Wed. Sept. 4, 2024 – so much catching up to do

By on September 4th, 2024 in culture, decline and fall, march to war

Cooler, and maybe less sun today. Yesterday’s threatened rain never did come, but the temps stayed down as the sun stayed away. Today should be similar.

After a slow start to the morning, my afternoon flew by. Auction stuff. Then kid chauffeuring for two hours. Then grocery shopping, into dinner, etc… Not many bargains at the grocery store.

Today I’ve got a meeting with a generator guy about doing the gas hookup. Then I’ve got a couple of pickups. That should eat most of my day.

In between I might be able to grab a thing or two off the list.

Or not. The beginning of school is always a bit chaotic and crowded.

Kinda like life.

Get what ducks you have in a row… and stack.

nick

64 Comments and discussion on "Wed. Sept. 4, 2024 – so much catching up to do"

  1. SteveF says:

    By this point it is undeniable that illegal aliens constitute an invading army.

    My statement was an obvious-in-retrospect falsehood.

    What I should have written was, “… it is undeniable by any honest, non-deluded human with greater intellectual ability and awareness of the world than a typical eight-year-old’s …”

    That said, I didn’t intend to throw a poo-ball and run away. Been busy in general (making a living in the Bidenconomy is not for the faint of heart, plus taking care of house and chickens and The Child) and something came up last night after I posted my comment.

  2. Greg Norton says:

    Other than cashing their welfare checks, not really…

    And picking up their Food Stamps from the Post Office.  Oh wait, they get an automagically filled credit card now …

    Courtesy of Chase Paymentech.

    People bit hard for the Chase Bank Glitch meme currently making the rounds. Do the EBT cards have the logo?

    If Chase CEO Jamie Dimon coughs funny in public it is national news.

  3. Nick Flandrey says:

    @lynn, that sucks about your friend.    I hope his family can find peace.

    n

  4. Nick Flandrey says:

    Another beautiful sunrise, that I’d have liked to sleep thru, but oh well. 

    Not hot yet, and not crazy moist, but I think it’s coming.

    Meeting with generator plumber soon.   Hope he’ll  just do it.   I can install an interlock kit and plug connector to the house myself if it comes to that, but I’d prefer someone else do the gas.  I’d prefer someone else do the whole thing, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.

    n

  5. ITGuy1998 says:

    Getting someone to come out to your residence and do something for money is extremely difficult. Luckily, I found a decent HVAC vendor. I’m having a heck of a time getting someone to come out and quote a concrete patio. I still may end up doing it myself, and doing pavers instead, but I’d at least like to see an option for me doing no physical labor.

  6. Brad says:

    How do you stop at just a chapter or two an evening ?  I rip through 50 to 100 pages a day for most books.

    Somehow, I have trouble losing myself in a book. This wasn’t always the case – maybe it comes from too much Internet, which is always short texts.

    Dunno, but after a couple of chapters, I want to to something else…

  7. Nick Flandrey says:

    $850 and he’ll try to do it Friday.   That’s a bit more than the other guy’s arm wave, and a bit less than the phone quote from some other rando my wife called.

    Looking at what he plans to do, I could do it, but I’ve got plenty on my plate and SWMBO authorized the expenditure….

    n

  8. Greg Norton says:

    The company stock continues to sink today, but access to Yahoo Finance isn’t a problem at the office … for now.

  9. nick flandrey says:

    And now she thinks it’s too much…

    oy.

    n

  10. Ken Mitchell says:

    Well, after 3+ weeks of DRY weather, we’ve gotten a whopping 2.8 inches of rain yesterday and last night.  Yay, us! There were apparently flash flood warnings over near Medina Lake, 15 miles NW of here; I had read that the lake was nearly dry, so with any luck, they’ll get some. 

  11. CowboyStu says:

    From the constitution:  “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,…..”

    It does not say:  “We the People of the United States and those here illegally from other counties…..”

