Caption: Let’s start with those lovable toasters from Battlestar Galactica, and frack the odds.
The Trump Cultists
A friend of mine posted a meme that implied that conservatives, and specifically Trump supporters, were a cult. I commented that I found that pretty funny, but not for the reasons that they probably intended. Instead of going off on me, they respectfully asked why I found it humorous. I appreciate that they were willing to engage in actual dialogue, so I did my best to write out an earnest response. Figured I would share it here for anyone who is interested.
The fact that people want to pretend like Trump is some sort of dictator is comical when you consider the fact that the Biden administration, backed up by a lockstep chorus from leftists in the mainstream media establishment, all shouted in unison that Pedo Joe Biden was a great president and was totally fit to run for reelection. That was right until the debate, where everyone suddenly saw that the emperor had no clothes, and likely belonged in a managed care facility with a locked door so that he couldn’t injur himself.
Once that cat was out of the bag, the media was suddenly all up in arms like ” why didn’t anyone tell us this?” when it had been obvious to anyone actually paying attention for most of his term. Despite this overnight reversal, a good chunk of the left still pretends like CNN and MSNBC have any sort of credibility when it comes to stories regarding President Trump or his administration.
Then we move on to Kamala. Instead of holding a primary once they forced Biden out of the race, they simply anointed her as the heir-apparent, and the mainstream propaganda cycle began singing her praises 24/7. Basically, the Democrats did not allow their voters to choose a candidate. They chose one for you and then told you that if you didn’t vote for her, you were a horrible racist and a bigot and a misogynist and literally were supporting Hitler. After all of that, they have the hypocritical audacity to go out and hold no King’s protests and then wonder why people don’t take them seriously.
Now that we’ve laid a little background for this long-winded parody, let’s examine the actual cult-like behavior. As I said, I do acknowledge that there are those on the right who do behave as if President Trump is some sort of Messiah. While I find this behavior laughable, and tend to argue with those types of people as much as I do with those on the left, can you really be surprised that that sort of movement formed on the right when it has existed on the left for decades? Are you honestly going to pretend like there was not a cult of personality built around Barack Obama and his husband, Big Mike? Even Hillary, who has all the charisma of a cave troll, had women trembling and weeping at her rallies as if she were some sort of rock star in a bad pantsuit cut from the living room drapes.
On the left, those who do not toe the party line and enthusiastically chant the party mantra are excommunicated and attacked. The evidence is clear and consistent in its repetition. Anyone who has reached across the aisle to try to find a compromise is labeled a traitor and the immediate subject of character assassination and threats. RFK Jr, Tulsi, Elon, etc. Elon used to be the Golden child of the left, and they turned on him with rabid ferocity simply because he said he wanted to help reduce corruption and fraud in the government. Leftists have even turned on Bill Maher, simply because he is sticking to his classical liberal values rather than regurgitating party propaganda and trying to hold his own party accountable.
The left has been a cult for the last two decades. Its practitioners treat Orwell like a how-to manual rather than a warning. They literally tell you to believe what the party says and not the evidence of your own eyes. They cannot define what a woman is, yet claim to be for women’s rights. They say stupid shit like, if you don’t have a uterus, you don’t get an opinion on abortion, and then in the very next breath turn around and say that men can give birth.
They cackle with glee and post demented videos celebrating the death of a father of two children who was assassinated while trying to encourage free thought, free speech, and debate among America’s college students. They call everyone they don’t like bigots and racists and then turn right around and call Black conservatives Uncle Tom’s or race traitors, revealing the real racism behind their masks.
The left is one giant cult that has made the moderates afraid to speak out for fear that they will be canceled or even assassinated. Just look at the unhinged behavior coming from these recent protests. Over and over, we see actions that do not reflect a sane or accountable person. People who pretend that getting into physical altercations with Federal officers who are trying to arrest truly violent criminal aliens makes them some sort of resistance fighter or superhero. All it is is cosplay with consequences, and then they make ridiculous posts about how ICE is executing people on the streets. Then, when somebody actually takes the time to write out a thoughtful and well-reasoned response, they use being obtuse as a tactic and either reframe the argument into something you didn’t say or intentionally misunderstand and misrepresent what you said so that they can then claim righteous indignation that you would say such a thing.
