Nine Days In Paradise

I'm past ready. We've not been to Destin since October, and I started working 56 hours a week mid-November. My head feels like a jumble of electrical wiring that needs untangling. I intend to go slow and enjoy the untangling process, and I can think of no better place than Destin for that process.

We'll first head to Pensacola and pick up my Mom, who'll be up beyond her bedtime waiting for our arrival. Destin is another 90 or so minutes East. It's gonna be a long day in the car, but OH, is it worth it!

Sugar-white sand, sea air, pelicans, gulls, cormorants, and (due to our proximity to Eglin Air Force Base), a near-continuous military airshow. And of course, we can't forget the frozen Margaritas for Sara Jean and the icy cold beer for yours truly.

If you're in the neighborhood stop by. We promise to help untangle your wiring too!

Toast

President Nixon learned-
It's not the act, it's the cover-up.
Madame Speaker is about to learn, if you tell lies, and those lies indict the CIA, you'll get badly burned.
Now the Bozama administration has started its own cover-up... refusing to release ALL the documents Cheney has requested that would expose more lies, and our free press has finally realized they have a duty other than lead cheers.
(By the way press folks, where's that birth certificate?)

Pop the popcorn...
The show has just begun.
Bwahahahaha!

Take A Stand

Are you sick to death of corrupt, lying politicians taking away your rights?
So what are you doing about it?
Here's your chance to take a little step and express your dissatisfaction with politicians and their inexorable move to Socialism...

Jinks brought my attention to a new promotion being offered by the National Rifle Association. The NRA is now offering a free one-year trial membership.
I've been a life member for over 30 years. I joined because the NRA is one of the strongest voices in Washington, D.C., protecting the rights of all citizens. If you've ever thought about joining the NRA, here's your chance to do it and add your voice to those shouting "I'm mad as Hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"

Click the link and sign up. And remember...
Our founding fathers intended our government to be mindful of the citizenry.
Do you own a gun?

A Leaf In The Wind

I seldom hope the telephone rings, but today is an exception. Yesterday I completed working 14 of 15 days at my EMS job. Today I have two students scheduled for flight instruction. The forecast is for wind to gust from 15 to 25 with peak gusts of 35 knots in rain and thundershowers. My drive to the airport takes almost two hours, so I wouldn't be crushed if my students both call and ask, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

So I know I'm not mentally at 100%, but who is these days?
And there's more to consider here-
Both these students are rated helicopter pilots building time for their commercial rating. They're less likely to try to kill me while I teach them. Demonstrating how to fly in less-than-normal conditions will be good training for both.
The little guy on one of my shoulders is saying, "Call them and cancel. You've got lots to do here at home!" (We leave for 9 days vacation in Destin on Friday.)
On the other shoulder the little guy calmly says, "There's time to do everything you need to do. These guys will benefit from this training. And they've already been waiting more than two weeks to fly with you."

It's rained a lot here, so my lawn is out of control. Knowing the rain was coming today I mowed in the dark for an hour last night. I've still got to mow the back forty or we'll have lions and tigers and bears lurking there when we get home from vacation.

But I suspect the phone won't ring and I'll drive the two hour drive, then be subjected to being battered around in a tiny helicopter by strong, gusty winds. And my students will learn they too can handle such conditions if they know which situations to avoid.
Truth is, it's the first step that's the hardest. Once I'm on my way my head clears, I relax, and everything seems to make more sense. And I know my students need to know how to deal with difficult weather conditions, and when to put their foot down and say "Nope... not gonna do it."

It looks to be the kind of day we'll make those decisions.

Gen. McKiernan, You're Fired!

In Afghanistan, General David McKiernan is out...
LTG Stanley McChrystal is in. I've written before how the chain of command in the military is similar to most any large corporation-
If you're not good at politics, you'll not rise above a certain level.
So my first thought here was, "How did General McKiernan step on his poncho?" All sorts of things could be happening here.

Then this morning I read this post over at QandO and felt better about the change. General McChrystal is a Special Ops guy and that, in my opinion, is exactly where our focus in Afghanistan needs to be...
Special Operations.
Knowing General Petraeus is a McChrystal supporter was icing on the cake.

We gotta give credit where credit is due-
There is much about President(?) Obama that I don't like. But his almost instant change of mind about the war in Iraq infuriates the appeasers who elected him. Ya gotta delight in that. Now this change of command in Afghanistan surprises me by showing he may be listening more closely to his military advisors than I imagined he would.
Granted he's still destroying the country economically, but I have to ask...
Regarding our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, do you think McCain would be doing any better?
I'm not so sure.

