Gun Control-

I think I have a resolution to our "Gun Control" problem.
Let's compare the areas having the biggest problem with guns, and the areas with the least.
Then let's pass the laws similar to those with the least gun problems in the areas with the worst.
Problem solved.
(I vote for the Swiss solution.)

I'm Still A "Fly By Night" Kinda Guy!

"How would you like to make $100 for about 15 minutes work?" he asked.
My poor math skills immediately went to work-
Fifteen minutes... a hundred dollars. That's $400 an hour, isn't it!?
"What's the job?"
"Flying an R22 with a night sign. You'll be proposing marriage to a gal on the ground."
"Wonderful! Where do I sign up?"

I had met the owner last year. The pilots who normally do this job were home visiting relatives for Thanksgiving.
"What are the restrictions with this system?"
"If you don't exceed 75 knots, you won't even know it's attached to the helicopter."

I had to get night current, so my total time added up to 45 minutes of night time.
The only tense moment I had was, flying right over the beach, starting a turn toward the Gulf and realizing I wasn't in my own aircraft...
No artificial horizon, it was BLACK out there. I stopped and reversed my turn where there were lights to identify my attitude.

Neat job. New experience.
Great to be back out flying at night.
And, best of all...
She said YES!

On this Thanksgiving Day, My Family IS Blessed.

I know I'm one of the fortunate ones.
LONG ago I realized... I'M RICH.
You probably are too.
Does that make you happy?
It should.

If, when you've paid your bills, you have money left over to spend on things you WANT...
You are probably in that 1% of the world's population, income-wise.

Don't envy Donald Trump.
I suspect he's not really a happy camper.

Hug your wife.
Hug your kids.
Eat too much.
Watch something on your big flat screen TV.
And be happy.

Yes, the world's a mess.
But... where ON EARTH would you rather be?

Thank you Lord.
Guide our leaders.
Be with us and guide us, too.

Yes, I Know I'm Angry.

And I guess it IS a problem.
But... how do I correct it if it seems to be an "un-problem" to me?

She said, "Greybeard, I'm worried about you.
And I'm not the only one... there are others worried about you."
She's talking about my anger. And I understand.
My problem is, others don't try to see the world through my eyes.
So, if you can, try to see how the world looks to me:

It all started back in '08 when it was obvious Hillary wouldn't be the dem nominee.
I already knew more than most about this young, attractive, powerfully speaking upstart.
Living in Illinois, I had watched him win the scandalous election for U.S. Senator after some POWERFUL but corrupt individual had (illegally) released information about
the divorce of Jeri and (U.S. Senatorial candidate) Jack Ryan. I watched as the republican party scrambled to find a suitable candidate to replace Ryan on the ballot, then watched as Alan Keyes made a hash of his campaign.
Dirty, dirty politics... normal for the state governed by "Chicago Style" politics.
I shrugged my shoulders and accepted.

But Obama had only served as U.S. Senator from Illinois a short while when, suddenly, he became a candidate for president of the United States.
He had a poor record as State Senator.
Information on his life, to include his birth certificate, his passport, his undergraduate college records, his graduate college records, and his tenure as editor of the Harvard Law Review... all vanished. Rather than take a stand, he voted "present" on virtually all controversial bills.


But I had faith all would be well.
I grew up in Indiana. I was surrounded by grounded, thinking, solid citizens there.
This will work out... Obama has NO chance of winning because voters will see through this carnival.
In front of others I even began to mock him, saying his name in the most quiet, reverent way I could.
Hadn't Oprah called him "The Messiah"?

I put too much faith in young voters.
Here at "Pitchpull" a young med student calling himself "Flightfire" and a guy studying to be an aircraft mechanic... "Rodolfo", began forcefully commenting in favor of electing "The One".
No rational argument could dissuade them.
Logic?
"Don't try to convince me with facts. I've already made up my mind!"
I was stupid. I did not realize how much Bush Derangement Syndrome had affected my country.

So Obama was elected.
Oh well. It IS historical. He DID campaign on uniting the nation.
Maybe he'll surprise me.

