If ‘this’ isn’t the truth, I don’t know what is…
Dogs vs. Cats…
h/t JP
Dogs vs. Cats…
h/t JP
Apparently my postings about Sequestration have tripped off a spam attack, I’m getting up to 100-200 spam hits a day all of a sudden…
So I’m going to have to go back to verification. I truly apologize, and I hate to do it, but I can’t keep up with the BS comments…
So I’m going to have to go back to verification. I truly apologize, and I hate to do it, but I can’t keep up with the BS comments…
Interesting how all of a sudden they want to get rid of Selective Service requirements…
Two lawmakers are waging a little-noticed campaign to abolish the Selective Service System, the independent federal agency that manages draft registration.
They say the millions of dollars the agency spends each year preparing for the possibility of a military draft is a waste of money.
Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., say the Pentagon has no interest in returning to conscription due to the success of the all-volunteer force.
The Selective Service has a budget of $24 million and a full-time staff of 130. It maintains a database of about 17 million potential male draftees. In the event of a draft, the agency would mobilize as many as 11,000 volunteers to serve on local draft boards that would decide if exemptions or deferments to military service were warranted.
Full article HERE.
Can’t help but wonder if this is so they don’t have to register women, now that they are eligible for combat…
Just askin…
h/t Les
This is something I never thought we’d see, at least not in my lifetime, other that at Christmas stand-down, maybe…
NORFOLK, VA. (February 8, 2013). The first time since WWII that five nuclear powered aircraft carriers were docked together. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are all in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the world’s largest naval station. Sources stated that this breached a long standing military protocol in the Navy meant to avoid massive enemy strike on major US forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ryan J. Courtade/Released)
Additionally, there are three Amphibs in there too…
Battan (LHD5) fourth up, Wasp (LHD1) sixth up, and Kearsarge (LHD3), so effectively eight big (and bigger) decks all in a row. And yes it DOES breach protocol, but obviously the administration doesn’t care…
h/t JP and others.
It appears for $500,000 you can ‘buy’ a seat at the table as an ‘advisor’ to the Prez, and meet with him quarterly. Only problem is you will be ‘window dressing’ since you’re only allowed to sit at the table if you agree with everything he’s doing.
So I guess he doesn’t hate ALL rich people, just those that don’t support him…
I can’t help but wonder how many Hollyweird types will be signing up after last night?
And is it just me, or was what went on last night with the First Lady TOTALLY inappropriate??? Did anyone else note all the ‘ropes’ as the military aides are called, that were her backdrop? Total BS, and I’m betting she ignored all of them and they were probably thrown out IMMEDIATELY after the shot concluded.
So I guess he doesn’t hate ALL rich people, just those that don’t support him…
I can’t help but wonder how many Hollyweird types will be signing up after last night?
And is it just me, or was what went on last night with the First Lady TOTALLY inappropriate??? Did anyone else note all the ‘ropes’ as the military aides are called, that were her backdrop? Total BS, and I’m betting she ignored all of them and they were probably thrown out IMMEDIATELY after the shot concluded.
LL has a great post up HERE on the Californiacation of lots of the left coast states, so I’m not going to try to ‘top’ it…
I will provide the following picture that kinda says it all…
I will provide the following picture that kinda says it all…
All of the signs are MANDATED by the state of California, along with a first aid kit, a life ring (for the pool AND one for the hot tub), as is the chair lift (and one for the regular pool too) at $3800 each. Also the fence is new, as now the hot tubs apparently have to be fenced off too… Total spent appx $10,000 and neither of the chair lifts has ever been used… And using the hot tub is now a big PITA, but it’s all now ‘in compliance’ with the new Nanny…er California laws.