The political left has gone from being the party of JFK, who famously said, ” ask not what your country can do for you, ask instead what you can do for your country,” to a weird collection of mentally unstable adolescents who scream into the void and display suicidal empathy for groups that would happily murder them given the chance. I find that both sad and frustrating. When they have the absolute hypocrisy to then accuse those who are actually behaving like adults of being cult members.
HogsbreathSS – the piece on Israel v Iran hits the blog tomorrow…sorry.
Do you recall where you were when you heard the news?
Yes, I know it blew up 40 years ago yesterday – but roll with it.
The Commanche
Between 1758 and 1875, the Comanche Nation killed an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 settlers, traders, and soldiers across Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico—more than any other Native American tribe during the westward expansion period. Their dominance stemmed from extraordinary horsemanship, developed after they acquired Spanish horses in the 1680s, transforming them into the most formidable mounted warriors in North American history. By the 1830s, the Comanche controlled approximately 240,000 square miles of territory—an area larger than modern New England—and had built what historians call the “Comanche Empire.”
The Comanche waged systematic resistance against Spanish, Mexican, Texan, and American expansion for over a century. Their raiding strategy targeted isolated settlements, wagon trains, and ranches, often taking captives for ransom or adoption. Major conflicts included the Council House Fight of 1840, where negotiations turned into a bloodbath killing 35 Comanche leaders, and the continuous Texas-Comanche wars that depopulated entire frontier regions. The Texas Rangers were specifically created in 1823 primarily to combat Comanche raids that were devastating settlement attempts.
Their military effectiveness came from tactical innovation and brutal efficiency. Comanche warriors could shoot arrows with deadly accuracy at full gallop, reload while hanging from their horses’ sides, and execute coordinated attacks involving hundreds of riders. They adapted quickly to firearms and conducted raids spanning hundreds of miles within days. Their reputation for torture and mutilation of captives and the dead—documented extensively by survivors—served as psychological warfare that deterred settlement across vast territories.
The Comanche’s power ended through the convergence of three factors: the near-extinction of the buffalo (their primary food source), relentless military campaigns by the U.S. Army under Generals Sherman and Sheridan, and diseases like smallpox and cholera that devastated their population. The Red River War of 1874-1875 proved decisive when Colonel Ranald Mackenzie’s forces destroyed Comanche winter camps, killed their horses, and forced the surrender of the last free bands. Chief Quanah Parker led the final holdouts onto the Fort Sill reservation in June 1875.
Minnesota Bullet Points:
** 10,000 illegal aliens have been arrested in Minnesota over the past few weeks. More here.
** Everybody was kung-fu fighting… add music. Once you have the music going, you can watch the first piece over and over.
** The Purge. My friend, Claudio, asks a poignant question: More losers at Xi’s game of musical chairs. Are there any competent GOFOs left in the PLA, or are they all yes-men? If you’re not a yes man, you don’t reach general officer status. Here’s the game. In Red China, many private enterprises (hotels, tourist attractions, etc.) are owned by the People’s Liberation Army. It’s how the army is funded. With the bamboo curtain back in place, those enterprises are a lot less profitable, so where do you get your squeeze? You can sell the Russians ATV tires that are only one-ply, go flat after about 100 miles, and strand their army, or you can empty the fuel from the missiles and sell it out the back door. We’ve seen all of that. Every so often, somebody needs to be purged, whether or not they did anything, to set an example for the rest to keep them saying YES! Is the Chinese Army a paper tiger? Xi knows that it is. They had their pants pulled down in Venezuela after their secret radar failed. How much skim is there in foreign military sales? Oh, lots. The goal is to amass enough money outside of China so that you can defect and live like a sultan (and leave your nagging wife behind). Timing is important. Zhang Youxia’s timing was off. That’s all.
