Wow…just…

Wow! This one is hard to believe!

Here is a story that neatly encapsulates the threat that the West faces and the weakness of its response to that threat. In Germany, a vociferous critic of jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women and others, Michael Stürzenberger, was stabbed several months ago by a jihadi precisely because of his opposition to those evils. Now, a German court has added insult to injury, convicting Stürzenberger of “incitement to hatred” and fining him €3,600 ($3,800). So it has come to this: what the jihadi began, the German government is now continuing. What will be the effects of this on the freedom of speech in Germany? That’s obvious: if this continues, Germany is dead as a free society. 

In Spiked Wednesday, the publication’s Germany correspondent Sabine Beppler-Spahl was generally sympathetic to Stürzenberger, but added a significant and telling caveat. She asserted that “there’s little doubt that Stürzenberger can be offensive. He claims that his criticism only applies to ‘political Islam’, calling it a threat to democracy and an ideology that oppresses women. But he has also compared parts of the Koran with Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf,’ and – while saying that not all Muslims are rapists – has talked of ‘thousands of women’ who have been sexually assaulted by Muslims from Northern Africa and Arabia.”

Full article HERE from PJ Media.

At this point I can’t help but wonder if the EU is a dead letter at this point… Sweden, England, Germany, France (no go zones IN Paris!), Belgium, all of them have gone ‘quiet’ on the Muslim threat to their own people.

Where does it end? I sure as hell do not like the direction I’m seeing…

Interesting choice…

And one that is having some interesting reactions!

Donald Trump has once again broken the mold and has named a billionaire entrepreneur, Jared Isaacman, to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

Isaacman financed and flew two missions on Elon Musk’s Space X Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. He started his company, Shift4 Payments, in 1999 after dropping out of high school. He sounds like an anachronism, a throwback to NASA’s glory days.

“With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place,” he said. He added, “Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars, and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”

Now that’s more like it.

Full article HERE from PJ Media.

This is, IMHO, a very interesting pick for head of NASA. Isaacman has put his money and his life where is mouth is, ponying up for two missions, and going into space himself.

And he’s an entrepreneur,  so his approach is going to be radically different than the go along/get along/toe the administration line of the previous administrator who was given the job as a political sop.

Space is inherently dangerous, there are few if any second chances, and the lead time for an astronaut to actually ‘get’ a mission was a minimum of 2 years. I’m betting we’ll see that change, especially if SpaceX is used for launches.

The ISS times out in 2030, so I’m pretty sure a new design/set of agreements will also be on the agenda, along with at least some kind of ‘new’ shuttle, different from the Dragon capsule, simply because of the need for larger cargos coming in the future.

And apparently, the ‘man on the ground’ interviews with current NASA folks are positive, so maybe they are/will be happy to get back to actual science and development and stop playing the DEI game!

What say you???

 

Again… sigh…

Seven times???  Why the hell is he not in jail ‘somewhere’? He’s obviously been convicted here, so who let him go?

Deportation officers in November removed a repeat felon from the United States for the seventh time, highlighting the difficulties of preventing dangerous foreign nationals from sneaking into the country.

Julio Cesar Hernandez Funez, a 41-year-old Honduran national, was deported back to his home country on Nov. 16, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The illegal migrant, who has a lengthy rap sheet for drug trafficking and other crimes, had already been sent back to Honduras six prior times — once in 2006, 2013, 2014, twice in 2015 and again in 2016.

Full article, HERE from Daily Caller.

The numbers are interesting, especially compared to the previous years of the administration. But when you have effectively ‘open borders’, lack of personnel, and runaways, it’s no wonder these scumbags keep coming back.

And now that Xiden et al are on the way out, suddenly enforcement is being allowed to go their jobs. I can’t help but wonder how many NGOs are complacent in letting these people in/funding them.

Oh yeah, and he came in THIS time across the NORTHERN border from Canada. Canada…think about that. On the run, how did he get from Honduras to Canada???