A Quick Note To Republican Leaders

Big Lose-
Bush (twice), McCain, Specter.

Big Win-
Reagan, Gingrich

Do your homework folks.
2010 is just around the corner.

Nellie

Who influenced you most?
I have no trouble answering that question at all.
It was Nellie. Nellie Mae, as a matter of fact.

Of course my Dad was also an influence. But my Dad was absent during much of my formative years. His influence on me was mostly by example...
He and Mom had difficulties, yet they handled them together.
He worked hard, both at home and away, and our family was never hungry or cold.
He was never physically abusive. Inclinations toward mental abuse were so trivial as to be unworthy of examination.
He didn't find another woman and leave my Mom to raise Sis and me.
So through his example I learned much about how to be a man.

But my Mom taught me how to be a human-
She taught me about honor.
She taught me about honesty.
She taught me to treat others as I wanted to be treated.
She taught me that reading was not only important, it could be fun.
She taught me to be curious.
And she taught me the importance of doing a job well.

I am Harlie and Nellie's son, but mostly I am a product of Nellie's gentle coaxing.
She raised two kids who have turned out to be productive, caring citizens, and she did it mostly by herself.

Happy Mother's Day Mom...
I'm proud to point you out and say "That's my Mother".

Life Ain't Fair

"Your patient is a 44 year old woman who fell from the standing position. She has fractures to both Tib/Fibs and to her left forearm."

What?
Fractures like this from a fall from the standing position?
How ? !

As usual, we arrive and my crew departs while I complete my shutdown procedure. Then on many occasions I actually get a better picture of what has happened to our patient when I walk in and chit-chat with family members or police outside the trauma room who were actually on scene with our patient.
But not this time...
There's no one outside her room.

When my crew wheels her out she's talking a mile-a-minute...
"I've NEVER ridden in a helicopter before!"
It's obvious she's trying to be brave but is scared to death.
"I've ridden in an airplane but never a helicopter!"
And she continues to talk about whatever comes to mind while we load her.

I start the engines and we get underway to the Trauma Center. Only then, over the intercom, do I get more of the story...
She's mentally disabled and fell at a facility that provides work for her and others like her. She is able to live alone with the money she makes at work and the funds provided by SSI. Her parents are elderly and poor and they have no car, so they cannot make the trip to meet her where we are taking her.
She'll be with strangers for quite a while when we drop her off.

Later, my crew finished with the transfer, the news gets worse...
She has bone cancer, which is the reason her bones broke. She's going to lose her left arm because it is shattered and won't heal. It's possible the same will be true of the injuries to her legs.
Damn.

I feel sorry for myself sometimes.
Today I'm ashamed of myself for forgetting how blessed I am.

Denial?

I'll never forget it... the first time I saw a photo of Farrah Fawcett.

I was knocked out.

I think the pic was in "Soldier's" magazine, which had a "cheesecake" photo just inside the last page of every issue. (Wonder if that's still the case?)

She's a week younger than me, and now she's apparently at death's door due to rectal cancer.

How sad.

Too often these days we hear of someone discovering a problem and then waiting to see how it progresses before seeing a Doctor... waiting, while time is of the essence.

Too often the problem is something virulent that might have been fixed had the victim seen a Doctor immediately. Our family lost a 44 year old friend three years ago because she waited until her nipple inverted and began to release a discharge before consulting a physician. Right now we are watching a 40-ish family member fight stage four cancer with a problem she ignored too long... now she's hoping experimental drugs that have been used on very few humans will be her salvation.

I rant a lot on this blog, and I don't think ranting is much fun.

But if I touch just one of you and motivate you to do what you oughta be doin' anyway, then my ranting is worthwhile...

Don't wait.

Find something "odd about your bod" that spooks you a little?

What's it gonna hurt to have an expert check it out?

And now I'll heed my own admonishments...

Sara Jean has never had a colonoscopy. I haven't had one in ten years.

I'm scheduling them today. If you're over 50, why not do the same?

Don't wait 'til it's too late.

Let's live and laugh and blog for years to come!

Help A Confused Old Aviator-

What's FAIR about "The Fairness Doctrine"?
What's FREE about "The Employee Free Choice Act"?

Is this change I can believe in?

