Practice makes perfect…

Take note of not only the ages of the shooters, but the quality of the rifles and some of the ‘attachments’ to them. These folks are SERIOUS!

And if you want to know ‘why’? This is another one that can be laid at the feet of the Brits and their British Indian ‘Empire’, HERE.

Which is just the ‘latest’ iteration of battles that have been going on since the 7th century!

These people are serious shooters, and obviously have a long and detailed ‘history’ of that when you look at the rifles. Some appear to be box stock, including the sights; others have custom peeap sights, all of them have the hoods on the front sight, and not a single scope is seen.

I don’t know about anybody else, but I sure wouldn’t want to go up against them in their home territory…

Of course, the lack of technology isn’t helping them, as I’m sure someone will point out, but 1300+ years and they still exists says something about their staying power…

h/t ERJ for the link!

Stuff…

Well, Dragon Crew 10 is on their way to the ISS, so the marooned astronauts will FINALLY get to come home from their 8 day voyage, NINE months later…

Now some quotes-

The fatal fallacy of gun control laws in general is the assumption that such laws actually control guns. Criminals who disobey other laws are not likely to be stopped by gun-control laws. What such laws actually do is increase the number of disarmed and defenseless victims. [Thomas Sowell]

When immigration is done by single individuals, it is immigration. When done by groups, it is invasion.” [Nassim Taleb]

But test and prove all things until you can recognize what is good; to that hold fast. [1 Thessalonians 5:21]

I would sooner be governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than by the two thousand members of the faculty of Harvard. [William F. Buckley Jr]

In politics, never assume that because something is insane, it will not be done. [Thomas Sowell]

If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. [Carl Jung]

Brains never yet moved the masses, but emotion and earnestness will not only move the masses, but they will remove mountains. [Admiral of the Fleet (British) John A. Fisher]

You should never forget that the airplanes don’t fly, the tanks don’t run, the ships don’t sail, the missiles don’t fire unless the sons and daughters of America make them do it. [General Norman Schwarzkopf]

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. [Arthur Schopenhauer]

There is one phrase in the Bible repeated 365 times. 365 is no coincidence. Be not afraid. [Richard Grenell]

Even the smallest things ought to be directed toward a goal. [Marcus Aurelius]

When we try to pick out anything by itself we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. [John Muir]

I got nothin’ against mankind. It’s people I can’t stand. [Archie Bunker]

Carry On: Verbal order which means, resume doing nothing. [Murphy’s Laws of Combat, Marion F. Sturkey]

Lord, Lord, how subject we old men are to lying! [Falstaff, in Shakespeare’s Henry IV]

I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. [Clarence Darrow]

If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing with class. [Bob Fiegel]

If every Jewish and anti-Nazi family in Germany had owned a Mauser rifle and twenty rounds of ammunition and the will to use it, Adolf Hitler would be a little-known footnote to the history of the Weimar Republic. [Aaron Zelman]

Remember that the people that hid Anne Frank were breaking the law and the people that took her to the camps were enforcing it. [Your conscience]

The weak grow strong by effrontery. The strong grow weak through inhibition. [Henry Kissinger]

The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. [Mortimer Adler]

Those whom God would destroy, He first makes mad. [Sophocles’ Antigone]

The Second Amendment makes more women equal than the entire feminist movement. [unknown]

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. [Aristotle]

If at first you dont succeed, call in an air strike. [Unknown]

Turns out the guy who made a boatload of money investing in Apple was guilty of in cider trading. [No one Will Claimit]

I am a soldier. I fight where I am told and I win where I fight. [George S. Patton, Jr.]

It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. [Robert E. Lee]

I don’t make jokes… I just watch the government and report the facts. [Will Rogers]

The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal: a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. [Ronald Reagan]

A lion uses all its might in attacking a rabbit. [Chinese proverb]

The cause doesn’t have to be righteous and battle doesn’t have to be winnable; but over and over again throughout history, men have chosen to die in battle with their friends rather than to flee on their own and survive. [Sebastiab Junger, author]

When in a position of power I felt I had to pass the daily truth to the mirror test — Am I doing it for myself, or am I doing it for the enlisted corps I am responsible for? [Bob Fiegel]

Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear. [Ezra Pound]

America is a great playpen of civilization filled with toddler adults who have never experienced the violent brutality of life outside the safe confines of our political borders. [George Strong]

And I hope everyone came through last night’s weather okay! It was windy/dusty/as hell all day here, but never got over 65 kts of wind (that I know of).