    10
  12. Ray Thompson says:

    School shooting in Georgia. Another low-life scum looking to get his name and face in the news, 15 minutes of notoriety, a loser. I am subbing today. There has been a soft lockdown and the emergency response drill from school staff.

    Of course the local news is jumping all over it with live reports from local schools and asking police if they are prepared for such an incident. Never let a tragedy go to waste for the local news. Asking the usual question, “could it happen here?”. Idiots.

  13. drwilliams says:

    The local Chief of Police should respond to that question by stating that the “Armed Teachers Program” has qualified teachers at all levels , putting crack shots in the buildings to provide instant firepower in response to any threat. 

    Then dummy up and refuse to answer any questions. 

    Give the bad guys a little pause, and drive the gun grabbers nucking futs. 

  14. Denis says:

    I am very sad to see the awful news of Mr Beckett’s murder.

    I hope that the perpetrator will be apprehended, tried and, if found guilty, sentenced and punished swiftly. I note that Texas maintains capital punishment for (felony) murder, and I fervently hope that the Almighty has a special place in store for those who prey on the elderly.

  15. MrAtoz says:

    School shooting in Georgia.

    Blame the Constitution
    Blame the 2d Amendment
    Blame “assault” weapons
    Blame Redumblicans
    Blame tRump

    Blame everyone/thing except the sicko shooter.

  16. Lynn says:

    How do you stop at just a chapter or two an evening ?  I rip through 50 to 100 pages a day for most books.

    Somehow, I have trouble losing myself in a book. This wasn’t always the case – maybe it comes from too much Internet, which is always short texts.

    Dunno, but after a couple of chapters, I want to to something else…

    It is easy for me.  I am continually lost …

  17. Lynn says:

    @lynn, that sucks about your friend.    I hope his family can find peace.

    n

    They are good people.  I have known them for over thirty years.

    To be attacked in a senior living center parking lot just blows me away.  That is a special kind of low.

  18. Lynn says:

    “After launching in June, Starliner will return Saturday without astronauts”

        https://www.chron.com/news/space/article/boeing-starliner-astronauts-19742400.php

    “Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain on the ISS until February 2025. ”

    Incoming !

  19. Lynn says:

    “Report: Shell will lay off hundreds in workforce, Houston to be impacted”

       https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/shell-layoffs-houston-19739484.php

    “Reuters said Shell could cut hundreds of oil and gas exploration and development jobs in order to reduce costs, with Houston being especially impacted.”

    And more and more good oil and gas jobs go away.  When the pendulum swings back, the expense will be incredible to rebuild our oil and gas exploration teams.

  20. Lynn says:

    “Your car may be impounded – as a witness!”

        https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/09/your-car-may-be-impounded-as-witness.html

    “I was taken aback to read about a new tactic being employed by some California jurisdictions.”

    In Oakland and beyond, police called to crime scenes are increasingly looking for more than shell casings and fingerprints. They’re scanning for Teslas parked nearby, hoping their unique outward-facing cameras captured key evidence. And, the Chronicle has found, they’re even resorting to obtaining warrants to tow the cars to ensure they don’t lose the video.

    Oh my, that would torque me off.

  21. Ray Thompson says:

    that would torque me off

    Well done.

    And it may be years before the car is returned after being stored in evidence warehouse, if ever.

  22. Brad says:

    They’re scanning for Teslas parked nearby, hoping their unique outward-facing cameras captured key evidence

    Our car is a Hyundai and has all around cameras. Unfortunately, the legality of dash cams varies a lot in Europe, so they removed the storage. We can see the pics live, but they aren’t saved anywhere.

  23. nick flandrey says:

     but they aren’t saved anywhere. 

    – I wouldn’t bet my life or the life of anyone I love on that.   We’ve seen time and again that data is retained that shouldn’t be.

    n

  24. paul says:

    I finally watched The Matrix last night.  I’ve seen memes and I did see a clip of the red or blue pill.  Never the whole movie.

    Pretty good flick.

