Speculation

Thoughts on the US Political Landscape

Political trends are always fluid, and in many cases, pressures and divisions that have built within a party can lead to surprising consequences. Certainly that is what happened to the established GOP in 2015-2016. Today we are seeing a similar phenomenon in the Democratic Party, but this is not a sudden eruption of Socialists or communists, but a gradual erosion which became apparent slowly, perhaps first with the rise of the self-proclaimed Marxist leaders of the BLM organization, the near-nomination of Ultra-socialist Bernie Sanders, the blatantly anti-American positions of various Democrats (The squad comes to mind.) and now the ascension to power of Mandami et al in one of America’s premier cities.

The Democrats have been shedding mainstream supporters ( the middle-class and the workers unions, except for the Bolshie teachers unions) slowly for years, in favor of identity and far-out leftist agendas, but only now are the old-time liberal Democrats beginning to be aware of the growing monster they spawned and gave power to within their own ranks. These people will not be so easily sidelined as Bernie Sanders was. And after Trump is out of the White House, other than hating Israel and promoting suicidal Marxist policies, you have to wonder what is going to hold the Democratic Party together. Though if we reflect on the Animal Farm model, they’ll always be able to find a new enemy, and a new grievance.

Higgins Boats

Perhaps the only time a Higgins PT mounted the MK18 tubes. PT70 was fitted with them for a short period prior to being refitted as a YP. She also appears to mount a pair of the interim Colt .50 gun mounts in the two forward turrets. In a related photo, she does not have a gun mount in the aft turret.

Bullet Points:

** The Fergusson Rifle – an attempt at a better mousetrap.

** “However, a CBS California investigation found it was the California High-Speed Rail Authority that repeatedly failed to meet its own deadlines to buy the trains — a key requirement in the federal grant agreement — then quietly dropped its lawsuit weeks after missing the new deadline it promised a federal judge it would meet.” This project will go down as one of the greatest scams ever foisted on the public. A multitude of books will be written about it, and someday the complete picture of fraud, incompetence, and corruption will be revealed.

** The irrepressible needle gun.

** In Ukraine.

** Why doesn’t Arizona have concentrations of crude oil like other states? Large oil states like Texas were covered by deep, quiet ancient seas for hundreds of millions of years, accumulating thick layers of organic material. Most of Arizona was either exposed land or experienced shallow, shifting environments that did not preserve enough organic matter to generate massive petroleum reserves. (the hole in the doughnut)

** The king of the battlefield. Nobody who has gone to war against a combined arms force doubts the absolute value of self-propelled guns.

** Shooting with EdB

** What is the Democrat preference? The Democratic Party’s civil war will see a major battle this week. The action will be in Michigan on Tuesday, when communist Abdul El-Sayed will square off against Haley Stevens, a socialist painted with a more moderate brush, in perhaps the most watched Senate primary of the cycle so far. El-Sayed is running as a fierce critic of Israel and the political establishment, not DSA-endorsed but certainly DSA-adjacent. Haley Stevens is a far more conventional candidate, and has the backing of Michigan machine big hitters, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

** Robotics in the classrooms – evolving technology.

** Chatting about the Russian nuclear battlecruiser.

** Pricing crude oil – The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) offers Dubai crude oil derivatives, primarily featuring the Dubai 1st Line Future contract (symbol: DBI), which settles against S&P Global Platts daily assessments for physical Dubai crude. It functions as a key financial benchmark and risk-management tool for Middle Eastern sour crude. Pricing oil futures is a different game than looking at the Brent Crude Fix or other immediate price fluctuations. In March, ICE was forced to reassure traders in the volatile Murban market that there was enough crude on hand. That reflected mounting strain on the futures contract, which relied on physical cargoes loaded from the UAE, where Iranian strikes had disrupted exports. Added pressure came from oil majors building large positions that amplified the price swings, Bloomberg reported. Grading crude oil is another game because heavy oil (like tar sands) is blended with lighter oil to create a product that is loaded onto a ship or dropped into a pipeline that reaches a refinery. Most refineries are built to process a particular grade range.

The Middle East

CDRSAL discusses the aspect of airpower in the Iran War. (break, change of perspective) I speak on the phone to some people, including Israelis who have opinions – (Caveat) Israelis have different opinions between themselves as to Americans – and some of them are of the opinion that the USA needs to invade Iran with ground troops. I respond that we might follow on after Israel does that. They laugh and say, “Israel can’t do that.” I respond, “Why do you think that the USA should?” And so it goes.

We made Iran our fight more than anything because Iran made it our fight. You can discuss Israel’s hand in it and fair enough, but they made it our fight 47 years ago and have not let up. They could have made toasters and electric drill motors instead of missiles, and everyone would have got along, but they chose not to. I fully expect the UAE to invade some of the islands in the Gulf that they claim. That they have not tells me that US recon assets advise against it for reasons that are classified.

Back to air power. Iranian people have signaled by their inaction that they’re content with having the IRGC run the country. They don’t want regime change in a way significant enough to make it happen. The Middle East is exceptionally complicated. I have had shot callers in Kurdistan recently ask me questions, and I answer with “what do you want?” If I’d asked my daughter that when she was young, she’d say, “I want a pony for Christmas, Daddy.” We lived in the city. A pony isn’t only a small horse; it’s feeding, housing, tack, etc. A pony isn’t just a pony, and it’s not always only about the money. So in the Middle East. Airpower can cut lines of supply and communication and can shut down the power and water, but it can’t bring about a change in government if the people don’t want it.