Obama's Misery, May 2009 Update-

How fortuitous!
The new unemployment figures of 8.9% came out after this month's misery index was posted.
So Bozama dodges a bullet this month...
Last month's index- 8.34 %.
This month's (misleading) index- 8.12%.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting on figures post-Chrysler and GM layoffs in June.

Cabela's- Now It's A Comedy

Via email this A.M.-

Cabela's Inc.
World's Foremost Outfitter
One Cabela Drive, Sidney, NE 69160
Dear Customer,
Unfortunately, your backordered merchandise listed below has yet to arrive from our supplier. 21-6948 REMINGTON 30 CARBINE 110GR MC AMMO W/DRY BOX 30CARB 110GR MC1000BBackorder-Tentative arrival to Cabelas 05/10/09 If you wish to keep the item(s) on backorder or if you want to cancel or change the item(s), please call our toll-free order desk at 1-800-237-4444.

If a reply is not received within 10 days, the order will be automatically cancelled. Please note that backorders are processed immediately upon receipt of stock from our suppliers and therefore it is possible that the item(s) in question may ship prior to receiving your reply.
If your original order was paid for with a credit card, no charges will be made for the cancelled item(s). If your order was paid for with a check or money order, a refund check will be issued. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Cabela's Inc. - Customer Relations

So now the goods they promised me two months ago will not be forthcoming unless I tell them once again I REALLY REALLY want to receive what I ordered?
I'm certainly glad they "sincerely apologized". An insincere apology would have been intolerable at this point!

UPDATE, 1335 hours-
I just got off the phone with Cabela's. Had a very nice conversation with Michael there. He told me ammunition sales jumped through the roof starting about September of '08. (Lemme think- What was on the horizon at that time?)
He also said representatives from Remington and Winchester have told him if they QUIT taking orders for ammunition at this time, their factories would still work 24/7 until late in 2011 just to fill orders on books now.
That explains a lot.

AN AFTERTHOUGHT,
(And note to Cabela's and other retail folks)-
1. I realize you are between a rock and a hard place here.
But indicating to me that you think you'll have my ammunition in hand on a date certain automatically elicits a "Let's see... if they get it on Tuesday, maybe I'll have it on Saturday?" response from me.
I think it would be better for you to intermittently update me with something like "We haven't forgotten you. We'll send it soon as we get it."

2. Threatening me with an order cancellation if I don't respond to you does not give me warm and fuzzies about Cabela's. I'm sure you'd like me to order from you in the future, right?
It's not good form. Don't do that.

"The Bob"

" All dog stories, though, have one thing in common.
From Where The Red Fern Grows to Ole Yeller to Marley And Me to Rescuing Sprite, in the end, all dog stories are sad.

This is a dog story."

Hat tip-Vodkapunit.

(Get your tissues Mom.)

Jon Stewart Is Ignorant... Or Why This Nation May Cease To Exist.

Ronald Reagan said it, and more and more I'm seeing how true it is...
"It isn't that liberals are ignorant. It's just that they know so much that isn't true."

There's another statement we'll all agree is true, attributed in various forms to several authors...
"Those that don't know history are doomed to repeat it."

Our problem today is, most under 30 years of age don't know history. One intelligent commenter here informed me some time back that Jimmy Carter established the Federal Reserve Bank, for God's sake! It's important for those of us that actually do know a little history to remember that these kids, (and I mean no disrespect calling them kids because I'm certainly NOT a kid!), weren't born until 1979, so the only Presidents they truly have any memory of are Clinton and Bush.
The other difficulty is, they get most of their news from boneheads like Jon Stewart and Keith Olbermann.

In a recent interview on his show, Jon Stewart referred to Harry Truman as a war criminal. His reasoning? Because dropping the bomb on the Japanese was unnecessary.
(Like today's bonehead Liberals, he doesn't know the face of true evil. He thinks all Truman had to do was reason with the poor Japanese, and all those lives would have been spared.)
Stewart has since apologized and recanted his statement. I guess even today's pseudo-intelligentsia are subject to public outcry.

There's another statement we ignore at our peril...
History belongs to those writing the history books. Given the time and the right circumstances, history books would show that Hillary truly did land at Kosovo under enemy fire, and that FDR did in fact give his fireside chats over national TV!
This B.S. has gotta stop. And the only way it will stop is for those of us who know history to reveal how stupid Stewart and Olbermann really are.