  25. nick flandrey says:

    Conspiracy to fact timeline…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13809281/Experts-reveal-sneaky-way-phone-listens-conversations-stop-it.html 

    It was long thought to be a myth and dismissed by big tech companies.

    But experts have revealed how listening into your conversations has become a multi-billion dollar industry.

    Earlier this week, a leak from a leading marketing firm appeared to confirm how companies use microphones on your smart devices to eavesdrop before selling the data to advertisers.

    This one took a bit longer than some others…

    n

  26. Lynn says:

    “Another Huge Mall Retailer Closing 150 Locations”

        https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-09-03-another-huge-mall-retailer-closing-150-locations/

    “It’s no secret that many malls across the country aren’t doing well, and that means that the stores in them are also suffering, so much so that many have had to shutter locations or even declare bankruptcy. Mall staples like Foot Locker, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Rue21 and Express are among those closing stores, and now, a huge anchor at many malls will be joining them.”

    “Macy’s will be closing 150 locations in the coming months. The company has split its locations into “go forward” and “non-go forward” stores. They plan to invest in new merchandise for the first group, while the 150 Macy’s in the second group will be closed. During the brand’s recent earnings call, CEO Tony Spring explained, “As a reminder, in fiscal 2023, comp sales of Macy’s go-forward locations outperformed non-go-forward locations by approximately 500 basis points and the four-wall adjusted EBITDA rate outperformed by roughly 950 basis points. While non-go-forward locations are underperformers relative to the total Macy’s fleet, they are valuable real estate assets. Demand for these properties has been strong.”

    One wonders if they will all go away soon.

  27. paul says:

    HEB has a two pack or a four pack of “beef fillets wrapped with bacon”.  Pre-seasoned but I add some garlic powder and black pepper anyway.  
    There is (or was a couple of years ago) also a Hill Country Fare version that is often chunks of beef wrapped with bacon.  Tastes fine, just kind of strange for your so-called steak to fall apart when you remove the bacon.  🙂 

    Both are vac-sealed and keep well in the freezer.

    Set the grill to 350 to 375f.  Ten minutes per side.  Easy.  I have a tomato to slice, also.

    The french fries say 10 minutes in the air fryer.  I’m thinking I will try a little steak in the air fryer, take it out to rest, toss in a handful of fries and well, sounds like a plan for a cold and rainy Winter day.  

    Once the air fryer is delivered.   It’s suppose to be here tomorrow, Thursday,  and doesn’t show as shipped.  Shrug.

    Time to take Buddy for a walk.  Light the grill.  Load another movie in the player.  Cook supper.  Feed the dogs.  Feed me.  Watch the movie and then another dog walk before going to bed.  The usual. 

  28. Lynn says:

    “FDA Authorizes Another Covid Shot without Any Clinical Data”

        https://slaynews.com/news/fda-authorizes-another-covid-shot-without-clinical-data/

    “The FDA approved a new Covid injection from Maryland-based pharmaceutical giant Novavax.”

    “However, the Novavax injection was authorized for public use without any clinical trial data being provided.”

    “Instead, FDA officials insist that animal testing data was enough to support the decision.”

    “Despite COVID-19 not being a threat to public health, the FDA argues that Novavax’s protein-based vaccine must be pushed out quickly to provide the public with an alternative to the nRNA injections from Moderna and Pfizer.”

    Um, no.  These people are nuts.

  29. nick flandrey says:

    Spent a bunch of money at costco.   Been a while since I went.   Bought mostly convenience food and snacks for the kids’ lunches.

    P&G is running a promo where you buy $100 of their stuff, and get a costco card for $25.  I think I got ripped off as I didn’t get a card, but I did spend over $100… I’ll have to check tonight and go back if needed.

    n

  30. Lynn says:

    “Ford’s Probe Into EcoBoost V6 Failures Leads To Recall Of 90,000+ Vehicles”

        https://www.carscoops.com/2024/09/ford-finally-recalls-more-than-90000-vehicles-with-ecoboost-v6-engines-that-may-fail/

    “Ford first started investigating the troublesome engines in early 2022, and the NHTSA launched a probe the next year”

    Wow !  I am glad that I got the 3.5L biturbo V6 instead of the 2.7L biturbo V6 in my 2019 F-150 4WD.  The 3.5L V6 is a workhorse.  The 2.7L V6 was underpowered for 4WD (I test drove one and refused to consider it any more).

