Caption: “Bat out of Hell” would seem to be an appropriate cover for the Sermonette. Not as tame as a photo of a cathedral.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and would-be dads out there.
I hope you received phone calls and love today.
Sermonette from LSP: Is Anglicanism Utterly Doomed? Wow, a whole denomination, the world’s third largest, hollowed out by the Frankfurt School and its descendants. Is it utterly doomed? Yes, insofar as anyone or anything which goes against the Holy Spirit will be relentlessly destroyed by that same Spirit. But not so fast. (more at LSP’s blog)
Bullet Points:
Disband the Grenadier Guards and the Household Cavalry in the UK? (Budget woes in Old Blighty) – h/t Claudio – Yes, the title is clickbait, but not really. The UK needs to leave one ceremonial guard regiment for the tourists to photograph and maybe one ceremonial cavalry regiment. For the sake of DEI- make them all female and minority – body weight not an issue. Nothing says inclusive like short fat lesbians in uniform (don’t issue ammunition to them). Trim the RAF to operational people only. As to the rest of the military, discharge all of the admirals but four – one for surface forces, one for submarines, and one for Naval Aviation forces. Keep the Royal Marines under a brigadier general. Build up the Royal Army. Discharge all DEI hires who can not deploy or are not certified in critical rates. Bare bones basics. That’s it. Cut it to the bone and invest in making the forces operational and deployable, with reliable equipment. Ensure that the people you retain are earning a family wage. Retain valuable people and be discerning on who you allow in. I realize that violated centuries of tradition and privilege, but it is either that or sink. Eliminate welfare payments for immigrants. If they riot, put down the riot the way the Black and Tans did (precedent). Put them on a hulk in the harbor until they can be transported home. The King to remove members of Parliament who are traitors, and drop them into the same hulk with the immigrants who rioted.
** The French discover Christianity in Texas (Sermonette).
** On the Spanish Frontier. The Order of Alcántara’s badge was a green cross — and for centuries historians assumed it symbolized faith. It didn’t. It was chosen because green was the only dye their stripped-down, dirt-poor founding monks could afford.
** Sermonette: Religion helps people find meaning and purpose. Historically and philosophically, major belief systems seek to answer four core questions: Where did we come from? (Origins), How should we act? (Morality), Why do bad things happen? (Suffering), and What comes next? (Destiny).
** Buddhism in a nutshell: Buddhists do not believe in a single creator or a fixed starting point for humanity. Instead, they teach that the universe is an endless cycle of birth, growth, and destruction. They believe humans are the product of past actions (karma) and endless cycles of rebirth. The origins of humanity, according to traditional Buddhist texts like the Aggañña Sutta, are explained in these stages: (1) At the start of a new universe cycle, beings existed as radiant, spirit-like entities who could fly and did not need food. (2) Over vast amounts of time, a physical Earth formed. (3) Beings became curious, touched the earth, and tasted it. As they ate more, their bodies grew heavy, their glowing light disappeared, and they took on physical, human forms. (4) As humans changed, differences in appearance, greed, and the need for laws and leaders emerged, which eventually led to the modern human society we know today. (I’m not a Buddhist, so if I missed the boat, feel free to correct me)
** Have you ever looked at the situation this way? Sermonette…
** Ed Bonderenka talks to your favorite blogger about his recent experiences in the Middle East, particularly in Kurdistan and Iraq. We also talked about Iran and drug cartels. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cHkm4EKH1v5e5o6xb497l…
** What if Juneteenth was created so that black people could have something to celebrate on Father’s Day weekend? Conspiracy theory? You be the judge.
** An endless sea of orange – as the entire Netherlands invades Houston, Texas. Will they stay, or will they return home (bringing gallon jugs of ranch dressing)? Who knew that the solution to better relations with Europe would be BBQ, free refills, and free chips (with salsa)?
** Sermonette – CAUTION – you’re not young anymore.
Because it’s Father’s Day, the question of the day is: What good thing do you remember most about your father?
You have an open microphone to respond in the comments.
Graphic Novel in Two Frames
Maneuvering against the ruthless Insectoids, Hannah is able to keep a steady hand on the throttle. Yes, Insects are the enemy, and they make her skin crawl, but how bad are they really?
The chittering of Insectoids on their ship-to-ship channel is translated automatically. One remarks to another that Hannah, the human female, could stand to lose a few pounds.
