Are we approaching a showdown???

Posted on by January 31, 2017

A few posts you probably have already read, but bear with me…

We’re now going on almost 2 months since the election.

First BZ’s post, The insanity of the racist DNC chair candidates…

LL’s post, Identity politics: Who is the bigger victim…

Peter’s post, Know your enemy…

LawDog’s post, Mediations on Monsters…

The common thread, IMHO, is the absolute refusal of the left to acknowledge the fact that Trump won and their agenda (read their precious) is gone for at least four years. What they are doing is becoming louder and louder, pushier and pushier.

They knocked a man unconscious in Portland, then started the ‘Peace’ chant, until the Portland PD showed up, then started getting loud and aggressive again. But one thing I noted, was that those yelling the loudest were in the back of the crowd/had their faces covered.

I don’t think there is any question now that these people ARE being paid, and the money trail points to Soros via a number (50+?) of organizations. There are some indications the professional protesters are flying from location to location to whip up the crowds, in addition to ‘day protesters’ being bussed in, paid and given box lunches.

Freedom of speech (e.g. 1A) is all well and good, but what happens when they attack the wrong person/persons? What happens when a CCW carrier is threatened/sucker punched? What happens when one of those old men has had enough and goes after some of those protest leaders?

Supposedly ~200 were arrested in DC on FEDERAL riot charges, which carry significant fines and prison time with no plea bargaining. Has anyone heard what’s happening with those arraignments? I know I haven’t been able to find anything.

When so many diverse groups are yelling at the tops of their lungs for their particular pet program, it all turns into white noise, which is bad, because the individual groups look for ways to stand out and get the media.

What I’m afraid of is they ARE going to cross that proverbial line in the sand that is manned by a bunch of grumpy old men and women, veterans and rednecks from flyover country who aren’t going to take it anymore. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if/when that happens, I do think there will be blood in the streets and a national paralysis at least for a little while…

I really didn’t want to do ‘interesting times’ again… sigh.

 

 

Little known facts…

Posted on by January 29, 2017

A little history most people will never know about the wall.

SOMETHING to think about – Most of the parents of these men are now deceased.

There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.

Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E – May 25, 1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges from the earth (numbered 70W – continuing May 25, 1968) and ending with a date in 1975. Thus the war’s beginning and end meet. The war is complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the angle’s open side and contained within the earth itself.

The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth , Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.

8,283 were just 19 years old.

The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.

12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.

5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.

One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam .

1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam .

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia . I wonder why so many from one school.

8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.

Beallsville , Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci – They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest . And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci’s mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.

The Buddies of Midvale – LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam . In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.

The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 – 2,415 casualties were incurred.

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.

h/t Frito

USS ENTERPRISE…

Posted on by January 29, 2017

One of the proudest names in lineage of US Navy ships, there have been seven USS ENTERPRISEs

The first five were sailing vessels of various descriptions starting in 1775, through 1909, next up was a 66′ motor patrol boat, SP790 during World War I.Following that was CV-6, a Yorktown Class carrier (thanks Auric, that’s why I had cheat sheets in the airplane, knew the bad guys intimately, ours not so much), commissioned in 1936. The sixth of the class. She participated in more major actions of the war against Japan than any other United States ship, including the Battle of Midway, the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Known as the “The Grey Ghost”, she was claimed to have been sunk three times. Enterprise earned 20 battle stars, the most for any U.S. warship in World War II, and became the most decorated U.S. ship of World War II. Her other nickname was the “Big-E”

U.S. Navy bureau of Ships – Official U.S. Navy photo 19-N-89185 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command

This picture was taken on the flight deck during the Guadalcanal Campaign.

U.S. Navy bureau of Ships – Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-7859 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command

Next up is CV(N)-65, the first and only ship of the Enterprise Class. Commissioned in 1962, she served until 2012 and is scheduled to be decommissioned next month. She was the first nuclear carrier in the world.

U.S. Navy bureau of Ships – Official U.S. Navy photo KN-9027 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command

Rather than try to detail her exploits, I’ll just put this up…

And the name isn’t dead yet… CVN-80, USS ENTERPRISE is planned for 2025 as a Ford Class carrier.

Let me know if you’d like me to continue something along these lines for Sunday…

Oopsie…

Posted on by January 28, 2017

Apparently my post for today didn’t…

In lieu of that, enjoy this!

Fifteen minutes of Sailors having ‘fun’ on deployment!

VFA-41 Black Aces!

We used to make do with cruise books… sigh

Book pimping!!!

Posted on by January 27, 2017

DaddyBear has just published his third book in his ‘Minivandians’ series, and second of three stories in the backstory arc of his main protagonist! It’s called ‘Lost Children‘, I can tell you this is another winner, I was happy to alpha read for Tom and really enjoyed the continuing story!