    Hat tip to:
    https://thelibertydaily.com/

  31. Greg Norton says:

    One wonders if they will all go away soon.

    My generation wanted their $20 Reeboks.

    Mission accomplished.

  32. Greg Norton says:

    “The FDA approved a new Covid injection from Maryland-based pharmaceutical giant Novavax.”

    Still Vanguard and Blackrock, but the last regular employer of Jeff Bezos, DE Shaw, is in there as a institutional stockholder as well.

  33. Greg Noton says:

    P&G is running a promo where you buy $100 of their stuff, and get a costco card for $25.  I think I got ripped off as I didn’t get a card, but I did spend over $100… I’ll have to check tonight and go back if needed.

    Costco must keep cash flowing through the registers to stay alive.

    The last time I went in to collect the cash for my Citi/Costco Visa “rewards”, the customer service clerk snarked, “Are you sure you don’t want to buy something? What are you going to do with it? Put the money in the bank?”

    “Yes.”

  34. Lynn says:

    “Armed Venezuelan Prison Gang In Denver Highlights Map Of US Sanctuary Zones To Avoid Amid Migrant Crisis”

        https://www.zerohedge.com/political/armed-venezuelan-prison-gang-denver-highlights-us-map-no-go-sanctuary-zones-amid-migrant

    Oh look, a map of the new PRCs (Public Residential Complexes) where the inmates run the facilities.  All predicted by Marko Kloos (scifi author).  They will have crew served weapons soon.

    Hmm, nothing in Texas or Florida. I wonder why not ?

  35. Ray Thompson says:

    I am glad that I got the 3.5L biturbo V6 instead of the 2.7L biturbo V6

    Same here with my 2014. Although I am starting to have issues with ancillary stuff related to the body. Mirror and rear window defrost requiring a new rear window (twice), two oxygen sensors (actually that is engine and not uncommon), A/C manifold diverter, left rear passenger seat heat, steering wheel extend and retract, and now I suspect a problem in the moon roof.

  36. Ray Thompson says:

    last time I went in to collect the cash for my Citi/Costco Visa “rewards”

    I get direct deposit. No standing in a line.

  37. Lynn says:

    “WW3 Watch: Germany Activates Own Air-Defence System, Citing Russia Threat”

       https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/09/04/ww3-watch-germany-activates-own-air-defence-system-citing-russia-threat/

    Note to self, do not fly over Germany, Ukraine, or Russia for the conceivable future.

    BTW, I had totally forgotten about the Soviet Union shooting down the South Korean 007 flight with 269 souls on board a 747 on Ronald Reagan’s watch.  That was sadly highlighted in the Reagan movie.

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007

  38. Greg Norton says:

    Costco must keep cash flowing through the registers to stay alive.

    Which reminds me — Costco faces a new Governor in their home state for the first time in 12 years, regardles of who wins.

    Don’t worry about Issaquah, however. While the Democrat candidate, Bob Ferguson, may not be as openly owned by the company as Jay “Kirkland” Inslee was, as Attorney General of WA State, Ferguson has led the charge to halt the Kroger/Safeway merger and may be about to prevail in his quest.

  39. Greg Norton says:

    last time I went in to collect the cash for my Citi/Costco Visa “rewards”

    I get direct deposit. No standing in a line.

    I didn’t know that was possible with the Costco Visa. Everything is about driving traffic to the stores.

  40. Ken Mitchell says:

    I had totally forgotten about the Soviet Union shooting down the South Korean 007 flight

    Or the Russians pretending to be Ukrainian partisans who shot down Malaysian Airlines MH17 on 17 July 2014.

