The good white citizens of Tulsa, OK, burned "Black Wall Street" to the ground, displacing thousands of Black residents and murdering about 300.
Many of the killers were given guns by the city and deputized. Airplanes dropped flaming balls, soaked with turpentine, to help burn everything down.
Nobody was ever held to account. None of those who lost homes, possessions, properties or businesses were ever compensated for this blatant act of state-sponsored terrorism.
Monday, May 31, 2021
Michael Flynn is a Traitor
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said there is "no reason" a coup could not happen in the United States.
During a right-wing conference in Dallas called the "For God & Country Patriot Roundup" over the weekend, the former White House national security adviser was asked by someone in the audience, who identified as a "simple Marine": "Why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here?"
After cheers erupted in the crowd, as shown in clips posted to social media, Flynn replied, "No reason. I mean, it should happen here."
Flynn is a traitor and an embarrassment to the uniform that he once wore. One of two things ought to happen to Flynn. Either he should be frog-marched onto the next direct flight to Moscow, or he should be recalled to active duty and court-martialed for conduct unbecoming. Any retired military officer who advocates for a coup has betrayed his oath.
And as far as Trump's attorney, Sidney Powell, she probably should be in a locked ward somewhere. For she has gone batshit crazy, she's lost any grip on reality that she may have once had.
Tennesee Assholes
NASHVILLE — Hatworks is literally selling Jewish stars that say “Not Vaccinated” — out here making MTG look tame
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) May 28, 2021
hatwrks@gmail.com (615) 678-5690 pic.twitter.com/11fN9eS5gX
The owner of the store tried to play the "I'm the real victim, here" card.
UPDATE: imagine being this ignorant pic.twitter.com/00p0zpaME5
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) May 29, 2021
But then she backwatered and apologized.
“In NO WAY did I intend to trivialize the Star of David or disrespect what happened to millions of people. That is not who I am & what I stand for,” Gaskins wrote. “My intent was not to exploit or make a profit. My hope was to share my genuine concern & fear, and to do all that I can to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. I sincerely apologize for any insensitivity.”
I call bullshit. The motive was to make a profit, whether or not she believed what she was spouting. She was happily playing the victim/cancel culture card until some of the companies whose products she sold decided they didn't want any part of this shit.
As a result of the offensive content and opinions shared by HatWRKS in Nashville, Stetson and our distribution partners will cease the sale of all Stetson products. We thank you for your continued support and patience.
— John B. Stetson (@StetsonUSA) May 29, 2021
But it seems that what she did was in keeping with her conduct:Due to the recent offensive content shared by Hatwrks in Nashville, Goorin Bros. has ended their distribution with this business effective immediately. Thank you for the continued support.
— Goorin Bros. (@GoorinBros) May 30, 2021
In case anyone is on the fence about this #HatWRKS woman, she was part of the insurrection, and dam* proud of it. pic.twitter.com/X34DeO461P
— enrich12 (@enrich1212) May 30, 2021
So what we have here is a businesswoman who was happy to spread hate and fascism until it started to cost her real money. Then, all of a sudden, she discovers that maybe she shouldn't be trying to make a buck off of the Holocaust in service of her Orange Master. But you can bet that she'll be privately complaining to her QAnon buddies until the day she lies down for her dirt nap.
This Should Not Be Memorial Day
(My usual rant, going back a dozen years.)
I know, I know. I beat this subject like a rented mule, every year. Actually, twice, on every year where the holiday of Memorial Day doesn't fall on the 30th. Maybe you're tired of it.
Too fucking bad.
We're losing the veterans of World War Two at a great clip. Those men and women were everywhere when I was a child. Now they're becoming as rare as veterans of the Spanish-American War were back then. The Korean War vets are not far behind them
When the last veteran of each war dies, please, let's not turn our backs on honoring them the way that fucking John Boehner did for the veterans of the Great War. But we will, if either the Majority Leader of the Senate or the Speaker of the House is as much of a worthless pissant as Boehner was.
Meanwhile, if you're doing any of the holiday shit today, spare a thought for those who paid the price so that you could.
And if you own a business that is holding a Memorial Day Sale, you know what you can go do with a rolling doughnut.
I know, I know. I beat this subject like a rented mule, every year. Actually, twice, on every year where the holiday of Memorial Day doesn't fall on the 30th. Maybe you're tired of it.
Too fucking bad.
We're losing the veterans of World War Two at a great clip. Those men and women were everywhere when I was a child. Now they're becoming as rare as veterans of the Spanish-American War were back then. The Korean War vets are not far behind them
When the last veteran of each war dies, please, let's not turn our backs on honoring them the way that fucking John Boehner did for the veterans of the Great War. But we will, if either the Majority Leader of the Senate or the Speaker of the House is as much of a worthless pissant as Boehner was.