And one more, speaking of ‘Nanny State’…
They will shoot you and dump you in a mass grave…
It seems that a lot of the media and commentators are saying there is ‘no big deal’ to sequestration…
I’m not getting ‘deep’ into specifics, there are plenty of articles that DO that. I’m trying to take a broad brush approach here rather than bog down in minutia…
However, it IS a huge deal in DOD. Unlike the rest of the government, DOD is not allowed to reprogram money to different accounts or take hits across all accounts. The military is pretty much taking ALL of the hit in what is called O&M accounts. Operations and Maintenance funds are the day-to-day funds that pay for fuel, bullets, beans etc… And when you add it the fact that there was never a budget actually passed to ‘pay’ for the Defense Authorization Bill; so DOD is operating on a continuing resolution (e.g. FY-12 funding levels), which is effectively a 3-5% cut, and now there is a 15-17% cut coming and only ONE account to take it out of, that is a SIGNIFICANT hit!
The Navy/Marines and Army have already come out and said there will be effectively no training the rest of the year, cancellation/deferment of maintenance (NOT good on ships that have already been deferred), cancelled deployments, extended deployments, and furlough of DOD employees (800,000 x 22 days) or 17,000+ man years of lost work.
And these are only direct impacts… And you’re looking at an ineffective military for how ever long this runs and an additional 9-12 months to get back up to speed, based on what we went through under Carter.
Who knows what the status of all the businesses will be that depend on the military???
And the Prez has the balls to get up with fire/police/EMS behind him and claim THEY will be out of work??? They are funded by State/Local agencies, not the federal government!!!
The left has been wanting to gut the military for years and now it looks like they will succeed…
And it’s business as usual in Washington, DC…
I’m not getting ‘deep’ into specifics, there are plenty of articles that DO that. I’m trying to take a broad brush approach here rather than bog down in minutia…
However, it IS a huge deal in DOD. Unlike the rest of the government, DOD is not allowed to reprogram money to different accounts or take hits across all accounts. The military is pretty much taking ALL of the hit in what is called O&M accounts. Operations and Maintenance funds are the day-to-day funds that pay for fuel, bullets, beans etc… And when you add it the fact that there was never a budget actually passed to ‘pay’ for the Defense Authorization Bill; so DOD is operating on a continuing resolution (e.g. FY-12 funding levels), which is effectively a 3-5% cut, and now there is a 15-17% cut coming and only ONE account to take it out of, that is a SIGNIFICANT hit!
The Navy/Marines and Army have already come out and said there will be effectively no training the rest of the year, cancellation/deferment of maintenance (NOT good on ships that have already been deferred), cancelled deployments, extended deployments, and furlough of DOD employees (800,000 x 22 days) or 17,000+ man years of lost work.
And these are only direct impacts… And you’re looking at an ineffective military for how ever long this runs and an additional 9-12 months to get back up to speed, based on what we went through under Carter.
Who knows what the status of all the businesses will be that depend on the military???
And the Prez has the balls to get up with fire/police/EMS behind him and claim THEY will be out of work??? They are funded by State/Local agencies, not the federal government!!!
The left has been wanting to gut the military for years and now it looks like they will succeed…
And it’s business as usual in Washington, DC…
This one is located on NB Coronado and is dedicated to the Brown Water Navy and the USCG units that supported coastal operations.
The memorial includes a ‘wall’ listing the major awards folks received and lists the losses from serving in the various units.
There are three ‘boats’ on display, a “Command Communications Boat”, an ex- LCM that was converted to provide comms, and support to Swift boats and PBRs. They were ‘dog’ slow (8kts) hence the heavy protection. The ‘fencing’ around the sides and upperworks was to detonate 40mm grenades and RPGs before they actually hit the boat.
The memorial includes a ‘wall’ listing the major awards folks received and lists the losses from serving in the various units.
There are three ‘boats’ on display, a “Command Communications Boat”, an ex- LCM that was converted to provide comms, and support to Swift boats and PBRs. They were ‘dog’ slow (8kts) hence the heavy protection. The ‘fencing’ around the sides and upperworks was to detonate 40mm grenades and RPGs before they actually hit the boat.
A “Swift boat” (AKA PCF), purpose built for coastal and riverine patrol, this one is painted in coastal ‘colors’ e.g. Navy Gray. The riverine version had black and green camo paint jobs. These could run up to 30 kts, were UNARMORED and relied on speed and manueverability. They had twin 50’s up top and
As you look forward past the bow in the picture below, you can see part of the memorial wall, and the over/under 50 cal and grenade launcher, correction 81MM closed breech mortar (thanks Master Cheif).
