Sigh…

Posted on by July 2, 2021

Some people LIKE to play the race card…

I posted this yesterday on farcebook and…

This was the FIRST comment…

Black men make up 49% of incarcerations. Black men make up 47% of “deaths by cop.”
Black men make up 6% of the population (Black people make up 13%).
So, there are two explanations for these disparities:
a] Black men in particular are 4-6x as likely to be criminals as white men.
b] Police departments and prosecutors have a bias against Black men and that bias is racial in origin.
Which do you believe?
Sigh… Throw out just enough numbers to make your point, BUT ignore the ‘rest’ of the points. But if you actually read the ‘rest’ of the statement that was made… See below…

One catastrophic condition in the lives of many African Americans today is the horrendously high murder rate that they experience. While, according to the U.S. Census (U.S. Census Quick Facts), African Americans made up 12.6% of the U.S. population in 2010, and  13.3% in 2015, they, according to the FBI were in 2013 victims of 45% of the murders, in 2018 victims of 52.4% of the murders in the U.S., more than three times the rate that might be expected by population. 

What are the facts about the extremely high rate of African American victims? One might get the impression from the energetic campaigns of Black Lives Matter that African Americans are murdered by white racists, especially police. But, according to the FBI, in 2013, of the 2,491 “Black or African American” murdered, 189 were murdered by “whites,” 20 by “other,” 37 by “unknown,” and 2,245 by “Black or African American.” In other words, in 2013, 90.12% of African Americans murdered were murdered by other African Americans.

The years since are much the same, e.g. in 2018 , of 2,925 African Americans murdered, 2,600 or 89% were murdered by other African Americans. It is difficult to attribute this to white racism. And while in 2013, 189 African Americans were murdered by whites, 409 whites were murdered by African-Americans. In cross-race murders, more than twice as many whites have been murdered as African Americans. 

The other side of the coin is that 48% of all murders are committed by African Americans, more than three times what would be expected from African-Americans’ 13% of the population. So African Americans are involved in the most serious crime, either as victims or perpetrators, at a rate that far exceeds other American communities. This cannot be considered a direct effect of anti-African American racism.

African Americans, like all Americans, have choices and make decisions. They are not automatons mechanically reacting to an adverse environment. African Americans have agency, select their goals, and act to achieve them. Most African-Americans do not choose to engage in crime; most choose to become productive citizens. 

But too many African Americans do choose to engage in crime, and too many African-Americans have been their victims.

As a kid, growing up out in the country in Louisiana, the kids I played with were Creoles, Blacks, Mestizos, Cajuns, and ONE other white family. They spent time at my house and I spent time at their houses.  I spent 20+ years IN the Navy and 23 more working for them. I learned LONG ago to judge people by their character and actions. We’re ALL pink on the inside, and the wrapper doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. What the person DOES and the person’s character are the drivers as far as I’m concerned.
Oh, and of course the person NEVER addressed the crux of the meme, which is the Marxist influence, and promptly disappeared when confronted with facts and actual logic… sigh

Ouch…

Posted on by July 1, 2021

Granted, Tom Clancy’s books aren’t for everyone, and did become a ‘bit’ formulaic, but this review is literally damning with faint praise…

Since debuting on Amazon’s Prime Video service on April 30, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse has earned a score of 5.8 on IMDB, and an audience rating of 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes—hardly stellar scores for such a high profile release.

That suggests there was quite a bit of remorse among viewers, and one audience review posted on Rotten Tomatoes may have summed up the made-for-TV movie particularly well, “As formulaic as it is implausible, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse delivers the bare minimum as an action thriller—and will leave Clancy fans particularly disappointed.”

What actually further adds to the disappointment is that a film adaption of Tom Clancy’s 1993 novel, which served as an “origin” story for the character of former Navy SEAL John Clark (nee Kelly), has been a long time in coming. What finally arrived was a significant misfire.

Full article HERE, from Gun Mag Warehouse.

I won’t waste my time watching it, just like I won’t waste my time watching the Lee Childs/Jack Reacher movies with Tom Cruise. Talk about blown casting!!! Cruise is a shrimp. Reacher is a huge man and that is integral to the story line… Sigh…

PSA- Winchester 9MM ammo recall!!!

Posted on by June 30, 2021

Courtesy of Guns in the News Blog!

Olin Winchester has issued a recall of several lots of its 9 mm ammunition. Owners of any of the company’s 9 mm cartridges with 115-gr. full metal jacket bullets or 115-gr. jacketed hollow points need to immediately discontinue their use until they consult the symbol and lot numbers printed on the box to determine if the loads are affected by the recall. Ammunition purchased before March 25, 2021, is not subject to the recall.