Grrrr…

Oh yeah, and I survived another trip around the sun! Yay me!!! Now, if I could just get all the body parts cooperating again… sigh

More quotes…

Whew… got the short story finished, but it’s harder than hell to write when you’re on strong pain meds…just sayin…

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. [Mark Twain]

Eleven teens die each day because of texting while driving. Maybe it’s time to raise the age of Smart Phone ownership to 21. [unknown]

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the establishment authorities are wrong.  Voltaire]

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But the I repeat myself. [Mark Twain]

Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are right now, and we will never be here again.  [Homer, The Iliad]

After a 25-cent breakfast of canned bacon and powdered eggs in a tar-paper shack on the field at Dahar, . . . [Omar Bradley, Feb 1943]

In my youth I was often called lazy.  In rather successful adulthood I was called efficient.  Same behavior, different times.  [Bob Fiegel]

Man is the only creature disposed to kill huge numbers of members of his own species, and his instrument is usually the state. [Joseph Sobran]

I’m not afraid of the media. Why should anyone listen to the media? Who are these people? What makes them experts? What have they accomplished?  [Dana White]

There’s one thing worse than change and that’s the status quo.  [John Le Carre]

The truth is that the State is a conspiracy designed not only to exploit, but above all to corrupt its citizens… Henceforth, I shall never serve any government anywhere. [Leo Tolstoy]

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.  [Mark Twain]

To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.  [Teddy Roosevelt]

You have vanishingly little political influence and every thought you spend on politics will probably come to nothing. Consider building things instead, or at least going for a walk. [Conor Barnes]

A sword by itself does not slay; it is merely the weapon used by the slayer. [Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher, 4 B.C. – A.D. 65]

If gun control laws actually worked, Chicago would be Mayberry, USA. [unknown]

If enough data is collected, a Board of Inquiry can prove anything. [Unknown]

All middle-class citizens of education have a common belief that the tendencies towards centralization and paternalism must be halted and reversed.  [Dwight Eisenhower July 1949]

No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. [Franklin Delano Rosevelt]

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. [Ronald Reagan 1986]

There are two ways to go to the gas chamber: free or not free. [Viktor Frankl]

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]

A little humor…

To start the week…

Christmas Cookie Recipe

   1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
2 cup flour
pinch of lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts

   2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Crown Royal

Sample the Crown Royal to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the Crown Royal again to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer…Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

  Add one teaspoon of sugar…Beat again.
At this point it’s best to make sure the Crown Royal is still OK, try  another cup, just in case.
Turn off the mixer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in  the cup of fried fruit and flour….Pick the frigging fruit off floor….

Mix on the turner.  If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a  dewscriver.

  Sample the Crown Royal to check for tonsisticity.

  Next, sift two cups of salt, or something….  who giveshz a sheet !?!?
Check the Crown Royal.

  Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts…
Add one table.  Add a spoon of ar, or somefink…. whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

  Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the bottle of Crown Royal.
Make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher !!
Cherry Mistmas !!

++++++++++++

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS (as if anyone needs them since we just finished Thanksgiving!!!)

1.   Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit.  In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.   Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly.   It’s rare.  You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up!  Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it.  Have one for me. Have two.  It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. if something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy.  Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. as for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s.  You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa,  position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a  beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple,Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three.   When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

“Life should NOT be a  journey to the grave with the  intention of arriving  safely in  an attractive and well preserved body,  but  rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly  used up, totally worn  out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!

Book promo…

HY Gregor has her second novel in the Vechnoye Saga out, Tugarin’s Revenge

As always, click the cover for an Amazon link!

The blurb-

New myths. New magic. New monsters.

Less than a year after turning her world upside down, Ryan Fortner reappears in Niki’s life. Crypto Division isn’t done with her, and neither is the supernatural.

Their investigation of a stolen sword leads to a deadly discovery. A rift between worlds has unleashed Tugarin Zmei, a mythical warlord sworn to destroy Niki’s bloodline. It’s bad enough that her ancestral magic is barely under control—now Tugarin wants her head.

Niki must embrace her heritage to stop his revenge-fueled charge into the mortal world. A witch’s bargain, uncovering a clandestine brotherhood, and sword-fighting fae are only the beginning of the battle. Sometimes, there’s no going back to normal.

She plays a lot with Russian fairy tales/myths providing a very interesting read!

Next up is James Totten with a short story in his Pole Dance Aviation offshoot, Six Silent Men

The blurb-

A recon team is working the front line trace of defensive positions in the Donbas. Being sneaky is a prerequisite. Then all hell breaks loose when the team gets discovered. Tracers are flying, claymores are popping, and six men start running for their lives. Now someone needs to come and snatch the Deadheads from the jaws of death.
Enter Jason Kane and Pole Dance Aviation to the rescue. OV10Js and A7 SUPER SLUFFs start screaming to save the team. Fat Amy gets a load of Shitheads to go to the rescue. There is even and old CIA contract pilot named Toly that’s coming along for the ride!
How far will a Private Military Company go to fulfill a contract to extract six men that are knee deep in trouble? Find out in this belt fed action story that is ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. Come along for the thrill ride of a lifetime as the mercenaries from Pole Dance Aviation go all out to save six silent men.