Yeah, he has surprised me. But voters have surprised me even more. Obama runs for re-election and wins? How is that possible?

Against my will I found myself in the U.S. Army in 1966.
I decided to make lemonade out of lemons.
When I took the oath to support and defend the Constitution I had tears in my eyes. I meant every word. I still take that oath seriously, and will until I no longer draw breath.

So, through my eyes, try to imagine how it felt to go to war, be repeatedly shot at, (one round missing my face literally by six inches), and come home to watch my war be lost by politicians.
Through my eyes, try to imagine what it's like to watch the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the land decide which laws he'll enforce and which he won't.
Through my eyes, try to imagine how I feel when, as a former Deputy Sheriff, I watch as the leader of the land announced "The cops acted stupidly".
I'm in despair.
Why am I in despair?
My government is letting us down. My country is dying. Why?
Because my fellow citizens were stupid. They willingly voted for a "Pig in a Poke".

And MY biggest problem is that I know who to blame.
I actually was called a racist by some of these idiots because I disagreed with Obama's policies...
Policies I KNEW at the time would lead to the terrible situation we now find ourselves in.
What should I do? What can I do?
I have, to the extent I can, removed myself from them.

If you want, how do you come back within my "circle of wagons"?
Is it too much to ask for an apology for calling me a racist... for voting in a way that's destroying our country?
Millions of my fellow Veterans are, (let me be nice), ANGRY.
Maybe a little self-flagellation on your part would suffice?!

ANGER...
I just hope we get adult leadership soon. I hope that some REAL leader can say the magic words that help us avoid a Civil War in my beloved country.
God be with us.

Poor Bozama

I'm waiting on the Hollande/Obama press conference to start.
It will be interesting to see if Obama blames our failures on Bush, or on Global Cooling/Global Warming/Climate Change/"Weather Weirding".
Place your bets ladies and gentlemen.

Have The Scales Fallen From Their Eyes?

When (the worst president in my lifetime) Jimmy Carter criticizes your foreign policy, and ABC News has the stones to report it, you might need to think about changing course.
(Or don't, and make the elections next November REALLY interesting.)

Obama Vs. Cruz?

Let's get ready to RUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBLLLLLE!

Reserve a venue. Put gloves on 'em. Donate the proceeds to charity.
Who'd win?

Egyptian Analysis

I'd "LOL", but I'm too angry, frustrated, and depressed:

Turkey is a member of NATO.
At a soccer match there yesterday spectators booed when asked to participate in a "moment of silence for Paris", then, in unison, chanted "Allahu Akhbar".
I'm yearning for someone smarter than me to reassure me this is nothing to worry about-
Our world IS NOT falling apart around us.
So, reassure me.

More here.
Be prepared, or be a victim.

"We'll Simply Have More Babies Than You."

Denial.
This video was removed from YouTube because of "Copyright Infringement".
What "all-powerful Wizard" doesn't want you to see it?

My hope?
We'll have front-row seats to watch what is going in in France, Sweden, Germany, Greece, etc., and will have time to prepare before the violence starts here.

Be prepared, or be a victim.

Choose Your Heroes Carefully

Where you get your news and information DOES make a difference!

Unleash the Bubbas.

This demonstration happened in the Dartmouth school library while true learners were trying to study.
The "Bubba Effect" is ridiculed in this wiki entry.

With Paris in mind...
With University of Missouri in mind...
With Ferguson in mind...
With "the Police acted stupidly", or "ISIS is contained" in mind...
Are you, like me, proud to be a "Bubba"?

I fear the stupid "intelligent" people are about to reap the whirlwind.

"MODERATE Muslims"?

My Holy Book tells me-
To love my Lord.
To love my neighbor.
To love my enemy.

What does your Holy Book tell you?

With that in mind, educate me:
What is a "Moderate Muslim"?

Presidential Wisdom-

"We have contained them."
"No challenge poses a greater threat to our future than climate change.”

Brilliance, from "Choom".
We voted for this.
Now we're suffering the consequences.

