Guilty!

The 19-year-old white man accused of fatally shooting 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty Monday morning to more than two dozen related state charges. https://t.co/rNQD1LSzPL

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) November 28, 2022

One more lifetime resident in the NYS penal system.

Every Cargo Airplane is Now a Bomber

The Zoomies have tested a weapon system that turns a lot of cargo airplanes into bombers. The Rapid Dragon is a palletized cruise missle. The loadmasters shove the pallet out of the back, a parachute stabilizes the pallet and then the missile launches.

The term "force multiplier" gets tossed around a lot, but it seems applicable in this case.

"Every Trash-Hauler, a Bomber."

Unusual Airplane Crash

A Mooney M20J was snared by powerlines:

Update - Gaithersburg, Maryland, @MontgomeryCoMD small plane into powerlines & tower plow, suspended about 100 feet in the air, two persons on board uninjured at this time, @mcfrs on scene, Widespread power outages, some roads closed in area, https://t.co/VRLGfpyFaA pic.twitter.com/3iCMW0v94j

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) November 27, 2022

I've not heard of one like this before.

Your Sunday Morning Jet Noise

F-16 engine test:

29,000 lbs of thrust, which ain't exactly beanbag.

TOFF's Nazi Dinner

He had dinner with Kanye and Nick Fuentes. Most Republicans, except for Camden Chris, have not said a peep about El Caudillo de Mar-a-Lago breaking bread with notorious bigots.

The Old Orange Fuck denies knowing who Fuentes is, but it's beyond the bounds of credulity that he would sit down to dinner with strangers. If only because he has a fucking Secret Service detail that would insist on knowing who is at his table.

"Polestar" is Not a Swedish EV

It's Chinese.

Integrating China into the global economy has done fuck-all for global peace and security.

Caturday

Chip at the vet's

"Lemme out, see! I've done nuttin', see! I want my mouthpiece, see!"

(He was sneezing a lot. Vet thinks he has allergies. They had a lot of animals come in for that, recently.)

Kick Herschel the Carpetbagger to the Curb

Turns out he was probably ineligible to run for the Senate in Georgis as the dumbass declared that he was a resident of Texas so he could get a tax break.

Republicans sure love committing electoral fraud, don't they? There's also tax fraud (in case he's a a Georgia resident who is claiming a homestead exemption in Texas) or perjury (swearing that he lived in Georgia when he didn't).

Walker is the sort of low-wattage fraud who seems to gravitate towards being a Republican political candidate.

Because It's Friday

More British steam

If you think that 45596 is puffing a lot for the rotation rate of her driving wheels, you're right. She's a three-cylinder locomotive.

Stuffing These Down, Here

Happy Thanksgiving

Playing the entire song on the radio was a Thanksgiving tradition. Some of them were commercial stations-- almost nineteen minutes of no commercials. And some of them played it twice, at noon and 3 PM. WBCN did that, back in the day. But they changed formats (and call sign), so I don't know what they do, now.

It was basically true, at least the first part. The judge in the tale was really blind, he had a Seeing-Eye dog. He played himself in the movie (as did Officer Obie).

I hope that if you're in America, you and yours have a good Thanksgiving. Try not to punch out your TOFF-fellating uncle or your commie nephew.

And please, enjoy the day without resorting to rampant consumerism.

Or burning down your hostess's house.

So celebrate the day when people, who were being oppressed for their religion, landed on a new land where their descendants could do unto others as was done unto them. Which is the Christian way.

"HAL, Land the Airplane, Please."

That seems to be the way that the world is going and the FAA isn't happy about it. The Euros, on the other hand, are embracing the idea that airliners will be flown by computers, with a single human monitor watching (and trying, with limited success, to stay awake).

I don't know how this is going to work. The trend is going towards a human safety pilot who will do all of his or her flying in a simulator, never flying the airplane for real because of the perceived risk of upsetting the passengers. I can envision that it would become a safety violation for a single pilot to take control, absent an emergency.

Jenna Ellis is a Serious Piece of Garbage

.@JennaEllisEsq on the Club Q shooting. The “people killed in the nightclub that night, there is no evidence/that they were Christians. Assuming they have not accepted the truth/affirmed Christ as the lord of their life they are now reaping the consequences of eternal damnation.” pic.twitter.com/dQH7uAbnKJ

— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) November 23, 2022

But that's about what one would expect from the Christian Taliban.

As for Republicans, the father of the armed asswipe was more concerned that his son might be gay than he was about his killing people.

The Colorado shooter’s dad on finding out his son murdered people: “They started telling me about the incident, a shooting... And then I go on to find out it’s a gay bar. I got scared, ‘Shit, is he gay?’ And he’s not gay, so I said, phew… I am a conservative Republican.” (@CBS8) pic.twitter.com/7Zw4vpLtjE

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) November 23, 2022

Truth

pic.twitter.com/vmrRJYPuzN

— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) November 22, 2022

If you’re a politician or media figure who sets up the LGBTQ community to be hated and feared - not because any of us ever harmed you but because you find it useful - then don’t you dare act surprised when this kind of violence follows.

