter up in the hearing. Kids always (at used to be) were off limits. Of course, during the previous Trump administration they did go after Barron, who was a teen at the time.

And Gillibrand (D-NY) went on a rabid rant about LGBTQ+ among other things. I don’t think she even asked him a question during that entire period…

But he did get a mic drop moment on Warren (D-MA), after she berated him about his comment about generals not being allowed to serve in government. His reply instantly shut down Warren’s line of questioning: “I’m not a general, Senator.” ROTFLMAO…

Anyhoo, we can now see how ALL of the cabinet hearings are going to, and kudos to Hegseth for putting up with the crap and not going off on them (like I would have).

 

Wow…

Kurt Schlichter lays out the truth about California…

After a fire that never should have happened burned thousands of houses to the ground in a liberal enclave of Los Angeles through a combination of Democrat incompetence and more Democrat incompetence, you might ask yourself whether the deep blue people of Los Angeles are ever going to come to their senses and start electing people who aren’t a bunch of communist morons more concerned with Ghana junkets and lesbian representation at the fire department then with actually doing their jobs. Don’t bother asking. The answer is “No.” They’re never going to change. They can’t change. They’re going to keep on electing the same brand of Democrat mediocrities who got them into this mess, but they do have a plan. They’re going to blame the weather, insurance companies that don’t want to lose money, Donald Trump, and anything but themselves for the chaos they voted for.

If California’s Democrats didn’t have their incompetence, they wouldn’t have any kind of competence at all.

Full column, HERE from PJ Media

All I can say is no lies detected…

And I despair for my kids, even though they live in northern California. I hope one day they will realize how bad things are going to get. Their mother and step-father lost their house in the Camp Fire a couple of years ago, and had NO insurance, because the house was paid for, and they couldn’t afford the premiums IF they could have found somebody to cover it…

Random thoughts…

I’m just throwing this out based on what I’ve seen of the coverage of the NC hurricane and LA fires…

NC- Natural event (hurricane Helen)

LA- ‘Something’ lit a fire above Pacific Palasades

NC- Not much initial coverage due to Helen

LA- 24/7 for days…

NC- Republican rednecks, got what they deserved, houses with Trump yard signs skipped

LA- Democrat stronghold, ‘important’ photogenic movie stars, I’m betting NO Trump yard signs ever

NC- FEMA late because of WX (they said)

LA- On scene within 48 hours???

NC-FEMA offers $750 check (good luck cashing it)

LA- Biden promises to pay for everything

NC- Cajun Navy and MANY other volunteers (helicopters, mule trains, Amish, Samaritan’s Purse, etc.)

LA- Government

NC- FEMA wants people out of hotels (Head of FEMA says you can ‘call’, or go on line, or go into disaster center (that assumes you HAVE a working phone or computer, or a car that works)

LA- OMG, .dov what can we do to help? And deflecting from LAFD/State Gov/Mayor issues

Is it just me, or am I ‘sensing’ some trends here???

Your thoughts?

I remember…

When this hit the news in 1982!!!

Ina,Kennesaw, Georgia it’s against the law not to own a gun. 

The city law, dating back to the 1980s, makes it a requirement for residents to own guns and ammo. 

Kennesaw’s gun law states: “In order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition.” The law excludes residents with mental or physical disabilities, felony convictions or conflicting religious beliefs. 

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

If I remember correctly, Kennesaw was getting a run of criminals from the Atlanta area and people had had enough. When the law was promulgated, the left and a lot of media went nuts. Georgia was the first state to pass a ‘modern’ concealed carry law in 1976, which also caused a media frenzy.

With the Dennesaw law, the usual headlines were ‘Blood will flow in the Streets’ and the usual protestations that ‘nobody will be safe’. Media from literally all over the world came to town to film, interview locals, etc., etc…

Of course the only real thing that happened was that crime declined precipitously, if I remember correctly!

And none of THAT made the media headlines…

Funny that it’s coming up again, all these years later, I wonder what caused the Brits to be interested? Maybe what is going on with the flap against the government over the girls being raped and they’re looking for ‘something’ else to draw the attention???

Book promo…

Only one book this week, new from Raconteur Press- Pogue One

Click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

The purpose of this anthology is not to denigrate pogues. On the contrary, we felt their representation in fiction (military SF or otherwise) a bit lacking. What about the kid with the thirty-pound brain locked away in the vault, like in Gene Rowley’s tale of a lance corporal in the Cyber Corps? The medical ninjas who’re willing to move heaven and earth to save one more life feature prominently in K. Anders’s story. Chris DiNote shows us there are worse things lurking within the depths of the military machine than mere pogues. In “The Troll,” Jim Curtis reminds us that the hardest working folks in the military just may be the apes whose job is to keep aircraft in the sky. Wrapping up our ensemble of storytelling is Liska McCabe, who reminds us that no matter the MOS, we all endure check-out in the end.

Yes, I have a story in this one… 🙂

But I would also like to recommend two authors you might like!

William Allen Webb! If you like over the top military fiction, his Last Brigade Universe is a good one, HERE.

Mackey Chandler! If you like science fiction and strong female characters, Mackey writes two series that have that along with believable science, HERE.

With the weather being what it is, a good book isn’t a bad thing to have right now!!!

Heads up!!!

If you are a veteran, this might impact you!!!

Wilmington , DE — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that — following the 2024 Supreme Court decision — it has updated the process for awarding GI Bill benefits.