To be continued…maybe
China-Russia/Russia-China
(Strategy Page – h/t Claudio)
Context and Precedence: China and Russia are among the top three military spenders. Both are surpassed by America, which is currently spending over a trillion dollars a year on defense. China is allegedly spending nearly $340 billion, and Russia, which is still at war in Ukraine, is spending more than $200 billion. China and Russia are also allies and trading partners. The reality is somewhat different. Both countries are constantly and quietly spying on each other. China has become the world’s second-largest economy, with a GDP of nearly $19 trillion, compared to Russia’s GDP of about $2 trillion. Because of this disparity, Russia is constantly trying to steal Chinese technology and reproduce it in a way that enables it to claim it also developed similar tech. During most of the 1945–91 Cold War, the Russian economy was larger, especially on a per-capita basis, and the Chinese grew increasingly bold in stealing Russian technology. While the Russians complained, they were restrained in their criticism because they valued China as a diplomatic and military ally.
The Chinese economy didn’t begin to grow until the 1980s, when China finally underwent the industrial revolution. This was something of a shock to the Russians, who thought it would take the Chinese much longer to industrialize and create an economy second only to that of the Americans. This is what caused the Russian envy and rampant theft of Chinese technology. By the 21st century, it also became obvious that the Chinese military had modernized to the point that China was a potential military threat to Russia. For example, China never renounced its claims on Russian territory in the Far East, where the Russian city of Vladivostok was, until 1860, the Chinese city of Yongmingcheng. The Russian Far East is already dominated economically by the Chinese, and the Russians know the Chinese want these territories back. Russia would probably comply because it needs China as an ally and is too weak economically and militarily to resist such Chinese demands.
Meanwhile, China is already overshadowing Russia in diplomatic terms. Three years ago, China earned credit for arranging a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which led to these two longtime antagonists resuming diplomatic relations and halting military operations against each other. This was a major achievement for China, which has long been neutral, or pro-Iranian, in the sometimes violent conflict between Iran and the Arab oil states as well as most Western nations. While this preliminary agreement made for great headlines and indicated a decline in American influence in Saudi Arabia, it was not a done deal. The announcement was about intentions, not actual accomplishments. Iran has a long history of violating agreements. Iran was still subject to economic sanctions by Western nations because of continued Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, the Israelis and Americans went to war with Iran in an effort to end the Islamic religious dictatorship that had been, for over forty years, a homicidal threat to America and Israel, as well as the Persian Gulf states and most countries in the region.
Iran, China, and Russia have long been allies, diplomatically if not economically and militarily. During the Iran War, Iranian oil exports to China were disrupted. This was bad news for China, which recently discovered that its national petroleum reserve was empty, with corrupt officials secretly selling the oil and pocketing the proceeds. These officials never expected the oil reserve to be needed, and now it was, and China could only depend on the smaller supplies of oil Russia supplied via a pipeline. At the same time, China was quick to send air defense systems to Iran during a pause in the Iran War. The Americans are aware of the Chinese dependence on Iranian oil and don’t want to block that trade any longer than necessary. After all, it was the Japanese fears of losing access to European-controlled oil in 1941 that led to Pearl Harbor and a war with America. China would be similarly upset if its Iranian oil supply was threatened.
Despite that, suspicions persist. For example, Russia has sent troops stationed on border areas to Ukraine but still keeps somewhat more than token forces on portions of its 4,200-kilometer Chinese border. There, Russia faces, for the first time, a larger, better-armed, trained, and led Chinese army. China has unresolved claims on most of the Russian Pacific coast territories. Russia also has a 17-kilometer border with North Korea, and Russian troops are sometimes seen there as well. Since the Ukraine War began, fewer Russian troops have been seen on other foreign borders. That’s because the crisis in Ukraine demanded more troops to replace losses.
The scale and scope of Russian army losses in Ukraine are unprecedented. While air force and navy losses were relatively minor, the SRF/Strategic Rocket Forces and their thousands of nuclear warheads still have the same number of troops, so the Russian state is still secure. Neighboring China also has lots of nukes, with more of them aimed at Russia than ever before. That is not the major Chinese threat to Russia. Rather, it is Russian dependence on Chinese economic and military cooperation. China remains on good terms with Russia economically and militarily. China warned Russia to back off on nuclear threats over the Ukraine War and made it clear that China considered the Ukraine War a major mistake. Before 2022, Russia and China were seen as a powerful military and economic alliance. Now, the Russian military has been revealed to be much less capable than previously thought. Western sanctions have devastated the Russian economy, and China will benefit from that at the expense of Russia. What happened to Russia in Ukraine was their own fault.
