Dammit…

Posted on by August 8, 2020

Just my .02, but based on what I’m seeing/hearing, I think the Bonnie Dick is done for…

Some pics from various sources tell the story.

Forward mast collapsed due to superstructure melting out from under it

Holes burned through from the hangar deck to the flight deck. Helos were dropping water in these holes to try to put out the fire on the hangar deck.

The hangar deck looking up toward the superstructure through a hole in the flight deck.

Not sure where this is, other than deeper in the ship. Massive damage, melted/warped steel bulkheads.

2 years, millions of dollars of upgrades lost, a ship that will not be able to be returned to service soon, if ever, and a heavier load on the remaining ships until one of the old ships can be brought back from the White Fleet to pick up the load.

A lesson learned about keeping at least ONE firefighting system operable on a ship when it’s in upkeep/maintenance…

But no lives were lost, and kudos to the duty section and away fire parties from the other ships at the pier that managed to contain the fire and keep the ship from sinking at the pier. You did the best you could with what you had, in the best traditions of the Navy, you NEVER gave up. Thank you.

Unprecedented???

Posted on by August 7, 2020

Nope, this level of rioting is nothing new… If you’re an old fart, you remember the 60’s…

The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there is nothing new under the sun. And while many have spoken of the “unprecedented” nature of the rioting in the early summer of 2020, it is actually quite precedented.

The Long, Hot Summer of 1967 was the peak of urban unrest and rioting in the United States in the lead up to the 1968 election. While there are certainly a number of key differences, there are also a number of striking parallels that make the topic worthy of discussion and examination.

Full article, HERE at ammo.com. It’s a good recap of 67 and 68 and the violence that came with it.

The death of MLK in Memphis set off another set of riots in 68, and pretty much destroyed the DNC convention in Chicago due to the Vietnam protests and internal politics of the DNC, coupled with the brutality of the Chicago Police Department.

By the time delegates arrived for the convention in Chicago, protests had been set in motion by members of the Youth International Party (yippies) and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE), whose organizers included Rennie Davis and Tom Hayden.

But Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley had no intention of letting his city or the convention be overrun by protestors. The stage was set for an explosive face-off.

Full article, HERE from History.com. Ironically, this was a big impetus for Richard Nixon’s win…

What has NOT happened yet, and I truly hope it doesn’t, is the killings during the rioting. If it does, all bets are off. I really don’t want to live through that again, but it seems that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.

However, this time it won’t be the WWII/Korean veterans stepping up, it will be the Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan veterans stepping up and doing what needs to be done (again)… And the left/socialists won’t like it any better this time.

 

Hmmm…

Posted on by August 5, 2020

Something to think about…

So there is much discussion of Trump and the election results. But there is another, equally pressing question: Will Democrats accept the results of the election if Joe Biden loses? A new report suggests the answer could be no.

Full article, HERE from the Washington Examiner.

The members are largely ‘anonymous’ but you can read some of their background ‘rationale’ below…

The Transition Integrity Project (TIP)1 was launched in late 2019 out of concern that the Trump Administration may seek to manipulate, ignore, undermine or disrupt the 2020 presidential election and transition process. TIP takes no position on how Americans should cast their votes, or on the likely winner of the upcoming election; either major party candidate could prevail at the polls in November without resorting to “dirty tricks.” However, the administration of President Donald Trump has steadily undermined core norms of democracy and the rule of law and embraced numerous corrupt and authoritarian practices. This presents a profound challenge for those – from either party – who are committed to ensuring free and fair elections, peaceful transitions of power, and stable administrative continuity in the United States.

A .pdf of the report can be downloaded HERE.

Remember, if this goes to Jan 20, 2021 without a winner, Nancy Pelosi becomes the ‘interim’ president until one is chosen. Buyer beware…

TBT…

Posted on by August 5, 2020

I wonder how many of the kids today could run our old radar system…

Tubes, manually tuned ‘maggie’, old school stuff. No fancy joysticks or anything else…

And a recce question… Where is this?

Answer below the fold.

