The Sixth Launch of the Starship
NOTICE: Today’s launch was scrubbed due to the weather, but I’m going ahead with the blog anyway because the weather in cyberspace is fine. They rescheduled it for tomorrow.
Diagram of a Block 1 Starship’s internal structure. The flaps are not shown in this diagram: the aft flaps are placed at the bottom (or left in this orientation), and the forward flaps are placed at the top (here, right) portion of the spaceship.
Bullet Points:
** Elsa is hiring.
** Right—John M. Browning designed the 1911 so that an empty cartridge casing could be used in a pinch if the spring plug was lost.
** It’s been in the news and is no secret, but the Democratic party’s luminaries always have to buy friends and celebrities. Oprah took $1 million to pretend to support Ho. Lady Gaga took $20 million and sang a few songs. If the Democrats offered me $20 million to sing a few (non-patriotic) songs and to pretend to like the unlikeable Kamala, would I have taken the money? True, it’s pre-tax, but it’s still $20 million. The Republicans and President Trump didn’t pay anyone to like them. If there is one glaring difference, it’s that one. Kamala’s mama likely tied a pork chop around her neck to make the dog lick her.
** It’s vacation time. Why don’t you go on a cruise?
** It takes guts to be an organ donor.
** The WEF has advised against home-grown food in the ongoing war against global warming, brought to you by the same people who say breathing is a part of the problem.
** They put Tulsi Gabbard on the terror watch list because she supported President Trump. Now, she’s the Director of National Intelligence. It’s a significant F-U to the Swamp.
** Writing: A story is like a child. You nurse it along, aim it in the right direction, and put your heart and soul into the baby, but then, if heaven smiles, it comes to life, grows up, and has its soul, spirit, and essence.
Call it the muse or whatever you like, but there is something that directs a story in the direction it is meant to go — and I do not necessarily mean what direction the author is aiming. Stories speak of themselves, under their power, or not at all. A story can be a morality tale, make a point, or have a theme, but it cannot be a sermon. It cannot be heavy-handed or contain a message that does not grow organically from the story.
** Whether you love or loathe Mr. Trump, you can’t accuse him of inauthenticity. Minority communities can handle that approach. Not only do they appreciate it, but they will vote for it and did. The democrats have difficulty wrapping their heads around that.
** New Energy Secretary Chris Wright – “He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” Trump’s statement said. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.” According to Liberty Energy’s website, Wright graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also completed graduate work in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and MIT.”
Public Schools Need Reform
DOGE
Elon Musk, the founder and owner of Tesla and SpaceX and the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), is the wealthiest man in the world. He was previously a Democrat who supported politicians such as Barack Obama but has shifted further to the right in recent years due primarily to the Democrats’ increasingly radical stances, including support for censorship and transgenderism. Musk gave his official endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign following the assassination attempt against him on July 13th.
President-elect Trump has since announced that Musk, alongside businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead an entirely new federal agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The agency aims to significantly reduce the size of the federal government over the next two years. It plans to complete its work by July 4th, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
In a time of drastic change, the learners inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.
The Shorts
(amazon.com) HogsbreathSS and Al Kirk asked the other day about the next book to be released. It will be another book of short stories, and I expect that it will be The Shorts—Two.
Yes, this is a shameless plug for The Shorts (cover art by Jules—as always, thank you, Jules). The next volume, close to completion, will include more science fiction, and there isn’t a section on how to make money as a government informant. In The Shorts, the section on informers (non-fiction), I had to wait until the informers died before I wrote about them. To my certain knowledge, nobody has died so that they could be included. There are a lot of stories to be told, but I will have to bide my time like a vulture perched on the limb of a dead tree.
For those of you who are new to Virtual Mirage, the blog, I have written a few books that are available on Amazon.com. Those of you who are looking for the perfect gift this Christmas Season might find a book there as well. More books are being written and are in the pipeline. Based on your requests, I expect The Shorts – Two will be available in digital and print formats. I don’t have a release date for you, but sooner than later.
False Information – from the FBI
Say it isn’t so!
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters demanding accountability from the FBI over inaccurate national crime statistics.
After initially claiming violent crime decreased 1.7% in 2022 versus 2021, Grassley revealed that the FBI, “like a thief in the night,” quietly revised its figures to reflect a 4.5% increase in crime in 2022. Grassley is raising questions about how the FBI gathers its crime data and why the timing of its release and correction was so suspect.
