Raid
The FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. It’s part of an investigation into a government contractor in Maryland with a top-secret clearance who is accused of accessing and taking home classified documents, including some related to national defense, that were found in his lunchbox and basement. Traditionally, and in recent years, the only exception to holding classified documents has been to place them in a box near the Corvette in your garage. If you do that, the federal government will give you a pass.
Bullet Points:
** Do you need a realtor?
** LL in Athens, GR (right), where I first played with an authentic xiphos (see below).
** Proto-Falchion – as seen in the Middle Ages. I had a recent discussion that degraded into comparisons between the falchion and the Greek straight swords like the xiphos. I know. Too arcane for most people’s tastes. It went from there to the falcata (an ancient Iberian/Roman sword). Both the falcata and and falchion (medieval European) are heavy, chopping swords with curved blades, but the falcata often features a concave cutting edge with a convex back, designed for powerful forward momentum, while the falchion is typically a simpler, head-heavy blade (like a sword-axe) emphasizing chops, often with a broader, single-edged shape reminiscent of a large machete or seax. While related and sometimes confused, the falcata has distinct ancient origins and unique geometry, whereas the falchion is a broader medieval category.
** Ancient Egypt. By the time Cleopatra was born, the Great Pyramid was 2000 years old.
** Banks warn consumers will be hurt by Trump’s 10% cap on credit card interest rates. The banks are threatened that their rice bowl is about to be broken.
** Inspiration for the M-79 thumper? You be the judge.
** Ah, the English…
** Bill and Hillary Clinton are refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify to the House Oversight Committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. According to the New York Times, “They did so by submitting an eight-page legal letter laying out why they considered the subpoenas ‘invalid and legally unenforceable,’ then followed up with a scorching missive that they signed jointly, promising to fight (Chairman James Comer) on the issue for as long as it took.” We assume that Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi, who had Trump officials jailed for not testifying to their J6 Kangaroo Committee, will remain consistent by calling for the jailing of the Clintons. (Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HAAA!) Comer has vowed to file contempt-of-Congress charges against them if they fail to show up this month, so the game is on. We hope he moves fast, since Bill Clinton has been known to catch the occasional plane and fly off to an island somewhere.
** A federal audit cited by Judicial Watch found that Medicaid improperly paid at least $289 million to insure individuals who were already deceased. The findings come nearly a decade after Judicial Watch first reported similar problems. Despite years of warnings, the audit shows the issue has continued on a much larger scale. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with an annual budget of about $900 billion. In many states, governments make fixed monthly payments to managed care organizations to cover enrollees. According to the audit, those payments often continued even after beneficiaries had died. In many cases, deaths were already recorded in the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File, yet payments were still issued.
The Pope and I Agree on Something
Pope Leo calls out ‘inclusive’ language as a painful, ‘Orwellian’ movement in the West
‘In the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking.’
Pope Leo XIV says Western nations need to guarantee the freedom of expression. The pope delivered his “State of the World” speech from the Vatican in Vatican City on Friday, and his remarks may agitate some of his more liberal followers.
‘A new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding.’
Real name Robert Prevost, the noted Chicago White Sox fan championed free speech when he explained that words need to be used once again to “express distinct and clear realities.” This is paramount to engage in “authentic dialogue,” the Catholic leader continued, noting that truth-telling is necessary for “preventing conflicts.”
This led Pope Leo to point out a “paradox” in modern self-expression in the West, which only strengthened his belief that freedom of speech and expression should be guaranteed. “It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking,” the pope said. “At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.”
The 70-year-old explained that the inclusivity paradox leads to other consequences, including restrictions on human rights, including “freedom of conscience.”
BC says – Deficit? We’ll show you a deficit!
It’s good that British Columbia can rely on Alberta to bail them out.
The people of Alberta are generous, have big hearts, and even bigger wallets.
This month in Montana History
(Bannack Historical Society) January 1864 – Sheriff Henry Plummer, along with his deputies, Ned Ray and Buck Stinson, were captured by a group of Vigilantes at Bannack.