Brave New World

I'm not at all sure I'd be brave enough.
I think I know how I'd respond, but even Peter failed the test, didn't he?
"Are you a Christian?" (The question is asked with a pistol to your head.)
If you've not read the post "I support the troops" beneath this one, go read it now.
The above question... also comes down to "What are your principles?", doesn't it?
What's important in your life? Skin color? Economic status? Political party? Defending those in your Foxhole, or in your unit?
We are a divided nation. Our spoiled children think of the world in terms of "How will this affect me?".
We've (collectively) failed our kids by allowing them to think the world revolves around them.

Family?
Well, "The Walton's" was fiction, wasn't it?
Government is now our supplier and protector... until it can no longer handle that job.
And when that happens, what then?
I'll tell you this-
The Peggy Josephs of the world will be desperately trying to find a way to feed their children, even if it means stealing from you to do it.

Be prepared,
or be a victim.

"Iwo Jima: From Combat to Comrades"

I recorded this last night and watched it today.
All I can say is... WOW.
Veterans of the battle from both sides met on the Island and shared their experiences.
It will be rebroadcast on PBS here Tuesday morning at 0400 hours. Your mileage may vary, so check your local listings.
If you cannot record it, watch the YouTube version above.
It's amazing to compare today's youth with the young "Greatest Generation".
Fair warning...
Keep the tissues handy.

I Support The Troops!

Okay, so I'm confused.
You support the troops, but also support today's political environment that puts our troop's lives more at risk?
(Do you honestly believe putting 50 Special Forces operators in Syria is gonna win the war?)
Tell me how.

Please, if you are saying "I support the troops" out of one side of your mouth...
Did you buy a new GM or Chrysler automobile?
Where are your principles?

Do you do business with AARP?
Where are your principles?

Do you plan to go see the new Quentin Tarantino movie?
Where are your principles?

We live in Bizarro World.
I guess in order to stick to your principles, you first have to have 'em.
But you need to be aware how your lack of principles is helping destroy the country.

Mr. Bankston

My sophomore year in High School I had a teacher I liked a lot, named Mr. Bankston.
Mr. Bankston was a history teacher. He taught the subject, which had always bored me to tears, in a way that at least made me think how it connected to the way I was living.
He was from Texas, and he was a bit of a character. Trying to impact our personal lives, he'd frequently get off on tangents about how to drive safely, how to act in such a way as to avoid trouble, and how to FIGHT if trouble was unavoidable.

I can remember one thing about his advice on fighting to this day...
"If you get into a streetfight and you're losing, you'll end up fighting dirty.
Why not start out that way? At best it will shorten the fight. At worst, at least you'll get your licks in early."
Agree or disagree?
I think our nation today would be better off taking Mr. B's advice.

I'm now watching the last of my recordings of Ken Burn's "The Civil War", which includes General Sherman's infamous "March to the sea".
William Tecumseh Sherman had the attitude that if you wanted to shorten the war, you needed to make war as unbearable as possible. That meant denying the enemy the civilian support they needed to continue prosecuting the conflict. There are still those who will argue Sherman's actions were inhumane.
I'm sure Mr. Bankston would disagree.

We are now engaged in a war against Muslims.
Our enemy feels no shame in lining up 200 Syrian children and machine-gunning them.
They feel no compunction against taking 35 Christians to the banks of the Mediterranean and beheading them.
They're using Sherman's tactics.

At some point we'll realize we're in a streetfight.
We're now losing that fight.


"War is all Hell" said William Tecumseh Sherman.
I'd argue it's not yet ENOUGH Hell for Isis.

We need adult leadership.
And we need an electorate that isn't a bunch of pussies.

Goodbye Glen, and Thank You.

CNN ran the movie about Glen Campbell's battle with Alzheimer's disease again Saturday night.
I cried like a baby.
If you have personal experience with the disease this song is beautiful, and heartwrenching.

Here's Lookin' At You, Kid.

A couple weeks ago a friend saw a news report about a lady that had entered a bathroom with her child.
The lady's kid was intelligent... curious.
"Mommy, what's that?"
When the lady investigated she found a camera pointed at the commode.
Law enforcement was called. Arrests were made.

