On the Road
The perversity of nature is nowhere better demonstrated than by the fact that, when exposed to the same atmosphere, bread becomes hard while crackers become soft.
I had a 2019 experience today. On the order of a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, but different, One for this generation. I saw an immaculately detailed black Toyota sedan driven by a millennial with an Uber sticker on it – and a “Bernie” sticker. I guess that they guy was offering free rides, but I didn’t have the opportunity to enquire further.
I’m just hanging out trying to earn a few pennies and to be available for my youngest daughter’s baby shower. The in-laws have invited over 100 people, so it will be interesting. It’s their show. I was just one of those invited. The stork should arrive this coming month with a baby boy. And I’ll be available for that as well.
Work is work. Cash is preferred. Results are never a foregone conclusion. And yet they still come. That’s a good thing, I guess.
Mail Bag:
RE: ST7-A
Raven: So modern war in the American way- no women, no booze, no souvenirs, no pictures, ,no hurt enemy feelings, gee, sounds like what every red blooded young man wants… We can kill the raping torturing murderous bastards but God forbid we should hurt their feelings.
There is a line in Apocalypse Now: “They train young men to drop fire on people but won’t let them write f^ck on the side of their airplanes — because it’s obscene.”
Maybe we should just get pajama boy to do the dirty work.
And that’s the problem that thy have when they envision taking firearms from law abiding American citizens, exercising their Constitutional rights. Where to the Democrats get enough trannies and other freaks who are willing to do that? Maybe a Muslim army would do it for them? Who knows what exists in their twisted minds? Failed presidential candidate, Rep. Swallwell (D-CA) joked that he’d authorize the use of nuclear weapons against enclaves of Americans who refused to bend the knee. But we all know that’s what HE had in mind. Such is the nature of tyrants.
Ed: I don’t care what a spec op guy does within the law, but don’t tuck off your team and get caught taking trophy pix.
There are a lot of laws. They change ALL of the time within the rubric of ‘rules of engagement’. Many of them are politically correct, including no rough handling of terrorists, no enhanced interrogation, no putting one coil of det cord around their neck and lighting it off (Large bang, breaks the skin, causes one hell of a migraine but that’s it. If it’s tight, it pops their heads off – can’t do that either.) No taking five of them into a helicopter and pushing them out the door from 10 grand one at a time until somebody talks. None of that. No dumping a barrel of liver over the side and then pushing them off the fan tail of an LHA, one at a time 10+ miles at sea until one of them talks either. How times have changed.
I find it hard to believe his team turned on him because he hurt their feelings. If so, the SEALs have gone wrong in their recruiting.
I can’t say. I don’t know those particular guys and I’ve been out of that racket for some time now. I will say that as times have changed, there is a different pool of young people to pick from.
LT Mike Murphy of Lone Survivor fame screwed up big time when he didn’t kill an Afghan prisoner, who went back to his village and brought lots of friends to the fight. Murph got himself and two of his guys wasted. Marcus Luttrell made it back to tell the story but he was seriously screwed up. Rules of engagement say that you can’t summarily kill people. Murphy should have. If he had, would he have ended up like SWC Eddie Gallagher? Instead, he’s dead so we can’t ask him.
SIGRAYBEARD: Could it be the number of guys in the teams has been doubled by including guys who would have washed out before? The other alternative is guys were found who wouldn’t have tried before?
The physical training is still punishing, but there is an attitude that underpins the generation. I could offer stories from personal experience, but you know them yourself. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t tough, but they don’t go into the job thinking that they’re supposed to kill people for a living.
I can’t explain how it works today, but twenty – thirty years ago, most frogmen came from broken homes, and a lot of them had street tough. Today you get Naval Academy officers and a lot of kids who think differently. I know that I can be criticized for writing this, and it’s not as if there aren’t tough SEALs. It’s just that what Gallagher did was something pretty mild based on the behavior of prior generations who were praised and received medals for their actions.
WSF – Letting my cynical self run free, I wonder how much of our current problems are accidental, or directed malice. Just a few come to mind, the F-35, the Ford catapults and elevators, Army artillery, Littoral Combat slugs, and procuring a new sidearm for the Army. All drain off resources, and all weaken us.
General officers, promoted during the eight years of Obamanation all had to kiss the 1/2 black man’s ring. Stars were impossible to come buy unless you did. The eight years of Trump! should see most of them retired, or pigeon holed.
Old NFO – Too many operational requirements, not enough bodies, too quick turnarounds, and lowered standards… Sigh…
The operational tempo is difficult, and the frogmen don’t do much amphibious warfare anymore. The job has changed.
LSP – Regardless, the Gallagher story had a bad smell to it. Glad he got off.
I feel the same way.
Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you’re a good person is like expecting a lion not to attack and eat you because you’re a vegetarian… because that’s what lions eat — helpless herbivores.
Congratulations and God bless to you, your daughter and family.
That’s why I’m always a peculiar person. The world keeps a wide berth!
Enjoy the family shower!
Another grandchild? Congratulations. I'm at my daughter's now and I hear the stomping of little feet upstairs at 6am. God love the lttle folk.
Congrats!
Cash is King.
Enjoy the new baby! And good luck with Uber… LOL
Yeah, well it is close enough to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" except that it's a baby shower, and I'm the 'traditional American'… So there's not much to do but show up and be a good sport. — LL
Thank you, LINDAG. It's hot here for an outdoor baby shower. 107 F. I'm sure that I'll enjoy it.
It's nice being a grandfather again. But this is just a party that the in-laws are throwing and I'm going to sit in a corner with a cold beverage and quietly melt in humid 107 F… — LL
With 6 boys and 3 girls, it sounds like a centipede running up and down the stairs. –LL
I also accept properly hallmarked gold and silver, LSP. That works too.
Congratulations!
Enjoy the many. We have one and we will aways have the one. So you can imagine how cherished a little boy he is.
I like your ingenuity when it comes to your comments.
I didn't realize what a blessing grandchildren were until we moved here to watch and help ours grow up.
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