** You’re as cold as ice – you never take advice, etc.
** Governor Walz called President Trump and kissed the ring. Less than 24 hours later, all the 5,000+ donors to the anti-ICE domestic terror network were indexed and exposed by Data Republican. That’s the sort of loyalty that they should expect from their democrat leadership. There is a grand jury running, and Tampon Tim is looking at ending his life in a cell at the United States Penitentiary, Marion, Illinois. In his negotiations, President Trump always carries a big stick. Sometimes the stick is a squad of B-2s loaded with bunker busters. Other times, it is 150 aircraft and special forces carrying a discombobulator that will send your troops home in oversized shoe boxes. The Minnesota State Police has been activated. They could have done this the whole time, but it wasn’t until after the call between Walz and Trump, and the discovery of the Signal groups involving Minnesota government officials, that this happened. The governor is in charge of that law enforcement group.
** James O’Keefe (h/t Claudio) in Minnesota. O’Keefe ventured into the city, where he was recognized and was the target of death threats via text. He and his team were also accosted by the mob—it was a wild reporting excursion. What caught his attention was how organized these anti-ICE guerrillas were, and how we need to wake up to the threat they pose to the country.
***/MN***
** The biggest problem I have with DEI is that people who happen to fall into protected classes but are competent or outstanding tend to be painted with the same brush from the outside looking in. I worked closely with a lady who happened to be a lesbian in a kinetic job that we both had. MRSLL was jealous – I said, “Why, because she and I both like the same thing?” She was excellent, trustworthy, didn’t shy from a fight, and there were many of those, knew the job, in prime physical shape, etc. I loved working with her. People were critical of her because of her kinks, but they never once entered into work. She didn’t parade her girlfriend around. She had a guy, a “beard” that she brought to functions. I felt bad that she felt she had to. I have other examples that I won’t drone on about.
** From Eva Vanderbroek – The dispute between Hungary and the European Union has reached a critical boiling point. As of early 2026, the financial and legal standoff remains unresolved, with both sides doubling down on their respective positions regarding border sovereignty and asylum law. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) imposed a landmark penalty on Hungary for “unprecedented and exceptionally serious” breaches of EU asylum law.
The current financial breakdown includes: A Lump Sum Fine: €200 million initially ordered in June 2024. Daily Penalties: €1 million per day for every day Hungary remains in non-compliance. Cumulative Total: By early 2026, the total amount owed by Hungary had surpassed €750 million, leading the EU to begin deducting these sums directly from Hungary’s share of EU cohesion funds. In December 2025, Hungary took the unprecedented step of suing the ECJ itself. The Hungarian Justice Ministry argues the fines are “disproportionate” and “politically motivated,” and is seeking damages for the financial impact on its budget. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reaffirmed in January 2026 that Hungary will not change its border protection policies, stating, “We will not become an immigrant country,” despite daily fines.
Hungary’s 2026 countersuit against the European Court of Justice marks the first time a member state has challenged the very legality of the EU’s highest judicial penalties. Domestic support for the border remains high, with the Hungarian government framing the fence not just as a barrier to migration, but as a shield against “Brussels’ overreach.” ”This isn’t just about a fence; it’s about who decides the future of our towns and cities—us or the bureaucrats in a distant capital.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.
** Mel Fisher (and friends) found the Spanish Treasure Ship, Nuestra Señora de Atocha. I don’t know much about what he ended up with after paying off all the investors and parasites. But circa 1993, 8 years after the discovery, I was undercover (working for the Orange County, CA District Attorney’s Office, Organized Crime/Grand Jury Unit) at a meeting he and some thugs had with a well-known industrialist at a fancy restaurant in Newport Beach, CA. Mel leveraged his fame and reputation the wrong way. My feeling at the time was that he was dead broke.
Essentially, I was there to record the pitch (we had the private dining room wired three ways from Sunday), and crunch down on some very well-cooked surf and turf, and to guide the industrialist in his conversation to get the elements of what we needed down. We didn’t prosecute Fisher, but I felt sorry for the guy.
One of you mentioned treasure on the blog the other day. This was my brush with it in the briefest of ways.
Identify the Aircraft
1 & 2
3
ID The Arty
4
Parting Shot
Go ahead, make my day…
End
I was surprised that O’Keefe thought he wouldn’t be recognized after all publicity he has received from his expose work.
He started out as one of a two-part team with Hannah Giles during the early years of Obamanation. He’s been exposing things for a long time now.