  41. nick flandrey says:

    Got the meat broken down and vac sealed.   Did 10 pounds of hamburger as Costco had 88:12 and our HEB’s best is 73:27 right now.

    Also got a 6 pound lamb roast cut in half.   Tonight it’s in the oven with mixed small potatoes and onion wedges.   The other half is in the freezer.

    And I broke down the beef brisket I got at HEB into 3 pound chunks.  One in the fridge, the rest in the freezer.

    I have to pop the shelf stable garlic bread in the oven now, and dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes…

    n

  42. Ray Thompson says:

    I didn’t know that was possible with the Costco Visa

    I have done direct deposit with the Costco rewards for the last three years. Each time over $1K.

    4
    1
  43. Lynn says:

    “The Harris-Walz Wealth Tax Would Harm Everybody — Except The Super Rich”

       https://thefederalist.com/2024/09/04/the-harris-walz-wealth-tax-would-harm-everybody-except-the-super-rich/

    “Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has confirmed her support for $5 trillion in tax increases over 10 years in the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed budget. What should be truly terrifying to any taxpayer is the fact that the total increase is not the worst thing about Harris’ plan.”

    “Among the many and varied tax hikes Harris and running mate Tim Walz endorse is a big increase in the top tax rate on capital gains. “[T]he proposals would increase the top marginal rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends to 44.6 percent,” an explanation of the Biden-Harris budget states. The top tax rate on capital gains held for more than a year is currently 20 percent, for those with taxable income above $518,000. The tax is paid only if the individual sells the assets.”

    Don’t worry, the new wealth tax will be moved into the middle class within a couple of years.  Anyone with a wealth of $100,000 will be required to fill out immense paperwork, including their home, and pay tax on it all.  

    Except, if you are rich.  The rich will be exempted from everything through special side deals via Congress in exchange for campaign gifts.

  44. Lynn says:

    “EXCLUSIVE Travis Kelce’s team call in lawyers over leaked ‘contract’ that claimed to reveal the exact date his relationship with Taylor Swift would end: Fake PR ‘strategy document’ spread online gave illusion their year-long love story was a sham”

        https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13809239/Travis-Kelce-calls-lawyers-leaked-contract-claimed-reveal-exact-date-relationship-Taylor-Swift-end-Fake-PR-strategy-document-spread-online-gave-illusion-year-long-love-story-sham.html

    You have got to be kidding me.  If true (which I doubt), this is entire new level of shallowness.

  45. Alan says:

    >>Does OHB really write all of his own social media posts? Just wondering before I head off to bed…

    >>Who is OHB? 

    @lynn, 

    Orange Hair Bad (Man) 

    aka tRump tho. 

  46. paul says:

    No movie tonight.  The phone rang and well, an hour of yakking.  There’s always tomorrow. 

    The a/c just cycled on.  At 7pm.  First time today.  

  47. nick flandrey says:

    Aha. the fine print says I have to FILE for the rewards card.   Sleazy.   I bet lots of people don’t, or forget, or get denied.

    n

  48. Lynn says:

    “Junkyard Roadhouse” by Faith Hunter
    https://www.amazon.com/Junkyard-Roadhouse-Faith-Hunter/dp/1622681800?tag=ttgnet-20/

    Book number four of a four book novella science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound POD (print on demand) trade paperback published by Lore Seekers Press in 2024 that I bought on Amazon. I am hoping for more books in the series but I kinda doubt it.

    The book is set in the not so distant future, probably 2060 or so. In 2043, thousands of Chinese Mamabots advanced into Seattle from the ocean, creating and deploying Warbots to kill the population. The Mama bots self replicated and spread across the USA and then the world, killing off most of the population with their warbots, starting “The Final War”. The Mamabots and the warbots have been mostly taken out, mostly, using antitank weapons and blasters, but there are many still in hiding.