I need about fifteen minutes of your life.
After these fifteen minutes you'll know why those of us that had WWII Veterans sitting across from us at the dinner table have an advantage over today's 30-somethings. These fifteen minutes will make you at once proud, and will set off the alarm in the back of your head as to how much trouble this nation truly faces. Go here and watch Bill Whittle EVISCERATE Jon Stewart, then send a link to the video to all those you love. Send it to anyone you think still has reasoning power.
Send it to those that voted for Bozama but are now having second thoughts. And if you are moved by the video, consider scrolling down to the "New Members" tab at the bottom of the page and registering...
It's free, and increasing registered members will empower those making such videos to do more.

I'm hopeful it's not too late to turn our troubled country around.
God be with us.

Mystery Man

"...The man is a mystery. Nobody can make public his actual birth certificate, or even the particular hospital he was born in, or his college grades, or how he got into Harvard, or how he made editor of the Harvard Law Review and never wrote a single article for it. It goes on and on. He really is a Zero. I think all of you guys should find all of this out and make it known."

(How's it feel, being made fool of by "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys"? )
How far do we have to fall before we splat?

Interesting stuff.
And Andrea brings you more truth, (can you handle the truth?), via Dr. Jack Wheeler over at The Radio Patriot, complete with enlightening linkiness.

Cabela's Update, 1 May

Still waiting.

Up to this point I've been aware of Cabela's problems and as I have shared with you here, they've been excellent about keeping me notified of progress toward getting me my ammunition.
A review:
I ordered 1,000 cartridges of .30 Caliber carbine ammo on 9 March. The first notice that delivery would be delayed came via email about 3 weeks later. The second email "delay" notice I got from them indicated they expected the hardware in their doors on 24 April.
So now a week later my ears are perked, expecting to hear the approach of the brown truck...
Nuttin'.

This afternoon I called their customer service 800 number and chatted with Lori, who answered the phone personally after one ring. You can write the rest of this yourself... "still delayed, expecting delivery now by mid-month. Would I like to cancel the order?"
And start this process all over? Ha!
I'll keep you posted.

A Puzzle-

Referring to Joe Biden on his show today , Dennis Miller is asking:
"Can you tear someone, who is one, a new one?"

I think you can, but why waste your time?
Gotta love Dennis.

Money Down A Rat-hole

Take $500 out of your wallet and set it on fire.
That's basically what our government just did for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. of A.
Instead of forcing Chrysler into bankruptcy months ago, we taxpayers lent them $1.5 Billion to help them over a "rough financial patch". That money was gonna be paid back with interest when Chrysler got healthy.

Ha!
We may as well have put that money into one-armed-bandits in Las Vegas.

General Motors is next.

Update:
Greybeard and Neil Cavuto are on the same wavelength.

WHAT'S GOIN' ON?

"LOOK AT HIM!
WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?"

I was upstairs getting ready for work, listening to the TV downstairs. She was watching what I was hearing. I ran to the balcony and looked down to see what she was talking about...
"See how he looks? He looks frightened. His cockiness is gone."

My wife has a sixth sense. She's almost never wrong in her character judgments. And I could see she was right. So I said, "Well, you gotta remember, he gets a Top Secret briefing every morning about the status of the world around him. His briefers may have scared the crap out of him today."

But on the way to work tonight I thought of something else-
Two weeks ago in Mexico he was escorted on a tour by a man who is now dead. That man's death has been attributed to various causes, including heart trouble and SWINE FLU.
Is our President(?) beginning to feel a little feverish?
Or is he just beginning to realize how much danger he has exposed himself and the Nation to with some of his poor decision making?

So, what's goin on?
All we can do is wait and watch.

Vanity

There's a mirror like that one on both the passenger and driver's side of our car, complete with adjustable-intensity lights on either side of the thing. So when I climb into the driver's seat, why do I have to adjust the rearview mirror so I'm not looking at my own ugly mug?

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

I'm working nights this shift, six nights in a row. I get home in the morning and find my wife and our dog sitting on the sofa, cuppa Joe in Sara Jean's hand, catching up on what's goin' on in the world...
Wife and dog both well rested from a good night's sleep.
Sara Jean will then prepare for work while I sit in bed with laptop, Lucy alongside, napping, as I read email and scan my favorite blogs.

When I'm finished surfing and turn over to close my eyes, she'll crawl under the covers and take her normal position behind the crook of my knees. And there she'll stay until I wake, six or seven hours later.

