Bullet Points:
**Populist popularity – Overall, Republicans are +5 and Trump is +7 nationally, demonstrating unexpected strength heading into the midterm elections. When left-leaning Quinnipiac reports these disapproval numbers, thoughtful donkeys should be reevaluating their position rather than holding Mao’s Little Red Book aloft and quoting from his Long March speech. The democrat party – the party of mask wearing – is only happy when THEY wear them to riots. They’re dissatisfied when ICE does the same thing. Riddle me that one.
** MP Materials is emerging as a strategic keystone in U.S. industrial and defense policy. The rare-earth miner—operator of the only active rare-earth mine in the U.S.—saw its shares jump after two monumental deals: The U.S. Department of Defense is investing around $400 million in convertible preferred shares, effectively becoming MP’s largest shareholder (~15%), plus a $150 million low-interest loan. The deal also includes a 10-year purchase commitment for the magnets from MP’s upcoming Texas factory, with a minimum price guarantee of $110/kg for NdPr—a vital rare-earth material. Apple is set to announce a $500 million investment in MP Materials, joining the Pentagon in supporting domestic production. The partnership extends to establishing new recycling facilities in California and another magnet plant in Fort Worth. (more at ZeroHedge)
** Do you invite your spouse to work parties?
** What is a Hog endorsement worth? David Hogg vowed to focus on his Leaders We Deserve PAC after getting jettisoned from his DNC Vice Chair gig. Well, it’s not paying off like he thought it would. Even with Politico’s hype, his endorsed candidate Deja Foxx got trounced in a recent special election in Arizona – she lost by more than 40 points! Now that the illegal aliens have been removed from the voting rolls, the election results have a different cast.
** The most Russian man in the world. Stay thirsty.
** 7-11 or 9/11? It’s good to know the difference.
** From back in the days when the British used catapults to launch carrier-based jet aircraft. (In this case, HMS Ark Royal). It’s an odd cat launch, but it worked, so who am I to point fingers?
** California’s ambitious high-speed rail project—once billed as a revolutionary way to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles—has been officially declared a “boondoggle.” A recent compliance review by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) revealed chronic delays, soaring costs, unmet deadlines, inflated ridership projections, and no completed high-speed track, despite $6.9 billion in federal funding over fifteen years, approximately $4 billion of which has now been revoked. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the initiative a “trap for taxpayer dollars,” emphasizing that the FRA found “no viable path forward.” Facing accusations of mismanagement and waste, California officials have responded with lawsuits, denouncing the funding cuts as politically motivated. Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to challenge the decision in court, insisting the state remains committed to advancing the project, despite mounting skepticism.
** Chuck Schumer said Rural America is incapable of receiving weather warnings now that PBS and NPR have been defunded. FACT CHECK: There are THOUSANDS of reliable weather apps available that can be downloaded to any smartphone device, including watches, phones, laptop computers, and PC’s, because it’s 2025 and not 1990.
Foreigners
Japanese Concerns – (caveat) Having traveled the world and met many people from diverse and fascinating cultures, I have sought to understand before seeking to be understood. For the most part, these travels were paid for by employers, so there was always some underlying agenda to my trips. For the most part, I was the “distinguished foreign visitor” and was treated much better over there than I ever was in the USA. I get along with almost everyone, so far. I have preferred people, but they’re not defined by race or religion. I have a Japanese Imperial Guard lapel pin that I wear when in Japan. I also have a Communist Chinese Secret Police (secret) ID pin I wear on my lapel when in China – that surprises many Chinese secret police people when I’ve passed them on the street. (What is the big barbarian doing with one of our secret pins?) (end caveat)
The Chinese were becoming enamored with Western culture, and Xi recently rebuilt Chairman Mao’s (Mousey Tongue) bamboo wall. The Japanese, having lost the war and having been flattened, operating today on a Constitution written by General Douglas MacArthur, have been in a different situation that remains disturbing to them.
(The Referenced Article from Reuters) Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws, but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force. The number of foreign nationals reached a record of approximately 3.8 million last year, which is still just 3% of the total population.
The formation of the administration body follows a group of lawmakers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party proposing measures in June to realize a “society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.”
Those measures included adopting stricter requirements for foreigners switching to a Japanese driver’s license and for buying real estate properties.
“Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreigners, as well as the inappropriate use of various administrative systems, have created a situation in which the public feels uneasy and cheated,” Ishiba said at the kick-off ceremony. (more at the article)
Side Note: One thing I found interesting about the Yakuza is the number of ethnic Koreans they allowed into the various organized crime groups. Yes, some are strictly ethnic Japanese, but there are many Korean Yaks. I first discovered this when working on crimes involving the Yakuza. The yakuza are known for their strict codes of conduct and their organized fiefdom nature. There are ritualized practices, such as yubitsume, which involves the amputation of the little finger joints. {Left fingers for one sort of offense, right fingers (sword hand fingers) for different offenses.} I ran into Koreans with amputated finger joints! Being the curious sort, I delved. If you’re a white guy like me, you can’t become a losing hand or Yakuza, but most of the organizations do allow Koreans, who mostly work as enforcers.
Mercenaries
In feudal medieval societies, landholders pledged a certain number of men to their overlord for fighting. Often, their agreements specified the nature of the armament and skill sets, as well as the duration of service (at the expense of the landholder). Keeping men-at-arms around when they weren’t needed was expensive, and so the practice of hiring the work out became commonplace. But it happened before that. Some say that being a mercenary soldier is the second oldest profession.
The Roman army built one of the greatest empires in history with two distinct classes of soldiers, but it paid one group only a third of what the other earned. At the top were the legionaries. These men were Roman citizens, the elite heavy infantry of their day, and they were respected for their service. Beneath them were the auxiliaries. These soldiers were recruited from the non-citizen peoples living within the vast territories of the Roman Empire.
In the 2nd century AD, a legionary could expect to earn around 300 denarii per year. An auxiliary infantryman, however, made only about 100 denarii for the same period of service. Legionary recruits even received a signing bonus called a viaticum, worth about 75 denarii, an amount that was nearly a full year’s salary for some auxiliaries.
These auxiliary troops were not just lesser soldiers. They often filled specialized roles that the legionaries didn’t, serving as archers, slingers, cavalry, and scouts, which were critical for the army’s success on the battlefield. To prevent local uprisings, Rome would often station auxiliary units in provinces far from their original homelands. This strategy also encouraged them to adopt Roman culture and language. This two-tiered system, despite its inequality, was a key strategy that enabled Rome to man its legions, expand its borders, and maintain control of its vast empire for centuries.
It’s Still Summer
The Stinger
The “Stinger” was built using re-purposed AN-M2 .30 calibre machine guns (which had a fire rate of 1200 RPM), utilizing the stock of an M1 Garand and the bipod of a BAR.
Only a handful were ever made, and they were used to significant effect by Marines in the Pacific Theater; their 1,200 RPM ripping through anything it was aimed at.
National Public Radio
NPR used to drag the sack, claiming that it was a listener-sponsored network and that if you didn’t send them your hard-earned money, they’d close shop.
Senator John Kennedy torched NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher after she claimed on CNN that critics should “show me a story” proving their bias. Well, he delivered with an epic thread of examples funded by our tax dollars:
– NPR calling country music and even birds racist, urging Americans to ditch beef, and pushing the Russia-gate hoax.
– Claiming Biden’s disastrous debate “didn’t change the election” just days before he bailed on his re-election bid—if you bought that, you probably believe in the tooth fairy!
– Insisting there’s “no evidence” that biological men have an unfair edge in women’s sports.
– Labeling America’s interstate highways as racist (who knew concrete could be bigoted?).
– Smearing rural Americans as “Christian nationalists” while gushing over Biden official Fat Dick (Rachel) Levine.
Kennedy nailed it: No one with a brain “above a single-celled organism” would call this fair journalism, and taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for this leftist propaganda. The good news? The Senate just voted 51-48 to strip $1.1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which will significantly impact NPR and PBS as part of President Trump’s rescission plan. The House already passed it narrowly, 214-212, last month, finally putting an end to forcing Americans to subsidize this nonsense.
Identify the Ship Class
1
2
3
4
Parting Shot
Others I’ve used: THE WEDGE, Simplest tool known to man
End
What’s the big barbarian doing with one of our secret pins? Did one of them ever inquire about it?
No, they just looked at me with open mouths. Nobody said a word, and they wouldn’t. They never know who gave you the pin or why.
Why is LL wearing a secret police pin? Shhh… It’s a secret!
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Seriously, the more authoritarian the society is, the more sh…tuff you can get away with. Especially if you look like you belong, like wearing a secret police pin secretly…
Exactly!
Identify the Ship Class:
1. Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
2. Later model S boat with armored bridge.
3. S-26 class
4. HMCS Frédérick Rolette, Harry DeWolf class OPV
Excellent
We Had a Couple of Men we Called them “Smoke and Coffee The Break Brothers”
Polls say…. reality says the midterms are more than a year away and legacy media is desperate for ratings.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall with the pollsters, who usually weight their polls with high propensity democrat voters. Being a pollster means that there is SOME expectation that you’re right some of the time.