Lawfare…

Seems to be the ‘only’ thing the leftist/dems/et al can do, and the administration can only fight back in the courts against these judges…

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to rein in lower court rulings that have prevented a ban on birthright citizenship from taking effect nationwide.

Judges should not be able to govern “the whole Nation” from their courtrooms by issuing universal injunctions that block policies across the entire country while litigation is pending, the administration told the justices in its application.

Full article, HERE from Daily Caller.

I’ll ask the same question I did back in 2017, HOW can a district court judge from ‘somewhere’ overrule the executive branch???

We know the players are going to judge shop to get what they want (see 9th Circus), which is only going to delay actions, since most of the time (see 9th Circus) it is overturned on appeal or SCOTUS sends it back and tells them to do the right thing…

Which still doesn’t answer the basic question. Three branches of government is what we are ‘supposed’ to have. The US Constitution is the governing document. Article 1 sets up congress, article 2 sets up the presidency, article 3 sets up SCOTUS.

I have always been taught they were co-equal, with each providing checks and balances on the other two.

But, what we’re seeing, IMHO, with this lawfare, is that these judges think they outrank the president, and can set all kinds of policies, spending, etc!!!

Also, I ‘thought’ judges were supposed to follow the Constitution, not make their ‘own’ interpretations of that Constitution…

Am I that out of touch???

Smackdown…

Doug Collins brings the smackdown to a reporter!!!

A reporter’s story about DOGE regarding Veterans Affairs did not sit well with Doug Collins. The Veterans Affairs secretary opted to whip out the receipts while being interviewed with reporter Patricia Kime of Military.com over the “rumor” piece she peddled regarding DOGE having people at the department. She could’ve asked Mr. Collins directly, who was incensed as it caused a panic among his staff and the veteran community. The VA has a DOGE liaison; that’s not a secret. Collins warned that he wasn’t going to tolerate reporters who spread fear and mass panic via fake news. 

Video of the interview-  https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1899811073684914628

Full article, with transcript HERE, from Town Hall.

Just as a reference, NONE of the Military Times, Navy Times, Marine Times, etc. are actually ‘friendly’ to the military! When they were owned by Gannett, they loved to spread rumors, played gotcha games with personnel and commands, and in some cases, probably violated security rules… In other words, nothing has changed.

So, other than that, buyer beware of anything you read there. Sadly, the Military Times organization used to be a good, honest organization, originally formed from the Army Times paper in the 1940s.

But, IMHO, we are headed in a MUCH better direction, not only with the people now in charge, but the openness of the information we’re now getting from this administration!

YMMV and that’s fine, because ‘I’ am willing to listen and actually discuss different points of view…

 

 

If I’ve said it once…

I’ve said it a hundred times…

Tarlogic Security has detected a hidden functionality that can be used as a backdoor in the ESP32, a microcontroller that enables WiFi and Bluetooth connection and is present in millions of mass-market IoT devices. Exploitation of this hidden functionality would allow hostile actors to conduct impersonation attacks and permanently infect sensitive devices such as mobile phones, computers, smart locks or medical equipment by bypassing code audit controls.

<snip>

In the course of the investigation, a hidden feature was discovered in the ESP32 chip, used in millions of IoT devices and which can be purchased on the world’s most famous e-commerce sites for €2. It is this low cost that explains why it is present in the vast majority of Bluetooth IoT devices for domestic use. In 2023, the manufacturer Espressif reported in a statement that one billion units of this chip had been sold worldwide to date.

Tarlogic has detected that ESP32 chips, which allow connectivity via WiFi or Bluetooth, have hidden commands not documented by the manufacturer. These commands would allow modifying the chips arbitrarily to unlock additional functionalities, infecting these chips with malicious code, and even carrying out attacks of identity theft of devices.