Meanwhile, if you're doing any of the holiday shit today, spare a thought for those who paid the price so that you could.
And if you own a business that is holding a Memorial Day Sale, you know what you can go do with a rolling doughnut.
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Memorial Day
I've timed this post for nautical twilight, which was a customary time to attack a position. (That was about the time that the Redcoats wanted to arrive in Lexington, but they were late.)
Originally Decoration Day, Memorial Day was the day to clean up and put flowers and flags on the graves of Americans who fought for (and against) the country. It was a solemn day, marked by parades and services on town greens.
But a little over fifty years ago, the chuckleheads in Congress changed the date itself from May 30th to the last Monday of the month. That transformed Memorial Day from a solemn event into a day for cookouts and travelling, making it the unoffical start of the summer vacation season. That was done because the fucking unpatriotic greedheads in the tourism and retail industries sought to monetize it, as they do everything else.
They did the same to Veterans Day, but the veterans complained and Congress moved it back in 1978, But nobody seems to speak as loudly for the dead, so Memorial Day has been corrupted ever since.
Remember those whose lives were taken in service of this country.
The Doughboy was Joseph F. Ambrose, Sr. His son, Clement, was killed in action in the Korean War.
Originally Decoration Day, Memorial Day was the day to clean up and put flowers and flags on the graves of Americans who fought for (and against) the country. It was a solemn day, marked by parades and services on town greens.
But a little over fifty years ago, the chuckleheads in Congress changed the date itself from May 30th to the last Monday of the month. That transformed Memorial Day from a solemn event into a day for cookouts and travelling, making it the unoffical start of the summer vacation season. That was done because the fucking unpatriotic greedheads in the tourism and retail industries sought to monetize it, as they do everything else.
They did the same to Veterans Day, but the veterans complained and Congress moved it back in 1978, But nobody seems to speak as loudly for the dead, so Memorial Day has been corrupted ever since.
Remember those whose lives were taken in service of this country.
The Doughboy was Joseph F. Ambrose, Sr. His son, Clement, was killed in action in the Korean War.
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Defund the Fuzz?
A councilman in Atlanta who supports defunding the police had his car stolen by a bunch of kids.
If you don't know about the "defund the police" movement, you can learn about it by some savvy searching, but try to avoid the fascist Right's blatherings on it.
There is an argument to be made that we expect too much of the police. I suspect that the percentge of police recruits who joined the force out of an aspiration to deal with homeless people and people having mental health breakdowns is probably in the lowsingle-digits of a percentile. There has to be a better way to do it.
But the way to address those needs is to figure out what should be done and put those services and programs in place before taking mental health crisis response and homeless outreach away from the police. Get those programs running, make sure they work and then, if it cam be shown that there has been a significan load reduction on police services, reduce funding for the police. But this will cost real money.
Otherwise, we'd repeat the same mistakes that were made, decades ago, when the lunatic asylums were closed down without providing for any alternatives for those who needed those services.
In summation, if you really think that defunding the police will translate into reduced costs for local government, I respectfully suggest that you grab ahold of your ears and pull your head out of your ass.
If you don't know about the "defund the police" movement, you can learn about it by some savvy searching, but try to avoid the fascist Right's blatherings on it.
There is an argument to be made that we expect too much of the police. I suspect that the percentge of police recruits who joined the force out of an aspiration to deal with homeless people and people having mental health breakdowns is probably in the lowsingle-digits of a percentile. There has to be a better way to do it.
But the way to address those needs is to figure out what should be done and put those services and programs in place before taking mental health crisis response and homeless outreach away from the police. Get those programs running, make sure they work and then, if it cam be shown that there has been a significan load reduction on police services, reduce funding for the police. But this will cost real money.
Otherwise, we'd repeat the same mistakes that were made, decades ago, when the lunatic asylums were closed down without providing for any alternatives for those who needed those services.
In summation, if you really think that defunding the police will translate into reduced costs for local government, I respectfully suggest that you grab ahold of your ears and pull your head out of your ass.
Ode DeJoy
The U.S. Postal Service said it will raise rates on postage for letters, postcards and other mail services this summer as part of Postmaster Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan to overhaul the agency's flailing finances. The cost of a stamp for first-class mail will increase to 58 cents from its current 55 cents.