Parting shot; Can we see a caption artwork of ” the wedge” one day? My imagination is limited. I can think of one who is divisive and trying to climb the ladder. Relative to this topic is an honorable mention in the wisdom of Milkna, the voice of an ex priest, mentoring Mary in one of the short stories of Conduct Unbecoming.
The Wedge was a generally incompetent fellow. Mostly harmless. I might be able to find a photo of him if I polled former co-workers. In truth, after I started calling him that, the name stuck with everyone. Today in 2025 – I’m a kinder version of myself. So, I wouldn’t want to bash him. The employer shouldn’t have hired him in the first place. That’s often the problem. Bad hiring decisions stay with you for a long time.
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I might take a run at publishing Half Life (the story you referenced). I think that I’d want to review it and possible change a few things before releasing it. At the moment I’m actively writing the Civil War Series – that moves in time through the Old West. It’s different than what you normally see in this sort of historical fiction because it delves on the role of the British in the early War of the Rebellion/Civil War/War of Northern Aggression. First person from a young man who we follow pre-West Point through the academy with some twists that I believe read well. And when I’m not writing on that, I have another Sci-Fi book I’m chipping away on.
I’m a fan of your fiction, keep on chipping away!
Yes please finish the Half Life story. Also, I’m still hanging in thin air in Tajikistan and Dugway with the broken toys. And what of Sigyn sitting, waiting. Plus how will I fill my horn with ale whilst the nets cover like a cocoon. I await the Civil War with anxious enthusiasm. Bring more ale…
Fresh horses, and whiskey for my men!
Priorities. The Civil War book is more about the British Secret Service influencing the direction of the fledgling Confederacy at this point (Volume 1 and into Volume 2 of what may be a 5 Volume set depending on the reception.) I will complete 2 before I release 1 and then #3 before I release #2. For those familiar with my writing, it’s written in first person from the perspective of a young man who grows up in those turbulent pre-war and early war years, running with the British (at the encouragement of American military officers who were pro-Confederate). It’s written with significant historical weight and I’m working to be true to the time and the history. It will not be a traditional story. I’m over half way finished with Volume 1 and have most of the research finished for the rest of the anticipated work. As I’ve written before – if nobody reads it, nobody reviews it, it’s difficult to justify my time to work on follow-on. In the case of the Civil War saga, I’ve committed to push through #3 by hook or by crook.
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As with much of my writing, there is a cast toward intelligence work. Joseph Hooker had the first institutional organic intelligence component (not Pinkertons) organic in the Volunteer Army (as it was called at the time – Union Army, to differentiate it from the regular army, which was quite small. Custer, as an example never rose beyond Captain in the regular army during the War of Northern Aggression, though he was a brevet major general). George Custer plays a significant role in the story and I rely heavily on history to be true to his character and that of Elizabeth Bacon Custer, his wife.
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I have about half of Hungry Ghosts written.
Sounds great. You already have me hooked with the difference between the Volunteer Army/Union Army vs the Regular Army. Much has been written about Custer. I look forward to your perspective on him and his wife. Go Michigan Calvary Wolverines …
Goodness. Auto spell changed cavalry to Calvary.
The civil war series being completed will be another lesson in history i look forward to. Especially the Pinkerton type work post war.
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Any possibility still ahead for a podcast interview with Ed on the war of Northern Agression?
Let’s wait until Ed feels better
“The Wedge” was the name given to the commander of my first line squadron. I don’t have a picture of him and I can’t even remember his name.
NPR/PBS…many, many moons ago used to enjoy Terri Gross, great interviewer…and of course, Russ Morash’s This Old House, New Yankee Workshop, Victory Garden, and the Minneapolis based Hometime. That was before I knew WTP were paying for their operwtion already (nad their political bent), and despite them doing the quarterly beg-a-thons as if they were hurting for cash. After that I would argue they needed to do business like the rest of us…see if it floats or not…especially when we all got our news (at the time) at 3, 6, and 10 from one of three stations to choose from. Chucky S is so misguided (NO ONE gets their emergency info from Public Radio), that clown couldn’t find PBS on his Congressionally supplied and administered phone. Good riddance.
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Thinking if I lived on a lake I’d have to get me a gunboat…just park it at the dock for the visual. Might even be easier to get off Marketplace or eBay than a Hydra-6.
I used to listen to NPR thirty years ago. They were always a little left but today it’s full Marxism.
I have considered mounting large diameter tubes on the side of my boat and a mock 50 cal on the roof.