Don’t you dare act surprised.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 22, 2022

Those utter assholes, like DeSanctimonious, spent a lot of time yammering about drag queens and claiming, without any evidence, that they were grooming kids. They've been going after librarians and coffee houses that hosted drag queen events, The Proud Boys have been harassing people (most of them masked, because they're cowards).

And now, some wet-brain has acted on all of those lies and killed people.

Funny thing about all that: The churches are full of people who are grooming kids. Just about every denomination that yu can name has had a scandal about it, either large or small. But you don't hear Abbott or MTG or DeSanctimonious talking about that, do you? You don't see these armed lunatics shooting up a Roman Catholic seminary or a SBC meeting because of that, do you?

Five people are dead and more than two dozen people because some impressionable room-temperature IQ jerkoff was programmed to hate by those assholes in the party of hatred, via their version of Radio Rwanda. The proof is in this fact: Not one of those assholes uttered a single vowel of condolences after the shooting. They have not a single shred of humanity in their hell-destined souls.

Triggering These Down, Here

Nazis of a Feather, Flock Together

Kanye West meeting with misogynistic antisemitic white nationalist Christian fascist Nick Fuentes to plot running for president in 2024 seems like a solid career move. pic.twitter.com/HXGRvFFFp6

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 20, 2022

You know, don't you, that when Fuentes is talking to his people about Kanye, the N-word is frequently used.

The funny thing is that since Fuentes is partially Hispanic, the only job that the Nazis he worships would give him if they took power would be that of sonderkommando.

More Horseshit From an Expected Source

Fox “News” violent crime segments before and after Election Day. pic.twitter.com/DGkMmWNZ2G

— Nicole Perlroth (@nicoleperlroth) November 22, 2022

Braver Than Texas Cops

A 22-year-old gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and leaving 25 injured before he was subdued by “heroic” patrons and arrested by police who arrived within minutes, authorities said Sunday.
...
The gunman was confronted by “at least two heroic people” who fought and subdued the suspect...

Why the West (and, mostly, us) Is Winning in Ukraine

For a not-large expenditure on the part of a number of NATO nations, the Ukrainians have significantly degraded Russia's conventional military capabilities and demonstrated the inferiority of Russian (and Chinese) military equipment.  What nation's military, seeking to upgrade its capabilities, would willingly settle for second (or third)-rate equipment? And, for all the arguments that were made for many years regarding the folly of Central and Western Europe relying on Russian energy, the Russians have driven that point home with a mallet.

The money quote:

In conclusion, on so many levels, continued US support for Ukraine is a no-brainer from a bang for buck perspective. Ukraine is no Vietnam or Afghanistan for the US, but it is exactly that for Russia. A Russia continually mired in a war it cannot win is a huge strategic win for the US.

Why would anyone object to that?

Indeed. Especially because the people who are doing the bleeding in this war, the Ukrainians, recognize that their national interest lies in beating the Russians.

And this:

Bangity; New Heater Ed.

I thought that I was going to close out this year without buying a new gun. That didn't happen.

This is a ANIB Colt Python. The previous owner installed a set of Wilson sights, which, to my mind, are even a bit better than S&W adjustable sights.

Colt really screwed the pooch on their rear sights. From early on, I heard story after story that the rear sight was difficult to adjust, that it used the tiniest of set screws and, if one didn't drench the internals with locktite, it would not hold a zero. I wondered if one took out the teeny set screw to locktite it after zeroing, if that would change things. The answer I got was "maybe."

Anyhoo, I wasn't going to drop Python money on one until the sight issue was fixable. Colt ought to just go ahead and license either Wilson's sights or S&W's rear sights. The front sight, though, is superior to a S&W's. Unlike current-generation S&Ws, whose front sight blades are secured with a roll-pin, Colt's front sight is secured with an Allen set screw. That makes it far easier to change, but then it should be secured with purple Locktite.[1]

The previous owner had bought this gun, put in new sights, then decided that he liked his King Cobra better and he sent it on down the road. To me.

This was the first three-shot group fired in the sighting-in process.

This gun has the sweetest double-action trigger pull that I have experienced in a long time. There's no stacking at the end, it just pulls right through. It is almost as easy to shoot accurately double-action as it is single-action. The single-action trigger, though, is somewhat heavy. It's not gritty, just heavy. It's nowhere near as light as a well shot-in Model 66 or a Model 27. The trigger's face is serrated, which is more of a gamer problem.

I realized, rather quickly, that it is not comfortable to shoot with a high grip like a Smith. Doing that, it beat up my hand even with .38 range fodder. Held a little bit lower, it feels fine and shoots well.

The new Python could be the best revolver on the market, other than a MR73, which costs three times as much and, according to one user, are not impervious to the rigors of competitive shooting. The fit and finish of a new Python is far and away superior to that of a current-generation Model 66. The double-action trigger pull is significantly heavier on my 66-8, which has over a thousand cycles on it.[2] The single-action trigger pull is heavier.

Is a new-generation Python as good as the old ones? If you want a "royal blue" one, you're going to have to find an old one. The older Pythons would go out of time if shot (or dry-fired) a lot.[3] The new model Pythons have been designed to be more durable.