Hannah actually initiated the ACORN video stuff.
Her dad’s a preacher in Texas.
(1) Early Stratofort. (B-52)
(2) Stratotanker (KC-97)
(3) Some flavor of Su-27 series.
(4) Looks like an M 107 175mm SPG.
– Kle.
Work on #3 – well done.
>>Just In<< Rosie O'Donnell was arrested in Dublin, Ireland, earlier this week on charges of public drunkenness, disturbing the peace, and verbally assaulting a peace officer. "It would seem that things aren't going well for her," said Cork County Prosecutor Joseph McBarron, "However, she's not allowed to take her frustrations out on law officers." Rosie was fined $10,000 and given a stern warning that she'll face deportation next time. . (VM Comment - could they deport her to Somalia? The US doesn't want her and the Somalis are hungry)
The stripes don’t change with that one and these are the red flags; act out, escape somewhere, spout off from a distance, act out. Sad existence…but as Boron correctly pointed out yesterday, they can’t be fixed.
#3 is a Chinese Shenyang J-11B
Outstanding.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Boeing B-47 Stratojet
2. Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter
3. Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker
ID The Arty:
4. M107 self-propelled gun
#3 is Chicom – well done!
So, LL, how did your friend respond to your response of, essentially, “one side is a cult, and it’s not mine”?
I am reminded of something Arlo Guthrie (the “Alice’s Restaurant Guy”) said once about having friends of the opposite political persuasion. [paraphrasing] I’m finding it comes down not to left versus right, but people who care versus those who don’t give a damn. You can be friends with people who care; the problem is the ones who don’t give a damn. Who knew the man made to sit on the Group W bench (for littering) with the father-rapers had such insight?
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>Are there any competent GOFOs left in the PLA, or are they all yes-men?
Good question. But what really concerns me is, how many (or what percentage) of GOFOs in the US armed forces are competent (and give a damn) vs the opportunistic careerists who bend to political expediency, or even the true believers in DEI? And is there an effective rank ceiling that very very few exceed if you don’t suck the, er, teat of “whites bad, sex deviance good, obesity is our strength”? What is that ceiling? O5?
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Minnesota/Minneapolis is a shining example of how men of good will from each of the Abrahamic religions can come together, cooperate, and REALLY screw things up. Tim Walz (Catholic, supposedly), Keith Ellison (Muslim), Jacob Frey (Jewish, and no it doesn’t matter if he follows all the dietary laws). Kumbaya, bitchez!
O-4 or O-5 depending on circumstances. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is not well thought of in many circles and he made O-4 before punching out into his political career.
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The rant has been made to many people that I’ve spoken with that the U. S. Military qualifies as a cult, given all the criteria that must be met. It may be the largest cult since it’s larger than the intelligence community. Thus, without belaboring the point here, I’ve been the member of a cult. TS-SCI with SBI and Polygraph is said to be the entrance to the inner sanctum. Those of you who have been there/done that can confirm if you want to. Given that I have been there, I can tell you that MAGA is not a cult. Not a real one.
Yep. Had the same screening. The Doctor even had to observe me producing my urine sample, and then took some hair to test the follicles.
Man, alls I ever had was a Q-clearance and I don’t remember a urine test for that. But maybe that was because of me being personally objectionable. (Agent’s inner monologue: “Ima pencilwhip this. Don’t want to see that guy pee. Blech.”)
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Example in point: I was going off to Borneo (sounds more exotic than “going to the CITY of Kota Kinabalu” right?) and had to get a bunch of shots. So I went to the Travel Clinic, explained what I needed, and presented my arm. The (female) doc says, “No, these shots go into your buttock.” Okay. I stand up and start to undo my belt. The doc literally covers her eyes and barks “No! I don’t need to see it!” Sheesh. I didn’t even have my belt undone, much less dropped trou. Sigh. “It” definitely wasn’t on display, whatever she meant by “it”.