There are a couple bridges I could not clear if I did.
https://youtu.be/r1eMDNdrrLQ?si=zh7jE_SvcRsGCVqo
The Stinger was used by M.O.H. Recipient USMC Corporal Tony Stein on Iwo Jima….
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Stein
My visits to China were always enjoyable and interesting. In the early 2000s, we had both uniformed and undercover cops following us as we went shopping or out for a meal.
*One time in Shanghai, I went out with my colleagues with a shopping stop planned at a local bazaar before lunch. They were looking for CDs and other such items and this particular area had a huge CD shop. Inside, I sat down on a stool while the others looked for what they wanted. A extremely fit Chinese man with a 1960s butch haircut and a trident tattooed under his wrist came out from a back room and engaged my friends. He took over from the other salesmen and led the group around the bazaar. As we moved about, the shop keepers would turn their music off or down and immediately sat on their stools at the front of their tiny shop. The other guys didn’t notice this and I always wondered if he was a cop or a gangster.
My understanding is that cop and gangster over there are congruent,
the gangs just have different names.
*
Not that I’ve been, or am especially knowledgeable on the subject.
*
Same thing here, in some jurisdictions.
– Kle.
There is no difference between cop and gangster in China
And all the proceeds seem to go to members of the CCP or the military. Funny that.
That’s how they roll.
“The democrat party – the party of mask wearing – is only happy when THEY wear them to riots. They’re dissatisfied when ICE does the same thing. Riddle me that one.”
They are strong believers in the double standard & they are backed up by the majority of the corporate owned media.
The corporate-owned media is losing money and that’s one thing that shareholders don’t like. You can have sweatshops in Malaysia and Myanmar or you can stripmine the Amazon jungle, but you’re expected to turn a profit.
“number of foreign nationals [in Japan] reached a record of approximately 3.8 million last year, which is still just 3% of the total population”
The Japanese should be careful nonetheless. It doesn’t hardly take three percent of the population to wreck a society, as we’re learning. (Though some are deliberately leaving the message unopened in their Inbox.)
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GDP Map: All I see is racism. The entire continent of Africa has a (projected) 2025 GDP of about $2.8 trillion. HOW could little piss-ant countries such as France, Germany, Italy and the UK EACH be on par with all of Africa? There is only one answer: Racism! Those nations MUST be made to give back their ill gotten gains. Compensate the poor enslaved Africans who were enslaved and forced to build Germany and France, etc, and repatriate them to the Mother Continent as heroes. Let a thousand Wakandas bloom!
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That goes 10x for the US of A, by the way. Our GDP is about ten times that of all Africa. The paleface colonizers must give back all that stolen wealth to the Africans who also built this country. (Well, all of the pale population of the US except the Soroses and the Warburgs and the Kuhns and Loebs and so forth. THEY are powerless victims even more than Africans.)
“Let a thousand Wakandas bloom!”
Mike_C, I’d know your writing anywhere. Thank you.
Literary genius. (Have to look up a few references here and there, so gain an education in the process.)
The recent African mythical history has bloomed as it became perfectly acceptable to engage in that sort of foppery.
I’ve always enjoyed the Robert Mitchum movie, The Yakuza.
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Work parties: We had a company picnic and one of the guys introduced his wife to Wayne.
She looked at him and said, “Is this Lying Wayne”?
That’s usually how it goes down. Or Wayne asks, is this your wife or your girlfriend.
In my case, both 😀
China
A trivial story. A neighbor, whose personal mission is keeping Banner supplied with treats, was a frequent China visitor. He involved in clothing manufacturing. We were discussing food and he was describing restaurants, food markets, etc. None impressed him with sanitary practices. He found a MacDonald’s near his hotel and took all his meals there. “But Tom, didn’t you enjoy being in China, the culture, the experience?”
“F**k that, I needed cheap fabric to stay in business”. You can take the boy out of the Ozarks……………..
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Rare Earth Mines
The first one in Wyoming is up and running near Ranchester. This one is mining coal as a bi-product to rare earths. Several more are being developed across the state. We cynical old fart locals wonder how many are continue the long Western legacy of separating investors from their money.
Also, in Wyoming, a uranium mine has reopened.
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Speaking of uranium, a huge new earth filled dam is nearing completion in Dr Jim’s neighborhood. At a very late date, it has been discovered some of the fill contains uranium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAIAvCcHinU
Show my shocked face that this discovery came at the very end of construction.
There is no danger currently because there’s no water being delivered currently. That’s reassuring.
Ed
With the “green” money drying up, the over educated, otherwise unemployable, need a new gig. Monitoring radiation, hosting committees, etc., may be the new normal.