Thoughts: Nuclear weapons matter. The Chinese and the Russians each believe that the other has enough nuclear weapons to survive a first strike and to retaliate in a meaningful way. Even though the Russian Siberian (Eastern) Army has been hollowed out, peace is guaranteed by that nuclear umbrella. Within five years, South Korea (ROK) and Japan will have a significant nuclear strike capacity, and likely a survivable retaliation through nuclear submarines at sea on deterrent patrol. Saudi Arabia will have Pak nukes if they don’t have them already and will continue to develop their clandestine nuclear capability. I don’t know what will happen between the UAE and the US, but within 10 years, count on them having something for themselves because they don’t trust the Saudis or the Iranians.
Identify the Aircraft
1
Operational, in theater, but not many built – classified number, but at least 7
2
Designed to be carrier-launched – 38 built
3
Over 19,000 built
ML Thomas wonders whether he got the Aircraft ID line up correct
You never know when you’ll be mentioned in dispatches.
End
I consider myself one of the fortunate ones, being raised by both wonderful parents. As the fifth of six sons I received great instruction not only from my dad but my 4 older brothers. We were expected to work hard, “those 95 cows don’t give milk, you have to take it from them twice a day!” It gave me the blueprint to be a good father to my own boys, after I survived my feral years and tendencies. I will celebrate today by watching over others parents much like I did my own. LL, may you and your blog family enjoy the day.
My boss was late to work the other day. He had to stop by his father’s dairy farm and reset one of the sensors on the milking robot.
My father taught me how to work with my hands. By his example and instruction he taught me to be a man of integrity.
When he gave me my first car, he let me know I’d have to install a replacement motor in it. He told me where I would find one and that he was sure I’d figure out how to do it. That was a multifaceted gift.
My father (1909-2001) taught me how to shoot, fly fish, tell the truth (always), step up when life required it or presented opportunities, and back down from no sumbitch when wronged. Also how to deal with PTSD, which he wore with pride. These skill sets have proven useful, for which I am grateful.
Identify the Aircraft
1 – Lockheed QT-2PC Prize Crew – Vietnam era recon powered glider
2 – Lockheed D-21
3 – AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven
Wondering
Outstanding
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Lockheed QT-2
2. Lockheed D-21
3. AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven
Excellent
My Dad was an elemental force. Most of my adult life, he worked three jobs full time: he was a farmer growing primarily truck crops, things that involved hand cultivation and harvest; he was a small business owner, operating a county meat processing and smoking operation that specialized in ham, bacon, and sausage and selling through a retail outlet there on the farm; and he was a full professor of economics, specializing in sales and marketing at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He raised four sons on the farm, and the labor we shared while we sweated and bled on that land created a bond between us that is as strong today as it was when it was forged fifty years ago. He once told me (much later in our lives) that he went to bed each night and slept soundly, because he knew he had done everything that could be done that day. I am proud to be Mel Smith’s boy.
My Father, a full blooded German was a passionate man. He worked as a carpenter by day and farmed by moonlight and me holding his flashlight by night in Oregon. He hunted and fished in the cascade mountains and brought me along. When I was 11 we moved to Nebraska to farm with his brothers and Father. The 4 years of working with him on the farm were character building times in my life. He had faith and love. His family endured through his mental illness, being in and out of institutions for nearly 40 yrs. He was relieved of this life’s suffering, as a homeless vet, dying in an auto – pedestrian accident @ 84.
Now we know why the insectoids are no longer a threat.
😁
Musta been ‘That Time of the Month’…..
And she may have thought the bugs wanted to taste her. Bad move on their part.
“** Sermonette: Religion”
What happens to our core personality (soul) when we die? Afterlife
Are there teeth to fill over there or will you be unemployed?
as an endodontist I will have full employment –
to worry that long line of poor souls who always found a reason why they had a problem finding the time to brush their teeth
You might have a going trade with demons (democrats all) who want prosthetic fangs.
Dad … aim and hold a flashlight correctly. Rain, cold, snow, what’s that, we’ve stuff to get done today.
My Dad gave me the gift of loving all (regarding each and every one as they saw the value in themselves). He taught me, ” All people are good.” He added, “You just have to determine for yourself how much time and effort you wish to spend to pick up the shovel to dig down to find it.”
My father taught me how to get through life on this earth! Love you dad.
My folks divorced while I was in third grade. I didn’t really get to know my dad until I went to college. I’ll just say that my mother was a wanna be social climber, my dad was not. He was good man, decent and caring. He re-married and lived in Montclair, CA. Eventually he joined the Lions Club. Every Easter, they put on a huge Easter egg hunt in the local park for all the local kids. It was something he always looked forward to. Eventually he was elected club president. As can happen in volunteer organizations, he eventually burned out “herding cats”. At one meeting, the petty bickering became too much, and he tendered his resignation on a cocktail napkin.