DeJoy, whose tenure has been marked by controversy over his operational changes at the service, earlier this year unveiled a 10-year plan to overhaul the USPS. He said the changes are necessary to stanch billions of dollars in losses and put the agency on the path to profitability — and on Friday he said raising postage rates are part of the effort to boost revenue.
Single-piece first-class mail volume, such as letters that have postages stamps, has declined 47% during the past 10 years, the USPS said Friday.
This is called the business death spiral: You're not selling enough of your shit, so you raise your price so that people will end up buying less of your shit.
Make no mistake about it, DeJoy and the Republicans aren't trying to save the Postal Service, they're trying to bury it. The Postal Service is one of the few constitutionally-mandated functions of the Federal government. But the party of corporatism has this fantasy that government services should make money, instead of serving the people.
The evilness of DeJoy and his party should never be understimated and cannot be overstated.
Everyone Knows They Are the Cowards of the Senate
These illustrious senators ran and hid, so they wouldn't have to take a stand on the Insurrection Commission:
There was a contentious vote yesterday, they turned their backs and ran away. It was probably too inconvenient fdor them to take a stand against the MAGA terrorists. Or they have bad short-term memory problems and can't remember the terror that they felt on January 6th, or the smell of tear gas lingering in the hallways.
The cops ought to keep in mind that these ignoble senators and those who voted to scuttle the commission yesterday may say that they have the backs of the cops, but they only do if their Orange Overlord consents.
Blackburn (R-TN) Blunt (R-MO) Braun (R-IN) Burr (R-NC)
Inhofe (R-OK) Murray (D-WA) Risch (R-ID) Rounds (R-SD)
Shelby (R-AL) Sinema (D-AZ) Toomey (R-PA)
There was a contentious vote yesterday, they turned their backs and ran away. It was probably too inconvenient fdor them to take a stand against the MAGA terrorists. Or they have bad short-term memory problems and can't remember the terror that they felt on January 6th, or the smell of tear gas lingering in the hallways.
The cops ought to keep in mind that these ignoble senators and those who voted to scuttle the commission yesterday may say that they have the backs of the cops, but they only do if their Orange Overlord consents.
— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) May 20, 2021
Friday, May 28, 2021
GOP: Millions of Dollars and Thousand of Hours to Investigate Benghazi, Not One Thin Dime to Investigate the Insurrection
That is basically the premise of the Republican party.
These are the seditious bastards who are trying to sweep Trump's Insurrection under the rug:
Every one of them has abrogated their oath of loyalty to the Constitution, preferring instead to kiss Trump's ass. This is as blatant a betrayal of this country as it would have been if they had voted against the formation of the 9-11 Commission. They have chosen to support the MAGA terrorists over the rule of law.
There isn't a single one of those despicable people who should be allowed to mingle with law-abiding American citizens.
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in a show of party loyalty to former President Donald Trump, aiming to shift the political focus away from the violent insurrection by his GOP supporters.
These are the seditious bastards who are trying to sweep Trump's Insurrection under the rug:
Barrasso (R-WY) Boozman (R-AR) Capito (R-WV) Cornyn (R-TX) Cotton (R-AR)
Cramer (R-ND) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Daines (R-MT) Ernst (R-IA)
Fischer (R-NE) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagerty (R-TN) Hawley (R-MO)
Hoeven (R-ND) Hyde-Smith (R-MS) Johnson (R-WI) Kennedy (R-LA) Lankford (R-OK)
Lee (R-UT) Lummis (R-WY) Marshall (R-KS) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY) Rubio (R-FL) Scott (R-FL) Scott (R-SC) Sullivan (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Tuberville (R-AL) Wicker (R-MS) Young (R-IN)
Every one of them has abrogated their oath of loyalty to the Constitution, preferring instead to kiss Trump's ass. This is as blatant a betrayal of this country as it would have been if they had voted against the formation of the 9-11 Commission. They have chosen to support the MAGA terrorists over the rule of law.
There isn't a single one of those despicable people who should be allowed to mingle with law-abiding American citizens.
1911 Baseplates
I like Wilson magazines. They're not terribly cheap, but they're reliable. The rounded plastic follower doesn't dig into the feed ramp, which is an issue with alloy-framed guns (of which I have one). The only think I don't really care for is that the baseplate of the magazines are fairly thick.
Wilson makes metal baseplates that are quite a bit thinner than the standard plastic baseplates. This shows a Wilson 47, which ws the issue magazine for the Marines' M45 Colt .45s:
This shows a Wilson ETM, which is an eight-round magazine:
ETM baseplate is thinner in both height and width. The ETM does stick out a little more from the magazine well. Both magazines protrude, as opposed to standard GI magazines, which fit flush. Still, the metal baseplates would print less and, when dropped from the gun, are less susceptible to damage.
