Caption: Causing tears or weeping – there’s much of that happening in the Democrat Party at the moment. I keep hearing that the Associated Press is upset that they’ve been excluded from the Oval Office. Big alligator tears keep falling. It wouldn’t have happened had they been respectful toward the President of the United States (who has his booking photo hanging outside the Oval Office). Elections have consequences.
The mainstream media is upset that lesser mortals, such as bloggers who report the news, have been invited to White House briefings. The White House has been busy issuing press credentials. It used to be that only the most elite reporters could enter. Now, they must mingle with the great unwashed. How frustrating. I can see how it would lead to tears.
Pedo Joe never held press conferences because of his advanced state of dementia. I can understand that. He’d often drift off to sleep when meeting with foreign leaders. Kamala didn’t hold pressers either because she’s dumb as a stump, and it would have looked bad. President Trump answers questions extemporaneously (to all but AP), and they’re having difficulty keeping up.
MAGA – promises made, promises kept.
Directed Energy Weapons
(h/t Claudio) MILAN — Interest in direct-energy weapons is rising in the Gulf region, a technology in which Israel has proclaimed itself a leader with the fielding of the Iron Beam.
Absent the breakthrough capability, militaries in the region are stuck with the costly proposition of shooting interceptor missiles at incoming threats, an economic calculus that some find untenable.
Sasha Bruchmann, a research fellow at the Bahrain office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, explained that while Gulf states share the allure of directed-energy weapons, no joint initiative exists dedicated to researching or developing such systems.
“There has been a shared interest in so far as most would want to have them. They are high on the priority list of most regional states – however, there is no common Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approach or umbrella that I am aware of to foster this cooperatively or even bilateral cooperation,” he said.
The expert noted that Saudi Arabia is reported to have already purchased a Chinese-made, minor laser counter-drone system and that the United Arab Emirates appears to want to develop these types of weapons through independent initiatives. Janes reported on Saudi efforts to that effect last month.
On a more personal note, the US Army deployed a Patriot Missile Battery to Kurdistan to counter the threats from ballistic missiles that Iran fires at them from time to time just for shits and giggles. The Iranians are concerned about ten million Iranian Kurds wanting to separate from under the thumb of the Supreme Leader and claim their oil-rich region for themselves. Because of that, they try to let Kurdistan know who the big dog is. (A market scene in Erbil, Kurdish Regional Government, Iraq – right) They fly the Flag of Kurdistan there. I haven’t seen a single Iraqi flag.
The Patriots and the THAAD systems offer more range against ballistic missiles than directed energy weapons, but that will change over time. I guess the Kurds would also like to have their own Iron Beam systems.
Draft Picks – Finding Global Talent
Skilled, assimilated immigration is key to the future prosperity and competitiveness of the United States. Skilled immigrants bring innovation, entrepreneurship, and specialized knowledge, fueling economic growth. They create new businesses and jobs and contribute to technological advancement. Skilled immigrants contribute disproportionately to innovation and entrepreneurship. For example, immigrants have founded over half of Silicon Valley startups, driving job creation and technological advancement.
Elon Musk, for example, is an immigrant from South Africa who chose to come to America because it is a land of opportunity. The Americans reading this blog (you know who you are) mostly had ancestors who arrived in much the same way and for the same reasons. You can argue that immigrants who crossed the Bering Straits 10,000 years ago did so to find something better.
The US faces shortages in critical fields like STEM, healthcare, and technology. Skilled immigrants fill these gaps, ensuring industries remain competitive. Many developed nations face aging populations and declining birth rates. The US holds its own, but the handwriting is on the wall. Immigration helps maintain a healthy workforce and supports social programs. Attracting the best and brightest minds worldwide ensures the US remains at the forefront of innovation and progress.
Imagine the US as a football team with the first million draft picks. Would you choose randomly, or would you scout the best talent worldwide?
Here’s the breakdown:
The US needs a system that identifies and attracts top talent globally, like scouts searching for the best athletes. Visa programs and immigration policies act as the draft, selecting individuals with the highest potential and skills. Assimilation programs help immigrants integrate into society, fostering a sense of belonging and maximizing their contributions to the team. Other “teams” (nations) are also scouting for talent.
