Bullet Points:
** Confucius says: “The problem with society is we no longer drink from the skulls of our enemies.”
**Packing, Cracking, and Stacking – Gerrymandering in the United States has never been a purely partisan endeavor; it is deeply entrenched in bipartisan political strategy. The AEI op‑ed traces this practice from its early roots to its modern manifestations, emphasizing that both major parties have historically manipulated electoral districts to entrench incumbency and shape legislative outcomes. The piece explores how “cracking” and “packing” techniques are systematically employed not only to favor one party over another but even to maintain stability within the political class itself. It highlights key geographies, such as Texas—where Republican-led remapping has yielded a dominant congressional delegation—and acknowledges that Democrats have responded in kind in states like California and New York. Finally, the article situates this trend within the legal landscape shaped by Rucho v. Common Cause (2019), a Supreme Court decision that held federal courts cannot adjudicate claims of partisan gerrymandering, thereby reinforcing the importance of political and electoral reform.
** I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
** What would a Rooftop Korean do? (WWRKD)
** The Issues & Insights editorial argues that public-sector unions represent an unnecessary and costly force in government. The piece asserts that public employees are overcompensated—earning significantly more than their private-sector counterparts—and that unions allow members to remain largely immune to accountability. It praises President Trump’s March executive order restricting collective bargaining within national security agencies, which had been legally enjoined but has now received a stay from the Ninth Circuit, viewing it as a pivotal and overdue step toward curbing union influence in federal employment.
For the historical record, I believe in the principle of collective bargaining. In the case of the national security agencies, no. However, there is a burden on FedGov to act in good faith when creating employee working conditions and salaries.
** What is your favorite exercise?
Slaves
Please (anyone) tell me who had African Slaves in North America in 1619. There were indentured slaves (primarily Irish) who arrived as household servants in the 1600s.
In this column, George Leef examines Phillip W. Magness’s new book, The 1619 Project Myth, arguing that the original 1619 Project—launched by Nikole Hannah‑Jones and the New York Times—is less a historical reckoning than a politically motivated narrative built on distortions.
Leef contends the project reframes America’s founding from 1776 to 1619, claiming the Revolution was fought to preserve slavery, and that it deliberately misleads to promote a socialist agenda.
Magness, along with Leef, is said to expose the project’s purported political underpinnings, including its support for reparations and modern monetary theory—ideas framed as economically unsound and ideologically driven.
Facing criticism from historians across the spectrum, the Times has made only limited edits, while defenders of the project allegedly avoid substantive engagement with their critics.
Don’t Play with Mercury
Cinnabar (HgS) is the primary mercury ore in the sample. Its vivid scarlet color makes it visually striking, but it’s also highly toxic, especially when disturbed or heated.
In Arizona
With the requisite drum roll, I bring you the final resting place of Mary Sing (aka: Mary Ah Lum; aka China Mary).
Mary was a notable figure in the history of Tombstone, owning several local businesses, both during the OK Corral shootout and afterward. Among them were stores, boarding houses, brothels, and opium dens.
Mary was generous to all, and, despite her background working against her, typical for the time, she might have been considered a civic leader.
Cause and Effect
Homo couples can’t reproduce naturally, and hipsters (both homo and hetero) usually prefer to be DINKs (double income, no kids). If the thoroughly modern city dwellers do have a child, it’s usually only a one-off; rarely do they have three (expanding the base of humanity). Heir and a spare, maybe.
NY Times: “A decline in the number of babies being born and a boom in private school vouchers and home-schooling have combined to create an enrollment crisis for public education. The threat is so significant that some school districts are trying something that would have once seemed unthinkable.
School systems in Orlando, Newark, Memphis, and dozens of other cities and towns have hired consultants who aggressively woo parents to convince them to enroll their children in local public schools. Two-thirds of traditional public schools experienced a decline in enrollment between 2019 and 2023, according to federal data.
Low fertility rates mean that the number of children in the United States is starting to shrink. At the same time, policymakers have introduced more competition than ever, meaning many families have options beyond their neighborhood school.
Even public schools in Florida, one of only a handful of states with a growing population of children, are facing significant declines.”
A Cultural Comeback?
(National Review) Summary: In The Conservative Cultural Comeback, Stanley Kurtz reflects on a striking shift in the cultural landscape: the retreat of “woke” influence and a renewed confidence among conservatives in shaping the nation’s cultural trajectory
The essay asks: Are conservatives genuinely gaining ground in the culture wars—or merely undoing the most visible excesses of liberal progressivism?
Kurtz highlights the broad dissatisfaction with progressive institutions and narratives, suggesting that the fragmentation of Barack Obama’s “coalition of the ascendant” has created openings for a conservative resurgence.
Simultaneously, he argues, fears of cultural censorship or “cancellation” have diminished, empowering conservatives to assert traditional values more boldly.
The piece situates this cultural shift within a broader history, recalling William F. Buckley Jr.’s vision of conservatism as the preservation of America’s political and moral heritage. This outlook remains central to National Review’s intellectual lineage.