The blurb reads:

Elsked’s adventure continues! In the second of three stories, the Minivandian’s son trades tales of his pets and their misadventures for another story from his parents past.

After escaping the frozen north, Daddybear and Ruarin find refuge with the magical kin of an old friend. Before they can make their way home, treachery will strike the city, leaving death and disappearances in its wake. In an idyllic lakeside city harboring the ancient evil that drove its people from their ancient homeland, can the Minivandian save his Lady of Eire?

This is a follow-on to Quest to the North, the first story. Tom is a good friend, a good writer and blogs over at DaddyBear’s Den. Get his books, and please put up reviews on Amazon! They help us poor starving writers sell more books!!! 🙂

More 11th hour s**t…

Posted on by January 25, 2017

Another one Obummer snuck in before he left…

DIRECTOR’S ORDER NO. 219

Subject: USE OF NONTOXIC AMMUNITION AND FISHING TACKLE

Sec. 1 What is the purpose of this Order? The purpose of this Order is to establish procedures and a timeline for expanding the use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle on Service lands, waters, and facilities and for certain types of hunting and fishing regulated by the Service outside of Service lands, waters, and facilities.

This is a phased in ban on lead ammunition and fishing equipment, signed out on the 19th by direction, HERE.

The NRA is lobbying for Zinke to be confirmed quickly…

Fairfax, Va.— The National Rifle Association today called on the U.S. Senate to swiftly confirm Congressman Ryan Zinke as secretary of the interior.  The renewed call for confirmation follows a final act of contempt for America’s gun owners by the Obama administration. During the president’s last hours in office, his administration issued an order attacking gun owners’ and sportsmen’s rights.

“It is more important than ever that we have a secretary of the interior who respects the Second Amendment and will stand up for our rights,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. “On behalf of the NRA’s five million members, I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the interior, Congressman Ryan Zinke.”

Director’s Order No. 219, issued on January 19, directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to phase in a ban on the use of traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle for all activities on national wildlife refuge lands and waters. This unilateral action was taken without scientific evidence to support it and without consulting state fish and wildlife agencies. In addition, the ban would impose a considerable financial hardship on hunters and anglers who use traditional lead ammunition, by forcing them to use more expensive alternatives.

“The NRA looks forward to working with the Trump administration to reverse this government overreach,” concluded Cox.

One of the little oopsies in this is if you’re carrying your pistol, you will be illegal unless you have non-toxic ammunition in it… I don’t know of ANY non-toxic self-defense ammo other that what Clark Armory is selling…

But there IS good news-

Fairfax, Va. – The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) today scored a victory when Congress agreed to review, and likely revoke, a final rule by the Obama administration that would blindly strip law-abiding Americans of their Second Amendment rights. 

“Congress’s decision to review the Obama administration’s back-door gun grab is a significant step forward in protecting a fundamental constitutional right for law-abiding gun owners,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, NRA-ILA. “The NRA has been fighting this unconstitutional government overreach since it was first discussed and we look forward to swift congressional action.”

Last year, the Social Security Administration finalized a proposed rule to ban certain recipients who use a representative payee from owning firearms. This ill-conceived action affected the most vulnerable in America and stripped them of their right to keep and bear arms without due process. 

The NRA immediately opposed the Obama administration’s efforts when the proposal was first announced in summer of 2015. The NRA has fought every step of the way to ensure that social security recipients are not stripped of their rights without due process of law. 

Today, we learned that Congress will review the Obama administration’s unconstitutional ban under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). CRA allows Congress to dispose of any actions an outgoing administration initiates in its last six months. This final rule falls under that time frame, and the review process is expected to move forward in the House and receive a vote as early as next week.

Imminent revocation of this egregious government action marks the culmination of the NRA’s diligent efforts on behalf of its members and law-abiding gun owners.

“This is a new era for freedom-loving Americans and the NRA is excited to begin work with our pro-Second Amendment president and Congress to ensure that law-abiding Americans’ constitutional rights are respected,” concluded Cox. 

h/t NRA media

TBT…

Posted on by January 25, 2017

Sigh…

I had a car that got 8MPG and I didn’t care… I was making $1.25 an hour…

Yesterday, I spent $70 filling the tank… Grumble…

Posted in TBT

Intelligence…

Posted on by January 25, 2017

No, not THAT kind…

Military/government intel…

Back in the day, we operated on the excursion, trend and pattern scenarios with respect to intelligence.

By that I mean the first ‘change’ in pattern was known as an excursion. Was this due to something in the environment? New equipment? A change in the Bear’s SOP? Or a screwup by the crew?

If we saw the same thing with another unit, in the same relative place, then we had a trend… e.g. Crazy Ivans started alternating right and left, rather than the pattern of always going left.

