Caption: Taxation is simply an opportunity to contribute to our shared love of country…
The Fleet
(CDRSAL) Navy Secretary John Phelan said he has a mandate from President Donald Trump: “Fix the damn rust.”
“He has stated to me many times: ‘Shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding. Get those ships out of maintenance yards. Fix the damn rust,’” Phelan said on Wednesday. “He does not like it, and I don’t like getting calls in the middle of the night.”
Taxes and rust aside, it’s aircraft carrier day on VM. If I didn’t include your favorite, it doesn’t matter. The drinking water on a carrier usually tastes of Navy Distillate—or it did when I was serving under the standard. The ice cream, served with various toppings, compensated for that. Boating with EdB has nothing to do with tax day, rust, the world’s aircraft carriers, or ice cream.
Identify the Aircraft Carrier
(You may only be able to get the class, and while close, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades; take your best shot. There are plenty of hints.)
1
2
The hint isn’t subtle…
3
4
It will make a bitchin’ artificial reef.
5
Accompanied by at least one ocean-going tug while at sea…
6
The story behind the colorized photo: Around 1927-28, the carrier, a 20-knot ocean-liner-turned-aircraft-carrier, glides through the narrow waters of the Suez Canal, her 565-foot hull either en route to or returning from the China Station. The weathered wear on her hull above the boot topping—faded paint and streaks of rust—suggests she’s likely on her way back, having endured the grueling journey and the harsh conditions of the Far East. Converted from an incomplete liner in 1918, she was the world’s first true flattop with a full-length flight deck, and her 1925-27 modernization is on full display: radio aerial lattice masts rise like sentinels on either side of her deck, a fresh upgrade for her 14,450-ton frame. The Atlantic’s wrath on her outbound leg to the Mediterranean would’ve been kinder to her when her paint was still crisp, but now she bears the scars of her global trek.
7
Bullet Points:
** A high-level summit meeting is coming to the White Wolf Mine, wherein Claudio and family will be in the area, and the world’s problems need solving. I’m not throwing out dates on the Internet, but the meeting is set. This will be the second such meeting. The first one led to the election of President Trump—yeah, powerful stuff.
** The US is the only country in the world that taxes its people into poverty to send money to other countries.
** VDH discusses ending wars here.
** The Jetsons – Yeah, I think that I need a Rosie-the-Robot…
** The CDC unilaterally redefined 200 years of the world’s understanding of what constitutes a vaccine without an explanation, public discussion, hearing, or vote. It should be easy for someone to determine precisely who changed the definition between Sept. 1 and 2, ’21.
** If Christians won’t speak when it matters, they’re not peacemakers — they’re placeholders. And they’re losing the ground beneath their feet.
** Don’t let the US Navy ruin your life. Be a man. Ruin it yourself.
** I used to think that having holes in my jeans knees was a sign of poverty. Now, you pay extra for that feature. Progress…
** (h/t Claudio) Incidents of Russian sabotage are increasingly occurring in Europe—one recent incident involved metal shavings found in an engine component of a new German corvette. The shavings were discovered and removed before they could do any damage. Russia is believed to be behind multiple sabotage incidents in the last year. Russia, unable to subdue Ukraine with military force, concluded that the most vulnerable aspect of the Ukrainian war effort was the support received from NATO countries. For over a year, Russia has been attacking NATO nations clandestinely with disinformation and sabotage using a combination of specialized diplomats and sleeper agents who have long been living in Europe. The sleeper agents usually don’t carry out the sabotage themselves but hire criminal networks in Europe to do it.
** President Trump is responsible for the weather in the Southern United States. It’s settled science.
** In a telephone call with LSP, he asked why I have decided to work on things in the Middle East rather than direct my feeble efforts toward solving the drug cartel problem in Latin America. The problem is solvable, but courts in the US treat the solution like a “human rights issue,” and they prosecute people for creative problem-solving. The Middle East is just about making money.