Continue reading →

Posted in TBT

It’s hump day…

Posted on by August 4, 2020

So a little humor…

ONLY A TRUE GOLFER WILL UNDERSTAND THIS…

  • Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.
  • Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.
  • When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls.
  • If you’re afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.
  • The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing.
  • No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.
  • The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors.
  • If it ain’t broke, try changing your grip.
  • Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot.
  • A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponents’ luck.
  • It is surprisingly easy to hole a fifty foot putt for a 10.
  • Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.
  • Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts.
  • It’s not a gimme if you’re still away.
  • The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.
  • There are two kinds of bounces; unfair bounces and bounces, just the way you meant to play it.
  • You can hit a two acre fairway 10% of the time and a two inch branch 90% of the time.
  • If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.
  • Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.
  • When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again.
  • Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.
  • If you want to hit a 7 iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard.
  • To calculate the speed of a player’s downswing, multiply the speed of his back-swing by his handicap;
  •    i.e., back-swing 20 mph, handicap 15, downswing = 300 mph.
  • There are two things you can learn by stopping your back-swing at the top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.
  • Hazards attract; fairways repel.
  • You can put a draw on the ball, you can put a fade on the ball, but no golfer can put a straight on the ball.
  • A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.
  • If there is a ball on the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is in the bunker. If both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint.
  • It’s easier to get up at 6:00 AM to play golf than at 10:00 to mow the yard.
  • Sometimes it seems as though your cup moveth over.
  • A good drive on the 18th hole has stopped many a golfer from giving up the game.
  • Golf is the perfect thing to do on Sunday because you always end up having to pray a lot.
  • A good golf partner is one who’s always slightly worse than you are… that’s why I get so many calls to play with friends.
  • That rake by the sand trap is there for golfers who feel guilty about skipping out on lawn work.
  • If there’s a storm rolling in, you’ll be having the game of your life.
  • Golf balls are like eggs. They’re white. They’re sold by the dozen. And you need to buy fresh ones each week.
  • A pro-shop gets its name from the fact that you have to have the income of a professional golfer to buy anything in there.
  • It’s amazing how a golfer who never helps out around the house will replace his divots, repair his ball marks, and rake his sand traps.
  • If your opponent has trouble remembering whether he shot a six or a seven, he probably shot an eight (or worse).
  • You probably wouldn’t look good in a green jacket anyway!  A sweatshirt will do just fine.
  • It takes longer to learn to be a good golfer than it does to become a brain surgeon.  On the other hand, you don’t get to ride around on a cart, drink beer, eat hot dogs and fart if you are performing brain surgery.

The politics is out in the open now…

Posted on by August 3, 2020

Out of MD…

However, the governor is a Pub… so…

Earlier this week, the Montgomery County health officer issued a statement saying the county would be requiring all schools, including private and faith-based, to remain closed to in-person instruction until at least October 1st. Dr. Travis Gayles claimed all of the decisions were based on “science and data.” The move comes amid pressure from teachers unions to keep schools close while simultaneously preventing parents from seeking alternative options.

Full article, HERE.

And there’s this…

Leaders in education, politics and other areas gathered in suburban Evanston Sunday to ask that the Illinois State Board of Education eliminate history classes at schools statewide.

Full article, HERE from MSN no less!

And some people forget the Intarwebz is forever…

And there is this study from France on HCQ, HERE.

And the pushback continues…

Posted on by August 1, 2020

First it was the doctors banned on FB, Google, Twitverse, Utube and everything they could control…

This one, they can’t kill…

This week the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons submitted additional evidence to a federal court for why interference with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should end by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), in AAPS v. FDA, No. 1:20-cv-00493-RJJ-SJB (W.D. Mich.).

Full article, HERE.

One other note…

Book promo…

Posted on by July 31, 2020

Mike Watson is first up with a collection of stories- Dundee Orbital: Tales of the Tri-Cluster Confederation

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link.

The blurb-

Dundee Orbital is the mercantile hub of the Tri-Cluster Confederation. Millions of entities pass through the station and each has a story.