Wilson makes metal baseplates that are quite a bit thinner than the standard plastic baseplates. This shows a Wilson 47, which ws the issue magazine for the Marines' M45 Colt .45s:
This shows a Wilson ETM, which is an eight-round magazine:
ETM baseplate is thinner in both height and width. The ETM does stick out a little more from the magazine well. Both magazines protrude, as opposed to standard GI magazines, which fit flush. Still, the metal baseplates would print less and, when dropped from the gun, are less susceptible to damage.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Old-Time Bangity Goodness
The First Annual Gun Digest (1944). It's a 163 page PDF.
A N-frame .357 cost $60. I suspect that the guns shown in the book were all aspirational, due to wartime production.
A N-frame .357 cost $60. I suspect that the guns shown in the book were all aspirational, due to wartime production.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Don't Worry, Wingnuts, the Trump Party Won't Do Anything to Your Favorite Nazi
Republican leaders [eventually got around to] forcefully condemned GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday, calling her comments comparing COVID-19 safety measures like mask-wearing to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany “appalling.”
“Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a statement, which stopped short of calling for Greene to face disciplinary measures. “The fact that this needs to be stated today is deeply troubling.”
This is what Greene thinks is equivlaent to wearing a mask:
Anyone who truly believes that having to wear a mask to prevent the transmission of an infectious disease is the equivalent of being stuffed into a boxcar and taken to the gas chambers or being marched into a forest and shot beside an open grave is either clinically insane or deeply evil.
That Greene was elected to Congress as a member of the Republican party and remains a member of that caucus tells me all that I need to know about the GOP, its failed
Meanwhile, the Nevada GOP's leadership has been infiltrated by the Proud Boys, which is a terrorist group.
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Officer Friendly Goes to Prison
A former officer with the St. Paul Police Department in St. Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced today to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty of a civil rights violation.
Brett Palkowitsch, 31, was sentenced on May 21 after being found guilty of using excessive force against an unarmed civilian. At the sentencing hearing, Palkowitsch waived the right to appeal his conviction and publicly apologized for his use of excessive force.
What the DoJ's press release doesn't set forth is when this went down.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright at the federal courthouse in St. Paul comes after a jury in November 2019 found Palkowitsch guilty of depriving Frank Baker of his civil rights on June 24, 2016. As part of his sentencing, Palkowitsch, 33, must serve three years of supervised release.
What's interesting is that I have no memory of the Hamberder Scarfer pointing to this case as proof that his DoJ does prosecute bad cops. Didn't anybody go on Fox and Fiends to whine how the DoJ was unfairly prosecuting a cop who took down a SBM?
Monday, May 24, 2021
1911 Bangity
I installed a "fast safety system" in one of my 1911s:
The idea is that you don't have the appearance of a cocked gun and you don't have the hammer sticking out, snagging your clothing. You also don't have the possibility of something getting between the hammer and the slide. The basic kit also gives you an amibidetrous safety.
The installation was pretty simple, as this video shows. The mainspring is pretty stout, which may be why they glossed over that part. You'll probably need to clamp the mainspring housing in a vise to make the change. When you open the box, make sure that you don't lose the tiny plunger spring, as that's a necessary part.
The instructions say that you should fully cycle your gun 25 times before using, pulling the slide back and letting it slam shut to make sure the hammer doesn't follow it down. I'd suggest using a magazine with snap caps in it to do that. Also, if you're planning to do anything involving the trigger, do that first, as it's a little more of a PITA to detail-strip a 1911 with an ambi safety (you have to drift out the pin holding the right-hand lever).
The major change to how you handle a 1911 is that the safety is applied by pushing the hammer forward. When you do that, the safety pops on. The directions say that if you were to apply the safety by moving the lever up, that can damage the mechanism.
After I live with this one for a bit, I may convert my Browning High Power.
The idea is that you don't have the appearance of a cocked gun and you don't have the hammer sticking out, snagging your clothing. You also don't have the possibility of something getting between the hammer and the slide. The basic kit also gives you an amibidetrous safety.
The installation was pretty simple, as this video shows. The mainspring is pretty stout, which may be why they glossed over that part. You'll probably need to clamp the mainspring housing in a vise to make the change. When you open the box, make sure that you don't lose the tiny plunger spring, as that's a necessary part.
The instructions say that you should fully cycle your gun 25 times before using, pulling the slide back and letting it slam shut to make sure the hammer doesn't follow it down. I'd suggest using a magazine with snap caps in it to do that. Also, if you're planning to do anything involving the trigger, do that first, as it's a little more of a PITA to detail-strip a 1911 with an ambi safety (you have to drift out the pin holding the right-hand lever).