Lucy obviously enjoys this hot bunking system. She sleeps soundly for eight hours with Sara Jean, then sleeps another seven or so hours with me. I've always known dogs (and obviously cats) sleep a lot, but I've become so much more aware of Lucy's sleeping habits now that she's getting out of bed with Sara Jean and right back into bed with me.

Do dogs not get a headache from too much sleep?

Four Year Blogiversary

Four years ago I sat at the dining room table in Destin Florida and typed out my first two blog posts.
Four years older...
Four years wiser?

I had hope then.
Now? I'm a nervous Boy Scout, preparing.

The President = Hitler

How you react to that comparison depends on your political leanings:




CNN-
In the Bozama tank.

Go Sheriff Joe!

My son's County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, sends his best to
the reverend Al .
Stay tuned.

Ammunition Shortage, April Update

Here's the latest skinny, and it turns out we pretty much had our facts straight from the beginning.
The other issue that I find interesting is the nationwide interest not only in CCW, but open carry.
"And the times- they are a changin'."

(I still haven't received my 1,000 rounds of .30 Carbine ammo from Cabela's.)

I'm An Oddball... Like You?

I admit it, I'm different. I take some pride in that actually.
I don't need you or anyone else to tell me how I should think or feel. I'm pretty good at figuring that out on my own.
I have never been comfortable in large "activist" crowds... the "mob mentality" bothers me.

And for you and me that's a problem.
Because we're not alone. There are lots of folks like us.
We've been called "The Silent Majority". We're the ones that toddle along in life causing few problems, making no waves. We work efficiently and do "a day's work for a day's pay."
And in so doing we pay the taxes that are used to benefit all.

But since we seldom speak out, we are easily ignored. Sometimes others take advantage of us because they know we're uncomfortable with the idea of drawing attention to ourselves...
Unless things get really out of hand we shrug our shoulders and think to ourselves "This too will pass", and it does. But we generally end up paying for our silence in one way or another.

That's why last week's "Tea Parties" are exciting to me. Had I not been working (and therefore paying taxes), I'd have attended one close to me. In the middle of the week, in the middle of the day, (a WORKDAY by the way), over 200,000 (some estimates I have read suggest over 500,000) people assembled peacefully to protest the government's recent huge and wasteful outlays of our tax dollars. Most major media ignored these gatherings. CNN, who I have jokingly called "The Communist News Network" in the past, proved my joke might be true by trying to portray attendees as outliers...
Rednecks, Racists, and "Bible clinging gun crazos".

So we're being marginalized.
Maybe five hundred thousand people attended... how many would have attended if it hadn't been a workday? How many would they be trying to marginalize if these protests had been held on a Saturday?
I think our government and its fawning media are frightened and confused, and I think they're playing with gasoline and matches.

Here's my hope...
I hope you're watching this situation as closely as me.
I hope you are irritated that your complaints are being ignored because you are "stupid".
I hope you are motivated to act.

These Tea Parties are the first step. We now know that there are other "silent majority" types out there who are angry and frustrated with the unsustainable course our government is taking.
We know we can form in numbers that cannot be ignored. We know that "next time" we can increase those numbers.
Next time!

The Tea Parties are the first step. "Change" was such a buzzword in the last election, but we knew for us it wouldn't be change for the better. If we want change that will set this government on a sane, sustainable path, we have to take the next step...

How 'bout the 4th of July, "Independence Day"?
Wouldn't it be nice for those of us that truly are independent to make some noise on the 4th?

(Talk amongst yourselves and then express an independent opinion in comments here.
Then talk to others... We know there are MANY like us. We must be "silent" no more!)

Scott Stantis- The Birmingham News

(If needed, click it to get an unobstructed view.)

Progressive-Think

An attorney trying to form a defense team for the surviving Somali pirate made this statement:

"I think there's a grave question as to whether America was in violation of principles of truce in warfare on the high seas," said Kuby. "This man seemed to come on to the Bainbridge under a flag of truce to negotiate. He was then captured. There is a question whether he is lawfully in American custody and serious questions as to whether he can be prosecuted because of his age."

My head almost exploded.
These guys throw a grappling hook over the gunwale of the Maersk-Alabama, and while being doused with the only means the crew has to resist them... a firehose, hoist their AK-47 laden bodies up the rope and onto the deck. In what parallel universe can anyone consider these pirates were wanting to "negotiate under a flag of truce"?