The accused men were marched up to the gallows that cold January evening and hanged. Plummer was believed to be the leader of a gang of road agents that had been robbing and murdering citizens of Bannack and the Alder Gulch mining communities. Ironically, in 1863, Sheriff Plummer had constructed the very gallows on which he was hanged to hang convicted murderer Peter Horan.
The cursing Ned Ray was the first to be hanged. The Vigilantes lifted him up and then dropped him from a few feet. Struggling wildly, Ray managed to get one of his hands loose and under the hangman’s noose. Consequently, Ray died slowly from suffocation. Buck Stinson was next. Watching Ray’s struggles, he said, “There goes poor Ned.” Plummer asked, “Give a man time to pray.” “Certainly,” replied the Vigilante, “but say your prayers up there,” as he pointed to the gallows.
Plummer had one last request. “Let me beg that you will give me a good drop.” Plummer was lifted as high as the men could before dropping him. He died quickly without a struggle.
Sheriff Plummer was good to the last drop.
Photo from Montana Historical Society.
Identify the Aircraft
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I’d like to point out that the missile on the wing root (*not belly) is likely a dummy AIM-120. An AIM-7 would have much larger fins than the ones shown here. Furthermore, since this is a promotional image, it’s more likely they would attach a next-generation missile rather than the older AIM-7.
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Friend or Foe?
3
Two graphics to aid your identification – 8 built, still in production – military and civilian variants
Parting Shot
(h/t Ian McMurtrie)
End
California debt, you might need to update your numbers?
PJ Media had an article a few weeks ago and the best they can find (as there seems to be a lot of under reporting) is that Ca budget is 18 billion in debt. But this is an estimate so could be wrong.
I think you’re correct on that, and the graphic (which I didn’t make) is wrong.
Difference is between deficit and debt. CA’s deficit may be $18B, but their actual debt is around $400B. Deficit is just about this year’s spending not covered by revenues, they have run up the debt to incredible levels.
Thanks, Sean
Exactly…more political accounting slight-of-hand to keep the General Public in the dark of how bad things have gotten under their purvey. Same goes with inflation; rate of inflation (used by Dems) or the actual inflation rate.
1 – General Dynamics F-16XL with 6 AGM-65 Mavericks
2 – Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot
3 – Russian Sukhoi Su-80
Nailed them.
Additional on the F-16XL (from a former F-16 Crew Chief at Edwards AFB, late ’80s).
Only two F-16XLs made, competed against the F-15E, lost, and went to NASA after the competition to be used for various programs. One included putting a “glove” on one wing to test boundary-layer air flow technologies.
Yes, six AGM-65 under the wings, wingtips have AIM-9 missiles (probably the “L” version)
The missiles mounted on either side of the engine towards the rear of the fuselage appear to be dummy AIM-120 which had not been yet fielded for delivery when the XL flew. Hence, blank with no paint or other markings. Just a shape
The F100 engine in the XL (flat “turkey feathers”) is the competitor to the F101 “curved turkey feathers”), both of which were used in the F-16s, and the F100 in the F-15. Interestingly, I saw a prototype F-15 with F101 engines at Edwards. Strange sounding beast, apparently unofficially broke some time-to-climb records
The F100/F101 engine is smaller in diameter and shorter than the F135 of the F-35 program. Would have similar problems to what the Israelis dealt with stuffing the J79 engine into the Mirage fighters to make the Kfir
The XL would have made an excellent successor to the F-16 Block 40 and later versions. More fuel, longer fuselage, better weapons and avionics.
Yes, I’m a geek, and I loved my time working on the F-16.
Oh, and that hook under the engine is not a full tailhook a la Navy arresting hook. The F-16/F-16XL hook is just for emergencies when the brakes fail for whatever reason. Pneumatically pushed down, no retract capability. Also used to secure the aircraft to the ground when doing engine runs.