If the third, fourth, etc. continued then we had a new pattern. The next question was why? That lead down a number of different avenues- Environmental, equipment changes, leadership changes, governmental policy changes, or…

That usually opened a can of worms, as it might take six months or more to dig deep enough to even have a guess at the correct answers. Part of the problem was dealing with the various stovepipes (‘Stovepipes’ are a term for limiting access to mid-levels, e.g. like smoke out a chimney, it only goes to the top directly from the source) in the intelligence world. When you asked something that crossed those stovepipes, and you made the mistake of addressing the question to both of them at the same time, you usually didn’t get an answer from either…

No stovepipe wanted ‘their’ intel to be questioned by anyone else, much less to have it combined with other pieces of data. I think that was the first time I heard the infamous “Denial is not just a river in Egypt”.

It became even more interesting when your team in the Fleet went back and did your own reconstructions of multiple events, identified what y’all considered to be factors/influencers/change agents and submitted them back up the chain, especially if there were any indicators there might be things on your side that was an influencer (like John Walker)… 🙁

What usually happened was your report got over classified and disappeared into the black hole, never to be seen again and a ‘politely’ worded message would come back to your superiors to the effect of “Stop that shit. You don’t know what you’re doing, cleared for, don’t have ‘all’ the data, yada, yada, yada.”

Normal response was to shrug, put the report in the ready intel file and use the locally generated data to brief crews going forward. Sometimes a year or two later, you’d see an ‘update’ come out from the intel folks that looked suspiciously similar to what you’d put forward.

Today’s intel world is NOT that much different. There aren’t the levels of activity or experience we had, which leads to less data to analyze, which means more ‘in depth’ analysis of each individual item, leading to even longer delays in getting the information out… The stovepipes may have different names, there is a ‘so called’ Director of National Intelligence, website HERE. Having said that, I’d damn near guarantee there are still those stovepipes, not only within the various agencies, but each agency is it’s OWN stovepipe, protecting its ‘turf’, assets and analyses… Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is the ultimate cat herding job today…

Borepatch, you are reading him, right? And In From the Cold and Virtual Mirage, same same, are three of the good guys who have looks into security, cyber and intel for the uncleared…

One thing I do believe we will see under Trump is a more ‘realistic’ set of analyses of intel and agencies being called for their prevarications, stonewalling and failure to cooperate (or at least I hope so).

There are way too many things ‘teetering’ on the edge of falling into open conflict around the world, our military is hurting for personnel, equipment and maintenance, and the troops are tired. This is NOT a good scenario in light of the multiple treaties we have that require us to support folks in a mutual aid environment.

Comments?

 

 

Wow…

Posted on by January 23, 2017

Apparently the meltdown(s) continue!!!

h/t Stretch

And the women’s march included women dressed as vaginas? Really??? Soros funding was apparently connected to well over half of the ‘organizers’. What were they really protesting? Did anybody ever figure that out? And they trashed the place (just like the lefties always do)…

The ‘change’ this year was apparently that the cops weren’t putting up with anything from anybody, they also had enough officers to respond and apparently ‘trap’ the rioters before they could get away. Numerous arrests for rioting, going to be processed and charged at the FEDERAL level! 🙂

Seems a woman and her hubby were kicked off an airplane after she harassed a man about being a Trump supporter too! Maybe the ‘new sheriff’ is giving people the cojones to stand up and do the right thing all of a sudden! 🙂

The first press conference didn’t go according to ‘tradition’ either, causing a mini-meltdown by the press, HERE.

In the screwier stories off the day, there is this one from Florida!

What Judas snakes, snake-sniffing dogs and even hunters from around the globe have struggled to accomplish may finally be pulled off by a pair of singing snake catchers from India: solving the riddle for finding Burmese pythons in Florida’s Everglades.

Apparently the folks down in the ‘Glades are willing to try just about anything to get the snakes under control!!! From the Miami Herald, HERE.
I’m about ready to go back in the woods for a while… Sigh…

Refreshed…

Posted on by January 22, 2017

Well, no deer again this trip… Sigh…

Not for lack of trying, but when the winds get up, the deer lay down. Didn’t even see any squirrels, heard quite a few, but…

Two days of no phone, no internet, no texts was actually great! Didn’t even watch the inauguration or coverage of the riots on Saturday. I was enjoying just being outdoors and the views weren’t bad either.  🙂

The Texas hill country has a stark beauty all its own, and last night the winds blew the sky clear of clouds and haze. The stars were absolutely stunning, scattered across the sky from horizon to horizon without any ambient lighting screwing up the view.

The place we were hunting has been in the family for close to 100 years and being a farm at one time, things get ‘repurposed’ when they break…

The ‘remains’ of an old Massey-Ferguson tractor, the seat and a brake drum, turned into patio furniture… Surprisingly comfortable, but then I wasn’t bouncing across a field for hours upon end, either!

Good folks, good food, good conversation and one of our group dropped a hook in a pond on the property and got four bass, the largest about 5 lbs.

Sadly, it’s now back to reality…