The US must offer attractive opportunities and a welcoming environment to win the best players. Skilled immigration is not just about filling jobs; it’s about building a dynamic, innovative, and competitive nation. Assimilation is crucial for maximizing immigration benefits, ensuring newcomers feel welcome and can contribute fully to society. The US must actively compete for global talent, offering the best opportunities and a welcoming environment.
*** *** ***
Bullet Points:
** Whose side am I on? I am on the side of the taxpayers. The Permanent Washington Establishment is on the other side. MRSLL had her abacus out, figuring out how much of our income went to taxes, including indirect taxes. She spooked herself. MAGA means shrinking the size of government and bringing it into balance with national income/GDP with a tax structure that doesn’t lay waste to the nation. This means that we shouldn’t need to spend a trillion dollars a year on defense when the DOD can’t pass an audit.
** Mars/Venus – yes, we’re different.
** (NY Post) The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Friday that it recovered nearly $2 billion in funds “misplaced” by the Biden administration. The massive trove belonged to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It was discovered a day after HUD Secretary Scott Turner launched a DOGE task force at his agency.
** Here’s a worthy mission for the Internal Revenue Service: Investigate every single one. Both sides of the aisle. If they’re leaving public service office millionaires, we have a right to know how they did it. Make it public.
*** *** ***
Meanwhile – on Dune
The Harkonnens, fat (ok, “ample” – I don’t wish to body shame them), greasy, corrupt, infest Arrakis like sandworms in a spice field. They think they own the place. They think they own everything. Spice flows, and they gorge themselves. The Fremen suffer, bleed in the sand, and these… these bloated ticks suck it all dry. They sit in their air-conditioned palaces on Giedi Prime, laughing, while the desert winds howl and the common man starves.
On his Golden Lion Throne, the Emperor is so high and mighty. But he’s just another worm in the ground, man. Another puppet. Pulling strings, cutting deals with the Bene Gesserit witches, and the Spacing Guild. They’re all in on it. One big, cosmic conspiracy. They whisper about the Great Convention, about CHOAM, but it’s all just words. Just a smokescreen. Behind it all, it’s the same old story: greed, power, corruption.
They talk about how the spice must flow. But they don’t care about the flow. They care about the profit. They care about lining their own pockets. They don’t care about the people. They don’t care about Arrakis. They see it as a resource to be exploited, drained dry, then left to rot. Just like they do with everything else, it’s in how they look at you like you’re nothing. You’re just another face in the crowd, another body to be expended and discarded.
Blame Bathhouse Barry!
(PJ Media) On Nov. 9, 2011, Obama signed an executive order to cut waste and promote efficient spending throughout the federal government. “Well, from the day I took office, one of the commitments that I made to the American people was that we would do a better job here in Washington in rooting out wasteful spending,” Obama said when he signed the executive order.
“At a time when families have had to cut back, have had to make some tough decisions about getting rid of things that they don’t need in order to make the investments that they do, we thought that it was entirely appropriate for our governments and our agencies to try to root out waste, large and small, in a systematic way.”
“Now, this does mean making some tough choices,” he continued. “It means cutting some programs that I think are worthy, but we may not be able to afford right now. A lot of the action is in Congress and legislative and budget. I know the joint committee on trying to reduce our deficits is [sic] engaged in a very difficult conversation right now, and we want to encourage them to complete their work. But in the meantime, we don’t need to wait for Congress to do something about wasteful spending that’s out there.”
Obama even called out Congress for not doing more, necessitating his stepping in.
“Cutting waste, making government more efficient, is something that leaders in both parties have worked on,” he explained.
“We haven’t seen as much action out of Congress as we’d like, and that’s why we launched, on our initiative, the campaign to cut waste. Not just to cut spending but to make government work better for Americans.”
***
Blame Guns?
“Mexican officials aren’t even trying to hide the fact that the highest ranks of their federal government is rife with narco-terrorism corruption.
That’s not new, but it is rather bold, given that the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a petition to dismiss their frivolous case claiming U.S. firearm manufacturers are responsible for violent crime that’s plagued that country for decades.
If Mexican officials try to prove their case, their lawyers’ arguments don’t match what their government shows the world. Criminal drug cartels – which foment the murderous and illicit drug trade – continue to be comfortably embedded in their government, right up to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (above, left), a protégé of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.”
Identify the Armor
1
2
Identify the Aircraft
3
4
Parting Shot
End
2 is a Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke Tankette.