Thanks WN.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. General Dynamics F-16XL
2. Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25M1
3. Sukhoi Su-80
British Columbia: yes, but is that $11.3 billion Canuckbucks or is it American real money, hur hur hur.
Trick question. Neither is real.
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Falchions, falcatas and so forth. What about the kopesh? Weirdly, I remembered the name immediately without problems, whereas lately the recall on stuff such the names of children of friends (for example) are out of reach at the moment — then pop into my head 30-60 minutes later. 😕 (Sam, by the way. Sam!)
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Clintons: Do you expect a preference cascade at any point? (Hopefully before BJ Clinton shuffles off this mortal coil.) I mean, a lot of people must hate them both, even among hardest-core Democrat loyalists. They are not nice nor loyal people. It’d be like Harvey Weinstein: highly influential and seemingly untouchable for the longest time, then suddenly it was not only okay, but de rigeur to hate him.
Ol’ Bill’s life of debauchery is catching up with him, similar age to PDJT yet looks like death warmed-over in comparison. Not looking too food there, Bill….might have something to do with longterm proximity to The Death Star.
*’food’ hahaha ‘good’ (hey, the ‘f’ is next to the ‘g’ on our wacky Qwerty keypad…honest iPad finger typing error, and semi-early AM eyes)
BillC has to be around the succubus, Hillary. PDJT hangs with Melania.
There was a side-by-side comparison meme featuring Bill Clinton looking like death warmed over, and Sammy Hagar looking good – both at the same age. The text said Hagar had years of drugs and rock-n-roll, while Clinton was married to Hillary.
😁
🤣
The Kopesh didn’t come up in the conversation. They were effective to a limited degree because they were usually bronze. Thus spears and arrows seemed to work better. Lord High Executioner Beans will know, but I don’t. How did the Egyptians make their compound bows?
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The Clintons have a book, and a phone to call if your car brakes need to fail. People fear them.
>have a book, and a phone to call
Fair enough. (You mean it’s NOT dozens of random coincidences?!!) But I still don’t understand. Clearly they can’t have a monopoly on books and phones. The reasons behind the … let’s call it “asymmetry” are above my pay grade.
Remember when they were the dual presidents, and all those agency documents were transferred to the White House. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.
The Kopesh is excellent against light armor, woven, reed, or even early styles of glued linen armor (think aramid fiber armor, eh, it worked.) Bronze is great against said light armor.
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Took a history class with a good history teacher. The reason the Greeks won at Marathon is the beach is very heavily sloped, covered in rocks, the Persians were at the water’s edge wearing light to no armor and the Greeks were heavily armored (about 60lbs or more of kit and kaboodle – helm, back and breast plate, greaves, shield, spear (held in shield hand) and sword – either the falcata or a leaf-blade sword) and just running down the slope of the beach was enough to give the Greeks speed and weight damage. Think a line of 5000 NFL players, wearing full pads and all, charging down a slope upon 50,000 high school football players wearing light pads at most and redshirts. Yeah…
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As to the Egyptian and other Middle East compound bows, layers of sinew sandwiched between horn and wood using hoof and hide glue. Not the best weapon in high-humidity environments but you can shellac or over-glue with waterproof glue and somewhat seal the bow.
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Bronze isn’t a bad metal. Some mixes hold a great edge, and also offer decent shock protection so you don’t crack it when hitting something. Again, great against light armor. Against heavier bronze armor, the thicker bronze blade with a wider ‘v’ edge transmits force and energy into the opponent, denting the armor and you can, with enough denting, screw up an armored opponent.
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The Falcata, having a heavier front end, like a kukri, is great for the chop. Not the most maneuverable weapon because it’s weight forward, but it’s not designed for rapier-style sword fighting. You swing it down. You swing it up. You slash side-to-side. All around a 4′ diameter bronze shield. Hack and chop. Chop and hack. Hey, there’s some dude with a wicker or leather shield, hack into it and cut his fucking arm off. That’s what a falcata or giant kukri is for. HAAAAAACKING!!!