The symbols impacted are: Q4172, RED9, USA9JHP, USA9MMVP, USA9W and WW9B.

 

Lot Numbers include: SC03LD44, SC03LD45, SC03LD46, SC03LD47, SC13LD1, SC13LD6, SC13LD18, SC13LD44, SC13LD45, SC13LD46, SC13LD47, SC52LD44, SC52LD45, SC52LD46, SC52LD47, SC62LD44, SC62LD45, SC62LD46, SC62LD47, SC72LD44, SC72LD45, SC72LD46, SC72LD47, SC92LD44, SC92LD45, SC92LD46, SC92LD47, SD10LD1, SD10LD3, SD10LD6, SC10LD12, SD10LD18, SD10LD46, SD10LD47, SD50LD1, SD50LD3, SD50LD6, SD50LD11, SD50LD12, SD50LD18, SD50LD46, SD50LD47, SD60LD1, SD60LD3, SD60LD6, SD60LD11, SD60LD12, SD60LD18, SD70LD1, SD70LD3, SD70LD6, SD70LD11, SD70LD12, SD70LD18, SD80LD1, SD80LD3, SD80LD6, SD80LD11, SD80LD12 and SD80LD18.

The symbol designation and location of the lot numbers are depicted for one product in the photograph above. The recall webpage includes locations for all other cartridge boxes that fall under this notification.

Winchester has determined the above lots of 9 mm 115-gr. FMJ and JHP ammunition may contain propellant that does not properly ignite and burn when the cartridge is fired. Ammunition containing propellant that does not properly ignite and burn may result in a bullet remaining in the barrel—a bullet-in-bore obstruction. Firing a subsequent bullet into the bore obstruction could cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable and subjecting the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury.

Do not use Winchester 9 mm 115-gr. FMJ or JHP cartridges of the above symbols with any of the above lot numbers. Owners of ammunition affected by this recall should immediately discontinue its use and contact Winchester toll-free at (844) 653-8358 to arrange for free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition. Upon receipt of the ammunition, the company will ship replacement cartridges directly or issue a reimbursement check.

This notice applies only to the above 9 mm Luger 115-gr. FMJ and JHP symbols and lot numbers. Other symbols or lot numbers are not subject to this recall. Enthusiasts with questions about the recall can also call toll-free (844) 653-8358, write to Winchester at 600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 (Attn: 9mm Luger Recall), or visit the company website.

TBT…

Posted on by June 30, 2021

Back in the day, we had to maintain qualifications to not only fly as crew on the P-3s, but the entire crew wanted to be ‘Alpha’ status crew… This was my crew hat from 1976-77 deployment to Misawa, JA.

You can just barely see the ‘A’ designation on the left side of the hat.

It was used to designate a crew in which every crew member was NATOPS-designated in his position, and the crew as a unit had passed every graded crew coordination/tactics exercise (qual) — there were about 20 (+/-) of them, as I recall. It was a difficult standard, especially when money was scarce, and people transferred in and out. We managed it for two years, at least for the ‘critical crewmembers’, which were the seven primary crew positions. I was also a Blue Card NATOPS evaluator for the squadron during that time, so I was flying my ass off… sigh

Good times! 🙂

A follow-up…

Posted on by June 29, 2021

This is to yesterday’s post about search and rescue. As a number of folks noted in the comments, 4 days without water is pretty much the end of the road as far as one’s kidneys continuing to function… I believe they are hoping the daily rains are somehow getting to any survivors still trapped. Sadly, I believe the next 24-48 hours it will go from search to recovery.

Divemedic is MUCH more current than I am, and has also written a very thoughtful post from the medic perspective. It is HERE.  The title is FEMA isn’t magic.

HERE is a link to the Fox onsite updates from Florida.

Things you don’t rush…

Posted on by June 28, 2021

Everyone has heard about the building collapse in Surfside, FL. And most people have heard that the search/rescue is ‘going too slow’!

The problem is, IMHO, people have seen other rescue attempts in other parts of the world where the people go in and move pieces/parts by themselves, bulldozers, front end loaders, etc. are brought in immediately and they tear into the collapsed structure…

What is never shown or talked about is how many voids or further collapses those actions precipitate… nor how many additional lives are lost.

Many years ago I went through rescue training and was certified in the State of Florida, so I’m sure what I was taught is outmoded today, but a lot of it stuck with me all these years.