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Good to know where you stand, I guess. But sometimes the truth hurts :-(
I recall pre-deployment “shots”. Several of us went to see the medical types, who had just started using those air-guns to administer needle-less injections. Fun with guns. We stood there like stoic robots while the hospitalmen/corpsmen held the nozzle (whatever you call it) an inch or so away from our flesh, which caused the skin to erupt and bleed when they shot us maybe ten times each. I doubt any of the vaccine actually entered our bloodstream, but the medics had a grand old time. I suspected that they were drunk and/or high at the time.
I remember the ‘Shots Day’ at Vandenberg in 1970. 6 tables going down the hall. Each table contained worse and worse vaccines. Going to Witchita? Table 1. Going to Japan or England? Go to Table 1 and Table 2. Going to a tiny island full of death and destruction? Table 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I think ‘Sucks that you’re going to Africa’ was Table 6.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
By S.C. Gwynne. There are a couple other good ones about the Comanch, but I’m feeling a little too lazy to get off my fat behind and snatch the titles off the bookshelf. Sorry.
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If I recall correctly, always questionable, a Comanche raiding party missed bagging Sherman or maybe it was Sheridan by about an hour. Dammit.
The Comanches are an interesting study. Quanah Parker, being the last chief and half white, is one of the more interesting characters in their history simply because his history has been studied in great depth.
I’m about halfway reading Empire of the Summer Moon now and it is fascinating, but gruesome, reading. In so many ways, the battle operations of the Comanche warriors are all too similar to the Pali terrorists and others in the Middle East and elsewhere. The father of lies continues to teach his principles to those willing to use them in service of revenge or power.
Once I’m done reading that, it’s on to The Confederate Cipher by our gracious host.
Challenger’s last day was one of the only times I didn’t go out of the office to watch a shuttle launch. I was working at a company that made satellite TV receivers (still rare in in ’86) and was watching it on NASA Select TV. My wife was working on the Cape, for a subcontractor on those SRBs – on their electronic controls – and watched it outside the “office.”
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There’s plenty of evidence that the crew of Challenger survived the explosion. The crew cabin was specifically designed to be used as an escape pod, but after most of the design work, NASA decided to drop the other requirements that would actually save the crew. To save weight. The recovered cabin had clear evidence of activity: oxygen bottles being turned on, switches that require a few steps to activate being flipped. It’s doubtful they survived the impact with the ocean and some believe they passed out due to hypoxia before that. I doubt we’ll honestly ever know those details.
X2 – I was pulling out of my driveway, heard the report on the radio, pulled my car back into the driveway and went into the house. Horror show.
Sheppard AFB, TX. Crew Chief school, second shift. Standing in the “breakfast” line when word spread that the Challenger had exploded. Class went on as scheduled but rather subdued.
However, I got to watch (and photograph) the first post-Challenger landing at Edwards AFB and several after that.
At the time, I was a resident of Concord, NH. We had all followed the competition to get the “Teacher In Space” slot, the parade down Main Street, and all of the other publicity as the first regular person in space.
That day every TV was watching the launch (no one was doing anything else). The front page of the print Concord Monitor had a famous picture from Concord High School of the reaction of students in the auditorium watching the launch. I went looking for it and couldn’t find it. I have held on to my copy of the newspaper ever since.
Talk about mass depression. It was pretty unreal. But with Concord, NH having lots of press in a regular cycle for presidential elections, locals were firmly polite about sending the more in your face reporting packing. I went out to eat since I was in condition to cook. Restaurants were open, but only serving cold plates and beverages. The TV was on and showing the continuous stream of reporting. There really wasn’t any way to get away from it except to leave town. (I was going on a planned backcountry skiing trip the next week).
People still don’t take in to consideration that space flight is a high risk business. That people will eventually die doing this work. They see the SpaceX launches for StarLink and ISS flights that have had an incredible run of success. It has been 40 years since Challenger. Us older folk remember the start of space flight, the younger folks have not.
Prayers to all who have ever been involved in the business of space flight.
I was working at Hughes Aircraft when one of the lab phones rang, and a friend picked it up. He said “WHAT….??” and turned white as a sheet. Then he gave us the news. Very sad day…
Wife and I were watching it on NASA TV via satellite dish. Horrifying. It was horrible watching the control center crews at the Cape and in Houston realize exactly what happened. And the video from the VAB showing the launch complex and the ocean behind it, and watching splashes as chunks and pieces parts falling for what seemed hours.