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The Falchion is more, um, a giant cleaver. Because the weight is in a straight line, and the blade is basically a giant ‘v’ cross section, it is more maneuverable than a blade with weight forward. It, too, is designed for hacking and chopping, not fancy blade work, but because it’s better balanced than the falcata you can maneuver it around a lot better. Still, it’s designed to hack and chop, hack and chop man-at-arms, hack-and-chop horses (legs, especially,) hack-and-chop fully armored warriors (especially once they’re on the ground because you cut their horses’ legs off.) It’s a great weapon for the conscripts and armed-bands that aren’t professional or full-time soldiers, who were oftentimes armed with a more conventional style double-edged ‘diamond cross section’ arming sword.
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Falchions, think friggin machetes made from railroad rails. Heavy duty. Great for hacking and chopping. Also great for, um, hacking and chopping, like to brush and trees and such. Later refined into various styles of ‘engineering’ or ‘artillery’ swords, which were used for… hacking and chopping things like brushes and trees and such and people who got too close to shoot them with the artillery. Also great for cutting out a dead horse from harness.
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Yes, the falchion is head heavy, but not as bad as you think. The Falcata is more head heavy.
And the Kopesh is a weird weapon to wield. Great for whacking unarmored peasants from the back of a chariot or when covered by shieldmen, but it doesn’t move like you see it in the video games. Go figure. Though relatively okay for lopping off heads execution-style.
>Kopesh is a weird weapon to wield. Great for whacking unarmored peasants from the back of a chariot
I guess it’d be okay for whacking at the unarmored whilst presumably moving at something above walking pace. But that hook on the inside end of the curved section looks like a great way to lose your weapon if you’re a cavalryman. I could see it snagging on an opponent’s armor, or hell, even on a rib, and when you’re moving at speed with the combined momentum of yourself and your horse, you’re gonna lose your grip on the danged thing. I know basically nothing about kopeshs (or khopesh or however it’s transliterated) but I kinda figured the hook was a means of controlling your opponent in combat on foot (like using your ax or tomahawk as a hook rather than only as an impact/cutting weapon).
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Bringing this up only because of the Dothraki “arakh” (isn’t that an alcoholic drink somewhere on the steppes?) on the TV show. I never understood why nomadic horse people would have THAT as their signature weapon. Though I seem to recall the TV weapons didn’t have the terminal hook at least.
Mike, you use the outer edge when cavalrying, like a saber or cutlass. You use the hook portion to get over the other guy’s shield or for getting under armor.
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Otherwise it really is a freaky weird weapon to try to use. All the weight is way to the front of your hand and outward. Which is great for hacking, sucks for finesse work. Like, well, imagine trying to use a harvesting scythe the same way you use a halberd. No, you can’t. Harvesting scythes totally suck as a weapon, totally. It’s kind of the same thing with a kopesh, which is basically a war scythe, kind of. Only good for hacking and chopping, strike, recoil, strike, recoil, same same. You can’t really cut or attack with the back of the blade after the strike like you can with a straight blade, even a straight single-edged blade (hitting someone with the back of a falchion or greater sax or other triangular cross-section blade isn’t the best thing to do, but you can still knock the crap out of someone with that flat back edge, and drag the tip through skin, especially if you’ve given the last inch or so of the back tip an edge.
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The kopesh died a reasonable death once even conscripted foot soldiers started wearing a reasonable amount of even light armor or heavy padded outfits. Why? Because bronze in that shape can only do so much, and it’s really a friggin sucky blade. Better to use the bronze in an axe head or cast mace head, or some straight blade like the Greek xyphos (double edged leaf-shaped blade.)
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And don’t look at modern versions made of steel or iron of any ancient bronze weapon. The bronze weapon is cast and then ground/filed to an edge. It has to be thicker in the blade, often cast with ridges parallel to the edge (kind of a reverse fuller) in order to keep the blade from cracking and bending. Bronze is great, until it isn’t.