The first response is almost always going to be the fire department, who will immediately set up an incident command and call the utility companies to shut off electrical, water, and any other ‘services’ to the building.

The first things will be getting hose lines in place, trying to determine the ‘scope’ of the collapse, the potential for additional collapse, hazardous materials, and six different surveys of the collapse (all four sides, top, and if possible from underneath).

SAFETY of the searchers will always be the priority for the Incident Commander (IC) throughout the entire evolution.

An initial search will be started as soon as the IC determines it is safe to at least make a cursory search of available areas. There will be an immediate call for search and rescue expertise, shoring material, additional support, heavy rescue, and available heavy equipment that can be used to move things. The shoring material will be used to try to stabilize the collapse, and will also be used for any tunnels/shafts that may be dug/bored/etc. Monitoring will be done for any shifting of the collapse/debris field the entire time searchers are active.

The first searches will be external for anyone visible, then for voids where people might be. There are various types of voids, even in collapses that are caused by walls, support beams, various structures within the building and heavy equipment/etc. These are also extremely dangerous, for obvious reasons. But they will be the first searched, before any boring/tunneling/etc. due to the potential for them to collapse further due to tunneling/etc.

Another thing that will be done is ‘quiet time’, this is when all radios are shut off, all extraneous noise is minimized to the maximum extent possible, and people on all sides listen for people calling, moaning, etc. The rescuers will try to triangulate those noises so that they know where to try to enter the collapse. If available, they will also use electronics and borescope type cameras to do the same thing, and when the dogs arrive, make use of dogs to attempt to locate victims. This will be done on a regular basis, especially early in the search phase.

Considerations will include work time (usually not more than 12 hours a shift, possibly less depending on the weather/conditions), health hazards (breathable air is nice, which is why anyone going into a void/tunnel/shaft will be wearing a SCBA),  roping searchers up, and safety people, in case of a further collapse.

The weight of debris is another issue for tunneling/shoring… wood debris averages 35 pounds per cubic foot, steel debris almost 500 pounds per cubic foot, and the weight of concrete or masonry rubble was 10 pounds per square foot for every inch of thickness. Structural engineers (who should be onsite by that time) should assist in determining the load plan for shoring.

A debris removal plan will be devised and coordinated with planned interior searches, and will normally start from the top down. This stage usually requires heavy equipment and expert riggers to rig the debris to be lifted. This is also why most searches work from the top down.

All of the above take time. And more time… As we’re seeing, it’s NOT a quick process, but the IC also doesn’t want to kill the searchers either. It is a slow process, and will seem to observers like the searchers aren’t doing anything, but trust me, they are working their asses off as safely as they can, and they are STILL taking chances.

So say a prayer for those missing, the families that have lost loved ones, and those who are doing the searching. They all need it.

And patience… lots of patience…

A little humor…

Posted on by June 27, 2021

Or poking fun at folks that CAN take a joke…

From the Hillbilly Book of Manners
1.
Never take a beer to a job interview.
2.
Always identify people in your yard before shooting at ’em.
3.
YES, it’s considered poor taste to take a cooler to church.
4.
If you have to vacuum the bed, it is time to change the sheets.
5.
Even if you’re certain that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home.
Dining Out
1.
If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the label.
2.
Avoid throwing bones and food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs.
ENTERTAINING IN YOUR HOME
1.
A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist.
2.
Do not allow the dog to eat at the table no matter how good his manners are.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
1.
While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one’s OWN truck keys
2.
Proper use of toiletries can forestall bathing for several days. However, if you live alone, deodorant is a waste of good money.
3.
Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as they tend to detract from a woman’s jewelry and alter the taste of finger foods.
DATING (OUTSIDE THE FAMILY)
1.
Always offer to bait your date’s hook, especially on the first date.
2.
Be aggressive. Let her know you’re interested: ‘I’ve been wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the bathroom wall two years ago.’
3.
Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 PM; others might say ‘Monday.’ If the latter is the answer, it is the man’s responsibility to get her to school on time.
4.
Always have a positive comment about your date’s appearance, such as, ‘Ya’ll sure don’t sweat much for a fat gal.’
WEDDINGS
1.
Livestock, usually, is a poor choice for a wedding gift.
2.
Kissing the bride for more than 5 seconds may get you shot.
3.
For the groom, at least, rent a tux. A leisure suit with a cummerbund and a clean bowling shirt can create too sporty an appearance.
4.
Though uncomfortable, say ‘yes’ to socks and shoes for this special occasion.
5.
It is not appropriate to tell the groom how good his wife is in the sack.
DRIVING ETIQUETTE
1.
Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles, even if the gun is loaded, and the deer is in sight.
2.
When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way.
3.
Never tow another car using panty hose and duct tape.
4.
When sending your wife/girlfriend down the road with a gas can, it is impolite to ask her to bring back beer.
5.
Never relieve yourself from a moving vehicle, especially when driving.
6.
Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral procession.
TWO REASONS WHY IT IS HARD TO SOLVE A HILLBILLY MURDER:
1.
All the DNA is the same.
2.
There are never any dental records

