The Big Re-Write

 

 

But there’s a Plague

Apparently pirates are not bothered by the plague, which disturbs me because they may turn out to be super spreaders. (more here)

“Crew kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea surged to a new record in 2020, the International Maritime Bureau reported in its annual piracy report.

“Worldwide, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre recorded 195 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2020, up more than 20% from the 162 incidents recorded a year earlier. The incidents included three vessel hijackings, 11 fired upon, 20 attempted attacks, and 161 boardings.”

The companies who select which flags  fly on their vessels might want to consider a change of color. Or they could hire mercenaries (Private Military Companies) to simply hunt out the pirates where they reside and eliminate them if their national affiliation isn’t enough to solve the problem. The pirates are high profile enough that a PMC can do quickly what may strain national will.

These vessels and their owner’s responses rely on insurance rates being reasonable. It always comes back to the bottom line. There is no more Thomas Jefferson to declare war on the Barbary Pirates.

You’ll note from the article that Somalian pirates were shut down. They didn’t mention that was due to US Special Forces and SEALs engaging them before they could go out and pillage.

 

What is Her Political Future?

And what pronouns is the Mooch using these days because pronouns are critically important in the Brave New World.

 

The Capitol Army

I find it interesting that President Lincoln refused army protection at the White House during the Civil War. The house was open to one and all and there were often people waiting in the hall when he emerged from his bedroom.

The drama unfolding with 20,000+ troops surrounding and presumably protecting Jo and Ho is intended to be a threat to all who didn’t vote for the most popular president in American history. (just ask CNN) I can only guess that they will remain, the White House will be surrounded by walls topped with razor wire (that the donkeys claim don’t work) and backed by troops. Maybe they’ll build concrete bunkers around that White House? Slow Joe has been living in one for the past year, so I’m sure that he’d be comfortable.

Street closures in DC in preparation for the January 20 military defense of the donkeys. The real question is the extent to which they will remain closed after Jo and Ho take over.

 

German executioner’s sword dated 1613

Inscribed “ET VERBVM CARO FACTVM EST” (And the Word became Flesh)

 

Do you remember when we didn’t have $5 billion to build a wall? That was back before we gave away $700 billion in foreign aid, including money to build walls other than ours, only ours is racist.

 

Fun with Maps

I start, not with a map, but with the absence of a map. Yes, Canyonlands has been mapped and you can orienteer your way around the place with a map and a lensatic compass, but it’s wild country and if you’re on foot, you can get lost. In the winter it’s cold as a stepmother’s caress and in the summer it’s like Satan’s kitchen.

 

 

Roads built by the Roman Empire

 

 

This next entry is for WSF the “official car guy” of this blog.

There are countless car models sold by hundreds of car manufacturers around the world each and every year. So when a single model strikes a chord with people, it’s usually pretty special.

What is each country’s most popular vehicle?

In this new study, Budget Direct Car Insurance crunched the numbers and created maps showing what and where.

 

Yes, it’s clearly sexist to have genders identifying countries. Spanish and French offend greatly in this regard.

 

This map is for Mike_C, who knows more about splitting chests than most of us.

Though it’s politically incorrect to write this in the era of plague that shuts the nation down until somebody the donkeys like can be elected — Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and it is most prevent in the south. Although obesity is linked to heart disease high obesity states like the Dakotas, Iowa, and Nebraska offset that with a higher quality of healthcare.

 

And last of all, a sign

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34 COMMENTS

  1. There’s a lot going on in this post but I was struck by the sword. Curiously, the UK branch of the SMOM (Sovereign Military Order of Malta) carries an executioner’s sword in procession. Viscount Furness (RIP) bought it for the Knights in the ’60s(?). “I picked that thing up at a flea market in Spain,” he told me, “It’s an executioner’s sword, of course they don’t know.”

    Then there’s the DC Green Zone. I like the way it shouts “most popular President ever!” So, will the Capitol become America’s Forbidden City?

    • Yes, this post turned out to be a mish-mash of many subjects. I liked the sword. It would hang proudly on the wall of the White Wolf Mine – in my office.

      The DC Green Zone will be filled with zombies. A place to avoid.