SPQR
The primus pilus (primipilo) was the centurion of the first century of the first cohort of a Roman legion. This was the highest rank an ordinary soldier could achieve in the Roman army after Marius’s reforms. To do so, he had to remain in the ranks for a long time, demonstrate courage and good judgment, and be able to lead his soldiers and serve as an example. He was responsible for guarding the most important standard, the Roman eagle.
Under his command were all the other centurions and legion soldiers. Above him were the Legate of the Legion (legatus legionis), the tribune Laticlavius, and the praefectus castrorum. Due to his experience, he participated in staff meetings.
The office of centurio primus pilus was held for a single year, after which most primipilares were discharged and entered the equestrian order as Roman knights. This gave them the right to participate in the life of the urban community in which they settled and to aspire to the cursus honorum of the equites Romani, or to settle in Rome and directly advise the emperor and his generals. However, a few primipilares remained in the army, either in the extremely rare rank of primus pilus bis or as praefectus castrorum of a legion.
Handicapping the Russia-Ukraine War Negotiations
The only element of Putin’s reported position common to all reports is Putin’s continued demand for Ukraine to withdraw from unoccupied areas of Donetsk Oblast — a major Ukrainian concession. Will that result in Russia’s withdrawal from its occupied territories? We’ll see. Ukrainian and European officials reportedly presented a counterproposal to US officials on August 9 as European officials continue to issue statements of support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
Identify the Armor
3
Two views
4
Parting Shot
End
Favorite exercise – some people seem to prefer Jumping To Conclusions and Flying Off The Handle :)
Everybody has to do something.
Does that come in a mat?
Exercise won’t kill you, but why take a chance?
Exercise will kill you, it just does it slower. Which makes the agony take longer.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Bréguet 1150 Atlantic
2. North American A-5 Vigilante
Identify the Armor:
3. VAB
4. StuG III Ausf. G
Well done.
Sport-
Wednesday afternoon in peacetime Australian Army was sports afternoon if we were not on exercise. Usually basketball or football (no pads or helmets version).
My choice was clay target shooting at local civilian club that had an air conditioning bar for between and after rounds. This was back when legal blood alcohol was .1 later .08 and now .05 with O for people under 21. So a good afternoon.
Times have changed.
My first non-native ancestor in the colonies was an indentured servant in the Jamestown settlement. There is lots of evidence the indentured were treated worse than the slaves. The difference being indentured servants were to receive property at the end of the indenture, and were a financial liability. The slaves were a long term investment. See https://www.amazon.com/White-Cargo-Forgotten-History-Britains/dp/0814742963 and https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Slaves-indenture-Contract-Immigrants/dp/145630612X/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_2/138-1218907-1809060?psc=1.
Also never forget the first Virginia slave, an African, was owned by an African. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/court-ruling-on-anthony-johnson-and-his-servant-1655/
IDA #2 includes single examples of Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and Vought F-8 Crusaders as well as the Vigilantes noted by Surly. A spin down the rabbit hole looking up the boat they’re riding on, CVN-65 USS Enterprise, revealed the despicable (to me, anyway) information that CVN-82, on order and due to come online in 2034 and CVN-83, also on order and due to come online in 2036, are to be named William. Jefferson Bligh “I loathe the military” Clinton and George W. “Mission accomplished” Bush, respectively. Considering the military and naval accomplishments of that pair, what jackass thought those would be good ideas?
The Slick Willie May set sail or may be rebranded as the Donald J Trump based on future presidential decree.
Reference slaves: While some Irish were indentured servants, there were large numbers of Irish and Scottish moved to America as slaves by royal order. Historians want to ignore that order and concentrate on the indentured servant aspect; but, the order was specific and the English overlords loaded ship after ship with the undesired jet black haired Irish and flaming red haired Scots for the new world as slaves in an attempt to reduce the populations of Ireland and Scotland to a controllable number with well off English moving into those countries.
Yes, the Crown sent troublemakers to the Colonies and later Down Under, and look what became of them.
England also sent Royalists after the English Civil War and Roundheads after the Restoration as actual prisoner-slaves to the Colonies, both the islands and in Georgia.
–
Heck, there’s even a decent movie about it. “Captain Blood” with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone. Their first collaboration, where Basil basically taught high-level swordfighting skills to Errol and between them they pretty much created ‘realistic’ sword play for the movies.
Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.
True then and true today.
A couple years ago, I interviewed Peter W. Wood, author of The 1620 Project, a rebuttal to the 1619 lie. https://www.nas.org/topics/1620-project
The nation was modeled after The Mayflower Compact, not Jamestown.
I think the beginning of the end for the leftist culture was the release of Top Gun Maverick.
I think it disturbed a lot of people from their complacency with the leftist anti-Americanism.
I could be wrong.
…made during the Covid Psy-Op no less, with all manner of restrictions…yet proved without a scintilla of doubt that American pride and patriotism was alive and well, and those not on board with the program are free the leave to their communist country of choice.