Yes!
Picking talent –
My wife is very well known in her field (published in five countries).
We looked at legally moving to USA when she had several invitations 20 years ago but decided the 10 years or more process was not worth the hassle. She did give some guest lectures but we had to be careful of your IRS rules.
Ah, the IRS. You know, I’ve worked with them as part of operational task forces, and they do have their uses in terms of power levers. But it’s a Byzantine world that is about to be upended.
Stigall just had an exchange with a caller, re: Stigall’s prior criticism of 700 workers shuffling IRS retirement records boxes inside Iron Mountain (PA) and that mode being stupid in this day and age. Caller brought up EMP and paper records being important. Stigall retorted, “If we have an EMP attack, or worse, I doubt someone’s retirement records will be first on the list of things to be concerned about.”
Truth…but showcases the mentality of some people and what they deem important in an emergency.
Not what they deem important.
What they use to mask their true intent.
Exactly Ed. Government is a 3-Card Monte/Smoke-n-Mirrors shell game. Now their ox is getting gored and they don’t like being found out. Oh well. (Again, my sympathy has run dry for these people, the ones who knew their job was mostly procedural Unicorn Farts.)
PS. Recent DOGE report indicates the CDC spent $238K on “solar picnic tables”.
(I’ll leave that there so as to ponder the level of idiocy of bureaucrat’s with our checkbook.)
PaulM – What do you have against picnic tables in the Sun? I think that’s a splendid use of my money. Only $238K? That’s a bargain. How much of it was kicked back to AOC and Ilhan Omar’s personal slush funds? Or Whoopie – she’s gotta eat – just look at her. 10,000 calories a day at minimum to sustain that bulk.
Nothing, whatever floats yer boat, as long as it’s not on my nickel…heck, someone paid a couple mil for a banana duct taped to a wall, then ate it. Bananas are $1.48 for a bunch at my local Walmart…and organic to boot.
(somewhere read it was TWO pic-a-nic tables…apparently a bargain at government prices).
Just asking for a friend. A dear friend. A partner in crime. The crime of learning and listening here on V.M. Will the Kurds really be able to attain their own sovereignty? I can only imagine how happy his better 1/2 would be if it happens.
BTW my friend rides 2 wheelers, shoots, and is one of the best life coaches I’ve ever known. I would have never known y’all if it weren’t for him.
While I may drop hints here and there about Kurdistan, a most interesting place, I charge for the 6-Dimensional Chess moves when it comes to details and if you’re not playing 6-D Chess in the Middle East today, you’re going to miss the boat. It’s exceptionally complicated.
Is there a friends and family discount?
Great take on the immigration draft. I nominate Aaron Rogers ( Un vaxed) to M.C. and HogsbreathSS to screen and select candidates.
I’ll gladly volunteer to orientate the field labores and construction force to follow the patriotic path. BTW I’m bilingual and trained to teach ESL.
Identify the Armor:
1. Vickers Light Dragon artillery tractor
2. Type 97 Te-Ke tankette
Identify the Aircraft:
3. Douglas F4D Skyray
4. Seafire FR. 47
Slam!
Off topic for today, but related to the identifying the submachine gun of yesterday. Larry and HogsbreathSS had an interesting exchange of views, as to whether said submachine gun was a Lanchester Mk1* or not. If anyone is interested, I have followed up my initial identification of the weapon as a Lanchester Mk1* with some background material which, I believe, supports my view. Then again, maybe not. I leave it up to you discerning gentlemen.
I hold with what I wrote when it comes to that particular SMG in the photo and agree with you. Since the British knocked off the Austrian weapon, there can always be reasonable doubt as to who manufactured that particular weapon since we don’t have it to examine. The context is important (photo).