    2060 is highly different from our time. There has been a severe population crash due to the bots and the lack of water. There were dark matter WIMP engines for the space ships that the Bug aliens shot down. There are the Bug aliens that forced The Final War to stop. And Shining has a crashed Bug space ship that the Bugs are looking for.

    Shining Smith is turning her junkyard into a motorcycle club roadhouse, welcome to any and all. And then a kid shows up on an electric scooter, stabbed and dying so they stuff him in a med unit. The motorcycle clubs then show up to brand her existing membership tattoo and then to let her create a new motorcycle club for the roadhouse. The scooter kid wakes up and tells them that his father has one of the spaceship communicators and that the unknown motorcycle gang has attacked their town.

    Shining is one of the few known survivors of a bicolor ant swarm, who infected her with their nanobots. And she is a survivor of The Final War that started when she was 12. There is video of her killing a Mamabot in Seattle by dragging a bomb into it when she was 12.

    BTW, the nanobots are freaking me out. The fact that Shining Smith is infected and shedding nanobots all over the place is a horrifying concept. And she has infected her junkyard cats who use the nanobots to communicate to each other and her. And she has infected the people who work with her but none of them shed nanobots like her since she is a “nanobot queen”.

    BTW, the junkyard cats are motivated by protein. In 2060, protein is short as much of the world has turned into deserts due to dark matter WIMP bombs ripping away the stratosphere. Dead humans are protein according to cat rules. Don’t get jumped by five cats, you will end up as protein.

    The author has a website at:
    https://www.faithhunter.net

    My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (991 reviews)

    Lynn 

  49. drwilliams says:

    NB: More than 4 months later.

    US Navy Commander Relieved Over Viral Photo of His Firearms Incompetence

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/09/04/us-navy-commander-relieved-over-viral-photo-of-his-firearms-incompetence-n2178902

    Navy Likely to Remove 17 Support Ships, Called the “Logistics Backbone” of the Fleet, from Active Service

    Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the Navy, USNI News learned.

    The problem is that there are insufficient numbers of civilian merchant sailors, who man the Navy’s support ships. Ideally there are two crewmembers for every at-sea position, which means a rotation of one month on (or longer), with an equal amount of time off. But as the Naval Institute reports, that number is now 1.27 to one, which means that for every month off, a civilian merchant sailor has to spend four months at sea, which is “unsustainable”:

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/09/navy-likely-to-remove-17-support-ships-called-the-logistics-backbone-of-the-fleet-from-active-service/

    The two are related.

    If the U.S. Navy cannot perform it’s mission, then the current command structure needs to be demoted across-the-board.

    It is certain that this situation cannot be covered up, which begs the question: What is being covered up? Recall the recent debacle with the portable pier in Gaza? How much of our other expensive shiite ain’t working?

    I’ve never been in the Navy and I’m past the mandatory retirement age, but I’d volunteer to lead the new physical fitness test for all the brass: Start with a ten-mile hike with a light (40-lb) ruck on flat terrain, followed by range qualification with pistol and rifle. Maybe finish up with 12-hours in the survival training pool at Pensacola NAS and a few simple math problems with waterproof slate and stylus.

  50. Lynn says:

    Bobiverse 5 is out tomorrow.  Audible only for four months.

    https://www.amazon.com/Not-Till-Are-Lost-Bobiverse/dp/B0CW2345TV?tag=ttgnet-20/

  51. drwilliams says:

    WHOA: Jesse Watters and Josh Hawley Reveal More SHOCKING Trump Shooting Facts From Whistleblowers

    https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2024/09/04/whoa-jess-watters-and-josh-hawley-reveal-more-shocking-whistleblower-revelations-on-trump-shooting-n2400506

    So Trump was being protected mostly by DHS agents who received a hasty 2-hour Zoom training (partly with defective sound)? 

    What’s next?

    Maybe the “agent” who couldn’t holster her pistol has regular assignment in the employee daycare?

  52. MrAtoz says:

    Bobiverse 5 is out tomorrow.