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Even more horrifying was discovering the piece-of-shite wasn’t designed to fly in less than 45 degree weather.
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The first time I saw snow in real life was Christmas Day, 1973, 20ish miles south of the Cape. And I ‘sledded’ on ice using cardboard at Vandenberg in the late 60’s. Both locations where the Shuttle was supposed to launch (Vandy got taken out by faulty wiring by contractors.)
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That B-52 refueling in the air, anyone know why it’s landing gear are down? Is it was part of the procedure for aerial refueling?
They had to slow the aircraft. The KC-97, loaded with fuel, was a turkey (think WKRP Turkey drop).
Yes . Fun fact: The top speed of the KC-97 was VERY close to the stall speed of the B-52.
When the Utah Air Guard was flying them our house was close to the extended runway center line. Some Sunday mornings were interesting when they passed overhead close enough to read numbers. Not a huge rate of climb?
Ditto with March AFB in the 1960s and 1970s! 4 B52s followed by 4 KC135s!
Just like clockwork, every Saturday morning.
I was in AF Junior ROTC in Provo in the early 70s and one of our field trips was a ride on a KC-97. As I recall, we had hearing protection on. Even then, it was a huge racket.
Traveling on a chair pallet in the rear of a C-17 from US to Middle East or the Far East (think 20 hour hop) packed with people who are eating MRE’s (and using the chemical toilet on the pallet) still requires hearing protection and is still uncomfortable. The MRE’s are a step up from in flight rations from 50 years ago but they bind you if you’re not drinking the stale water with usually powdered orange flavor that is set up next to the chemical toilet. The bind transforms itself to long periods of need in the chem toilet with a line toward the end of the flight. For some reason, the mere capacity to fly meat from here to there “in a chair” is considered adequate. My old bones recall the experiences and ache at the notion.
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First Class on Qatar Airways in my own room with a bed and a butler is still a long flight but it’s much better.
Fisher leveraged his find into a Key West museum that bears his name. Didn’t go inside the one time in KW as we strolled the streets, had read a bunch of diving treasure hunting books by the people doing it…what a racket (not the guys we were reading). Never knew that between governments demanding it’s all theirs, the dive backers of questionable repute, permitting demands, money, sudden roadblocks…never knew the level of grift in treasure hunting. Even the benign ‘Fenn’s Treasure’ took on a life of its own, some died who were ill-equipped to be put tromping around the Western wilds, only to have family members blame Fenn for making the search in the first place.
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DEI: Never cared about peoples personal proclivities, just didn’t want it front and center, especially at the office…do your job and leave the rest to outside the office. Today’s 30-letter demographic (something like 1% despite best efforts) has been pushing hard for a decade or more to normalize their personal weirdness. No thanks. (1Thess4:11-12)
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Minnesota: The [paid] rabid anarchy in the streets over (N)ICE deportations is massively hypocritical, The Magical Mr O and Billy Boy Clinton deported millions combined, yet…crickets when those two were doing the lawful job. Walz and his lower-level minions are beginning to crack having lost with the theater grade outrage designed as a smokescreen to blow past their fraud.
***
Challenger: I recall, but it’s a distant memory for me now. All due to an O-ring – as reported- which as an engineer-type never sat well with me.
Ps. Omar getting sprayed with apple cider vinegar was more staged theater in an attempt to gain sympathy as her fraud and immigration grift onion gets a few more layers peeled back. Although, vinegar is a good 3rd world rabble disinfectant so likely will backfire on her sorry rear-end.
The meal I had wish Fisher was memorable partly because it was fisher and partly because of the industrialist. The well-known So-Cal industrialist had been an FBI informant. He went to the FBI with the information and they turned it over to us because it wasn’t a federal crime. As I mentioned, I felt sorry for Fisher, who was out there looking to bring in some cashflow. He just found the wrong people to do it with. He found the Atocha so he must have been good at doing that, but he seemed over his head with life at the time I ran into him.
Paul, re the O-ring, do you disagree with Feynman? At the inquiry he took one and dunked it in a glass of ice water to illustrate the problem.