** Spaghetti O’s on toast? What happened to beans-on-toast in Old Blighty? I realize that it’s the English contribution to cuisine. Finding the proper beans to put on toast in the US is almost impossible—life in the colonies.
**Does Russia truly believe China sees it as an equal partner? Or is it being lulled into a relationship that looks friendly today but may turn opportunistic tomorrow? By standing against the West and rejecting any path toward reconciliation or balanced diplomacy with the United States, Russia may be pushing itself further into a position of dependence, not partnership, with a far more powerful China.
** How does America cut $3 billion a day that we’re spending in interest on the national debt alone? VDH weighs in.
** A new report from a panel of eminent medical researchers determined conclusively that the best way to run fast for an extended time and recover quickly is to be twenty years old.
Talks with Iran
Talks held between Iranian and US officials on Saturday in Muscat were positive enough to warrant a second round this weekend, even as leaders on both sides publicly say they are prepared for war. The discussions were mostly held indirectly through Oman’s foreign minister, but Axios reported the two countries’ representatives spoke directly for around 45 minutes. A second round is reportedly scheduled for Saturday in Rome, with Oman again acting as an intermediary.
While few details have emerged, the contours are familiar: the removal of sanctions in exchange for dismantling Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Iran’s supreme leader reportedly agreed to engagement after pressure from the country’s president, who argued that the regime couldn’t afford a military confrontation amid a spiraling economy, The New York Times reported.
PetroDollars
Goldman Sachs expects Saudi Arabia to stick with the US dollar as oil prices tank and de-dollarization risk rises. While a weaker greenback erodes the purchasing power of dollar-pegged Gulf currencies like the Saudi riyal, the investment bank told clients that the kingdom is well positioned to mitigate the risk and avoid an adjustment.
Goldman Sachs last week lowered its Brent crude price forecast for 2025 to $62, but the Arab world’s largest economy has ways of shielding itself against a downturn. The bank expects Saudi Arabia to increase borrowing, draw down foreign reserves, divest from some domestic assets, and consolidate its finances.
They’re thrilled that we’re taking the Persians down. It’s worth the money.
Are the Associated Press Lepers?
The short answer is, “Yes!” Are they also whited sepulchers? My answer is the same. President Trump shares my opinion and doesn’t want them allowed into the Oval Office. The AP is unhappy with the decision and shopped for a judge who would order that they be allowed in. The judge ruled they couldn’t be denied access, but there is some wiggle room. I expect the friction between the AP and the White House will continue. Why would the White House want scum like the AP around? It’s not as if they’re denying access to all news organizations.
Surprises from the Moving “Yellowstone Hotspot”
I’ve mentioned it on the blog before. Still, the North American craton (plate) moves over a hotspot in Earth’s mantle, and many caldera volcanos have formed over that spot in the 50 million years +/- that the hotspot has been over “land.” Where those eruptions took place, Lithium formed in vast deposits.
Forty million tons of lithium (proven reserves) are being mined in the Thacker Pass Project area at the McDermitt Caldera.
The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field is composed of four adjacent calderas. West Thumb Lake is formed by a smaller caldera, which last erupted 174,000 years ago..
The difference between a shield volcano (like Kilauea currently errupting in Hawaii), a stratovolcano (Mt. St. Helens, for example), and a supervolcano – formed in a caldera is the amount of silaca in the lava. Supervolcano eruptions are rare, but they take out a lot of real estate when they blow. In this case, they leave a lot of lithium behind as a gift.
And before I go, don’t lose that number.
Parting Shot
End
Identify the Aircraft Carrier:
1. Cavour
2. Charles de Gaulle
3. Ronald Reagan
4. Liaoning
5. Admiral Kuznetsov
6. Argus (ex-liner Conte Rosso)
7. Eagle (ex-Chilean battleship Almirante Cochrane)
Superb!
Can anyone explain the love/hate captions on 4 and 5? Is it personal experience or are these foreign flopped designs and operators… with what design flaws?
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No time this morning for the nail pounder to Wikipedia research these mobile ” peace keeping ” airports.