I am sticking to my guns on this one. Pun intended, the SMG in the photo is a Standard model SIG Bergmann (Type BE) Model 1920 submachine gun with 50-round magazine. The SIG Bergmann submachine gun was offered for international export during the interwar period, with sales to Brazil, Bolivia, China, Finland, Japan, and Thailand. The Japanese contract model was adopted as the Type Be (for “Beruguman”) and was issued to Imperial Navy Marines. The vast majority of export sales of the SIG Bergmann were made in 7.63x25mm Mauser and 7.65x21mm Parabellum, though 9x19mm Parabellum guns were made in small numbers for the Swiss Army. The SIG Bergmann was widely copied by Chinese manufacturers during the 1920s and 1930s. Some Chinese copies were made with vertical magazine feeds, including the Tsing Tao 16th Year submachine gun.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenWeapons/comments/cbgvz6/japanese_marine_testing_the_sig_m1920_type_be/?rdt=42087
Weapon still has legs. Israel recovered one recently from Hamas in Gaza. You have to look closely in the first few minutes but it’s in excellent condition in the display of recovered weapons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-MhtPqv-iw
Al and HogsbreathSS – I want one for personal plinking.
Let me see what I can do.
Hi HogsbreathSS, I’m agreeing with Mike W. In the reference photo you can clearly see the bayonet lug that Ian discussed in the video I posted yesterday.
Here it is again:
https://youtu.be/9Ns2lv3b_p4?si=fovCU5Bwsr_VlKaw
Until the Potomac runs backwards from the liberal tears sluicing down the storm sewers of DC, I won’t be tired of winning, and even then, I’d be willing to suffer my discontent until the flow entirely ceases.
.
Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of New York.
X2…and PDJT’s epic entrance on AF1, then leading the Field at Daytona 500 yesterday, with the Thunderbird flyover…pure American pride right there….and the crowd showed their support. Patriotism matters…the whiners, cryers, and naysayers can go elsewhere if they don’t like it, see how well that works out.
#2 Love the P-38 in the background!
Wernher von Braun was a good example of exceptional talent assimilated into the United States. I know the circumstances were much different, but finding such talent is necessary for the United States. Separating the wheat from the chaff is the hard part, and my view of the past shows me those involved with finding these people could be easily swayed with money. A government agency would be the worst method.
A good vetting and a contract to stay after training…
How communism works.
But it’s never been done right yet….
Yet they keep trying, telling us they are the ones to do it correctly…this time.
Of course not! Communism is inherently Left.
(tishboom)
It’s like the thing about giving driving directions to a homosexual. You aren’t allowed to say “go straight” — for obvious reasons. The proper phrasing is “go gaily forward”. (No, I didn’t come up with that. Heard it from some gay comic ages ago.)
MAGA = Winning…anyone not on board can leave anytime they want.
The American Hockey team showed our resolve last night against the Canadian hockey team. The center had had enough of crowd booing America and took the gloves off at the first puck drop. The USA team – similar to our 1980 Olympic team, who were told by everyone that they had no chance (Miracle) – handily took care of business with a 3-1 win. Winning.
***
Obama who?
***
Mars/Venus-
Her: “My husband hasn’t talked to me all day…he’s staring at the game with nothing to say like I’m not even here…I’m worried he’s not in love with me anymore…what am I going to do… I think I’m going to cry…maybe I need to go home to my mother…I don’t know what to do…this is devastating.”
Him: “The truck is running rough after that last oil change, hope switching to synthetic blend didn’t do something to the motor.”
LSP and others have reported this: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced he was “ready and willing” to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine to enforce any peace deal. The Prime Minister said he had “not decided to consider putting British servicemen and women “in harm’s way” lightly.”
–
It’s good of Old Blighty to volunteer. One can only hope they will arrive in Ukraine with enough ammunition to fight the Russian hoard for a few months without resupply, should that be necessary. The British military shortages of ammunition have been widely discussed. And if they take all of their ammunition to Ukraine, what will the troops back home have should they need it for some military emergency?
–
When you consider that the Royal Army is smaller than the US Navy’s infantry contingent (US Marine Corps), one can only hope that they’re not putting all of their eggs into one basket.
PaulM – Obama who? Is he back to calling himself Barry Soetoro again?
Maybe he has, especially since he’s been hiding at one of their many compounds and will be made more irrelevant as the Trump Administration moves at after burner lightening speed, torching those behind.
*
Heard the EU is going full head exploding Scanners trying to keep their ill-gotten Club intact as Trump has a meeting with Putin and a few other in Saudi Arabia…decidedly without The Diminutive Ukrainian Thespian Democrat Money Launderer (hahahah). This is yet another move by the house of card crowd, shows how weak their position truly is, just like DEI being jettisoned at warp speed by K-Streeters.