—
He was inducted into the Army, reporting to Ft. Ord for basic training about two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some months later, he was accepted into the Air Corps, and wound up as a B-17 pilot, flying 35 combat missions over Europe. He served for the entire war. Here is a post war story he told me–
—
This is my Dad’s AT-6 story.
—
It is the fall of 1945, and the war is over. My dad has returned to CONUS from England after his combat tour flying 35 missions as a B-17 pilot with the 447th Bomb Group. He is stationed in San Diego, and has been tasked with transferring some number of AT-6’s from there up to Oakland. Suffice it to say that he is now an “old hand”. He has this down pat.
—
Stretch out pre-flight, paperwork, whatever through Monday into Tuesday until it is too late to make the flight. Make flight Wednesday, stop in Fresno for fuel, arrive Oakland late afternoon. Spend Thursday with post-flight, paperwork, whatever. Now no point in catching a train to RTB because it will be the weekend. Spend Friday and Saturday at his folk’s place where he grew up, catch a train for San Diego on Sunday. Rinse, lather, repeat.
—
One fine day, a freshly minted infantry 2Lt. asks my dad if he can get a ride. “Sure thing” says my dad. Tells 2Lt when to report to the field and to check out a chute. They head out at the appointed time and land in Fresno for fuel, then off again to Oakland. They are cruising north, snowy mountains far to the east, blue pacific far to the west. Life is good. But, a little bumpy. So my dad requests, and is cleared for an altitude change, which smoothes out the ride.
—
About the time my dad’s watch tells him he is arriving, he checks his landmarks. Yup, there’s the mountain, there’s the bridge over the bay, there’s ….wait, whut?
Oops, that’s not Mt. Hamilton, that’s Mt. Diablo, and that’s not the Dumbarton bridge, that’s the San Francisco Bay Bridge. You see, at the Fresno fuel stop, he neglected to check the pilot report board, and so was unaware that his altitude change also gave him a tail wind. He has flown past the airport. As I mentioned, the war just ended, and folks are still a bit jumpy about un-accounted for aircraft in the sky. If you arrive too far outside your ETA, you will fill out stacks of forms explaining WHY you arrived outside your ETA.
—
They are at about 7000 ft. My dad contacts Oakland control and says he is about to enter the pattern. He tells his passenger to tighten his straps and hang on. He then rolls the plane on its back and executes a screaming split-S to lower altitude, enters the pattern, lands, taxis to the ramp, and shuts down. He steps out on the wing, and checks on his passenger. The 2Lt. is green, and has possibly wet himself. He struggles to exit the cockpit, and in the process, snags the release for his parachute, which deploys over the tail of the plane. He makes a feeble effort to gather the chute, gives up and hits the release, and is last seen desperately running for a place to heave his cookies.
—
—
I am most grateful that my dad got to know his grand kids, and that they have memories of him.
My father died when I was in my early thirties. While growing up, he worked as many hours as he could, and that could mean long days of never seeing him, or even days with him out of town on sea trials for the radars he installed on different Naval, or commercial vessels. He had finally reached the point he could slow down, was keeping his health under control, and cancer took him when we could finally sit down, discuss things of the world, and enjoy a cold beer on a quiet evening. There were tales to be told, and my opportunities to understand how he reached his wisdom, but he was gone before those times. My busy young life prevented what age can allow, and I regret the times I could have put things down, went to visit, and spend some time with him
“Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin.
My Grand Father taught me how to burn trash, paint his rent houses, replace pipes and let ride in the trunk of his 67 Plymouth with the lid tied down on top of the trash. My dad taught me wiring and how to change spark plugs and what good scotch was at a wedding at 13. It was my GrandMary that taught me how to drive her stick shift 62 Belair ant 12 and let me to ride my bike all over her small town at eight. Mark Twain taught me how to smoke. My wife and I’m have six girls between us and one talk us a few times a year. We have not talked to the rest in the last 15-30 years. Divorce destroys a lot of relationships. We feed my Dad his last 20 years with a crockpot I took over on Monday mornings. We are on our own. No crockpots for us. Tom
Dad…not enough room on the iPad to express all he taught and continues to teach. Everything I know came from his foundational wisdom and instruction…while explaining to my brothers and me that life owes you nothing, it is your job to make something of yourself, never waste your God given talents, and we all answer to God…to name only a few nuggets. LFM…we Boyz miss your presence.