Is a new Python worth the price difference over a similar Smith & Wesson? That's a personal call. But if you're in the market for a new .357, you should check one out for yourself.
__________________
[1] Blue might be OK, but never use red, unless you intend to never remove the front sight.
[2] Between shooting and dry-firing.
[3] To be fair, this was how older Colt, not just Pythons, were designed. The hand (the part that pushes against the cylinder's rear star to revolve it) on older Colts was a "wear part".

If They All Use the Same Software to Set Prices, Isn't That Price-Fixing?

That's the argument against the company RealPage, which seems to have a self-operating feedback loop built into its software, which jacks up rents.

If landlords talked to one another and set their rents accordingly, that would be price-fixing and some of them would end up in prison. But if software does the same thing, shouldn't that also be illegal as fuck?

We may find out.

Truth That the Appeasers (and Putinist Republicans) Will Never Understand

After Hitler invaded the USSR, were the Soviet people wrong to fight to liberate their country? No. Should they instead have tried (& failed) to swap "land for peace"? No. So after being invaded by Russia, why are so many people coaching Ukrainians to give "land for peace" today?

— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) November 20, 2022

Putin has not given up on taking all of Ukraine. Any peace or cease-fire, now, will only enable him to rebuild his army and try again. Land for peace has a piss-poor record of success with appeasing the territorial appetites of aggressors. It seems that those arguing that the Ukrainians should agree, now, to a cease-fire are people from countries with little to no risk of having Russian soldiers crossing their borders in the near-term. The Appeasement Caucus is not from nations that border Russia. It is certainly not filled with Ukrainians, who, by a very large majority, want to expel the neo-Tsarist invaders.

When you see self-styled deep-tinkers argue for negotiating a land-for-peace deal, know that they have either argued themselves into a corner or they are getting something for their stances.

Your Sunday Morning Prop Noise

B-17

She crashed last weekend.

The SCOTUS Leaker Appears to be Some Low-Level Minion Named Sammy Alito

Because he may have leaked before to his allies in the Christian Taliban.

Bet the Wingnut outrage over the leaking of the Dobbs decision will fade away like cockroaches when the lights are turned on.

That soft moaning sound is John Roberts wringing his hands over the disappearing legitimacy of his court. Fuck him and his well-earned legacy as the Worst Chief Justice since the 19th Century.

Non-Flying Pilots

The Air Force is moving more and more towards training their pilots in simulators.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. It certainly will likely be cheaper,[1] which will satisfy the flag officer/bureaucrats in Ft. Fumble. The airlines were early adopters of simulator training because it's supposedly almost as good, it's a lot cheaper to do it that way and their stockholders don't like training crashes.

But airlines fly the same routes. The crews bid on those routes. The Air Froce suppsedly has to be ready to go anywhere at anytime. Flying real airples has the potential to introduce elements that are not in the lesson plan for that day's flight, which may teach adaptability. And it may concentrate the mind to know that fucking up a flight could lead to going home in a box.

But maybe not.
___________________
[1] Air Force procurement can't even buy a fucking tanker without incompetence and massive cost overruns. The Air Force procurement offices should be moved to Stockholm.

Caturday

Sail-cats

Stolen from here.

Astonishing Scene in Iran

Astonishing scenes from #Iran. Protesters have burned down the house of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder.

The house has been a museum for the past 30 years. This is an attack in the essence of the republic itself. pic.twitter.com/Qtk5jr5AR6

— David Patrikarakos (@dpatrikarakos) November 18, 2022

Twitter and Eye Damage

Someone once told me about the risk of eye damage from laser light and looking at the Sun. With how the brain processes optic images, it can fill in a lot of what it thinks that is there.

For instance, look straight ahead and observe what is noticeable from the corner of your eye. Your eye has very few cones towards the edges of the retina, so it shouldn't see colors very well. But you see them,nonetheless, because your mind knows how those objects are colored, so it fills that in in processing.

If you were to walk into a pitch-dark room that you know and flick on the lights, you will see what your mind knows is there. If there is something additional, you might have to move your line of sight around to pick it up.

But eventually, with enough damage, your optical processing centers won't be able to fill in the blanks. At that point, you are truly fucked.

This all came to mind when I read BadTux's analysis as to why Twitter is doomed.

Losers of a Feather, Flock Together

Kari Lake, who was projected Monday to lose her race for governor of Arizona, traveled Thursday to former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, according to two people familiar with the activity.

She tried to rally supporters to turn out to protest outside of the AZ statehouse, a call that was answered by not enough people to fill up a short bus.

She's a loser, baby.

Just like her Fat Orange God.

Because It's Friday

Cumbres & Toltec/ D&RGWRR

Different GOP House, Same Old Shit

In just 47 days, House Republicans will have the gavel, and we will be prepared to hold the Biden administration accountable from day one.

Our investigations are just getting started.

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) November 17, 2022

There are a lot of problems facing this country, but Gruppenführer McCarthy is laser-focused on Hunter Biden's laptop, the latest fetish for the Party of Stupid.