Trump is a DEI champion! Look at his cabinet picks, and picks for lesser positions. They have things in common; ability, competence, and knowing which bathroom to use.
He prefers alpha personalities to beta personalities.
Directed energy weapons are NOT the be all to end all. A nascent technology at best, it has numerous issues, not the least being power consumption. Also heat dissipation is a major issue if high volume shots are needed. And it doesn’t work in rain, sandstorms, or fog. Other than that…it works…
They have an advantage on point defense, though the humidity and distortions will make them less effective in the boundary layer (an ocean-to-atmosphere transition effect).
“lachrymogenisis” – Johnnie Ray?
totally off topic for today:
as far as I can understand, the “Russia sanctions” haven’t/aren’t working (at least as planned), why not drop/cancel them?
Canceling Russian sanctions would mean they’ll compete with OPEC by lowering the price of petroleum products because they’ll be adding to the world commodity market…so you know that is on the agenda as peace breaks out.
–
As an aside, US gasoline consumption in Boron has not returned to pre-COVID levels. I suspect that is due to 22 million Americans working remotely and the aging population. Old people don’t drive as much. I think that electric cars are a lesser player in the cause-and-effect calculus.
“Assimilation is crucial for maximizing immigration benefits, ensuring newcomers feel welcome and can contribute fully to society.”
—
I’d suggest that it’s not about maximizing benefit, but rather that without assimilation, there is zero (or negative) NET benefit from the societal standpoint. We do not need any additional classes of people who (often or mostly; yes yes NAXALT) view themselves as apart and different from the rest of society, due to historical grievances both real and imagined. Personally I am opposed to mass immigration of Asians, for example, both East and South. Many East Asians will remain foreign by choice, and not integrate. However, apart from the ones that go to Harvard or Wellesley College and become progressive leftists, East Asians for the most part will not get much involved in political or cultural life, so that while they may be “space-occupying lesions” they won’t exactly metastasize and wreck other parts of society overall. And even the ones that “go Ivy” don’t seem to rise all that far. South Asians however, are much better than East Asians at verbal games, rules lawyering, and kissing up while shitting down. South Asians are more prone to go into politics and to rise in both academic and corporate power structures.
—
The thing about immigrants who refuse to assimilate is that they change the local culture. A hospital where the majority of physicians are from India, for example — and I mean born and raised there plus Indian med school and training, and not that grandpa came from Dehli — has a very different culture than one where the physicians are American-born and raised. Same applies to corporations. With enough changes in local cultures (Company X, University Y, Hospital Z, whatever) and you start seeing changes in overall societal culture. I would argue that most Asian cultures (East or South) are far more hierarchical than general American culture. It may be fine for Pajeets or Chinamen, but it is NOT fine for Americans, because it would change very nature of American-ness. (It also works in reverse, though that’s not my problem because I am concerned about the US. The Pretty Korean Girl complains that I ruined her for living in Korea, for example. It took a while but she eventually internalized and embraced my admonition of “Don’t take crap from anyone. Of course, some times you have to take it and smile, but in general the principle is to stand up for yourself. You can and should be polite about it whenever possible, but don’t take crap.” She fired back with “Does that include you?” And the answer was “If we are going to keep company, then not only ‘yes, me,’ but ESPECIALLY don’t take crap from me.” Turns out that attitude is basically incompatible with corporate and academic Korean culture where title and rank are paramount.)
—
Finally, I’d argue that a Nation is NOT a ball team. We need people who not only have skills, but people who will embrace our culture, and not mutate or undermine it. As far as the skilled, much less geniuses goes, well, the supply of Musks, to take your example, is VERY limited, but the supply of not very bright or skilled people in South Africa is very large. The supply of Yoyo Mas is much smaller than the supply of the guys who make loud snorking noises at all times, and then spit on the sidewalk, and who look funny at your cat. I’d much rather invest in the people who are FROM HERE, as a general rule. (I’d also argue that sports teams becoming generic and interchangeable without any local flavor, much less loyalty to the community, has also wrecked pro sports. Well, I’d argue that if I gave a spit about sportsball in general, which I don’t — other than resenting the tax-money funded subsidies for billionaires to build stadiums for their millionaire negroes to jump and run about in. But that’s a minor issue compared to the whole immigration thing.)
X2
X3
On the same side, Mr. LL.