This is a nightmare.
Someone wake me please.

Greybeard Beats Dead Horse-

He's a twenty three year old male, unrestrained driver, likely fell asleep on his way to college.
He left the roadway and slid down an embankment, impacting a tree. The airbag deployed, but since he was not wearing his restraining system he rode over the bag and his face created a hole in the windshield. Making the hole probably didn't do near the damage to his face as coming BACK through the hole. The extrication process was relatively minor.
He's a bloody mess. His left eye is lacerated and unsalvageable. His nose is severed and hanging by a thin thread of tissue. The orbit for his left eye and his left cheekbone is badly crushed and will require very technical reconstruction.

All this because his drive to school was short, and for whatever reason he didn't feel his seat belt and shoulder harness were necessary.

Soap box time...
TELL THOSE YOU LOVE TO BUCKLE THEIR "&@*%>+^" BELTS!

Change You Can Believe In

AP Photo
So let's see where we stand...
Returning Veterans are "potential domestic terrorists."
Same with members of the American Legion.
But this guy Chavez, who shut down newspapers and Radio and TV stations that opposed him?
Like the Castro brothers, he's MUY SIMPATICO!

Idiots.

Keep Your Cards Close To Your Vest

Although I don't play poker, I've heard about the importance of a "Poker Face".
Folks who win at Poker keep their opponents guessing about whether or not they are bluffing.
Apparently, no one in the Bozama administration understands the importance of a Poker Face.

Idiots.

For The First Time In My Adult Life...

I'm not sure I'm happy to be an American.
What in God's name is going on?

Peacefully Dealing With Pirates?

I'm still puzzled by this problem of pirates boarding big cargo vessels near Somalia...
Sure seems to me it would be easy to ward them off with a small security force on each ship, but maybe I'm unaware of the big picture?

The pirates are approaching in small boats, then they throw a grappling hook into the cargo ship while the crew of that ship sprays them with a fire hose to try to prevent them from boarding.
Here's my suggestion:
The pirates approach and sidle up to the cargo ship. The crew on the cargo ship looks over the side and drops a gallon hefty bag filled with gasoline into the pirate boat, then brandishes a flare gun and asks, "Would you like to see the second part of our new welcoming celebration?"
I think most pirates would decline.

LURPS

Big ol' ugly thing... (But I love it!)
That one looks a lot like the machines I flew in Viet Nam.
Hang miniguns on the sides instead of the flex M-60's and it's almost an exact match. Notice too the crew chief and gunner hanging out the sides of the aircraft with their
M-60's. This was not a view you sought if you were Viet Cong or a North Vietnamese regular.

My unit, the Aeroscout Company, had the primary mission of doing reconnaissance for the Americal Division. (If you click on the "1969 Yearbook" and "photo album" tabs at that link, you'll find several pictures of yours truly.) As part of that mission, we frequently transported L.R.R.P.'s (Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols, pronounced LURP'S) out into bad guy country and dropped them off. Once inserted, their job was to avoid contact with the enemy and observe his movement.
Theirs was risky work, as was inserting them into position.

It was just about this time of year 40 years ago that we took off in the afternoon to do a LRRP insertion. We frequently would do one or two "fake" insertions... landing at other LZ's without disembarking the LRRP's, to confuse anyone watching and provide a little more security for these brave guys. Still fairly new "in country", I was the wingman in the formation, Aircraft Commander of a Gunship like the one pictured, accompanying an AH-1G Cobra and the UH-1H troop carrier (Slick).
We did one fake dropoff, then successfully inserted the team and started back home. The gunships I flew were underpowered and overloaded. So overloaded in fact, on hot days they would not hover. We kept them at absolutely minimum fuel for each mission in order to give us the best power-to-weight ratio possible. But that meant our endurance on each mission was limited.

About 10 minutes after inserting the LRRP's, over the FM radio, we heard this call...
(Whispering)... "Warlord Lead, this is Blue Potato, over."

Our team leader answered, "Blue Potato this is Warlord Lead, over."

"Can you come back and pick us up? There is an enemy unit of approximately battalion size coming toward us from an adjacent hill."

These guys were in big trouble. If we called someone to come get them immediately the response time would be over half an hour. They didn't have that time. Problem was, I was fuel critical, and my team leader knew it.

