Note: Each block of text actually is a link to a story or a web page that I am commenting on. Click on that text and it will take you to the page being referred to.
Lots of interesting things on the web today … much of it truly makes you wonder how much to believe and how much is just smoke. Anyway, I hope the following articles offer you food and fodder for thought.
Was this a Freudian slip ... or something else. You see, I have heard the 30 million figure bandied about for some time, so the current official number of 11 million undocumented immigrants/aliens or what ever you want to call people who are living in the US in a status contrary to US immigration laws. always seemed a bit suspect to me. But think about it ... that with an estimated 330 million people living in the good old US of A now, that means that 1 in every 11 has a problem with their documents.
With all due respect to the DC city council member involved, this has all the earmarks of political correctness run amok.
And with are due respect to the two Democratic Congress members involved in this - bless their hearts - but this too is an example of political correctness running amok. Hey, if you don't like his political stance on some issue, don't vote for him; don't frequent his places of business; but don't use the power of government to punish the damn man.
This is a great advance for the Navy's LCS ... but the only problem I have is that it is supposed to take until 2017 before the modules can be plugged into the LCSs out there. You see, that is the problem I have with the current procurement system for weapons ... it takes too damn long. This stuff, like the laser and the railgun, should be on a fast track for fielding and mounting on those vessels capable of carrying the systems, and there should be a fast track to retro-fit all the vessels that could carry it to be modified to carry it. It ain't gonna happen, but then that is the DOD and its over-engineered and gold-plated approach to weapons systems.
OK,folks ... a beer a day seems - according to the most recent "scientific" studies - to be good for you ... CHEERS! Especially on these hot days when you are out there sweating in the garden or the golf course.
This is a short piece on the amazing history of an amazing aircraft which is still in service and still going strong: The Douglas DC-3/C-47 Skytrain/Dakota
Manning is such a self-absorbed, narcissistic jerk, it ain't even funny.
30 years ago, I used to go to Fort Polk two or three times a year for weekend training (it was close to Carthage and Longview where my National Guard unit was based and headquartered out of Marshall, Texas), mostly for weapons qualification ... but never did run into any horses ... did hear a story about an M-48 tank stuck somewhere out in the swamps of the post that had been there since the 49th Armored Division (TxARNG) was mobilized for the Berlin Crisis back in 1962.
Another withdrawal for the Obama Administration. Ever since the Camp David accords, the MFO has included a reinforced US battalion as part of the multi-national force. They were there to ensure the demilitarization of the Israel-Egypt border and have done good job. I think in the 1990s, the assignments shifted from Regular Army units to Reserve Component units and I have interviewed people from both components who were being sent and served there. Now, it is too dangerous (like it always was a safe assignment - lol) and the weenies inside the beltway want to pull them out of the danger zone.
One hopes that the saner heads north of the 38th parallel rein in those who rhetoric is running their mouths faster than their brains ... because the South Koreans are losing patience and just might start shooting back ... and then things could really get out of hand.
Ranger tabs open door to women in combat arms ... well, two things: as long as they can meet the SAME PT standards the guys are required to do and the Army can come up with a way to bridle the sexual dynamic, I ain't got problem one with it. Now, the two women who passed the Ranger course both are dedicated warriors ... the both are graduates of West Point ... albeit one is an MP and the other is a helicopter pilot ... I question how much the regular snuffy is going to have the grit and the drive to sublimate and concentrate on the mission ... as I also question how much the guys around them will be able to sublimate and concentrate both in combat and back at home station. Unfortunately, from my own personal experience in a mixed-gender environment, I foresee a host of problems.
Mr. Rachel once again provides an interesting point of view that links liberals/Democrats, undocumented immigrants and abortion.
This commentary offers a potentially concerning view of illegal immigration ... and the objectives of some of those who advocate no retribution for those who have entered the United States without proper documentation. In short, the author is worried that the avowed objective of some is the destruction of the United States as it currently exists.
The question always remains how sincere NATO (primarily the Europeans) is about defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukraine ... and how much do the Russians believe?
Interesting speculation - and at this point that is all it is - from a retired intel analysts about the withdrawal of US and Germany Patriot missile batteries from Turkey. Assuming the dots are connect, this could be quite disturbing development ... once again casting dark shadows on President Obama and his policies.
Thomas Sowell offers his own set of Random Thoughts in his latest column ... I heartedly recommend you read them all ... some of them are real gems and right on target.
I think the saying goes: Fate and history have turned on lesser things.
This is an interesting article on Chinese intelligence gathering methods and capabilities ... and their impact. It is somewhat scary, considering we don't seem to take them seriously.
A look at some of the tax breaks Trump's business empire has gotten ... note: Nothing illegal here, just an illustration of why the federal tax code, as well as most state and local tax codes, has been corrupted in an effort to socially engineer certain outcomes. This should not be the role of government, but we have allowed it to be so, which is why special interest groups spend all the money they do (and it is enormous amounts) to get governments at all levels to fund their favorite program or project - like Planned Parenthood.
Sometimes the adults are so corrupt, it defies words.
Interesting concept and interesting service ... and it seems like just another step by Google to take over the world.
Interesting debunking of a map of Native American empires before European colonization.
And this is a much more accurate map of where Native American tribes were ... sigh ... the internet can be such a place of disinformation.
Very valid set of points by this commentator ... not that it probably resonating where it should be.
Welcome to the real world, Maine ... this is/has been/probably will be forever a problem with welfare benefits and drugs.
Mr. Williams solution to the fascism on academic campuses that attack individual rights is most telling ... and probably would be the most effective if donors would follow it ... as well as students and parents who send their offspring off to these colleges.
John Stossel with a very interesting take on rules ... and breaking rules ... but the question is which rules do you obey and which ones do you challenge?
This is an interesting article on the theories of force design in defense planning and strategies ... which of course the US is very woeful at.
Question: Does the legality of nuclear weapons use really matter? To me, it is an interesting intellectual argument, but practically it makes no sense. The nuclear warhead, like machine guns, poisonous gases, gunpowder weapons, etc., will be used in the future. You can't put that Genie back in the bottle and if it is to the advantage of the side holding a nuclear weapon, then it will be used. That is reality.
This is an article by a bunch of air power devotees ... and as usual, they are full of it. The problem, as I have tried to explain to people as far back as my freshman year in college when I was NROTC, is that all branches are important. That makes life difficult for the airedales because they still think they are the deciding force in victory ... unfortunately, they are wrong. You need to control the air. You need to control the sea, above, on and below. However, in the end, nothing replaces the foot soldier who goes in with a figurative bayonet on his or her weapon and stands on the chest of the enemy and says: "It’s over now, ya hear. No, more fighting, no more resistance." Unfortunately, our leadership over the last three decades have forgotten that is reality.
This article points out the Army's view of the current budget environment ... and the fact that the Army has borne much of the cuts.
It seems that the much-maligned MV-22 Osprey finally is coming into its own.
I happen to agree with the point of this article ... but then I don't believe in anthropomorphic climate change either.
Life was so much simpler when John Wayne was making movies ... although his solution is very apt.
I am not sure the problem is guns ... besides criminals can always get guns ... I think it more likely a breakdown in the social order, precipitated by decades of progressive policies.
Trump's sister on Trump ... in the WAPO
Another reason that the war with ISIS is existential.
Ok ... and I will leave tonight with this ... it is both hilarious and outrageously true ... and I suspect that God has a sense of humor.
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