LL’s comment about Amazon not having the “The Confederate Cypher” in stock caused me to go look. It noted it was in stock. But of course I wasn’t ordering it so perhaps it woukd show back order if I bought it.
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Anyway, there were very very few reviews. Now I know some other blog readers have read it… how about posting a review. Remember Amazon uses the number of and quality reviews, along with it encourages the authors to push output more books, so it’s important.
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Apollo One (January 27), Challenger (January 28), and Columbia (February 1) were terrible disasters. Worse of course was the post incident findings that they were very much preventable. Apollo 13 was close to being a disaster but it worked out. It too was a very preventable.
I just finished the Kindle edition. I really enjoyed the story. It explained the convoluted politics that occurred just before The War of Northern Aggression. Reading this brought to life the uncertainty of the times, and the divided loyalties that people, especially military, faced at the time.
It was also a cracking good story. My wife is now reading it. I await her comments.
I am looking forward to the second and third books.
We use Kindle, it was always in print.
Ed
Thanks for boosting the signal. Book 2 is written. Book 3 is at 56,000 words, so a little more than halfway. I’ve decided to do a fourth book with a working title of “Vengeance and Reprisal.” Reviews mean you liked the book enough to take five minutes to say so. No reviews means that you weren’t impressed. I think the books get better as the series progresses because you become more comfortable with the core characters. Book 2 will be out in February. Book 3 should be out in March depending on how busy I am. Book 4 is still a ways off.
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They take time and effort to write. In the Amazon environment, rising above the hash and noise is almost impossible. Reviewing helps me to do that. I also realize that many people don’t read these days. They view. Again, when my wife tormented me after reading the book – she did get through it – for not having stronger and more prominent female characters for female readers, I replied, “You are likely the ONLY woman who will read it.” Maybe one of my four daughters will – maybe. Writing is like that for most of us these days. I’m not being negative, I’m being realistic.
I read Confederate Cypher on kindle and liked it. I enjoy strong characters that are sure and self confident, thus not needing to dither when action is called for.
I read it for free but went back and purchased a digital copy so I can refer back when needed. I anticipate that by the third book I might be hazy on some early event.
I also reviewed it on Amazon. I urge folks to read it.
Retired Cop
Almost forgot… today is the anniversary, 1/29/1964 of the release of the movie Dr Strangelove.
“Survival kit contents check. In them you’ll find:
– One forty-five caliber automatic
– Two boxes of ammunition
– Four days’ concentrated emergency rations
– One drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills
– One miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible
– One hundred dollars in rubles
– One hundred dollars in gold
– Nine packs of chewing gum
– One issue of prophylactics
– Three lipsticks
– Three pair of nylon stockings.
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Shoot, a fella’ could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.”
Should have been a Hunter Thompson quote (except a LOT more morphine and “pep pills”).
So in 1964 gold was $35/Troy oz. Today gold is just under $5000/oz. Lessee: 100/35=2.86 oz. At today’s gold rate it’s $14,248.57 fiatbux. A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Manhattan or Zurich, much less Vegas, with that kind of money.
Gold has done well. Told y’all so. The more f’ed up the world becomes, the more it’s worth.
I never expected to see silver get this high……
I sold some bag US Silver coins (“junk silver”) that I had to help buy a house many years ago, I think that I received about $25K for it. Silver had spiked back in the 80’s or 90’s when the Hunt Brothers cornered the market. I don’t regret selling it – but I’d get a lot more for it today. I’m more of a gold guy than a silver guy but I do like hard metal assets.
With nearly $15k to burn for the weekend, ima need more than “one issue” of prophylactics. Snerk. (Whatever quantity “one issue” is. Is that a single condom? Is “an issue” three, five, a dozen? What?)
Actually what I really don’t get is the NINE packs of chewing gum.
And why no cigarettes for “trade goods”?
Clearly I am both overthinking this, AND dragging it into the gutter. Don’t try and imitate this at home kids, it’s a god-given talent. Exactly which god is unclear.
When you’re young, a water puddle and mud will get you into trouble. After you have a driver’s license, it’s money and women (which seem to go hand in hand) that, when combined with alcohol, lead to all manner of deviltry.