I imagine the Liaoning comment relates to its desired fate during a possible war between China and the US whilst the Admiral Kuznetsov comment relates to its history of mechanical unreliability.
X2 – nailed it.
Not up to USA amount but Australia gives out over 5 billion a year in foreign aid.
Plus paying for overseas students to study here etc.
Is that number too large or too small? When I was in the US Navy, Australia carried a lot of small Pacific nations. I was only made aware of the extent to which that happened because of overlapping concerns which were and maybe still are classified.
Rusty ships ? Low VOC water based paints (started in the 90’s) , no more Formula 150 2 part epoxy primer , no more real Form 84 zinc chromate primer (great on aluminum) , Red Lead primer (forget about it ,gone before my time-great shit, bad shit for humans) , low manning levels , “green rules” inport (environmental) , sailors using Cholulas hot sauce to shine brightwork (no more never-dull),
Industrial Hygienists assigned to ships/shipyards ….. PMS equipment or busting rust ?(see low manning – Deck Departments /OD Divisions) . Bad Boatswainsmates / Deck Seamen ? I doubt it. Making way or sitting still SOMEBODY is painting , if there is only time for gundecking , then gundecking it will be .
Thanks, Boats, nailed it.
👌
Boat Rust- Trump, while a billionaire, and epic 2-term SISU MAGA President, is for the people and is the one in DC who – from whence he comes – gives a damn about the appearance and maintenance of We The People’s “holdings”, whether it’s a building or a ship or an Oval Office. Optics matter in sending the right message…like wearing a hoodie to meet with him. (Bad move Z-skyy)
Yesterdays meeting with El Salvador President Bukele proves the point; one view of the room showed class…well…except for the paid media shills who could only cringeworthy constantly challenge them both on “Maryland Man”, a deported El Salvadoran citizen and MS-13 affiliate that they are vociferously demanding he be “smuggled” back into the USA, only to be righteously deported back. This harp-age clearly points to some sort of mental illness among the media.
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Pretty sure a little paint on our ships is a small ask, considering.
***
No losing ‘that number’…so well done in homage to Fagan. Then there’s Skunk Baxter, besides being genius on guitar he is also a missile defense advisor for the pentagon.
– Now I feel inadequate. (slinks away)
Go fetch a boatswains punch….I’ll wait here … (in Hawaiian)….Go get one da kine bosuns punch lye dat..I stay heah , shoots Brah we go , job be pau (pow) ! LOL!!!!!
Sounds close to Caribbean slang :•)
Islandese be Islandese.
IMHO it’s not unreasonable to have a national pride. I have recently reflected on how patriotic our country was when my parents grew up, during the ww2 era. The populace was following what J. Peterson describes as,
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“To find the path to maximum adventure ” = success and fulfillment.
” Take the path of maximum responsibility.” Yes, appearance does show strength, especially on a warship. Are the current private vessels bearing the same rust SHAME, going green with latex/ acrylic ect?
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“Z”‘s hoodie. Ya’d a thunk he was taking hee’s cues from… wait for it…
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¡Fetter man! Nope chuckle boy used his career skills from his stage and spotlight days and blended in the A.O. hee haw show. These clowns should have taken better acting classes! Don’t dem Ivy leaguer’s have any proffs that aren’t brain scrambled that can turn out any more smoooooth slick Baracks with stylish speeches of half truths that aren’t blatant lies out of both sides of the maw simultaneously? Referencing Gavin debate vs. Ron D. 2024, now that was a stage event if I ever saw one. Textbook Salinski (?) tactics of personal slander and dodging direct answers. Ron shined when he said, ” we were glad to welcome your parents moving to our state, for these reasons…”
Agreed…National Pride is an imperative…what’s the point otherwise (a weak America is the only answer). Dem run cities are lacking in NP, as the university educated and old hippie crowd have gravitated to those places (exept their tune has changed 180 degrees from the 70’s). In contrast, take any backroad through small towns on Memorial Day or July 4th (or Easter morning for that matter) and you’ll find that 20% of the concentrated hoard (if that) overrides the 80%, at least in the media. The red/blue election map shows this clearly. So why would the 80 be so easily swamped by the 20%? Because we are busy working and taking care of our families and communities whereas the Left are busy with [paid] activism…hence their demand PDJT return “Maryland Man”…facts be damned.
