The Fifth of May – a holiday in America but not in Mexico. Yes, the Battle of Puebla was fought against the French on that day, but France doesn’t celebrate the loss, and the numbers were so lopsided that Mexico doesn’t celebrate the win.
Bullet Points
** How many days could the UK sustain major combat operations? It’s a fair question to ask of that country that would ask us to join with them should they be attacked. The answer is eight days. I was wrong when I told LSP that I was under the impression that they had enough ammunition for two weeks of combat operations. They have half that number. It explains why they flew one soldier (a SuperSaver coach ticket) unarmed to Greenland in solidarity with the Danes to stand against the Evil Americans. Could we pick a weaker, more pathetic ally? I feel sorry for the King. I really do. I’m surprised that he and the queen could afford to fly to the US. Maybe the next time they could pick up SuperSaver coach tickets and make do with the tiny packet of pretzels and a small plastic cup of soda filled with ice to water it down. It’s not comfortable sitting wedged in the back by the toilets, next to a baby with colic who cries for the entire flight, or an obnoxious teen who kicks the back of your seat incessantly. And there is the SAS that has decided to chuck national service and pick up doing security work for Russian oligarchs who pay. At least they could afford bullets and are unlikely to persecute their own people for doing what was asked of them. I’m sure it’s a lesson learned by the Royal Army – they likely wouldn’t fight for that eight-day stretch after what the British Lion is doing to the SAS.
** Linking Alberta and the United States.
** In a statement, A.P. Moller–Maersk said the vessel—operated by Farrell Lines, a subsidiary of Maersk Line Limited—successfully exited the Persian Gulf on May 4 “under U.S. military protection,” completing the transit “without incident” with all crew safe.
** Question of the Day: Should the UK hand the country back to the Romans (Italians) to establish order and fix what’s wrong? It would seem that when the Romans invaded and established the rule of law, life in Old Blighty improved. Is that all that’s left to them?
** Senator Kennedy discusses Iran and President Trump.
** I received a question over the transom the other day: “Do you think that SNAP should be abolished (Food Stamps)?” I’ll give a short answer. If you are able-bodied (capable of being employed), you should have a six-month period (or nine months, whatever) to get your feet under you, and during that time, you should have food subsistence. I believe in a safety net. There is a point at which that benefit should sunset if you are able to work. There are people who are not, and there are people living on the margins who find employment difficult because of a physical or mental disability, who need to be cared for. Basic food and shelter. That doesn’t mean they get a five-star ride for life. I believe in school lunch, and, if necessary, dinner, for children in need, and I believe unemployed parents can be employed to feed them at school or clean up after them. I have daughters who are teachers and who deal with these situations with the children they teach every day. Anyway, that’s my response.
** Benefits of flood irrigation and putting river flow into the water table.
** China killed German exports. The EU killed the U.S. trade deal. The Greens killed the German energy supply. BMW, Mercedes, and VW are screaming at their government because there is no fourth market to pivot to. China was Germany’s biggest premium-car export market for two decades. Then BYD, NIO, Xpeng, and Geely caught up. Then surpassed. 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥. The EU promised Trump a trade deal. The EU never delivered. Trump kept his word and slapped 𝟐𝟓% 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫 entering U.S. ports. The Porsche that a Texas dealer was selling for $95,000 just got $24,000 more expensive overnight. The killer is the third leg. German factories run on electricity that costs 𝐭𝐰𝐨-𝐭𝐨-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞. The Greens shut down the nuclear plants. Russian gas got pulled. Bosch, ZF, Continental — every major auto supplier — has announced closures and layoffs. Two decades of European energy ideology, climate posturing, and refusal to rearm just hit the German auto sector at once. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠. The continent that lectured America for a generation is watching its flagship industry die on three fronts simultaneously.
** In 2010, man made the first synthetic species – where are they now? Covid 19 Vaccines…
** All men dream, but not equally.
** The Irish slave trade began when James VI sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners to be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies. By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70% of the total population of Montserrat was Irish slaves. Ireland quickly became the biggest source of human livestock for English merchants. The majority of the early slaves to the New World were actually white. From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English, and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade.
** Very close to the White Wolf Mine.
** I received a telephone call from a friend who communicates with a friend in Iran. The Iranian/Persian said that executions of anyone suspected of being competent enough to lead are widespread, as the IRGC arrests them in large numbers. The person in Iran said that the public is numb, going through the motions, and feels that President Trump has abandoned them. He was their only hope against the mullahs and thugs. They are in a state of despair.