The major change to how you handle a 1911 is that the safety is applied by pushing the hammer forward. When you do that, the safety pops on. The directions say that if you were to apply the safety by moving the lever up, that can damage the mechanism.
After I live with this one for a bit, I may convert my Browning High Power.
Polling Proves That a Majority of Republicans Are, In Fact, Insane
53% of Republicans think Donald Trump is the actual President, not Joe Biden.
Let that percolate for a moment.
A majority of Republicans believe something that is objectively not true. That is insane. They are crazy. That's not hyperbole, they are actually nuttier than a boxcar of almonds.
I don't know how we can function as an adult society when over half of the adherents of one of the political parties are batshit lunatics.
Let that percolate for a moment.
A majority of Republicans believe something that is objectively not true. That is insane. They are crazy. That's not hyperbole, they are actually nuttier than a boxcar of almonds.
I don't know how we can function as an adult society when over half of the adherents of one of the political parties are batshit lunatics.
Did You Criticize the 2020 Census Online?
If you did, a bunch of Constitution-shredding spooks in the Department of Commerce called the Investigations and Threat Management Service probably opened a file on you. When they weren't busily racially profiling Commerce Department workers, they were scouring social media in seach of people who were critical of the Census.
The Washington Post has the story: "In one instance, the unit opened a case on a 68-year-old retiree in Florida who tweeted that the census, which is run by the Commerce Department, would be manipulated “to benefit the Trump Party!” records show." That retiree made his comments on Twitter; he had under 100 followers.
ITMS came to the attention of a Trump appointee, who was working to shut them down, except that he quit after the Insurrection. In March, Biden Administration ordered ITMS to stop all ciminal investigations (which they had no authority to conduct) and ordered them to cease all activities after the Post asked for interviews. The abuses of authority of ITMS have sparked critical interest by legilators from both parties.
The whole operation seems to be the diseased brainchild of one career Federal employee. That goon sent copies of critical social media posts on the Census to the FBI, which told him that maybe he ought to take a referesher course in freedom of speech.
Said goon probably deserves to be at a Federal guest house for awhile. If they can't convict him or fire him, they can at least transfer him to working the trash pickup detail at a remote Federal park.
The Washington Post has the story: "In one instance, the unit opened a case on a 68-year-old retiree in Florida who tweeted that the census, which is run by the Commerce Department, would be manipulated “to benefit the Trump Party!” records show." That retiree made his comments on Twitter; he had under 100 followers.
ITMS came to the attention of a Trump appointee, who was working to shut them down, except that he quit after the Insurrection. In March, Biden Administration ordered ITMS to stop all ciminal investigations (which they had no authority to conduct) and ordered them to cease all activities after the Post asked for interviews. The abuses of authority of ITMS have sparked critical interest by legilators from both parties.
The whole operation seems to be the diseased brainchild of one career Federal employee. That goon sent copies of critical social media posts on the Census to the FBI, which told him that maybe he ought to take a referesher course in freedom of speech.
Said goon probably deserves to be at a Federal guest house for awhile. If they can't convict him or fire him, they can at least transfer him to working the trash pickup detail at a remote Federal park.
Coming Soon to a Roadway Near You
Tolls. Or something like that.
I base this on the rise of electric vehicles. The impact of EVs on the environment is arguable (not terribly great if the generating plant is fossil-fueled) and their utility (you can refuel a petroleum-fueled vehicle in minutes and drive a few hundred more miles) may be marginal for some, but one point, so far, is clear: EVs contribute nothing towards the maintenance of the road network.
This is because road maintenance almost everywhere in the U.S. is paid for by fuel taxes. Even states where the legislature is stuffed with mouth-breathing ideologues have realized that gas taxes have to go up to keep the roads and bridges from crumbling.
If you drive 10,000 miles a year and your vehicle gets 20 MPG and if we assume a tax rate of thirty cents a gallon, that means you're paying $150/year into the road maintenance kitty (assuming your state's legilsators aren'tstealing reallocating the tax receipts), that works out to about $150 a year. The easiest way to do it would be to assess a flat tax to the registration fees, which could be adjusted based on the size of the vehicle.
But that's not going to fly, as people will squawk that they don't drive 10,000 miles a year. So instead of that, there will be some system that keeps track of people's driving. Because if it'll save them a few bucks, people will eagerly sell their privacy (witness all of those spyapps that the auto insurance companies are pushing).