Oh, do I sound skeptical? Every drop of water originating in the Front Range mountains will flow over uranium or thorium on the way to the South Platte.
The Earth is rich with uranium. The question is concentration. More is better from a mining perspective. Greenland is blessed with significantly rich fields of uranium… and with rare Earth metals to make magnets. Then again so is California if they’d let you blast and excavate.
In the late 70s I spent 2 years as an LDS missionary in Japan. I loved everything about it. One day we decided to spend the morning contacting local businesses to introduce ourselves and let them know we were located in the neighborhood and try to make some friends. We also taught English conversation two nights a week and wanted to offer translation and interpreting services if needed. A few businesses were interested in that and we went to a Mitsui aluminum foundry once a week to help salarymen with their spoken English. At one point in the morning, we knocked at the genkan and were told to come in. We removed our shoes and stepped up into an empty reception area and heard “Hai Dozo” from an office. We went in and saw a gent in boxers and a wife beater with his nice suit hanging on a hanger against the wall. He was covered in tattoos of the most garish type. We introduced ourselves and generally got to know him. He got a call a couple of minutes later and asked us to leave then, but said to stop by anytime later.
We left and continued down the street. Maybe 3 or 4 doors down was a one-man police kiosk. We chatted him up and asked curiously why they had only a one-man office in that location. He said that they were there keeping an eye on the Yakuza guy we had just met. Apparently, there was no mystery about it and everyone knew what the other was doing. It sort of reminded me of the old WB cartoon with the coyotes and sheep dogs punching the clock as they started their “shifts” exchanging morning pleasantries before the adversarial activities began.
Japan is a marvelous place, but one runs across these unexpected moments frequently enough that it is very enjoyable.
I didn’t work a lot of Yakuza cases in Orange County. They acquired a golf course and naturally, it rose to our attention. We always thought they were hidden owners in Yaohan, a Japanese mall/market that catered to both Japanese and American customers in Costa Mesa, CA.
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They’re strong in Japan even though their direct influence as been diminishing along with their numbers. The three largest syndicates, which include the Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai, and Inagawa-kai, account for a substantial portion of the total. Anti-gang laws passed by the Japanese government made it a felony to be a member. Even though it’s as you said with both sides recognizing the other, the police have cut into the influence by removing them from the population and imprisoning them.
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A new phenomenon of “tokuryu” gangs is emerging. These are anonymous, unaffiliated gangs that are not part of any traditional yakuza family. Last year, police investigated about 10,000 members of these gangs, linking them to various crimes like violent robberies and fraud.
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The tokuryu are more of a ‘new age gangster’ and it’s not unlike the evolution of the traditional triads in Hong Kong.
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Nature hates a vacuum and the tokuryu are filling the void left by the imprisoned Yaks.
There was a large Japanese population in Torrance and Gardena. There’s a shopping center on Western Avenue that catered to Japanese people, and a lot of the “Import Tuner Car” guys would hang out these. My import car buddies were very careful to steer me away from one of the sub-groups that always had one corner of the parking lot. They never said “Yakuza”, but did say they were gangsters, and you didn’t want anything to do with them.
For anyone interested in learning more about the Yakuza, probably the best book on the subject, although written many years ago, is The Yakuza by David E. Kaplan. It was, to my knowledge, updated once. Whether it has been updated since I don’t know. Dave was an investigative journalist, when there was such a species. He was a nice guy and a frequent attendee and speaker at the annual International Asian Organised Crime conferences in the 1990s. These conferences ceased after 9/11 when the focus, along with the money, shifted to counter-terrorism. The last one I recall was in Chicago in 2002, which both Larry and I attended. From memory Larry has previously published a photo, on this site, taken on the sidelines of that conference which depicts both of us along with a number of other luminaries.
Yes, David Kaplan – they broke the mold with him. He also wrote, “The Cult at the End of the World: The Terrifying Story of the Aum Doomsday Cult, from the Subways of Tokyo to the Nuclear Arsenals of Russia.” It’s a great book if you can find it. I think that it’s out of print these days. He was a journalist when there was integrity in the profession. I trusted (and still trust) Dave without reservation.
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That was a good conference. A gathering of eagles and possibly the last of its kind as you suggest.
Auxiliaries/Mercenaries
Went shooting with one the other day and, at lunch, described how his hand was mostly shot off by a sniper. Dam. So what’d he do? Put it back on and kept running! Well the hand lived to tell the scarred tale, so.
On point, do you think the Western Roman Army became, essentially, a mercenary force? It seems that way to me, with disastrous effects. Especially after the catastrophe of Adrianople.