The FBI’s original incorrect data was cited by the Kamala Harris presidential campaign and used to “fact-check” President Trump during an ABC News presidential debate. Meanwhile, the FBI remained silent on its inaccuracy. Grassley is now demanding to know why.
The FBI has yet to retract its October 2023 press release highlighting the false data.
Biden Authorizes Deep Strikes into Russia
(Fox News) “President Biden approved Ukraine’s military to use U.S.-provided long-range missiles on targets inside Russian territory, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that such an escalation would constitute an act of war.
Are the democrats working toward a shooting war with Russia before President Trump takes office?
Identify the Weapon
1
2
Hint: Chambered for .45/70
3 to 5 on the deck
6
Identify the Aircraft
7
It’s being built, not completed, which makes it more difficult to identify, but not impossible.
8
Parting Shot
End
1 old style Hammerli 9mm. I’ve only used a friends in .22
2 Gatling gun
3 FAL variant?
One of the three is an FAL.
1.Sig P210
2.Colt manufactured m.1883 Gatlin gun
3.FNFAL(Austrian variant?),M14/M1A missing its FCG,G3 clone with the old school furniture.
4.FNFNC para.
After coffee I believe #4 is a FAL Para not the FNC
IDW-
1. SIG P210-6
2. 1877 Bulldog Gatling Gun
3. FN-FAL, M-14, H&K G-3
4. SIG 5.56 Drake Shorty
IDA-
1. Tupolev Tu 144
2. Myasishchev VM-T Atlant
HogsbreathSS wins the gold star today. It is indeed a Tu-144 – 100% correct
#4 def not a Sig 556 shorty by Drake enterprises.
You’re right, Klaus, I mis-awarded the star, not a Drake.
He can certainly keep the star as he far superior at IDing than myself. I happen to have had a few Sig 550 series rifles so the hinge pin and break open lever are the tells there.
It is a CA SA58-OSW fitted with a KAC bolt-on, Elcan Spectre x4 rep and Peq 15 rep. I consider this matter settled. The star goes to Klaus!
Identify the Weapon:
1. SIG P210
2. Gatling gun
3. FAL
4. M14
5. G3
6. TBD
Identify the Aircraft:
7. Concorde without visor
8. Myasishchev VM-T in 1GT configuration
More evidence the FBI was helping Harris.
~~~
Freeing up the weapons to go where Russia said not to go? Only 62 days left to get that war expanded…
The FBI is one of those incredibly political organizations that is interested in its institutional survival. It allowed itself to be weaponized by the democrat party in the hopes that the Republicans would never again hold office – or if they did it would be a “groomed” Republican that they controlled. Oooops.
So was Hoover a trans or drag queen? In any case, he got the organization started down this path long ago and it should suffer the fate we all hope for it. Perhaps the Epstein/Diddy lists have names …The top management should be put in gen pop.
Hoover was not.
J Edgar and Clyde Tolson were just good friends who lived together platonically. Like Bert and Ernie in their separate twin beds. There was definitely no buggery involved. And oral sodomy was right out.
When Edgar wore his red dress, he did it professionaly, not recreationally.
Sure looks like the Dems are trying to make their messes as messy as possible, so they can then blame Trump for the mess.
Read somewhere that Trump should call certain officers back to active duty, then hold a courts-martial. That could get interesting.
He doesn’t care, like a proper SISU Warrior. “Winning” [for We The People] is all that matters, not the noise created by the Subversives.
Yes, Frank, they’re going to have a tribunal board to determine which 3 and 4 stars stay and which are forced into retirement, stripped of their security clearances, and statutorily restricted from working for Beltway Bandits for 5 years after separation. It chills the tiny, wicked, hearts of the woke and those who have sold out to Red China. As PaulM writes, it’s all about what’s good for We the People instead of what’s good for the corporate pocketbooks and the egos of general officers.
A UFC-Level Fight fire-hosing out the Swamp…can’t wait to see how sparkly clean The Federal Government gets (well…at least some portion). The Founders are looking down happier. At least the Lame Stream Media (h/t Rush) didn’t try to make the MSG UFC event analogous to Stalin in some whacked fashion because Trump and ‘The Team’ attended.