Lastly, a Patrol Boat River (AKA PBR). These were lightly armored, 35kts and used for single mission 12-16 hour patrols. They were also relatively ‘small’ compared to the other units, and were the first water jet powered units used by the Navy.
God bless ALL the men that went out and fought these boats…
Sometimes things DO come together and these trips are actually worth it.
Today was one of those days…
Lunch with LL, Drjim and Opus was DEFINITELY a highlight of the trip, and once again I’m amazed at the abilities, smarts, random knowledge that folks have. Opus was definitely the class of the table (her and three grumpy old guys), and she was also the class of the tables in our area, as the waiter kept coming back to see if she needed anything…LOL
She didn’t say a lot, but seeing the sly little smiles occasionally, I can’t help but wonder if they were “boys and their toys smiles”, or “men, well they are good for heavy lifting” smiles. Truly nice lady though! LL, well, he fits the term ‘character’ to a T, and ironically it appears we were in the same places at the same times doing different things…
Drjim, while not ex-military, has his share of stories, and what a depth of knowledge on radio and electronics!!! As usual the conversation was far ranging, funny, sad, and lots of guns and shooting… LOL
I had to bail early, as I was meeting one of my best friend’s sons for dinner. But I really appreciated the chance to meet these folks and as LL said, but a face and a voice to the blog. Hopefully we can do that again!
As far as dinner, I meet “Junior” at the hotel and decided to take the kid out for a good steak dinner. I almost didn’t recognize him, as I haven’t seen him in five years… Sigh…
And he’s not a kid anymore; 32, Marine Staff Sgt, sniper, two tours downrange. I can’t help but remember bouncing him on my knee as a baby, and remembering him as a tow headed little kid running around with my daughters YEARS ago…
Now, well he’s an impressive young man! And the waitress though so too…LOL
But his definition of ‘plastic fantastic’ had me cracking up… He used it to define a lot of the California women he’s met…
“Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect tits, perfect ass; and it’s ALL plastic.”
He told me about one that he had all of two dates with, who was 27 and had already had two sets of plastic surgery!!!
He’s now engaged to a girl back home that he’s known since junior high, and marriage is in the offing later this year. And yes, she’s a cowgirl (and a shooter too)!
Yep, it’s been a great day… And I got TWO good meals, so I’m one up on my usual trips!!!
Today was one of those days…
Lunch with LL, Drjim and Opus was DEFINITELY a highlight of the trip, and once again I’m amazed at the abilities, smarts, random knowledge that folks have. Opus was definitely the class of the table (her and three grumpy old guys), and she was also the class of the tables in our area, as the waiter kept coming back to see if she needed anything…LOL
She didn’t say a lot, but seeing the sly little smiles occasionally, I can’t help but wonder if they were “boys and their toys smiles”, or “men, well they are good for heavy lifting” smiles. Truly nice lady though! LL, well, he fits the term ‘character’ to a T, and ironically it appears we were in the same places at the same times doing different things…
Drjim, while not ex-military, has his share of stories, and what a depth of knowledge on radio and electronics!!! As usual the conversation was far ranging, funny, sad, and lots of guns and shooting… LOL
I had to bail early, as I was meeting one of my best friend’s sons for dinner. But I really appreciated the chance to meet these folks and as LL said, but a face and a voice to the blog. Hopefully we can do that again!
As far as dinner, I meet “Junior” at the hotel and decided to take the kid out for a good steak dinner. I almost didn’t recognize him, as I haven’t seen him in five years… Sigh…
And he’s not a kid anymore; 32, Marine Staff Sgt, sniper, two tours downrange. I can’t help but remember bouncing him on my knee as a baby, and remembering him as a tow headed little kid running around with my daughters YEARS ago…
Now, well he’s an impressive young man! And the waitress though so too…LOL
But his definition of ‘plastic fantastic’ had me cracking up… He used it to define a lot of the California women he’s met…
“Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect tits, perfect ass; and it’s ALL plastic.”
He told me about one that he had all of two dates with, who was 27 and had already had two sets of plastic surgery!!!