I base this on the rise of electric vehicles. The impact of EVs on the environment is arguable (not terribly great if the generating plant is fossil-fueled) and their utility (you can refuel a petroleum-fueled vehicle in minutes and drive a few hundred more miles) may be marginal for some, but one point, so far, is clear: EVs contribute nothing towards the maintenance of the road network.
This is because road maintenance almost everywhere in the U.S. is paid for by fuel taxes. Even states where the legislature is stuffed with mouth-breathing ideologues have realized that gas taxes have to go up to keep the roads and bridges from crumbling.
If you drive 10,000 miles a year and your vehicle gets 20 MPG and if we assume a tax rate of thirty cents a gallon, that means you're paying $150/year into the road maintenance kitty (assuming your state's legilsators aren't
But that's not going to fly, as people will squawk that they don't drive 10,000 miles a year. So instead of that, there will be some system that keeps track of people's driving. Because if it'll save them a few bucks, people will eagerly sell their privacy (witness all of those spyapps that the auto insurance companies are pushing).
Sunday, May 23, 2021
The Lemming Defense
[MAGA Asshole] said he came to Washington on Jan. 6 with no intention of rioting. But he got caught up in the mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump as they surged into the U.S. Capitol, breaking through police barriers and smashing through doors.
It wasn’t his fault, he said, that he ended up inside the building with a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag around his neck as lawmakers ran for their lives.
I guess their mothers never asked them: "If Jimmy jumped off a cliff, would you?"
Meanwhile, The Trumpist politicians are saying that we shouldn't be examining what happened on 1/6/21, because it's in the past, but we should examine the way the election was held. So some things are in the past but others aren't?
I don't see how anyone who thinks of themself as a patriot can have a single thought that the Insurrection was understandable, much less permissible.
Your Sunday Morning Big Prop Noise
Martin Mars firebomber:
There always seems to be some asshole in a helicopter, screwing up the audio.
There always seems to be some asshole in a helicopter, screwing up the audio.
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Palestinians Claim Victory
Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Right. 250 or more dead, thousands wounded. Tens of thousands, if not a hundred thousand, lost their homes. 800,000 don't have running water.
That's "victory"?
If I had any sympathy for the Palestinians due to a lot of the bullshit that the Israel keeps pulling, that's gone.
ETA: This, from 2009.
Friday, May 21, 2021
Some Primo Flying
This King Air landed with a bad nosewheel:
The pilot held the nose up until the aircraft was almost stopped.
The pilot held the nose up until the aircraft was almost stopped.
The Tug Fees Must Have Been Mounting Up
Just more than a decade after they entered naval service to great fanfare as the future face of the U.S. Navy, the first two littoral combat ships will be mothballed later this year, according to the Navy’s inactivation schedule for 2021.
The first LCS, Freedom, will head into inactive reserve status Sept. 30, less than 13 years after the ship was commissioned.
The second LCS, Independence, a separate class variant, will receive its shadow box on July 31 after just 11½ years of service.
The LCS concept has been sketchy right from the jump. It was pretty clear to a casual observer that all of those touted "mission modules" would never be built, or, if they were, they would not be built in the numbers required.
There were quite a few things that might have worked out for the LCS. But they take a shitload of contractor maintenance that, on most ships, was done by a ship's crew. The manning plan for the ships ensured that the sailors on board would treat the ships like rented mules. One could sum up the problems with the LCS by noting that it was one of the dumb ideas of Rumsfeld's DoD, right up there with the gutting of surface officer initial training that led, in part, to at least two collisions at sea.
And it didn't take a rocket scientist to foresee the problems that arose with the LCS program.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Christian Taliban Gets a Free Pass on Child Abuse in Missouri
The Children's Division in the state of Missouri used a statutory excuse to close its eyes to rampant child abuse at a Christian-themed school. It had been going on for fourteen years, or more, and the social workers just turned their backs.
In hearings, the legislators asked the agency head if it was agency policy that legislators were to receive reports on agency problems only from reading it in the newspapers. The agency head denied that there was a policy of retaliation against social workers who talked to legislators.
This all came to light because kids who had aged out of the system were telling their stories on TikTok. There were almost twenty complaints about the school made to various authorities, who did nothing until it hit the press. The operator of the so-called school closed his operation in Washington and opened one in Missouri sixteen years ago specifically because he was trying to escape being regulated.
Now, the operators are probably going to prison for a very long time. And so should those who turned their backs on those kids.
In hearings, the legislators asked the agency head if it was agency policy that legislators were to receive reports on agency problems only from reading it in the newspapers. The agency head denied that there was a policy of retaliation against social workers who talked to legislators.