"Two, what's your fuel status?"
A quick calculation and my pucker factor went to ten on a scale of ten...
"We're gonna be mighty close, but we have no choice."
"Roger that." And with that we turned 180 degrees.
A battalion of bad guys, and they know our scouts are there. When they hear us coming back, they'll be prepared for us.

The slick spotted the LZ and started his approach. Hoping to draw some of the fire away from him I slotted in on the approach with him, loose echelon-right.

From the air, an AK-47 being fired at you sounds like popcorn being popped... a muffled Pop-Pop-Pop-poppity-Pop!
Ten seconds from landing it began...
Poppity-Poppity-Pop-Poppity-Poppity...
Lots of firing, but so far no rounds had made contact with my aircraft. As the slick slowed to land I flew past him, and noticed he lowered his nose to accelerate...
Going too fast, he missed his LZ. We'd have to turn and do it again, and now they'd know exactly where he needed to land.

Go around...
Big circle...
Start the approach again.
This time to change things a little I'm in echelon-left.
...Much more AK fire this time...
Poppity Poppity Poppity Poppity Pop Poppity!
Time almost stopped. The slick dropped into the LZ and I made my break to the left. The Cobra rolled in behind us and provided cover while the troops got aboard. When the slick lifted I turned inbound again, once again hoping to divide Charlie's attention.

As the troop carrier climbed out Lead called, "Slick, you okay?"
"Roger that!"
And with five happy LRRP's aboard, we once again turned for home.

"Two, how's your fuel?"
"I'm indicating 300 pounds. It's gonna be close."
Almost immediately my 20 minute fuel-low warning light came on.
"I've got a 20 minute light."
"Roger that. Keep me advised."

We've all been low on fuel, watching the fuel gauge drop while anxiously peering ahead, hoping for a glimpse of the refueling station. But it's different when you're flying over unfriendly ground, listening for the sudden sound of silence that would mean you had to accomplish an emergency landing in a helicopter that was too heavy to hover when you took off.
Stress?
You bet!

We hovered into our revetment twenty minutes after the 20 minute warning light came on. Everyone flying this mission wondered how much fuel was left in my bird, so we all stood and watched as my tanks were topped off...
...Four gallons left... less than three minutes of fuel.
(Then they drained a bunch of that fuel out for the next day's mission.)

Later that night there was a knock on the door of our hootch and I heard a loud, slurred question...
"WHERE'S GREYBEARD?"

"Here. Who's asking?"

"The guys whose lives you saved today."
All five of 'em standing there, team leader in front.
In one hand he had a bottle of Crown Royal. In the other, a bottle of Chivas Regal.

I think we had a good time...
I don't remember much more about that evening.

Talk Like A Pirate-

The phrase of the day?
"Blimey, this is the scurviest headache ever!"
ARRRRR!

Pirates

I'm interested in what is happening off the coast of Somalia because I think we're seeing an indication of how many of our enemies will deal with the U.S. in the future...
Unable to compete with our technology, they'll resort to 17th century tactics where our wonderful toys have less power.
Still, I think we could put our gadgets to good use-
I'm sure there are all sorts of tools available to our "negotiators" there, to include a few Seals that are chomping at the bit to get involved. Why not let them?
Send a few over to that powerless lifeboat and attach a line somewhere beneath waterline. Then begin towing that sucker out to deeper water, comforting the pirates all the while that we have no intention whatever of feeding their corpses to swine after we execute them.

Then let's see how brave they are.

UH-1 63-08808

From a comment to the post below...
This old Huey's crew is finally coming home.
Thanks for the lead, Jack.

Bananas

Do you like bananas?
Are you sure?
Back in the "bad old days" of the first Carter admnistration, economist Alfred Kahn incurred the wrath of the President by pointing out we likely were headed into a recession. President Carter didn't want Kahn pointing out his leadership was causing voters extra strife in their lives and asked him not to use the word. Kahn apologized, and announced henceforth when talking about recession he would instead use the word banana. I have always loved this sort of behavior... pointing out the idiocy of idiots.

So now, here in the second Carter administration, we have more idiotic behavior by idiots.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is uncomfortable with the phrase "War On Terror", so she instead uses the term, "Man-Caused Disasters".
Now we all can understand this, can't we? War is such an ugly thing...
It brings to mind stuff like explosives being detonated, or even airplanes crashing into tall buildings. No one wants to be reminded of that.
And "Terror" is no better...
The thought of beheadings or homicide bombers is not something about which I want to be reminded. But "Man-Caused Disasters"?
That's not much of an improvement!