Google AI (so you know it’s true!) to “the rise of homeschooling vs the decline of school enrollment”
Homeschooling has seen a significant increase in popularity, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, while public school enrollment has experienced a decline.
This shift represents a change in how families approach education, with more opting for alternatives to traditional schooling.
It’s literally a marketplace of ideas.
…and our children will be the better for it. The Lefty propaganda via school curriculum switchover started baxk in the 70’s as aging hippies started to infiltrate government, the very thing they decried; activism from within. Now we have failing school districts, failed kids, and a seriously immature dumbed-down populace who have no clue of their Constitutional rights…oh, and a fully regulated life based on someone else’s prescription and life decisions based on the asinine tax code.
Imagine future leadership coming from the ranks of the homeschooled because certainly no one would vote for an incompetent, right?
Never mind.
Public schools are a grand idea, as long as you keep the administrators, higher government, stupid parents, ignorant teachers and sports from the mix. Good teachers are admirable, but considering the cesspool they have to work in, I wonder where the get their motivation to keep swimming.
A lot of families got to see how the sausage was made, er, the kids were maleducated, right there at the kitchen table via zoom call. The biggest bar to homeschooling has always been the highest regard of the best teachers, and the feeling of being unable to live up to that standard. When parents saw the lowest common denominator that the children were actually educated to, “I could never be as good as…” was replaced with “I can do better than *that*!”
X2
Yep.
The shift also follows who is actually having children. Conservative families, the ones most likely to home school, are also the ones to have single-income families where one parent stays home and, curiously also the ones to have 2+ children.
–
Conservatives are outbreeding the leftists by a huge margin. It’s why the Lefties-in-Charge had to import illegals and ‘refugees’ to buck up their numbers because they, the Lefties, sure weren’t breeding their replacements.
Fewer Lefties in society having children – to be indoctrinated by “Two Twisted Mommies” and their weirdo friends – is a very good trajectory. (Not sorry to give no quarter to those who wish for us Normal Thinker’s demise.)
the federal govt acting in good faith? well there’s your problem right there. my experience working for dod in a non-union shop was it was a great place for little tyrants to feel big. we went union on them. they tried every dirty trick to stop/break the union and eventually got themselves canned in the process. of course our “union rep” was obviously mobbed up, we didn’t get a vote on that, but he got stuff done and management was scared stuffless of him so we didn’t care. like all union shops it went to stuff soon after. human nature.
More Chinese.
—–
I grew up as a young lad on our ranch about four miles from Fiddletown up Tyler Road. I was still in grade school when I first met Jimmy Chow. At the link, scroll down for videos.
—
https://preservefiddletown.org/historic-fiddletown/#chew
Hiring consultants? Public schools need to go back to the basics, everyone needs to be able to read-write-add-subtract when they leave the 5th grade…
👍
They also need a sound understanding of actual history, not woke revisionist BS.
Howard Zinn, a propagandist loon who shopped his “People’s” history rewrite to the NEA, who bought it wihotu vetting (either that or they wanted his drivil). Luckily I grew up in Colonial Central USA and my history teachers knew we xould SEE the history down the road (Washington’s Crossing was 15 minutes away)…no lying possible, especially with loads of legacy farm families in good ole Bucks County, PA.
Well, it’s a good start
—-
https://ncrenegade.com/ban-phones-in-schools/
X2
My father dropped out of school after the 8th grade with the death of his father. In many ways he was better educated than me when I graduated from high school.
It often appears that many schools are daycare centers, especially the inner cities.
Exactly…with all the experts running things, education has precipitously dropped off. Dad would say, “Education doesn’t end with schooling, self-education is critical…so never stop learning.”
They would do far better in getting rid of the huge administrative class that is required to meet Department of Education paperwork requirements and go back to “Principal, Vice Principal, two paper pushers (admin pukes) and 2-3 answering the phones and running the front office.” You know, like schools used to have. Everyone else, except the janitorial staff and cafeteria staff, has to be a teacher.
–
And institute competency tests. You should not have a teacher teaching a class that the teacher can’t teach or has no idea about.
The credential with continuing education was designed to address that. But they added all sorts of work arounds for the lame, sick and lazy. Tenure cemented it in place.
x2
Concur about the education today… sigh…
Re the Atlantique, it’s actually a French ATL 2. Back in the mid-80s, I got to fly on the original version out of Nimes-Garons, their Mediterranean base. It was ‘interesting’, pretty cramped compared to the P-3, but very similar equipment and capabilities, with the same crew component. And that clear nose!!! The Atlantique was designed as a replacement for the P-2V, hence that ‘forward observer’ station.
You always get to do cool stuff, Old NFO.
Don’t he though?
I’b buy his Autobiography, but I can’t find it online.
Juan
LOL, not all the time, trust me… The ‘good’ deals always went to the O-4s…
sigh
rhip
Juan
ps
I’d still buy it
Even though I was part of the team that serviced (marshalled, fueled, launched) BR1150’s that landed at Bitburg AB, GE, we were never allowed on board, not even for a quick look. Now I understand why…