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A perfect example of this is “Forged in Fire.” Really neat modern recreations of ancient weapons and what’s produced has nothing to do with crappy iron blades or bronze blades or even copper blades. You can’t do with bronze or crappy iron or copper what you can do with steel or refined iron. Especially using today’s modern steels and forging methods (like, why do damascus or pattern welding when you can buy a nice flat strip of mono-steel that’s far superior to anything, like ANYTHING available even 100 years ago, less metals available 3000-4000 years ago.
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I want to see some of these ‘smiths’ and ‘master smiths’ actually sand-cast a bronze blade and get it working right.
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An addendum is that there are flavors/mixes of modern bronze that are as good or superior to iron and steel available in 1000 AD. So even modern ‘crap’ metal is far superior to yesterday’s best metals.
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Yes. damascus or multiple folding (like Japanese blades) or even fine pattern welding (hard steel edge, soft steel core) look nice, but that’s all vanity. Screw all that and make your damn blade out of a nice, strong but flexible mono-steel and you’ll have a superior blade without potential weak spots or cracks. You can even use modern electric induction fields to temper the edges and leaving the body less tempered and get a really superior blade.
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And, yes, I shout at the tv when some person on said tv says damascus or tamagahame is so superior to European pattern welding or monosteels. No. NO! NO THEY ARE NOT. The only reason for damascus or tamagahame is the smith has access to crappy steel only and has to use lots of really strange and nasty ‘tricks’ in order to get a reasonably strong blade. Meanwhile, Scandinavians, Franks and Germans were smithing using meteoric and bog iron and getting much better irons and steels right off which is why you don’t need damascus or tamagahame to have a friggin great weapon. And why you can smash and break damascus and tamagahame blades with your ‘worthless’ European iron/steel blade.
Thanks Beans. In the field (including today) blades are still significant for practical utility as are tomahawks. Yes, they are also combat effective in some environments but so often you need the tool value (historically – like cutting a dead trace horse from the harness). The MK-3 Navy Knife is kind of a P.O.S. as a fighing knife but it’s a good camp knife – cheap, and utilitarian. The same is true of the KA-BAR, which fills very much the same role. You can fight with it but there are many better options for reasons I won’t go into here. I’m a big fan of the Kukri and have one on my desk as I speak, made in Nepal from a leaf spring. It’s one of my favorite knives. My Yarborough (from my buddy who died 18 months ago) is next to the bed.
Blades are tools. You don’t, or shouldn’t, dig holes or cut brush with a dagger or poniard. A good heavy blade like a Bowie is a good multi-tool that can be a weapon or a tool. But it’s much better to have a dedicated fighting blade and use it for fighting and have a designated ‘camp’ blade for doing camp things. Yes, both can do the other, but it’s not a great idea.
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Which, of course, normal people figured out a long time ago, which is why there’s a plethora of tool style blades. Just look at all the different blades for harvesting meat, skinners and gutters and scrapers and and and. Yes, you can have one knife to do it all, generally okay, but it helps to have dedicated task oriented blades.
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I have both a dirk (triangular blade with point) near my bed, of which I could easily stab through Level II or Level II+ or even soft Level III armor) or slash with, and a really nice Cold Steel ‘machete’ kukri that after I got finishes sharpening it I damn near really hurt myself with the edge (not as badly as the time I almost sunk an Xacto knife blade through my femoral artery in my right leg, missed it by an inch…) So I will lop off someone’s hands with that one, and it’s right next to the dirk and the pistol, near the shotgun (I really want a bayonet for my shotgun, just because…) Then there’s the on-sale-at-Walmart SOG tomahawk that I bought for less than $10 that is really really nice and I have used the back spike to go through 14g steel plate. Not bad for ‘cheap.’
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As I said above, modern steel blends are so superior to even what we had 100 years ago that good mono-steel blades can be cheap and far stronger than old weapons.