Skunk Baxter–Rikki.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xN0hmNS_IU
Skunk Baxter–Asymmetrical Thinking.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKefHuiiOo
I was just going to post that. I figure chances are the Larry knows about this side of skunk’s career, but you never know.
He has the button on his lapel.
McDermott; 40M tons, amazing. What other jackpot resources are untapped in this country?
We drive by on our summer/ winter migration on that route and have stayed at the low developed hot springs to the west. Private Rock hound establishments nearby as well.
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H/T the volcano explanations are being duly noted. Possibly silica and L. to be resourced in WTP’s national park there?
Crater lake. A super volcano? The floating pumice stones we discovered were like oyster white, dense… but light.
No, Crater Lake is not considered a supervolcano but rather a caldera resulting from a collapsed stratovolcano. Mount Mazama, an ancient volcano, erupted violently about 7,700 years ago, leading to a caldera formation called Crater Lake. While the eruption was massive, it doesn’t meet the criteria for a supervolcano. A supervolcano eruption is much more violent and destructive. The Toba eruption, also known as the Youngest Toba eruption, was a supervolcanic eruption that occurred around 74,000 years ago in Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s the most recent.
.
The death estimate for the Yellowstone supereruption is 90,000 people immediately due to ash and the shockwave. Based on the last eruption, the tuff (ash) fall could be 20 feet deep across parts of the Midwest. Ash also contains glass, and if you breathe it, you die. Nobody knows how many would die from starvation, but likely millions more. The eruption would inject massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, causing global cooling for years to decades. The catastrophic economic damage is impossible to calculate.
.
Campi Flegrei, Italy, could be the next supervolcano to erupt. If/when that happens, it will take out most of Italy.
A recent local article said the big magma chamber is under Casper, WY, and that Yellowstone is just a vent. Maybe that explains why Casper is so weird.
I only think that I’ve been to Casper once, circa 1987. It looked like a sleepy cattle town surrounded by an army of pronghorn antelope. Is it weird there (besides sitting on top of a massive magma chamber)? The “M” Building and Tower (the “Egg Beater”) wasn’t constructed when I was there last.
Should clarify Casper has many weird crimes. Lots of police chases. Relatives live in adjacent Mills so I hear about them plus the Cowboy State Daily will have a story nearly every week.
I once drove a tall truck under a low bridge (McKinnley St) in Casper – not one of my prouder moments.
There is no way to escape the police in Casper. The highway runs N/S through town. Nowhere to run but into the arms of other police.
If you can get to Lysite West of town on the 2-lane, then head North, they’d have a hard time finding you back in those hills once the dust cloud kicked up dissipated.
what is the Tyrrhenian Sea?
My Dad ( May God Rest his Soul ) raised 5 Boys ,He was also a First Sargent in the Air Force .
His Rule was simple ( If It Moves Pick it Up , If It Doesn’t Paint It ) The Navy and All Armed Forces need to Adhere to those Immortal Words.
Agreed.
Carrier day should be renamed “target day”. How many MK 48s would it actually take to sink any of them?
A better question would be how many Russian 53-65 (active/passive/wake homing) torpedoes would it take to “stop” an aircraft carrier. They’re 24′ in length, and the wake-homing feature is designed to have the torpedo cross and then follow in the (massive) wake caused by the passage of the aircraft carrier. They have roughly a 50-mile range. They’re designed to disable the carrier by detonating near the propellers. Russian SSNs were/are designed around the torpedo rather than the other way around. Nuclear warhead torpedoes are another option, and they only need to be close.
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The Chinese plan to use ballistic missiles to attack US Aircraft carriers with conventional/nuclear warheads. Of course, once one of those lights off, it’s Armageddon as the US nuclear response triggers all of the fleet ballistic missiles and the other arms of the triad to glass China.