  2. And now the news is the Fibbies are doing background checks on the Nat Guard that are in DC. Apparently someone figured out that not a lot of liberals join the Military and the Guard, but, surprisingly, it’s conservatives that do…

    So now Hiden Biden and the Vice-whore-to-be and the rest of the Dems are worried about the NatGuard turning Praetorian Guard or something.

    As to the Mooch? I still firmly expect her to be the next Veep when the Vice-Ho takes the big seat. And then I fully expect the Mooch to take over the big seat sometime after that.

    • There are apparently three levels of clearance underway for the guard inside The Green Zone: (1) armed with ammo and access to elected officials; (2) armed (ammo not on their person) – there for show; (3) unarmed. Most are category 3 (cannon fodder for when the 10 million man host arrives from Florida). Yes, most are conservative.

  3. What is going on with the top photo? The man in the center appears to be a Special Forces SFC. The two men (center right and right) whose left arms are visible would be 29th Infantry, I think. Why are any of them there, but especially SF? As some wag once put it, “Having SF standing around guarding something static is a bad bad idea. We get bored. It’s practically ensures the thing being guarded will end up informally requisitioned and repurposed … or pregnant.” Also, I see two men not wearing masks at all, and two more wearing them improperly (noses hanging out). What is the penalty for this? Hmmmm.

    “splitting chests”
    I appreciate the mention, but in the interests of avoid some “stolen valor” type situation I should point out that I’m *not* a cardiac surgeon. The closest I came was acting as a first assistant for a CABG during medical school. Attending heart surgeon: “Now you’re sure you’re ready for this? We can wait for [the surgical fellow] to get here and assist. No shame in that. But if you want to go ahead, you must hold the heart absolutely still when I make the anastomosis. If you f*ck this up I’m not just going to fail you. I will personally see to it that you’re thrown out of medical school. Is that clear?” This sort of pep talk is probably familiar to a number of people here, despite not being particularly medical ;-). Anyway, I’m trained in cardiac catheterization, but not surgery.

    • There are special forces guard units (19th and 20th SFG). 29th Infantry is the Virginia National Guard. 28th Infantry is the Pennsylvania National Guard. 300th Military Intelligence Brigade comes from Utah because LDS people send people on missions all over the world and they return with language skills. etc.

      When I was in high school, the 19th SFG deployed to the area and I was hired as an actor/terrorist for them to go after. It was scripted but I enjoyed it.

      • During WW2, the National Mall was transformed into military buildings. OSS was there before the CIA HQ was built across the river in Langley. They are going to need a lot of barracks to support the Green Zone. I wonder if that’s where they’ll put the troops, to keep them close to protect the new regime?

  5. So here is my favorite “gate” story. Bear with me while I set it up.

    During the late 60’s and into the 70’s, the ranch property I grew up on in the California gold rush country was rented out for pasture to a grizzled, calloused old cowboy/rancher, first name of Harlan. One corner of the ranch (about 14 acres) was across the local river tributary and bordered a local rural county road.

    When I was a young lad growing up, we discovered a site where indians had lived on that piece of ground. The first clue was porcelain beads unearthed when it rained. Sacramento State University came up and did a formal dig. The point is that word got out that the ranch was un-occupied and that artifacts could still be dug up. The site was about 50 yards from the county road.

    It wasn’t long before it became a regular headache as people would trespass looking for artifacts and sometimes cut the fence wire. Harlan was not amused.

    So, one fine day he rolled up on the county road, and sure enough there was a car parked, the fence was cut, and there was someone at the site digging with a shovel. They were so intent on their digging that they did not notice as Harlan rolled to a stop, eased out of his pickup, and quietly walked up behind them (young guy, 30-something). Harlan pulled out his 1911 and racked the slide. The young guy spun around and froze, dropping his shovel. Harlan pointed the 1911 center mass and said “That’s all right son, you jest keep diggin’, ’cause that’s where I’m gonna plant yuh”.

    Young guy started blubbering something. Harlan cut him of with “I’m a-goin down by the river and have a smoke. When I get back, you best be gone”.

    He was.

    • Harlan, a man of few words, was able to get his point across to even a young antiquities thief. Thanks for the story.