Thought on the Parting Shot. He has obviously never seen what Larry Correia looks like…
Did a bit of treasure hunting in southern Arizona while living in Tucson. The treasure was real after doing a lot of research (my job at the time allowed me the freedom to do that). I was totally self funded. Some of the loot was found under clandestine circumstances. I knew of the find and saw pictures. Unfortunate for me was a letter from the feds to cease and desist what I was doing. No problem for me. There are a lot of unsavory types out there. Still have all my notes and research, just not physically able to continue, but you never stop dreaming of the big score. It’s the thrill of the hunt that entices most of us.
Tucson and environs are far more treasure-rich than is the sedimentary Mogollon Rim country. Life is more about the ride than the end of the rainbow anyway.
I was Second Shift Wire Editor and Composition Room Supervisor at a small local newspaper chain when Challenger blew up. I was asleep when it happened. Mom called and woke me up, and after watching the footage one time, I headed into work eight hours early. Busy day.
One hell of a day.
“The left is one giant cult that has made the moderates afraid to speak out for fear that they will be canceled or even assassinated”
Not original but still valid. Arguing with a leftist is like teaching a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.
They are annoying but if they’re left unchallenged, you get Cuba, North Korea or San Francisco.
X2
Sherman arrested 3 chiefs in Texas and sent them to Fort Sill. The one that didn’t make it started singing his death song wrestled a rifle from one of the Rangers. Just saying, history doesn’t have to repeat itself, if lessons are learned. The other 2, sentenced to death had appeals by the Quaker agents of the rez, and shortly thereafter patrolled…for murdering 7 NICE folks, just kidding, they were muleskinners.
Walz presser followup: This putz knows he’s toast, described himself as a political “lightning rod,” said he would never run for elective office, is trying to slink away from his massive fraud that is quickly catching up with him as he waddles around. But not to be outdone…can’t make this stuff up but no surprise from the Left…Klobuchar jumps into the governor race saying she is running ‘for every Minnesotan who wants ICE and its abusive tactics out of the state we love’. What the hay is in the water in that goofball city?
And Mike Lindell is the only Repub candidate for governor in Minnesota now since the other guy bowed out in sympathy with the anti-ICE crowd.
Lindell has as much ego as Jessie (the body) Ventura in Minnesota. Whether he would govern better than Jessie did is the question.
He’s not Amy Klobuchar.
I was confusing the Challenger with the Columbia which I why I thought it happened on a Saturday, but that was Feb 1st.
I remember where I was for that.
Challenger, my best guess is I was at work.
Where in the hell is Major Kong? https://www.facebook.com/reel/1949869748930346
Ready 1 crew at NAS Jacksonville. We had finished preflight and briefing, and were sent home. Pulled into my driveway, got out, and watched the ‘split’. Walked in the house, called the duty office, and told them to recall the crew. As I was on the phone, somebody ran into the duty office and yelled the shuttle had just blown up. We were in the air less than an hour later… Also Sig is correct in what he said.
I was in school – we all got herded together to watch the First Teacher In Space. A whole lotta completely unprepared teachers found themselves having to teach things beyond their ken that day.
.
Got home, and Dad sat us down and explained that this was a Learning Experience – and the lesson is: None of us know when our time’s gonna be up, so we might as well make the most of it.
I had that conversation with my girls on 9/11/2001.
or be prepared for it.
I was in college. No classes that morning so I was walking over to “my” running store where I spent entirely too much time hanging out back then. The owners had put a TV in the front window display (atypical) for passersby because they were excited about the launch. I got to the store just in time to see “the split”. I recall dashing into the store where we stared silently at each other with wide eyes and tried to convince ourselves there could be a good (or acceptable) ending to the obvious disaster while we awaited further information.
i was between classes at odu, norfolk. it was on the tv b/c they supposedly had something to do with it. classes were noticeably subdued the rest of the day. being military my thought went to sabotage or missile. some libyan student was laughing about it, surrounded by military guys. he accidentally fell down the stairs, all seven floors.
One of the many things I love about this post is its engaging scorn of the Left.
What a gang of crooks, mountebanks and frauds. And that’s just the RINOS.