The report obviously made a serious impact on my friend. She now does her own reconnaissance every time she enters a restroom. Good thing too-
At a shop she regularly frequents she asked to use the "facilities".
"Just a moment" the owner responded, and, as if to insure they were suitable for her use, momentarily went into that space.
When he came out she noticed he had not flushed the toilet... hadn't washed his hands.
So the first thing she did upon entering was look under the sink.
There, camouflaged behind a sheet of cardboard, was a cell phone- video mode activated.
She hesitated a moment wondering what she should do, then, wisely, used her own phone to take a photo of the hidden camera. She then reached down and pulled the phone from its attachment and inserted it into her purse, opened the restroom door, and walked out of the shop.

The shop owner followed her out the door...
"Please. I have a wife and kids. Can I please have my phone back?"
"No."
On her own cell phone she dialed the police.
At this point the shop owner grabs for her purse. A struggle for the purse ensues, resulting in my friend being pushed onto her back into a thicket as the owner succeeded in retrieving his phone. He immediately begins to DELETE, DELETE, DELETE.

The police arrive fifteen minutes later.
After viewing her photo of the hidden camera, the shop owner is arrested.
My friend is slightly bruised, scratched, stressed, but not seriously hurt, thank God.
She's also mentally shaken.

As she told us the story the realization came to me-
Do we have a right to privacy? Absolutely.
But cameras these days have been downsized to the point you WILL NOT be able to see many of them by bending down and taking a look beneath the adjacent sink.
We might have a RIGHT to privacy, but I think we must realize our true expectation of privacy is going the way of the Dodo Bird.

I now behave as if I am ALWAYS being watched.
Sadly, that may be true.

Screaming Sasquatch!

This is "Jack Link's Beef Jerky's" "Screaming Sasquatch"
It performed yesterday at Pensacola Naval Air Station's "Blue Angels" homecoming.
And it did something I have NEVER seen an airplane do-
He climbed vertically and "hovered" the airplane at about 2000' AGL.
Then, from that point, he added power and ACCELERATED VERTICALLY!
(Watch at just after the 8:00 point in the  video.)
A 1920's airplane with added modern-day technology.
Amazing.

(Another good video about the airplane here.)

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream?

Sleep... nap, really.
Wake, and my mind goes ninety miles an hour.
Sleep an hour or so more.
Wake, look at the clock, stagger to the bathroom.
Back to bed... rest and wait for sleep to return.
Repeat this cycle a couple times each night.

I think part of the problem is lack of activity.
We spend much of the day watching news, then stuff we've recorded on the DVR. The only real exercise we get is on our two-mile walks, which have been interrupted lately by lots of rain.

An article on "healthy sleep" that I read yesterday also reminded me that drinking Diet Coke all day gives me a decent dose of caffeine.
I'll switch to caffeine free.
I'd hate to think my days of  "sleeping like a baby" are gone forever.

Suggestions?

Intelligence?

I said, (with tongue firmly in cheek),
"People smarter than you and me got us into this mess".
He said, (something to the effect), "I doubt they're smarter than you".
Facebook.
Smart people, on the same page, attacking one another.

Bye-Bye Facebook!

I'm now sitting about forty feet from where I sat when I started "Pitchpull" a little over ten years ago.
Destin, Florida.

I've been unfaithful.
I've neglected the Blog now for over a year.
I now know how Don Quixote SHOULD have felt. Ol' Don assumed he was doin' good things.
But the rest of the world thought he was a fool.
I'm tired of shouting from the rooftops.
I'm tired of posting stuff on Facebook that eventually comes true because no one else cares.
My cardiovascular system needs a vacation in Destin.

My Facebook account will stay open, but this is the last time you'll see anything on my page.
I'm returning to Old Faithful, where at least I can easily go back and show how idiots like "Rodolfo" and "Flightfire" voted for poison.
(Remember them, Pitchpullers? :>) )

Deep breath.
I'm goin' to the balcony. It's 80 degrees with a few clouds today.
I feel good.
I hope you do too.
Leave a comment at "Pitchpull" and I'll respond.