  •     The Face on the Barroom Floor. Donal Harris has a mystery on his hands. He has a murder victim with no fingerprints, no hair, eyebrows, ears and only a smooth oval head with no identifiable features. His DNA is not registered and he has perfect teeth. Who killed him, why, and who is he?
  •     Homegoing to Hollowell.
    Dee-Ell Davies wants just one thing—to go home to Hollowell and he’ll do anything, even defy death, to make that happen.
  •     The Fenian. Fen is a naval intelligence agent who has chased his quarry across human space to Dundee Orbital. Is this the end of the chase? What does Fen’s fugitive want in Dundee Orbital? Fen, Donal Harris, and Elspeth Harris are determined to discover why and thwart the spy’s plans.
  •     Li’l Annie. Part I. Annie Griffin is a bounty hunter who arrives at Dundee Orbital with four fugitive warrants. Senior Patroller Henry Hillman is assigned to observe her pursuit and insure the proper protocols and procedures are followed. During the hunt, propinquity leads to a growing relationship between the two. When Henry and Annie are wounded capturing their last fugitive, that relationship deepens.
  •    Li’l Annie. Part II. If Annie wants to stay on the station, she needs a new job. Her tenure as a bounty hunter is over and it’s time for her life to take a   new direction, but what to do? She only has one skill. But, is there a demand for it?

Karl Gallagher is next up with a new novel in a new series- Storm between the Stars

The blurb-

Niko Landry and his crew thought a routine hyperspace survey would be easy money. But when the barrier separating their homeworld from the rest of the human race opens, they seize the chance to go exploring . . . finding an empire more dangerous than they imagined.

And a couple of short stories… First is Cedar Sanderson’s The Violet Mouse

The blurb-

Trust me.
There are things in the lab no-one ever talks about.
Risk everything.
How far would you go to save a friend’s last hope?

Three friends, one fateful conversation. You can’t let your closest friends do something drastic, not if you can help it. When one of you has a a brilliant mind, another is a skeptic, and the last one is willing to be a guinea pig… should you stop them?

A short story.

Last but not least, Martin Wilsey- Piper’s Run: Tales from Lumina Station

The blurb-

Jules Piper was the Engineer on a small deep-space freighter. She thought she was having a bad day when she discovered the water reclamation system had failed.

With no way to collect ice and more than three weeks to their destination, her Captain decided to make a stop.

It was the right planet. It was also the wrong time…

A short story

All good reads, and a great way to kill a few hours in the heat of the day!!!

Random ‘stuff’…

Posted on by July 30, 2020

Remember how ‘contract tracing’ would be effortless and perfect?

The Tennessee Department of Health said about 300 people were incorrectly traced as COVID-19 cases due to a coding error.

Oopsie… Full article, HERE.

And there’s this story of tyranny in Kansas…

Enter the Linn County Health Department. Their contract tracers asked the sick one about gatherings he had attended – the July 4 co-celebrators were inventoried.

The contract tracers called the Peerys. The Peerys reported no fevers, no coughs, no symptoms of Covid-19. They asked to be tested. Their request was denied – not enough tests to go around, they were told.

Read the ‘rest of the story’, HERE.

TGIF…

Y’all have a safe and quiet weekend!

For your consideration…

Posted on by July 29, 2020

This one came across the transom from the mil email group…

We Are Veterans.
We left home as teenagers for an unknown adventure.
We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own lives.
We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew.
We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth.
We found new friends and new family.
We became brothers and sisters regardless of color, race or creed.
We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times.
We didn’t get enough sleep.
We smoked and drank too much.
We picked up both good and bad habits.
We worked hard and played harder.
We didn’t earn a great wage.
We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events.
We didn’t know when, or even if, we were ever going to see home again.
We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all.
We fought for our freedom, as well as the freedom of others.
Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn’t.
Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn’t.
Some of us dealt with physical warfare, most of us dealt with psychological warfare.
We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can’t fully describe or explain, as not all of our sacrifices were physical.
We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie.
We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes to survive it at all.
We have dealt with victory and tragedy.
We have celebrated and mourned.
We lost a few along the way.
When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new and some of us never came home at all.
We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures.
We share an unspoken bond with each other, that most people don’t experience, and few will understand.
We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches.
We know however, that, if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one, in a heartbeat.
Being a veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away.
It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift.
People see a veteran and they thank them for their service.
When we see each other, we give that little upwards head nod, or a slight smile, knowing that we have shared and experienced things that most people have not.
So, from myself to the rest of the veterans out there, I commend and thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed for your country.
Try to remember the good times and forget the bad times.

Share your stories. Now more than ever, people need to know what we stood for and many died for.

But most importantly, stand tall and proud, for you have earned the right to be called a Veteran. ??

And I found a copy of the doctor’s capital hill video, HERE on Breitbart. Everybody else took it down for being ‘false’…