 

Although I have been reliably informed some of the Air Force terms are out of date, One goes with what one has… 🙂

And yes, the ‘infighting’ between services never ends, and never will…LOL

Around the net…

Posted on by June 25, 2021

Gleaned from various places…

FBI feared Pennsylvania would seize fabled gold

This story has more twists and turns than most mystery novels… Full article, HERE.

Next, we move to Virginia and the goings on around the statues…

A time capsule was placed under the Robert E. Lee statue in 1887. Gov. Northam says he will remove it. Gov. Ralph Northam plans to remove a time capsule placed under the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue in 1887 and replace it with a new one, he announced Tuesday, as the state begins to form its plans for the future of the much-contested monument. 

The supposed contents, according to reports from the day-

What’s in the time capsule?

A time capsule was placed in the pedestal of the Robert E. Lee monument in 1887 when it was built. According to newspaper archives, a rare picture of President Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin was put in the time capsule. Here are some of other items donated for the time capsule, which Gov. Ralph Northam plans to remove:

• a battle flag and a square and compass made from a tree over Stonewall Jackson’s grave from J.W. Talley;

• a history of Monumental Church donated by George Fisher;

• a collection of Confederate buttons from Cyrus Bossieux;

• a copy of Carlton McCarthy’s “Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia” given by J.W. Randolph & English publishers;

• a guide to Richmond with a map of the city and a map of Virginia;

• three bullets, a piece of shell and a Minie ball lodged in a piece of wood from a Fredericksburg battle field, given by Frank Brown;

• a bible from Thomas J. Starke;

• statistics of the city of Richmond from J.B. Halyburton;

• a $100,000 Confederate bond from John F. Mayer;

• an English penny from 1812 from W.T. Moseley; and

• an Oct 26, 1887, edition of the The Richmond Dispatch.

Full article, HERE.

And now to Texas…

The Veep FINALLY went to the border… in El Paso, 600 miles from the Rio Grande Valley, where the real ‘center’ of the border issues are. No visit to the Donna facility, everything carefully planned with photo ops, etc. Interestingly, not a single State of Texas official was there. Sen. Durbin (D- IL) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D- El Paso) were the only two political figures there. Henry Cuellar (D-28th district) which includes the Rio Grande Valley, was NOT in attendance. And she said they ‘inherited’ the border crisis… Really??? And El Paso is the new Ellis Island? Sigh…

Full article, HERE from USA Today and HERE from the AP.

On to Georgia…

The Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is planning to sue Georgia over the newly-signed voting reform law. The lawsuit is being spearheaded by DOJ Civil Rights Division head Kristen Clarke, Associate AG Vanita Gupta, and Deputy Assistant AG Pamela Karlan. 

Soooo, after HR-1 failed, now they are apparently going state by state and suing over the ‘new’ voter laws, saying they are racist. Full article, HERE.

It’s an virtual con…

Posted on by June 25, 2021

LibertyCon is virtual this year, not by choice. But it does give y’all a chance to ‘see the sausage made’, so to speak.

HERE’s the link- go down the page and you’ll find the links and instructions on how to view the panels.  Peter, Dot, Sarah Hoyt, and myself have a panel tonight at 2100 EDT on writing cross genres, and I’m doing a reading at 1300 on Sunday.

Thank you!!!

Posted on by June 24, 2021

Just wanted to say thank you to those who have given me honest reviews on my books and stories.

Reviews are the bedrock of our ‘advertising’ if you will. Without reviews, people tend to ignore us, not buy our stuff, or not be willing to take a chance on us.

Having said that, Showdown on the River is stuck at less than 50 reviews, which is the first ‘bump’ if you will where Amazon actually starts putting it out on the also read categories… 100 reviews are the breakpoint where you start getting listed with other authors on search pages, or did… Amazon seems to be…as usual changing things on the fly, so I’m not sure where it is now.

Anyway, if you liked Showdown, or didn’t, I’d appreciate an honest review. They are our lifeblood as authors…

Thank you again!!!