This all came to light because kids who had aged out of the system were telling their stories on TikTok. There were almost twenty complaints about the school made to various authorities, who did nothing until it hit the press. The operator of the so-called school closed his operation in Washington and opened one in Missouri sixteen years ago specifically because he was trying to escape being regulated.
Now, the operators are probably going to prison for a very long time. And so should those who turned their backs on those kids.
When Kevin McCarthy Speaks, Trump is Wiggling His Fingers
— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) May 19, 2021The Republicans wanted to have equal representation on the 1/6 Commission. They got that. They wanted to have bipartisan agreement needed for subpoenas. They got that. As Speaker Pelosi explained:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called McCarthy’s opposition to the commission “cowardice.” She released a February letter from the GOP leader in which he asked for an even split of Democrats and Republican commissioners, equal subpoena power and no predetermined findings or conclusions. The bipartisan legislation accommodates all three of those requests, she said.
“Leader McCarthy won’t take yes for an answer,” she said.
I guess McCarthy has wiped from his mind the call that he made to The Tangerine Führer, where Brave Kevin pleaded for the Scarfer of Big Macs to call off the mob, only to be told: "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are." Kevin yelled: "Do you who the fuck you are talking to?"
It's clear that The Cheating Golfer knew exactly to whom he was talking: He was talking to one of his most loyal toadies, a man that he could count on to ignore reality and parrot the line of the Grifter of Queens.
Every day, in every way, we see that the GOP has placed loyalty to Trump over loyalty to the United States. I'm surprised that they haven't had to place their hand on a copy of Mein Kampf and swear a loyalty oath to Trump.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Moscow Mitch Has the Back of the Dark Lord of Mar-a-Lago
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he is “pushing the pause button,” on the legislation to form the commission, which is expected to pass the House this week despite the opposition of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. That means the bill is likely to have a more difficult path when it reaches the Senate, where majority Democrats will need at least 10 GOP votes to pass it.
The very last thing that the Party of Trump wants is for there to be a detailed examination of the Jefe de Covfefe's failed self-coup. Their party has increasingly become an authoritarian party. Republicans, more and more, have given up on the idea of winning elections by persuading the electorate that their ideas are better. Their route to power, in their minds, is to keep people from voting.
In short, they don't believe in democracy.
And, like this guy:
They are willing to deny the truth of what happened on January 6th.
But we know.
The Wheels Are Grinding On The Gilded Grifter
The New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it is conducting a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business empire, expanding what had previously been a civil probe.
Remember when Moscow Mitch said, on the floor of the Senate, that Trump faced criminal liability? This probably isn't what he had in mind, but it works.
It's possible that Disgusting Doofus and some of his adult spawn could wind up as guests at a New York State crossbar hotel. But I'mnot holding my breath.
But I will pick up some more popcorn.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Kevin McCarthy: Venal Opportunist or Seditionist?
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that he won’t support a proposal to form an independent, bipartisan commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, almost certainly eroding GOP support ahead of a vote and positioning his party as opposed to investigations of the attack.
McCarthy's opposition is classic whataboutism of the vilest nature, in that he equates thos protesting against racial injustice and police brutality with those who sought to violently overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In the end, it doesn't matter if McCarthy is a seditionist or just an abject Trumpist toady. The results are the same. The only certainty is that McCarthy is not loyal to the United States of America. In a just society, he would be given an engraved wooden box that contained either a seppuku knife, a revolver with one cartridge or a teabag of hemlock leaves.
He wants us to forget about the Insurrection of January 6th.
Don't forget it.
Monday, May 17, 2021
1/6/21: Never Forget
Yep, just your average, everyday, well-behaved tour group. And if you believe that, then you've drunk deeply of the Trumpist Kool-aid. Like this imbecile.
Also, this.
At Least He Wasn't Ranting About "Purity of Essence" and "Precious Bodily Fluids"
A commander of a U.S. Space Force unit tasked with detecting ballistic missile launches has been fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military.
One might conclude that the fired officer's complaints about diversity and inclusion being Marxist is basically code for the tired, old complaint from white guys that they have to now compete with women and minorities. In short, it's a white supremacy argument. A unified cluture, in that view, is white men at the top and everyone else knowing their place underneath, happily and rythmically rattling their chains.
I'll have to go back and read The Communist Manifesto, for I don't recall it discussing diversity and inclusion.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Friday, May 14, 2021
One Hundred Men Will Test Today, But Only One Goes to Spy for Russia
A former Army Green Beret who admitted divulging military secrets to Russia over a 15-year period was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Friday on espionage charges.