Goodbye HMS Iron Duke
HMS Iron Duke has been stripped of her weapons and sensors and has not been to sea since October 2025, despite no formal decommissioning announcement. Her withdrawal from active service, less than three years after a £103M refit, raises uncomfortable questions about the Royal Navy’s ability to sustain even its much-reduced surface fleet. She’s off to the knacker’s yard. Or maybe they’ll allow her to be sold to another navy (with a fleet) that can use her in a sink-ex, and she can end her life as a reef. If done in water under 100 feet depth, she could become a wreck dive tourist attraction.
Now there are five British frigates remaining with enough sailors to crew two fully.
Iron Duke was supposed to go back to sea in March 2026 and still retained most of her ship’s company in January. However, as we previously reported, it was rumored that personnel shortages meant Iron Duke’s crew would mostly be transferred to HMS Kent, as she is due to emerge from a major refit this year. It is possible that during dry-docking, a show-stopping defect was found on Iron Duke, either keel corrosion or a major propulsion issue that was beyond reasonable repair.
At best, the RN might now occasionally be able to find a single frigate to assign to the Carrier Strike Group, seriously undermining the RN’s centerpiece capability and ensuring almost complete reliance on allied support for at least the next 5 years or more. The French. Irish and Germans can be called upon to protect the British aircraft carriers.
The widening frigate ‘capability gap’ appears to be getting longer and deeper than even previous pessimistic forecasts. Given the platform’s fragile state, despite their expensive LIFE extensions, there must be concerns about how long the 5 remaining ships can keep going. HMS Portland has already spent much of 2025 in an unplanned docking period. The collective failure to order a single new frigate between 1996 and 2017 is having disastrous consequences. We are watching the British manage their decline in real time. Although there are 13 frigates under construction or on order, dates for their entry into service are increasingly vague. (h/t Claudio)
Pulp Fiction vs the Bible
The “Ezekiel 25:17” passage recited by Samuel L. Jackson (Jules) in Pulp Fiction is a famously fictionalized monologue, not a direct quote from the Bible. It is partially inspired by the actual biblical verse but heavily adapted from the 1976 Sonny Chiba movie Karate Kiba (The Bodyguard).
The Pulp Fiction Monologue (Ezekiel 25:17):
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you”. (as recited by Samuel L. Jackson)
Actual Biblical Verse (Ezekiel 25:17, KJV):
“And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them”.
I’m not sure which one I like better. The Pulp Fiction variant is a little wordy.
Identify the Aircraft
1
Identify the Ship (by class OK)
2
3
Five completed
4
5
End
(1) Grumman FF.
(2) Yamato class.
(3) King George V class.
(4) Richelieu class.
(5) Littorio class.
– Kle.
Fast.
Identify the Aircraft
1 – Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver
Identify the Ship
2 – Japanese battleship Yamato – lead ship of her class
3 – HMS King George V – lead ship of her class
4 – French battleship Richelieu – lead ship of her class
5 – Italian battleship Roma – Littorio-class
Heh. That’s what I get for not reading the label on the plane!
– Kle.
Yeah, there was a big hint, Kle.
.
Exactly, ML Thomas.
Royal Navy
There are several old Australian navy ships sunk off the coast here as dive sites. A few more could be added.
They’re great to boost dive tourism.
They’re also great to boost aquatic plant and animal populations.
About that “French. Irish and Germans can be called upon to protect the British aircraft carriers” thing. Sure, they CAN be called but would they come? Somehow, I don’t see any of those guys (and especially the Irish) being particularly keen to sign on as sub-contractors to the RN.
I doubt the UK could afford the service. It would be more of an act of charity and love. And who doesn’t love England? (besides the Scots, Welsh, Irish, Manx, and Cornish)
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Curtiss SBC Helldiver
Identify the Ship:
2. Yamato
3. HMS King George V (actually, the second one of that name)
4. Richelieu
5. Roma of the Littorio-class
Very good, Surly.
The successful travel of the Maersk is another win for PDJT and Team. Listened a little last night to Fox to see if the Dems and Lefty Goofball could couch this any other way than a successful operation. Heard nothing (well, to be fair, Tarlov – another ‘Jessica’ (see below) – wasn’t on The Five so was spared her screeching rhetoric).
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SNAP: Agree 100% with your take, start including Welfare et al, including Medicaid…that would be a good start.
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‘Very close to the WWW: First thought, “Gee thanks ‘Jessica’, now the hoards know about this special local place because of your social media post and will descend like locusts, then start demanding ‘amenities’, thus ruining the place.” Her “…and ONLY 2 hours from Phoenix!” exclamation says it all.
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Cinco de Mayo: Started by Miracle Whip marketers to put a dent into Hellmann’s Mayonnaise market share.
Thought Cinco de Mayo’s main push came from Coors?
In my experience, Mexicans drink Budweiser north of the border.