This change means that many Veterans who served multiple periods of military service (for example, Veterans who reenlisted) will be eligible for up to an additional 12 months of education benefits. 

Under the previous policy, eligible Veterans who served at least two periods of service were limited to a maximum total of 36 months of GI Bill benefits, between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Under the updated policy, that limitation is removed — meaning that eligible Veterans can now qualify for up to 48 months of total GI Bill benefits.

This policy change also means that many Veterans who were previously limited to 36 months will now be eligible for additional education benefits. Specifically, Veterans who served at least two qualifying periods of service — one that qualified them for the Montgomery GI Bill and a second that qualified them for the Post-9/11 GI Bill — may be eligible to receive up to 12 months of additional GI Bill benefits (bringing them to a total of 48 months). This could impact as many as 1.04 million Veterans and beneficiaries, and VA is launching a targeted outreach campaign to make sure that every Veteran gets the additional benefits they deserve.

Full article, HERE from the VA!

This is good news for those folks that were ‘crossovers’ between the two programs.

Sadly, us old farts don’t qualify for it…

h/t Mr. B for the link!

 

Meltdowns…

A twofer today…

First up- Formerly Great Britain…

The liberal parliament in the United Kingdom is on the brink of a collapse after a scandal involving mass rape perpetrated by migrant gangs rocked national politics across the pond.

Jess Phillips, the Home Office Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls and a Labour Party member, blocked an inquiry by the town of Oldham into Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s conduct while overseeing the prosecution of a migrant grooming gang’s sexual abuse of children in the town from 2011 to 2014, according to a Jan. 2 report from the Telegraph. The move prompted mass outcry and renewed attention to the UK’s ongoing crisis involving organized migrant grooming gangs, largely consisting of Pakistani nationals, stemming from waves of unchecked immigration.

Full article, HERE from Daily Caller.

Some of us have been following this debacle for years, but it took Elon Musk to rip the blanket off the coverup and it is now an international issue…

The real question is will Starmer manage to remain in charge? Personally, I doubt it. And good riddance as far as I’m concerned. I’m still steamed that this was allowed, AND the parents who complained were arrested on bogus charges when they complained YEARS ago. How many young females lives were ruined???

The ‘best guess’ is over 1000 young women were lured/coerced into participation. As I’ve said, the perps are lucky it is hard for Brits to get guns… Per LSP, not impossible, but hard…

The second story is the continuing devastation in/around LA due to wildfires…

This was two evenings ago- Around 3000 acres…

Last night, it had ‘blossomed’… to over 20000 acres…

It’s burned all the way to the Pacific, including south Malibu, and it is one mile from Santa Monica.

Part of the problem is lack of water, which falls on the Newsome administration (no reservoirs refilled), not enough firefighters locally, no water bombers on contract (it’s not ‘fire season’), and worst of all, no water in Pacific Palisades. They are not on the LA municipal system, instead relying on water tanks to provide water based on ‘standard private use’. When you start pulling water for fire trucks at 250 gallons per minute, that emptied those tanks quickly, leading to firetrucks that DID get up into the area not having water to pump.

I talked to a friend who lives out there, and she’s worried about her place in Santa Monica, and is packed up and ready to go. She said the LA government was ‘running around like a chicken with its head cut off’.

And this one is not over by a long shot! Prayers continue for those who are on the front lines of this battle, which is exactly what this is…

LA is burning…again…

A large, fast-moving and growing brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in Pacific Palisades, prompting mandatory evacuations affecting tens of thousands of people and highway closures, including people who abandoned their vehicles to flee on foot.

More than 13,000 buildings and 26,000 people are in the evacuation zone, which has been labeled “under immediate threat,” according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

As of 3:25 p.m., nearly 1,300 acres had burned, according to Cal Fire.

Full article HERE from Fox News.

As of 8pm last night, it was up to 3000 acres and 0% contained. Here was the ‘overview’ from CalFire.

The Pacific Coast Highway was closed, Malibu and a number of ‘high end’ housing areas are also under evacuation orders, and apparently a number of people ‘panicked’ and left their cars sitting in the middle of the road in the Palisades area, preventing fire vehicles from getting through… Sigh…

And if this goes further south and gets into Santa Monica, hoo boy… THAT will be ugly!

The winds are supposed to pick up overnight, so who knows what tomorrow will bring?

And they don’t know ‘what’ started the fire yet, and are pulling assets in as fast as they can to fight this fire, including the National Guard. Oh, and Xiden et al have already okayed $$$ to ‘help’ fight the fire.

Funny how that happens when the movers and shakers are threatened…

But this is also endemic of the issues in CA with the lack of cutting trees, undergrowth, etc. which just gives these fires more fuel and the canyons up there make it hard to damned near impossible to fight from the ground, leading to lots of water bomber use in VERY dangerous situations (trying to get down into the canyons with aircraft other than helicopters is problematic with the turbulence, tightness of the canyons, etc.

I feel sorry for those folks, and I pray for the firefighters and others putting their lives on the line out there.

I think this is going to drive even more insurers out of California when the huge claims from this one start coming in. What this may also do is force CA to do their own fire insurance statewide, which is going to be expensive for both the poor homeowners and the state, as inevitably, more of these fires are going to happen.

Go read!!!

Victor Davis Hanson lays it all out, HERE!!!

He calls a spade a spade and he gets it right!

And here’s Michael Ramirez take on the Dems…

h/t Stretch for the VDH column