(PS. Just love the above comments.)
Perseverance was my father’s lesson to me by example. Early, around age four, he had all fingers broken by a clumsy co-worker while trying to fix cables on a gold dredge. I remember his fingers splayed with metal splints. He had his brother bend each finger so he could continue operating the dragline. His only complaint was not being able to button his Levi’s. All through childhood and teens, cowboy up wasn’t just a saying. Responsibilities don’t take a vacation just because you are hurt or sick.
Around that same time I fell out of the back of our car on a dirt road at 40 mph. My scalp had four large gashes. The only “doctor” in town was a WWII medic and the nearest hospital was a three hour drive. My father and uncle held me down while my scalp was sewed back together. My father kept telling me it had to be done and I needed to accept. Both my parents were the product of the Great Depression and grew up near a “Grapes of Wrath” level of poverty.
If I’ve done one thing right as a father, my sons have a strong work ethic and don’t dodge responsibility.
Dad taught me a lot of things:
“Take care of your troops, and they’ll take care of you.”
“The more you don’t want to, the more important it is to suck it up and do it.”
“You don’t have time to do it right, but you have time to do it over?”
“Always read the fine print, the footnotes, and the addendums. That’s where they hide all the loopholes and the really interesting stuff.”
“Always, always, consider the source.”
“Listen to your gut; it is your operational antenna.”
“Only you can decide when you’re done.”
“It’s always who are the folks and what is the deal, never the other way ’round.”
“‘Can’t’ usually is a weak excuse for ‘don’t want to.'”
“Use the right tool for the job, not the cheapest. Emergency rooms are a thousand an hour.”
“Things come in critical and urgent, critical and nonurgent, non-critical and urgent, and non-critical and non-urgent. Prioritize accordingly.”
“Always have a spare pair of dry socks in a ziplock baggie in the field. The world looks a whole lot better with warm, dry feet.”
“Are you bleeding, broken, or on fire? No? Still a good day.”
“Never, ever piss off the janitors or the clerks. They’re your best allies when navigating a system.”
“Keep your finger off the trigger until it’s time to shoot.”
“Lull the administration and other enemies into a sense of complacency.”
“PTSD is the right survival reflexes in the wrong environment.”
“Plan for things to go wrong, and you won’t be caught with your pants down when they do.”
“Your people will live up to your expectations, or down to your expectations. Treat them well, and give them the authority to do their jobs, and they can astound you with their creativity and initiative.”
…
The last time I moved, I found my old copy of FM 21-76, from when it was first issued in 1986, with the note from dad inside the front cover. “Dorothy, Let’s both learn this. Dad.” As an adult, I know part of his reasoning was that if he could teach the new survival manual to a small child, then he would be able to break it down into basic enough concepts to effectively teach it to his soldiers. I also know it was an attempt to drag a small child out of a stack of books and a permanent sulk at being relocated to yet another state, and yet another school, and do something outside to bond together.
.
He never saw the arctic survival section coming nearly in handy as it did. But there came a visit, walking at the zoo, where mom was in sight but out of earshot. Dad looked fondly after her and stated quietly, “She’s been absolutely determined that I not jump out of airplanes again or finish building my own… but I have a son who flies C-130’s and a daughter who’s a pilot in Alaska. I lost every battle and won the war.”
.
Yeah, I called and told him I love him.
You’re lucky to have had that sort of mentor and example.
My father was an angry drinkin’ man who got up and went to work every day anyhow. I thank my parents for the breath of life and for what I learned by example: work hard and don’t be an angry drunk.
My dad taught me responsibility and work ethic. Sadly, he died when I was young.
A few months before he passed, and a year after we reconciled from a long estrangement, I wished my father a happy Father’s Day. He immediately wished the same back: I had a son of my own. He taught me the value of honesty, hard work and lofting ambition by example. And that of integrity by negative example: I made sure never to repeat his mistakes, and now have the loving family he failed to keep.
Thanks for the link. I don’t think it’s utterly doomed, but what a dam close run thing.
My Irish Guards nephew ain’t too happy about the current state of affairs, and neither is his unit.
They need to make it an all minority lesbian unit…maybe allow a few trannies. If they want a real army that can defend the nation, they need to start spending money where it needs to be spent and ditch the ample females that I see on parade. I am not anti-women, but the standards need to be the same for women and men and they have to be demanding because combat is demanding. If they want ceremonial troops to be women, fine. As I mentioned, don’t issue them ammo. They can ride horses and clean their kit.