Tarlov was on Brett Baer, her usual self. No need to elaborate.
Please don’t, worse than a sharp stick in the eye. 😖
I shall refrain from writing a four paragraph hairy dog story about a shipment of mayonnaise bound for Mexico aboard the HMS Titanic.
Thx.
welfare in the U.S.:
immigrants: all (well – perhaps not all!) are welcome here with a couple of bucks in your pocket (and/or family who are already citizens not on the dole) to sustain you for a few months; come here with an employable skill; come here with the ability to speak an easily-understandable English; come here with the strong desire to become an American understanding the nature of the “American” culture; come here with the understanding that you won’t be able to obtain social welfare until you’re been paying taxes for 5 years. – just my highly skewed opinion.
U.S. citizens:
any veteran (in need) who has been honorably discharged (DD-214) goes immediately to the top of the list to be given whatever services and allowances he requires (to get him back on his feet – so to speak)
all others (including people who’ve sustained damage as a result of injury, illness [not self-induced], accidents) – I’m still of two minds (do they have supportive family?) and feel that these should be decided on a case-by-case basis
I agree with you, Boron. I would also suggest that the Churches be pushed to help the down-and-outs more aggressively. They have a tax-free status, not just to enrich the priestly class.
Having watched/examined the de/evolution of the churches’ actions towards the “needy” over the past 50+ years, their handling of alms money derived from the goverment and their parishioners, I’d greatly prefer they not be involved. Through my glasses, I’ve seen that they prefer to give sustenance to the blood-suckers rather than the truly needy; some seem to think that veterans are the scum of the earth, more particularly those who volunteered to serve their country – they’re just killers, after all.
BTW being one, there’s absolutely no way I’m going to let the Jewish community off the hook: their translation of the terms tzedakah צְדָקָה, chesed חֶסֶד, and tikkun olam תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם all have been redefined (over the same period) by a strongly Leftist/Liberal/Socialist/Marxian element that’s wormed (and I do mean wormed) its way into leading all segments of the community other than the Haredim חרדים, the ultra-Orthodox.
This is not a rant; just an observation.
The American Jewish community always seems directly opposed to Israel.
You need to separate Jewish by faith and Jewish by ancestry. There is a vast difference. Most Jews by ancestry but not practicing are violently leftist and will gladly elect those who outright announce the destruction of all who are Jewish by ancestry or by faith.
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On the other hand, outside of progressive synagogues, Jews by faith, that is practicing Jews, tend to not be leftist jackwagons, or at least as I have observed.
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Sadly, the Jewish by ancestry (but not actually practicing) seem to have forgotten that England has always hated the Jews, the Germans have always hated the Jews, good portions of France have been very anti-Jewish.
There are church relief efforts that aren’t grabbing headlines all that often. Samaritan’s Purse is one. When I lived in the Midwest I saw the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief efforts after several tornados flattened a number of towns – they went above and beyond. Sure there are others, as well as food/clothes help efforts Some good PR might inspire others to emulate the good examples…and hope the PR doesn’t start turning helpful heads into mush.
👍
Cinco de Mayo: Memorialization of the loss of the RMS Titanic and its cargo hold full of mayonnaise bound for the New World. As PaulM alludes, industrial espionage mission writ large.
odd thoughts:
Germany has been the powerhouse of Europe essentially since the states got their act together and unified. If the economy of Germany fails/falls, well, we saw what happened post-WWI, will there be a repeat?
There is also the problem of the middle-Easterners: will they remain (a drag on Germany’s economy through the social welfare system) or return to whence they came?
The Greenies (and the politicians who pandered to them): will they leave for Scandinavia should a strong oppo government be “elected”?
Germany is returning to Coal power. They could have gone nuclear, but shut everything down to save the planet, etc.
Germany is about out of hard coal. They have large reserves of lignite which has less energy and much higher air pollution. Given the environazis power in Europe, that must present political problems.
At the moment, without coal, they go dark. Maybe they can buy anthracite from Poland?
The guy is right to a certain extent about water use and supply. Here in Southern Idaho, almost all water is stored in impounds used for irrigation and electricity. https://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/burtea.html The water battle is about much more than that. The original founders of the Magic Valley had the foresight to claim the headwaters of the Snake at Jackson Lake back in the late 1800’s. When I was living in the Yuma valley in 1983 we were in danger of being flooded. Digging a hole in my backyard one foot deep produced water due to the rising water table. Lake Mead and Lake Powell were full then. Since that time millions of people have moved to arid parts of the west placing strain on the Colorado River. This is a complex issue not to be solved in this forum.