Last but not least, a new release from Raconteur Press, a children’s short story, Giant Counting Robots

The blurb-

The robots are coming! The robots are coming! Whatever we do, we’ve got to be cunning!
Count along as they thunder into your town! Then translate into binary to communicate with them. This book is intended to be fun to read aloud, engage with, and grow along with a young reader until they’re ready for code-breaking!
From simple numerical concepts to the more complex, this is a read-aloud, learning, teaching book.
Most of all, though?
IT’S GOT ROBOTS!
So many robots of all shapes and sizes!
Count all the robots, they’re full of surprises!

This picture book will appeal to ages 3 to 10 as it can be read aloud, used to teach numbers and counting, and later, binary coding! Fun, educational, but most of all… The robots are coming! We can’t stop them at all!

And John Van Stry’s sequel to Summer’s End, Sometimes in the Fall will be up at Baen as an E-arc in mid-December, HERE!

I highly recommend all of them!

Arghhhh!!!

Really???

With all that’s wrong with the military in the reign of POTATUS the First under his Secretary of Defense, doofus Lloyd Austin, the one thing the military needs above all else has been the one thing consistently jacked up almost from Day 1, particularly on the Army side of the house.

Here we are four years later, and I am about to raise hell after reading about it yet again. What makes the recurrences even more egregious is that the poltroonish Austin is a retired Army general himself and, while not supposed to be playing favorites in his position, you’d think he’d at least keep an ear to the ground watching out for his former peeps.

Illustrative of the entire attitude of this DoD is what keeps happening with chow halls or ‘dining facilities’ (DF) as they’ve been renamed.

Food is the issue here…repeatedly.

The military runs on food.

Full article, HERE from Hot Air.

Howinthehell can we NOT be feeding the troops?

Granted, I haven’t eaten in a chow hall, IDF, DFAC, DF or whatever you want to call it in years, but I along with most of my shipmates pulled KP for some period of time back in the day, when the Navy had self-contained messes. There weren’t any ‘contractors’ anywhere to be seen, everything was run by the mess chiefs, from food prep, cooking, scullery, to cleaning the tables, floors, and ALL the equipment after every meal.

BUT WE ALWAYS HAD FOOD TO EAT AND EVERYBODY GOT SERVED!

I know that ‘most’ services have gone to ‘contractor’ food services, but how/why is this being allowed to happen by the officers, much less the senior enlisted?

That is…beyond belief, at least to me. The FIRST rule of leadership is taking care of your troops!

Even worse, this has apparently been going on for four years! Austin, Milley, CJCS, et al should be fired outright for this, IMHO!

Grrrr…

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving is a unique American holiday that brings all faiths and cultures of this great nation together around a common theme of thanks.

Traditionally, we stop for a moment in our busy schedules, gather with family and friends to reflect on the year past, give thanks for our blessings and freedoms and share bounty, food and fellowship.

Many of our Military are away from home on Thanksgiving Day. Please keep them in mind as we gather around the table on Thursday and include a thought of gratitude for the freedoms they defend and those we enjoy as a result of their dedication and sacrifice.

We also need to be mindful that for many Americans, it has been another tough year. Hard times can serve as a reminder to be more thankful; if you have the opportunity, reach out to someone less fortunate this week…

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?’

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I’ve been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn’t mine to keep…
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I’ve wept unmanly tears.

I know I don’t deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,
It needn’t be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,
You’ve borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,
You’ve done your time in Hell.’

Author Unknown~

Remember, it’s the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It’s the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It’s the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pray for our men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom…

And all those in police, fire, and EMS that are also standing the duty today.

Maybe they can learn to code???

So, the meltdown within the DNC continues…

Kamala Harris blew through nearly $2 billion in campaign cash before losing to President-elect Donald Trump on November 5 and now, Democratic National Committee staffers have been hung out to dry. 

A new GoFundMe page has been launched to help staffers in the aftermath of the election, which wasn’t just a catastrophe for the campaign but also the DNC. 

Full article, HERE from Town Hall.

If you had any doubts about what would have happened to us under a Harris ‘administration’, this should give you an idea.

$20M in the hole, Harris et al simply walked away from those staffers who’d poured ‘heart and soul’ into the 107 day campaign. She doesn’t have to worry about money, and you can tell how much ‘joy and care’ she has for the rank and file.

Maybe those in ‘dire straits’ can learn to code right quick, while they draw unemployment…

That’s what they told the laid off Keystone workers after all.