Arizona Politics

Republican gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs named former state senator Sine Kerr  (pict right) as his running mate Friday, the first time an Arizona gubernatorial candidate has selected a running mate for lieutenant governor.

Kerr, a Buckeye dairy farmer who represented Maricopa and Yuma counties in the state Senate from 2018 to 2025, most recently served as Arizona state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency after a 2025 appointment by President Donald Trump. Biggs said she has the respect of farmers, ranchers, and policymakers statewide.

This November marks the first time Arizona voters will elect a governor and lieutenant governor together, and the lieutenant governor will become first in the line of succession, replacing the secretary of state.

Biggs is challenging incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, who has until Sept. 4 to name her own running mate. Hobbs has not made a pick and has said she is open to choosing a Republican.

Since the elections are no longer rigged in favor of Arizona democrats, the existing dems are nervous in the service. Because Arizona has a Republican-led legislature, Hobbs has utilized her veto power at record-breaking levels to block conservative priorities on border security, SAFE election protocols, and education. Her critics view this as obstructionist and hyper-partisan. VM views Hobbs as a weak leader irrespective of party affiliation. The Arizona Highway Patrol/State Police has a 23.58% vacancy rate among sworn staff, leaving the state short on the personnel needed to perform basic functions. It represents the sort of problems that Hobbs has control over and didn’t do much about.

Gov. Hobbs has positioned herself as pro-agriculture, and Biggs’ pick of Sine Kerr, who owns a large dairy operation and has a very detailed understanding of Arizona agriculture, is a move to push back against Hobbs. Because Kerr is a woman, using her to challenge Hobbs on her positions won’t be viewed as ‘sexist’.

***

Blackjacking?

I had never heard the term until I watched S3/E1 of Lioness last night. Is kidnapping a black person/person of color called blackjacking now?

Jo (Zoe Saldana) leaves her house and is ripped from her car in a staged accident. She screams, “I’m blackjacked! I’m blackjacked!” as the men take her away. We’ll have to wait on that one, though, because Lioness immediately cuts back to six months earlier, before I assume some sort of data breach in the CIA leaks everyone’s identities. Jo and her team head to the front lines of Donetsk, Ukraine, where Taylor Sheridan’s character Sergeant Major Cody Spears (US Army Delta) reappears to outline their mission. They’re out to capture a senior Russian officer, who only Jo can identify. “Until we have the target, you are the mission,” he tells her.

Sheridan and the crew guzzle down C4 energy drinks (product placement), load up their guns, and join a battlefield of killer drones, crotch-ripping dogs, and indiscriminate gunfire. “This place, it’s like World War I and Star Wars slammed into each other,” CIA officer Kyle McManus (Thad Luckinbill) adds. God help us if Sheridan’s character starts to feel the Force, but it’s a nice taste of how his live-action Call of Duty film with Peter Berg might move in a few years. Warfare looks like video games more than ever before.

The team switches from traversing trenches to invading a bunker to tracking the Russian officer down an underground tunnel. Sheridan orders “dogs!” at least half a dozen times, and the canines tear their NORK enemies to shreds before the squad rains lead on them to finish the job. The mission to capture this Russian officer, for whatever it’s worth to the U.S. government, is a thrilling success. And the pacing—even for Lioness—is the right kind of insane.

When Jo returns home at night after landing, two unnamed dorky-looking men (they’re white so I can say that) knock on her door claiming to be the state police. After they attempt to break in (pre-blackjacking, I guess), Jo shoots them both (one, apparently unarmed, in the back, while he’s running away) before calling in the attack to the CIA Watch Center. Eventually, in season 3, I’m sure we’ll land back at her blackjacking. Remember, we started at her car hijacking and then somehow ended at the frontlines of the Russo-Ukrainian war? It’s breakneck Lioness. No lesbian love or scissoring yet. When I was young, the motto was, “No sky too high, no sea too deep, no muff too tough,” and the more things change, the more they remain the same.

We never envisioned the integration of women into the tip of the spear. As bad as it is when men are captured, the Russians and Muslims have a practice of whoring out female (infidel) noncombatants, and that still exists – until they die – some time later – maybe months. I’m sure that it would be worse for captured female combatants.

Identify the Aircraft

1

Flying Shoe

I think this was the one described as needing/having a runway lubricated with crushed watermelons because it had skids, not traditional landing gear. Russians make do with what’s at hand…

Identify the Tank

2

Still in production – about 250 built (different variants). This tank (as with 3 below) was built in part to be exported for profit, but as noted below, the tank export market has dried up.

3

There is a joint national production on this tank (2 nations producing it). There was hope that an export market might develop, but as with all main battle tanks, the impact of aerial drones, which in part destroyed Russia’s mighty tank army in Ukraine, has had a chilling impact on sales as everyone takes a breath and re-evaluates.

Russia has lost an estimated 12,230 tanks according to Ukrainian reports, while independent visual tracking databases like WarSpotting document over 3,700 visually confirmed destroyed or abandoned individual tanks.

As of mid-2026, open-source intelligence records visually confirm that Russia has lost at least 213 of its newest T-90 tanks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Because these figures only account for losses verified through publicly available photos or videos, the actual number of destroyed, damaged, or captured T-90 variants is estimated to be significantly higher. Those new tanks had no significant impact on the progress of the war for Russia.

End