He’s now engaged to a girl back home that he’s known since junior high, and marriage is in the offing later this year. And yes, she’s a cowgirl (and a shooter too)!
Yep, it’s been a great day… And I got TWO good meals, so I’m one up on my usual trips!!!
Well, the dead horse has been flogged back to life yet again…
Horse 2.01Beta will go into prototype in the next 90 days, but there are a ‘few’ problems…
The inclusion of a Camelback (Dromedary v1.1 medium) 22 gal, integral panniers (L/R Ribs 4-9) 1132 sq in, were fairly simple modifications.
The Load Bearing Arm v2.23 (LBA) integration is having problems, as the location between existing shoulder blades and interface with the brain required an additional spotting camera on the end of the LBA, otherwise the horse would rotate his head to try to position the load and move the LBA off target. Also, the Carrot and Stick (CaS) mod has not proved effective, and the LBA keeps jiggering in to the point that the horse eats the carrot, defeating the purpose of the CaS. Further testing and possible programming mods may be required.
Installation of the Active Surveillance Sensor (ASS v1.5) above the tail has also presented problems, mainly when the horse takes a s**t. It tries to jump to avoid a perceived stern attack, can’t s**t and then has to reset. One possible modification is the S**t and Go Blind (SaGB) algorithm that would blind the sensor as soon as the tail is lifted, however the provider is stating that the algorithm is proprietary, and refuses to share code with the ASS team.
The interface team has yet to say yea or neigh to implementation of the SaGB.
A second proposed option is the Compact Optical Realignment Kit 1.1 beta (CORK), which could be used by the LBA to put a CORK over the ASS to allow the horse to s**t in peace. The concern here is the availability of CORKs and whether they would actually be effective.
A second proposed option is the Compact Optical Realignment Kit 1.1 beta (CORK), which could be used by the LBA to put a CORK over the ASS to allow the horse to s**t in peace. The concern here is the availability of CORKs and whether they would actually be effective.
Another issue that has arisen with Horse 2.01Beta is the projected Oats per mile (OPM) and Hay bales per mile (HPM) figures may be optimistic. One recommendation was to use OPM-M10 (10% molasses added), however there is an issue of getting OPM-M10 in far forward areas. The program manager has decided to go with straight OPM and let the ‘chips’ fall where they may.
And the whole useful load issue is now under review, since addition of the Camelback, panniers, LBA, ASS (with or without SaGB), and various interfaces has now brought Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW) within 250 lbs of Maximum Field Weight (MFW). With 100 lbs of OPM or 50 lbs of HPM, and 184 lbs of hydration onboard, useful load ranges between -34 lbs to16 lbs, unless Donkey 1.0 is used as a fuel bowser. Additionally, Horse 2.01Beta is now prohibited from saddle installation due to Camelback and panniers and there is no rider option available as with Horse 1.0.
One other ‘minor’ problem has arisen, and that is the CG issue. With the addition of the Camelback and LBA, the CG is now out of limits high, reducing angular slope certification to slopes of less than 20 degrees. Proposed modifications including relocating the Camelback to a kangaroo pack were scrapped when it was determined that the kangaroo pack would limit ground clearance, and interfere with pissing in the wind…
One other ‘minor’ problem has arisen, and that is the CG issue. With the addition of the Camelback and LBA, the CG is now out of limits high, reducing angular slope certification to slopes of less than 20 degrees. Proposed modifications including relocating the Camelback to a kangaroo pack were scrapped when it was determined that the kangaroo pack would limit ground clearance, and interfere with pissing in the wind…
The utility of Horse 2.01Beta is negligible, but 14 patents have been filed on the technology, 34 scientific papers are awaiting peer review, and Horse 2.01Beta has figured out how to use the LBA to ‘scratch that itch’, leaving him very contented and happy to continue testing. However, he DOES want the ASS turned off so that he can take a s**t in peace… And he wants to be referred to as Edward, NOT Ed…
Not that I’ve been bored, or this week has been non- productive or anything like that…
But everyone went away with congratulations for a ‘job well done’!
Sigh…