  6. Canyonlands is a perfect example of deadly beauty! Re DC, they’re gonna be there a while, after being ‘carefully’ screened for their allegiance to Joe and Ho…

  7. The background checks! They are being done to ascertain the issue the Command types would have in giving an unlawful/unconstitutional order. There seem to be a lot of units from places that won’t go all in PLA on this nation.

    There will be “protestors” showing up Wednesday wearing MAGA hats and Trump 2020 flag capes but these are going to be the Democrat provocateurs that were recruited to whip up the crowds. They will still get shot and blamed as Trump supporters which they will deserve. May God have mercy on their souls!

    • Yes. Folks born and raised in the city regard gates as something for decoration.
      If you’re raised in the country, you’ve experienced the fun of chasing down strays and trying to get them back inside the fence, before they start munching on the neighbors crops and causing accidents on the roads. And if a bull gets loose….um Yah!?

  9. My dairy farmer father was prone to say; “a cow with a full belly has no reason to get out!” Of course there are always exceptions to the rules, as with most things in life.

  10. Gate story. My late brother-in-law was of German heritage and by g_d, he was German. We were out in his pickup checking livestock. When we came to a gate, I got out, opened it, then closed it. Back in the truck Dwayne got out and went back and checked how I wrapped the closing chain! Pissed me off. I was ranch raised and damn well know how to close a gate.

  11. I’m surprised somebody hasn’t floated a modern Q-Ship out there. Manned by members of the flag country’s armed forces, like was done in the Battle of the Atlantic. I’m not that familiar with current International Maritime Law these days, other than “NO Arms Allowed” on civilian craft, even though it’s sometimes loosely enforced.

    Yeah, we might be seeing the complete restructuring of D.C., and it’s renaming to something clever like Capitol City. Completely closed off to the Little People, except upon a request from on high.

    And the maps are always interesting.

    Couldn’t just scan my “Altitude Adjusted” bread recipes as you wouldn’t have been able to read them, so I’m commiting them to bits for easier trasnmission and storage.

    • Maybe just re-naming the Capitol Mall area “The Green Zone” like Baghdad, surrounding all of the progressive lawmakers and executives with 30,000 picked troops – the Immortals.

      Any advice on high altitude bread making/recipes is greatly appreciated.

      • Discovered a high altitude popover recipe…key was 4g protein flour (might even be labeled high-altitude). King Arthur has a version. No extended blending like most recipes, just a quick whisk to combine and smooth. One extra egg, and baked at 400deg the entire time (32 min vs 30), not 425/350. First time they actually “popped”. Couldn’t believe it was that simple.

    • Some people are so selfish that they want to move the tiki bar to a more convenient spot.

      Maybe under the new socialist/communist administration, there will be a promise of more publicly funded tiki bars. It would get votes in some quarters – maybe flip Florida for the donkeys?

  13. There is some evidence the Chinese admiral Zing Hgee , maybe was his name. Circumnavigated about 1491. Book by an English Navel Officer. Huge ships could only sale downwind. Some genetic evidence , odd stories of Chinese artifacts. George Washington wrote of a Chinese junk in a swamp.
    The Chinese discovered America . Guess they are coming to take it back.

    • They discovered Virginia? Why not?

      Mariners were sailing the seas before 1491. There is evidence for Kennewick man to have been doing that sort of thing thousands of years BC – and others. Kon Tiki – Americans discovered the Pacific. China can give it back.

      • There’s evidence of Phonecians making it to South America.

        And, of course, to really piss people off, the reconstruction and dna analysis of the oldest grave in North America is of a caucasian. Looks rather Scandihoovianish, all the way down to the clothing. But the Native Americans were here first (and killed and ate all the horses before the Spanish reintroduced the horse and taught the NAs how to ride…)

        • There is a LOT of evidence of evidence of cross-oceanic culture in South America and no reason why they didn’t cross, but would you want to stay if you did? Really? The Vikings came and went because the locals were hostile…we know that Vikings were sweet and loving. Who wouldn’t want them living next door?

          My ancestors raided south into France and stayed in Normandy. I can’t blame them, I like the place too — a LOT better than the Amazon rain forests. The Romans like Gaul too. Britain not as much.

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