Clintons: 3AM raid at their place of residence (sans rummaging through HRCs underwear drawer…ick). Goose/gander. Enough of these people thinking they are better than regular folks, therefore untouchable. As for Comer and his ‘CoC’, fine, keep it legal (because we’re not them), but action is required not useless paper threats.
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Banks: Cry me a river. Incidentally, how is it when a person withdrawals more than $10,000 this triggers reporting to the IRS? They say this is due to regulations aimed at preventing financial crimes. So banks are in bed with the IRS, treating common folks like criminals with their own cash, none of their business. Double cry me a river.
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About to be hanged: To be that calm as second up is pretty tough mentally.
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Mini Sidebar: PDJT/Insurrection Act Threat/Minneapolis: Pull out [all of our people trying to do their jobs], leave the place to the mentally demented self-destructive types who enjoy burning down their place of residence (or latest activist target center descended upon) with a warning no one is coming to help.
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FBI… “found in his lunchbox and basement”: See, yet another reason to not have a basement. Plus, if in a wet prone area and no French drain system installed said documents would get mildewed. The box in a garage next to a coveted Corvette is definitely safer. Oh, and what kind of lunchbox was it…Superman? Scooby Doo? Those could be worth some bucks on eBay if the thermos is in good condition.
Ps. You in Athens: Looks like business attire, otherwise you’d be in a linen suit with no tie, and maybe an appropriate Havana hat. (If dressed like a modern tourist you’d be wearing board shorts, a Van Halen t-shirt, and flip flops…and a man-bun.)
A man bun?
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Athens, most of Europe and the Middle East are suit territory. Greece is quite formal. The Middle East is always dark business suits.
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I once attended a meeting with all of the intelligence chiefs in Europe. Everyone wore suits but the Swede. He showed up wearing shorts, boat shoes, a Hawaiian shirt and pukka beads and he was somewhere around a .25 blood alcohol.
What’d you expect, he’s SWEEEDISSH. (As said in my best Danish impression)
Bill, and Hillary, amassed a huge amount of dirt on anyone they could find. Politicians, and bureaucrats, were the easiest to investigate; they had so much of their information available without really looking. They’ll never be prosecuted. Making them disappear is the easiest solution, and they may make the mistake of leading someone very powerful to believe it’s the best solution. So be it. I doubt there will be much of any mourning, but huge sighs of relief.
Agree with Jess, and this goes all the way back to Arkansas. Depending on whom you believe, Hildabeast has had 59 or more folks… have accidents… Their time is coming, I’m sure.
Missiles. Apparently the U.S. has under development the Mako, our first hypersonic air-to-air missile. First heard of it the other day on YouTube.
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In my younger days, I was PC ACM junkie, mostly with WWII centered games. These days I occasionally wander over to “Growling Sidewinder” channel. I recently watched an episode where an F-22 Raptor intercepted a mixed formation of Russian bombers and fighters. YouTube said this video was posted 7 months ago. The host narrates as he flies, admitting if a simulation is new to him and he is still learning.
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Yes, I am deliberately setting aside that it is just a computer simulation, completely dependent on the accuracy (or not) of the algorithms, as to aircraft performance, weapons, radar, battle damage, etc.
Very early “missiles”. Not that I’m in the market, but still very cool.
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https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/fudd-friday-pedersoli-baker-rifle-44825038
Why is everybody so hard on politicians? They only want what is best for us. Since they know what is best for us, we not having their keen insight, we should just relax and go with the flow.
They are your betters after all. You should respect them for that if for nothing else. If you should ask them, they’ll explain their superiority to you, but it’s self-evident.
My wife is inordinately proud that one of her gg grandfather’s was a member of the group that formed the Montana Vigilance Committee. I try to stay on her good side.
3-7-77 (We named our BBQ team The Pigilance Committee and used nooses to hang our bullet-holed sign. We were amused even if no one else was.)
“Good to the last drop”, that is funny!
Mobs the world over seem to be made up of small men with big appetites.
Or big women with big appetites
They seem to be so unhappy with themselves.