Full article, HERE, from Tarlogic h/t Stretch for the link

If you’re ‘connected’ to the Internet of Things (IoT) in ANY way, you no longer have any privacy, and probably not much security, unless you’re a security expert and are running multi-levels of security and never connect your phone (knowingly) to your computer.

So, now that you ‘know’, what do you do?

Hope, pray, delete everything? I can’t tell you what to do, that is up to you, but I will say you should ‘always’ be careful about what you post, what you have on your phone, or saved on your computer. You never know when ‘sumdood’ is going to hack you, one way or the other and steal everything. I do routine backups, one of which is always kept offsite, and the other is unplugged unless I’m actively using it.

Be careful out there folks, it’s NOT a ‘friendly’ place on the Intarwebz…

A new broom…

Is apparently ‘sweeping’ out a bunch of stuff in LA!

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters Monday that he is seeking to withdraw his predecessor’s motion to have a resentencing hearing for the Menendez brothers – two convicted killers, Erik and Lyle – who hope to be freed from life imprisonment without parole.

He said the brothers have failed to come clean about a motive or display meaningful self-reflection that would warrant a resentencing.

“The self-defense defense was a fabrication,” Hochman said. “They need to admit to that.”

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

Some folks I know out on the left coast were saying Gascon was doing a resentencing on the Menendez for votes. Whether or not that was true, Hochman isn’t buying it and is NOT going through with the case.

I’m old enough to remember the original trial in 1993, and how much of a horror story it was. The original coverage from Court TV is HERE, if you want to go look (I don’t recommend it).

BLUF- They were, IMHO, two spoiled kids who got cut off and decided to off the parents for the estimated $14M the parents had. Were there issues? It’s LA, what do you expect? Even back then the Hollyweird types were…different even from the typical LA crowd.

Frankly, I don’t think they deserve freedom, not after what they did.

Your thoughts???

 

A little humor…

To start your week…

One to think about…

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur’s youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if, after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question?…What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch’s proposition to have an answer by year’s end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old ugly woman, for only she would have the answer.

But the price would be high; as the woman was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the old woman. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have
to agree to her price first.

The old ugly woman wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur’s closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur’s life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the woman answered Arthur’s question thus:

What a woman really wants, she answered….is to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the woman had uttered a great truth and that Arthur’s life would be spared.

And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the ugly woman had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.

The young beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared ugly, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day….or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old ugly woman? Or, would he prefer having a hideous woman during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?

What would YOU do?

What Lancelot chose is below.

BUT….make YOUR choice before you scroll down below.

OKAY?

Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

Now….what is the moral to this story?

The moral is- If you don’t let a woman have her own way… Things are going to get ugly…

Y’all have a good week!

Book promo…

First up is Cedar Sanderson with a prequel short to her Tanager series- The Luminous Citadel of New Atlantis 

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

The blurb-

A Hollow World Defies Known Science…
Wilt Frobisher seizes the chance to join an expedition to the Luminous Citadel—an enigmatic moon orbiting a shattered planet—leaving behind everything he’s ever known. What he finds inside the hollow impossible world staggers the imagination: a lush, gravity-defying biosphere teeming with ancient trees, mysterious inhabitants, and ugly secrets hiding in the shadows.

Guided by the fearless Dione—a red-haired native with a knack for flight and a language all her own—Wilt plunges into a realm where survival depends on mastering the strange currents of an alien ecology. Questions arise the more he bonds with Dione and her people. Who built this refuge? Why was it abandoned? And what does his mentor, the eccentric Dr. Sooma, know that he’s not telling?

In a world of treetop villages, floating acorns, and lurking dangers, Wilt must uncover the truth of the Citadel—or risk becoming part of its forgotten history.

Next up is Pam Uphoff with a new short in her Chronicles of the Fall series- In Plain Sight

The blurb-

A short story taking place after the Fall

Bryanne Volkov is sixteen and moving from a small town to the capital of the Alliance, as her Grandfather is about to become the head of the entire Volkov Family. And her new home is not much like what she expected . . . the servants, odd, and an Executioner much too interested in the family.

Last but not least, Raconteur Press is up with the latest anthology- Plasma Pulp

The blurb-

Interplanetary evil. Ray guns. Swords. Good guys who are good; bad guys who are bad; and beautiful damsels.