The Russians know the Chinese consider Siberia to be rightfully theirs. They are even giving Chinese names to cities on the Russian side. Vlad must be very careful lest the Chinese think his performance in the Ukraine, or the lack of it, is a green light to annexation of the Russian far east.
McDermitt, Nevada. Without getting into details, been there multiple times. It’s quite the sprawling metropolis. Throbbing heartbeat of Northern Nevada, it is.
Russia knows that, and you’re 100% correct. Despite the rhetoric over Taiwan, I think a Chinese invasion of Russia is more likely than an invasion of Taiwan. There’s not much value in a destroyed Taiwan, which would result from an invasion. The value in Taiwan is in its capitulation to Xi and the PRC. The Russian East has massive oil and natural resources that the Chinese could strip. The Russians sent their Siberian army to Ukraine, which was hollowed out. Their hedge against China is a nuclear response. That’s about all they have by way of credible deterrence.
McDermitt, Nevada. Blink and you miss it, no stop lights.
Heading through that neck of the woods in a couple of weeks. Sigh. “Photos or it never happened”.
April 15th. Tomorrow should be voting day.
Not with Dominion Voting Machines — the results would be the same — DEMOCRAT VICTORY!
How many of you patriotic, red-blooded Americans remembered that by divine right of conquest, April 15 is traditionally Buy a Gun Day in the United States? Not too late, get crackin’.
W.W.W. don’t know why but that’s just what I’ve been think’in. Wondering about gun shows coming or stores I haven’t checked out yet. After my co-worker showed me his Kimber 1911, now I’m back to talking the Mrs into one… for the door keeper, not her! We’re in the “glock” double stack, and Revolver, but I just like the feel of the 1911. Why? Heavy Metal? Narrow grip?
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Honest question; What’s y’all recommendations, staying under 1k in that frame? Only the 45 acp or?
The Tisas line has been getting a lot of favorable reviews. There are a lot of very good guns for the money coming out of Turkey these days.
Sidebar: MrsPaulM is getting her DL renewed, mentions something about “in order to travel by air after May 7th you must have a Real ID from USGOV”. Huh?
I’m pretty tuned in but never heard of this “new Homeland Security requirement that apparently just got extended to May 7th. Looked it up…it’s a ‘star’ on your DL, upper right corner. My DL was renewed last year and it has this new Real ID symbol altho no one said anything about it to me. Weird. Someone probably got a gold watch for coming up with this idea.
I chalk it up to an ID verification of your verified DL identification from the Department of Redundancy Redundancy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ID_Act
Who would remember this was signed into law by President Bush on May 11, 2005.
Exactly, along with a pile of other freedom robbing items under the guise of national security. A bunch of BS. Just watched the Curt Weldon interview with Carlson…unreal…77 and about ready to blow open the entire DC scumbaggery cabal. If he ends up dead we’ll know.
WTP are daily being lied to, most are asleep. I pray God continues to protect PDJT or else these clowns will overrun his efforts to fix this mess and clean house and rid us of the cockroaches infesting every agency.
RHT
The Tisas line has been getting a lot of favorable reviews. There are a lot of very good guns for the money coming out of Turkey these days.
Am unfamiliar with them. willing to consider though ( one can nevejr have enough toys or experiences with various toys).
Simple question-
are they good enough to risk the lives of you and yours?
I value this group’s opinions so I ask
Thanks
Juan
I think the Tisas 1911 I bought is excellent as has everyone who has seen and held it.
I bought my wife a Girsan MC14T tip up barrel pistol in .380 as she can’t rack a slide on anything.
I love the feel, the trigger and the accuracy.
I just bought an Escort (Turkish import) 12 gauge Bullpup. Bullpups are known for iffy triggers. Not his one.
Thanks Sir.
I’ve look at Girsan and ( I forgot the maker) a Turk shotgun. I am tempted at least on a Girsan.
I know no one that has personally fired any Turkish ( being Texan, they may be a bit biased).
I will look into the Tisas.
Again, thanks.
Juan