Another great swimming hole in Arizona is off the road to Crown King requiring a bit of a hike is Hell’s Hole. Keep an eye out for rattlin’ snakes. I carry a 357 with snake shot as the first round.
Lakes Powell, Mead, and the Salt River Project in Arizona need to refill. The solution is to use nuclear energy to desalinate ocean water and pump it to the desert southwest (along with California’s Central Valley, etc). We have the money, but we don’t have the will.
Various crackpots want to remove the dam and empty Lake Powell to fill Lake Mead. How that helps I cannot fathom. Another proposal/demand is to empty Flaming Gorge on the Green River. Likely Wyoming will say no.
Last weekend I had a long look at the Yampa from US 40. It is only halfway up the banks. Most years in May it is running near full.
Just wait for Glade, water goes to Greeley, boating and camping for Larimer and Albany county weekenders. It’ll be a mess once in operation.
New Chimney Hollow Reservoir is starting to fill. 90,000-acre feet when full. Unless we get early, and heavy, monsoons, it will take a heavy winter to come near capacity. Glade is, for the moment, in good shape.
New business plan, so simple…except government hates actual solutions to real world problems so will work to keep anything positive from happening…talking to you Newsom and Bass, who needs to get buried in the election by Pratt. (Yup, stating the obvious but some things are worth saying out loud.)
Concur on the water. Many articles out there about newer communities/neighborhoods in Arizona being cut off or denied access to water because there isn’t enough to go around.
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Snake shot. My one and only field observation. Decades ago, a shootin’ buddy and I were deer hunting up in the California Coast Range, roughly west of Black Butte Lake. Much hunting, no deer. We were hiking down a trail mid-morning through brush, when a covey of quail crossed the trail about 50 feet in front of us, some flying, some running. A trailing male ran across the trail, hopped up on a small rock, and sat there looking at us. My buddy and I looked at each other. He gave a “What the hell” shrug, unlimbered his S&W 5-shot .38 snubbie, and let fly with a CCI snake round. A few pellets kicked up dust around the quail. One pellet knocked dust off the quail’s folded wing feathers. The quail ruffled his feathers, looked mildly offended, and ran off into the brush after his tribe. I was amused, but not surprised.
programming DNA – found in a number of SciFi stories of the late ’50s – bound to happen
Where does it go from here – are we looking at the arrival of the Übermensch?
Musk would say that robots will beat them to the punch.
As a programmer, I understand improvements can be made.
But the Ultimate Programmer cannot be improved on.
At least not without leaving His purposes, without the vision He has of the outcome, including the unintentional.
SNAP A Short Story: Those on food assistance used to stop by the appropriate office/warehouse and pick up their box of food. In the 70s, people complained about Cadillacs or other such vehicles in line for assistance without actually checking if the owner was retired and lacked sufficient funds to carry on without help. Also, those getting food complained that it was a pretty small menu. (Note: Never mind that at the start of WW II the Army had three (3) entrees in cans for field rations) Those getting assistance were also embarrassed by all the news coverage showing them loading food into their vehicles.
The result was that the do gooders changed our laws and regulations a bit allowing individuals to be paid instead of just taking a box of food and this process kept being refined until today those on assistance have a reloadable credit card so they may shop where they wish. (Note: Part of the push to move away from stopping to pick up a box of food was that it would save the taxpayer as the warehouse could be closed and no workers were needed to log visitors or pass out the boxes.) Of course, as soon as there were bucks on the table, the bottom of the deck dealing started. Now, the fraud is so massive that the overall cost to the taxpayer is even greater.
Where did the food that was given away come from? It was part of the price restrictions made before WW II and part of the Cold War Civil Defense plan. Does the US still stockpile some goodies for huge disasters? Yes. Are there as many distribution points as before? No.
Why is the government in the relief business? Because before LBJ’s Great Society, only the poorest of the poor received any government help while local churches and groups took care of the poor and needy in their towns. When the Great Society was proposed, the churches gave their assigned task of taking care of the poor to Uncle. Now, every taxpayer in America is forced to pay for those unwilling to work, milking the system, fraudulently or otherwise taking advantage of the lax oversight to line their pockets.
Note: SNAP is only one of more than 80 programs for food assistance. This is a huge operation and if you dig a bit you will see just how much money is spent because churches did not resist LBJ’s unbiblical move to take over helping the poor.
End Simplified Short Story
Don’t forget that today the Battle of Puebla falls on Taco Tuesday. Feast or not at your discretion.
While not the best parallel, when Reagan called the Soviet Union an evil empire it gave hope to residents in Poland. However, the Poles did the bulk of the work helping themselves – no massive movement of US troops were sent in. Agree that the USSR didn’t have fanatics working at the level that Iran is suffering under.