Unfortunately—as things go—the interplanetary evil empire swords and rayguns kind of pulp fell out of favor, and it’s hard to find anyone writing it these days.. Until Now. These tales will delight, astound, and weird you out, which is what they’re supposed to do. Sit back and embrace the strange!

Highly recommend all of them!!!

Ummm…errr…

They Walk Among Us!

I was at the checkout at Walmart, minding my own business, when the cashier rang up my total: $46.64. I handed her a crisp $50 bill. She looked me dead in the eye, gave me back $46.64, and continued scanning items like a professional.

Me: “Uh… I think there’s a mistake.”

Her: huffing dramatically “Sir, I am educated. I know what I’m doing.”

She pushed the money back at me like I was trying to scam her.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do—I gave it back.

She, once again, pushed it right back at me with extra attitude.

I shrugged, picked up my bags, and walked out with $46.64 in my pocket. a

They Walk Among Us…

I walked into Starbucks with a “Buy-One-Get-One-Free” coupon for a Grande Latte. The barista studied it like it was the Declaration of Independence, then turned to a chalkboard that read “Buy One, Get One Free.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh! So that means… they’re both free!”

She happily handed me two free lattes.

I didn’t argue. I just walked out, sipping my victory.

They Walk Among Us…

One day, I was strolling along the beach with some friends when one of them gasped dramatically, pointed ahead, and yelled:

“Look! A dead bird!”

Another friend immediately looked up at the sky and asked, “Where?”

I just… I had no words.

They Walk Among Us…

My brother was house hunting and asked the real estate agent which direction was north. He explained that he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning.

The agent furrowed her brow. “Wait… does the sun rise in the north?”

My brother, thinking she was joking, laughed.

She was not joking.

He gently explained that the sun rises in the east… and, you know, has been doing that for quite a while now.

She shook her head and said, “Oh, I don’t keep up with all that stuff.”

I… I had to walk away.

They Walk Among Us…

Back when I worked in a 24/7 call center, a guy called and asked:

“What hours are you open?”

Me: “Sir, we’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Him: “Okay, but is that Eastern or Pacific time?”

I stared at my screen for a solid 10 seconds before replying:

“Uh… Pacific.”

He thanked me and hung up, probably feeling proud of himself.

They Walk Among Us…

My sister has one of those emergency seatbelt cutters in her car—designed to save her life if she ever gets trapped.

She keeps it in the trunk.

They Walk Among Us…

My friends and I went to buy beer for a party. The store had a 10% discount on cases. Since we were professionals, we grabbed two cases.

The cashier did some quick mental math.

“Oh, two cases? That’s 10% + 10%… so you get 20% off!”

We all nodded and quietly accepted our new financial advisor.

They Walk Among Us…

At the airport, I couldn’t find my luggage, so I went to the lost baggage counter.

Me: “My bags never showed up.”

The lady smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, sir! I’m a trained professional. Now… has your plane landed yet?”

I blinked.

Me: “Nope, we’re still circling the airport. The pilot told us we’re third in line to land.”

Her: “Oh! Okay, well, come back after you land.”

…Sure thing, genius.

They Walk Among Us…

While working at a pizza place, I watched a man order a small pizza to-go.

Cook: “Would you like that cut into four or six slices?”

The man thought long and hard before replying:

“Better make it four. I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat six.”

Bless their hearts. They Walk Among Us…

Y’all have a good weekend!

Sigh…

When I served in the Navy in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, my life was in the hands of black, brown, red, yellow and white men and women. We were friends, we were loyal to each other, we were Shipmates and we had each other’s back when the hammer slammed the anvil. We trained, we sweated, and we bled together. We came together from all parts of the country; we came together from all religions. We were a society unto ourselves.

We worked as a team, a well-oiled machine. We fought for our brothers and sisters through thick and thin. We didn’t have ‘quotas’ or anything else, all we had was people who were willing and qualified to do our jobs. We protected each other, that was what we did. The only color we saw was Navy Blue.

Today, sadly, that isn’t happening… Hopefully, things will start swinging back to that ethos and away from the games that have gone on the last fifteen years.