    I can’t wait for the book! The series is worth a re-read. I’ve listened to the audios, also.

  53. nick flandrey says:

    Lamb was delicious.    Roasted meat is so easy and doesn’t take much time or effort, I’m surprised more people don’t do it more often.

    It does take an hour in the oven, and you have to either delay dinner or plan ahead a little bit, but you can also put your sides in the oven and get more efficiency that way.   Throw some cookies in for dessert while the oven is hot…

    n

  54. Ray Thompson says:

    The news media is all aglow about “gun violence” due to the shooting in Georgia. My guy has never been violent. As much as I yell at, swear at, give obscene gestures, etc. the gub has never once raised it’s voice, threatened me, or otherwise done anything violent.

    The problem is people violence. Violent people will find ways to kill and destroy without using guns. Timothy McVay ring a bell?

    The kid involved had been questioned before. He was angry about something. Or he wanted to. make his name known to people everywhere. He wanted his 15 minutes of fame. The internet spreads these events almost as fast as a Taco Bell burrito through an intestine.

    The school knows the kids with problems. Either mental problems or problems as home. The outcasts, the oddballs, the corner huggers. These kids need help and need to be watched. Their parents need to be put on notice to get help for the child or face abuse charges.

    Restricting guns will not solve the problem. Almost anything can be used as an assault weapon when the desire is there. Eliminating guns through laws will not work. Criminals will still have weapons. See the drug laws for an example of a failed enforcement by the government. Further back, check how well prohibition worked. All that got was NASCAR, where if they’re not cheating they’re not trying.

  55. MrAtoz says:

    The Kamel Humper has revealed her campaign strategy:

    ”Whosuh blowin’ today?”

    Activate maximum pander-mode.

  56. Lynn says:

    “BREAKING: Alleged Apalachee Shooter Was Known to FBI, Made Threats Last Year”

        https://redstate.com/joesquire/2024/09/04/breaking-alleged-apalachee-shooter-was-known-to-fbi-made-threats-last-year-n2178930

    “The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office has released some new details about the alleged shooter responsible for killing four and injuring several others at Apalachee High School on Wednesday.”

    “Among the details was the fact that Colt Gray had been investigated previously for making online threats to commit a school shooting in 2023.”

    “According to the agency’s statement, in May 2023, the FBI investigated online threats and determined they came from Gray, though the then-13-year-old denied making them. Area schools were still put on alert and told to monitor him.”

    Why do these alleged shooters always have police and/or FBI records ?

  57. Ken Mitchell says:

    Maybe finish up with 12-hours in the survival training pool at Pensacola NAS

    45 years ago, when I was doing  water survival training in Pensacola, the part I loved most was the “Helo Dunker”.  

    In WWII, training so many pilots so quickly, they discovered that if a plane lost power on takeoff from the carrier (these being before catapults), the pilot would crash headfirst into the ocean, and a lot of them died because they couldn’t get out of the airplane before it sank. So the Navy created the “Dilbert Dunker”, a small cramped cockpit on rails that would slide headfirst into the pool and turn upside down. Pilots were trained how to get out, with divers in the pool to pull out the ones who couldn’t get out by themselves.

    In the 1960s-70’s, there were a lot of deaths from helicopters crashing and (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) rolling upside down. The Helo Dunker was a large cylinder, 30 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, with 8 “seats”. They would drop the cylinder, which had several door-sized openings, 30 feet above the pool. Then the cylinder would rotate either 90 or 180 degrees, and students had to get out. Two times with their eyes open, and two times wearing blackout googles. It was a blast; an “E-ticket” ride, I used to call it, but most people didn’t remember the Disneyland ride ticket system. I loved it.