The sentence of 15 years and 8 months imposed on Peter Dzibinski Debbins, 46, of Gainesville, Virginia, by U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton was largely in line with the 17-year term sought by prosecutors. Defense lawyers sought a 5-year term.
His lawyer sought to argue that the traitor spied for Russia out of fear of having his sexual orientation disclosed, a fact he apparently omitted to tell to the FBI when they interrogated him about his activities.
So that's two commissioned military officers who are traitors that we know about this week (the other is a Marine).
Florida Man at Work
When what looks to be a Hummer H2 went up in flames in Homosassa, Florida on Wednesday, Citrus County Fire Rescue discovered the exact scene everyone's been warned about. The vehicle's driver had just filled up multiple containers of gasoline during what looks to be a panic-buying spree but didn't make it far from the pumps before the fuel ignited. Emergency personnel had the fire contained in roughly 10 minutes after arriving and although an injury was reported, the person refused medical transport against the advice of on-scene workers.
This was multi-level stupidity. The obvious one was carrying 20 gallons of gas in a closed vehicle. Rumors are that the driver lit up a cigarette.
Another level of stupidity is that Citrus County (central west coast of the dick of Florida) is not served by the Colonial Pipeline. On this graphic, the pipeline in question is the long purple one that goes from the Gulf Coast up through the Carolinas, Virginia and into New York:
The pipeline does not serve the Florida peninsula. POL is shipped there almost entirely by barge.[1]
There is simply no need for people in that part of Florida to stockpile gasoline.
But there is stupidity and panic-buying. And Florida, from the governor's mansion all the way down, seems to run on vast reservoirs of stupidity.
_________________________
[1] Aviation gasoline does not move by pipeline.
Because It's Friday
A Sentinel steam wagon:
This is a small one. Much larger ones were made. They'll be shown here, eventually.
This is a small one. Much larger ones were made. They'll be shown here, eventually.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
You Can Believe in Truth and Justice or You Can Be a Republican
Republican after Republican on Wednesday repeatedly sought to downplay the violence of the Jan. 6 insurrection, with one Georgia lawmaker likening the mobs overwhelming Capitol Police and vandalizing Capitol offices to a “normal tourist visit.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) made the tourist comment, saying that calling what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6 an insurrection “is a boldfaced lie.”
Because "normal tourists" beat the cops with blunt instruments, spray them with bear spray, rip off their badges, chase the cops through the halls, break windows to get into the Capitol, vandalize offices, smear excrement on the rugs, steal shit, erect gallows, and go hunting for politicians.
Republicans are lying and telling people that what they saw on their TVs on January 6th didn't happen.
You can be a loyal American or you can be a Republican traitor. You can't be both.
You can believe in truth, justice and the American way or you can be a follower of Cheeto Mussolini. You can't be both.
You can pledge allegiance to the United States or you can pledge allegiance to Traitor Potato. You can't do both.
You can take an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States or you can follow the lies of Fox News, the rest of the Right Wing Noise Machine, Party of Q toadies and Louche-ifer. You can't do both.
On another note, if you believe that Joe Biden is responsible for the gas shortages in the Southeast, bless your heart. You really should seek professional help.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
DarkSide
Krebs has a good article on what is going on. It's not really tech-heavy, most causal computer users should beable to understand it.
CDR Sal recommends deeming cyber-kidnapping to be a form of piracy and treating it accordingly. One form of attack might make paying digital pirates a fairly serious crime in and of itself.
One might argue that nothing of this geopolitical significance could be carried out in Russia without at least the tacit approval of the Russian government. Which, arguably makes this episode an act of war.
Digital security is expensive; the beancounters of companies don't like paying for security of any form. On top of that, there are the IT10T users who mindlessly click on links. That might be countered by good security software that detects phishing links, but again, that costs money. Might a case be made that managers who don't employ good cyber-security practices are being negligent and should be held liable to shareholders, if not criminally liable?
CDR Sal recommends deeming cyber-kidnapping to be a form of piracy and treating it accordingly. One form of attack might make paying digital pirates a fairly serious crime in and of itself.
One might argue that nothing of this geopolitical significance could be carried out in Russia without at least the tacit approval of the Russian government. Which, arguably makes this episode an act of war.
Digital security is expensive; the beancounters of companies don't like paying for security of any form. On top of that, there are the IT10T users who mindlessly click on links. That might be countered by good security software that detects phishing links, but again, that costs money. Might a case be made that managers who don't employ good cyber-security practices are being negligent and should be held liable to shareholders, if not criminally liable?
Monday, May 10, 2021
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Family matters will take precedence for a couple of days. You may have time to follow The Big Red One from Normandy to victory.