***
Biden is a Clear & Present danger to America…60 days left of this insanity, yet concerns run the gamut. This move by The Husk is pushing us further into that idiocy.
***
Cruises- Yeah…nope, not happenin’…ever..don’t care how good the buffet is on board. For that kind of money I could be in a nice mountain cabin somewhere in ‘the hinterland’ away from the General Public fray.Wait…already am. Win win. (One caveat, I WOULD do a ‘limited passenger’ Viking Longboat cruise along the Danube, Rhine, or anywhere in Norway…for the Christmas Markets or anytime in Spring.)
Did a cruise once with a group of friends who I hardly saw the entire trip.
Nevermore.
I’ll fly where I want to go.
Caroline has come out against RFKJR. More evidence in his favor, as far as I’m concerned.
.
RFKJR on his father’s assassination:
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBxU2qNSaWQ
I think that RFJjr is crazy. However, that said, I like him. You could argue that a lot of patriots have a touch of crazy about them. You almost have to be to take on the Swamp in the hopes of winning.
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“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man”. – George Bernard Shaw.
–
Shaw was known for his commitment to social and political change, and some say that his work demanded audience attention. Some say that to see transformational change, we should be unreasonable. I don’t know of anyone more unreasonable than Elon Musk. A $2 trillion cut in the federal budget. What could be more unreasonable and necessary than that?
1911 spring plug. I did not know that. I learn something here every day.
—-
45-70 Gatling. I have an article in a dusty box somewhere that I will try to recount. Bear with me. Sometime post WWII a couple of Army officers went looking and found 2 or three brand new, still in the crates, Colt Gatling guns at Bannerman’s Surplus in New York. They acquired one of the guns to experiment with. They replaced the crank handle with an electric motor. I don’t recall and there were an specifics in the article about the motor or the RPM of the barrels. Likely they used original black powder ammo. It has always struck me that that first burst must have been impressive.
I would loose the plug and keep the casing.
Tempting, but the operative phrase is “in a pinch”. The case has no raised boss to engage the legs on the barrel bushing and keep the bushing from rotating.
Imagine all the corner beasts wanting President Trump dead. Is the Secret Service up to the task?
cornered
It depends on the level of animal commitment. Would USAF nuke the White House?
Hopefully before 1/20
USAF might get the dates wrong. It would be like them to do that.
But it would be between the hours of 9-5.
Did not know that about the 1911, very cool
A certain retired starry officer committed treason and admitted to it on public record. He MUST be recalled, and court martialed along with all of his associates. Failure to do so will make any attempt to reform the military futile.
The court martial must consist of patriot officers, not his ilk of treacherous peers.
#6. I believe it’s a DSA in 5.56. They’ve made so many varieties of the FN FAL over the last 30+ years.
i believe it is a dsa osw in 7.62. the 30 round mag makes it look like a 5.56. six screws across the top cover/scope mount. i’d love to get my hands on some of those magazines.
You’re right. If the magazine was for 5.56 it would have a different curvature versus a 7.62x5w mag.
Wear hearing protection and welding goggles! Loud and bright!
If you look close at the magwell you can see what appears to be a pinned adapter for 5.56 magazines.All the 30rd FAL mags I’ve ever had or seen for that matter have been straight.
I was wrong again. I asked over on FALfiles and was SA58 OSW so indeed 7.62.
The Tu-144 under construction in that post-apocalyptic 19th century
building is hilarious, and vastly Soviet.
– Kle.
LL has written a number of books over the years. I’ve enjoyed all of them. But be sure you read White Powder, Broken Toys and The Shorts. Then do the two volume cartel books Bloody Mexico, and The Old Whore, and then the Red Mist series. Then Exiles from Eden. Finally read the Bankruptcy case and Black Scorpions. White Powder would make a great movie.
*
I would not want to clean and polish the Gatling gun every day post range training.
*
And… can you imagine telling the Sergeant during inspection you “lost” the spring plug. But hey, this empty cartridge casing fits. So alls good… can I have my weekend pass?
Apparently, ‘Harpo, Inc’ charged something in the neighborhood of $2.5M, not just $1.0M.
You can keep those cruises… had my share of them haze gray and underway. Also, seen enough cruise ships in trouble to NOT want to go on one. 50 crew to actually RUN the ship, the rest are waitstaff…