    Later water survival training was less fun, but more realistic.  In San Diego, 100 students a day ran through the program. Don wet suits, then flight suits,  and sail out a couple of miles from the shore on an LCI landing craft. There was a tower at the stern, and students would climb the tower, don a parachute harness, and jump from the tower into the Pacific while the boat continued at about 3-4 knots.  The idea was, get out of the parachute harness while being towed. It felt like being the bait in a “trolling for sharks” skit. We each had a 1-man TINY life raft; inflate the raft and get into the raft from the water. It took some doing. Then use your signal mirror to attract the next boat, which came by to pickup your raft, putting you back in the water. That boat would drop a larger 20-man raft about every 15 students; the task was to swim to THAT raft and climb in. If you’ve never been in San Diego, the Pacific ocean there is COLD.  Then practice using the other survival gear for another 30 minutes. Then the boat would come back and retrieve all the big rafts, putting you BACK in the water.  Then after another few minutes, an SH3 Sea King SAR helo would fly over and drop a “horse collar” rescue sling, and hoist you aboard, and then fly back to shore. The helo ride was arguably the most dangerous part of the experience.  I’m not at all certain that I could still do that.

    But I enjoyed doing it all way back when.

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  58. Ken Mitchell says:

    Why do these alleged shooters always have police and/or FBI records ?

    Who do you think trained them?

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  59. lpdbw says:

    Ok, finally a subject I can talk about from personal experience, even though it’s at arms length.

    From 1988 to 2007, my primary customer was the Air Mobility Command, the Air Force part of the US Transportation Command, based at Scott Air Force Base near St. Louis.  It was the Miitary Airlift Command before that, but they shuffled SAC, MAC, and  TAC into AMC and ACC, mostly moving tankers around.

    Other components of TRANSCOM are the Navy’s Military Sealift Command and the Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command.  They are unified under one flag officer, currently and historically an Air Force 4-star.  During my time, it was General Cassidy, who I got to meet twice.

    The reason for TRANSCOM “owning” the three sub-commands is for coordination.  Airlift is critical for fast developing situations, but heavy lift will require the logistical capabilities of land, sea, and air together.  

    So if you’re firing brass because of sealift problems, make sure you hold TRANSCOM’s feet to the fire, too.  They should have seen problems coming.

    One thing I noticed during that time is that Navy guys just don’t think like the others do.   You can see a lot of that in the way they treat enlisted vs. officer, and the way they choose to do in-air refueling of planes.  It’s not just technical, it’s also philosophical.  

    Other issues may be the military treating the sealift part as neither fish nor fowl, since they are civilians.   Career military sometimes have issues with civilians and may just be blind to the problems.

    Some might also wonder at the female 4-star at the top of the command.   I don’t know anything about her.

    A side note on the Gaza pier thing.  I saw one argument SOTI that it was the result of malicious complance.  Slow Joe was told in no uncertain terms that it was a bad idea, and a bad site, and it wouldn’t hold up.  They were ordered to do it anyway, and decided it wasn’t worth throwing away their careers to fight it any more.    Just follow the orders, “shut up and soldier”, and let the chips fall where they may.

    With predictable results.  In the grand scheme of things, and on military scales, $350 million isn’t that much, and they got some training out of it.

  60. Greg Norton says:

    Hmm, nothing in Texas or Florida. I wonder why not ?

    Florida has plenty of Central American and Venezuelan gang activity.

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  61. nick flandrey says:

    And TX has some in Dallas, there was an article today I didn’t link.

    n

  62. nick flandrey says:

    Started raining here at some point tonight.   Seems to have slowed down now.   It was overcast with a bit of misty drizzle in various parts of town as I drove around, but no real rain.   Tonight we have real rain.

    n

  63. Nick Flandrey says:

    Just looked at some stats.   Sometime in the past week or so I have now made more than half of the posts since Bob changed platforms.   Over 2400 in fact.   That’s a bunch.   Not even getting close to some of the guys I read, but more than I ever thought I’d do.

    Funny how it’s become a major part of my life.

    n

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  64. Denis says:

    Funny how it’s become a major part of my life.

    Congratulations and thank you, Nick. Of mine too!

    I didn’t intend to throw a poo-ball and run away.

    Where is the real SteveF and what have you done with him?

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