First, there have been plenty of women "homicide bombers", so why blame all this on men?
I'm offended!
Let's change that to "Person-Caused", okay?

And "Disaster"?
How can anyone feel comfortable thinking about disasters? So I can't even be comfortable suggesting the phrase "Person-Caused Disasters". I think we need to follow Alfred Kahn's lead here, and come up with a term that will give everyone the "warm and fuzzies".
He already used "banana", so we can't use that. But how do you feel about "Peach"?
Do peaches make any of you uncomfortable?

So there's my suggestion Secretary Napolitano-
Instead of "War on Terror" or "Man-Caused Disasters", from this point on when referring to the unease caused by Fascist Islamic fundamentalists, please use the phrase "The Peach".
And life will be beautiful all the time!

The country is in good hands, folks.

The Korean Irritation

First- Pull out an atlas and find the Korean Peninsula.
Second- Notice the proximity of Seoul to the DMZ.
Third- Read one of the simplest, best explanations about our complex problem in that part of the world.

What Happens Before-

I frequently write about being knocked out by the true heroes of our industry-
the First Responders.

Dispatch calls and we are put on standby. We sit and wait patiently, knowing there is a flurry of activity going on in the field.
Sometimes, sadly, we're "Canceled, not needed."

God Bless you Epi.
And God Bless all the EMT's, EMTP's, Firefighters, Security Officers, and Law Enforcement personnel out there putting their lives on the line.
It's been a tough week.

From Cabela's

Received this via email two weeks ago:

Thank you for your recent order. We appreciate your shopping at Cabela's and hope that you had an enjoyable shopping experience.
Products Ordered
1 of 21-6948 REMINGTON 30 CARBINE 110GR MC AMMO W/DRY BOX 30CARB 110GR MC1000B
Backorder-Tentative arrival to Cabelas 04/15/09

(This order was placed on 9 March, so although I was not happy with the delay, I was just glad to have some indication I would eventually be able to make my "bang stick" go "BANG".)

Then yesterday, this:

Dear Customer,
Thank you for your recent order. We are very sorry to inform you that we are unable to immediately fill your entire order and the merchandise listed below has been placed on backorder. 21-6948 REMINGTON 30 CARBINE 110GR MC AMMO W/DRY BOX 30CARB 110GR MC1000B
Backorder-Tentative arrival to Cabelas 04/24/09

I'm trying to figure what is going on here. If the rate of manufacture is consistent, what is causing the kink in this supply chain? Also, friend Terry emailed and said the price of the .223 caliber he's trying to buy has almost tripled over the last year, and is also almost impossible to find.

I think CJ is right when she says the country is sick, and many of us are afraid and on a "hair trigger".
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a leader who could truly unite the country in this difficult time? Do you suppose we'll be mature enough to elect that sort of leader anytime in the reasonable future?

Obama's Misery, April Update-

Last month, 7.63%.
This month, 8.34%. (Less than one percent? C'mon Bozama, we can do better than that!)
But hang on folks...
I think both the unemployment and inflation figures are about to be Supercharged!

Ponzi

Ya know, Ponzi schemes work, or I should say SEEM to work, for a while, because everyone WANTS TO BELIEVE they'll do what's promised.
And then they collapse under the weight of their own impossiblity.

It's Called Life.

The telephone rang and I answered. My friend said, "Tomorrow I'm going to join the Navy Reserve. Why don't you join with me?
A weekend a month and two weeks during the summer, and we don't have to worry about being drafted."
"Tomorrow? Man, couldn't you have given me a little more time to cogitate this?"

The "Delayed Entry Program"...
It allowed you to join and drill during your Senior year in High School, then attend "Boot Camp" after graduating. This extra year counted toward pay and promotions... it was tempting.
He went downtown the next day and joined. For whatever reason it just didn't feel right for me and I didn't act. And by not acting, options I could not have imagined would be available to me later.

I often think about the little decisions we make in our lives and how a seemingly simple decision ends up making a major change...
How a decision of no discernible import can have consequences no one could have foreseen...
How some of those decisions are forced upon us as adolescents, when we're ill-equipped with the knowledge to make an informed choice.

Aviators learn there generally is a "chain of events" leading to an accident. Reviewing "links" leading to a serious or fatal accident we can see how poor judgment and decision making lead to a sad outcome.
But all our lives are filled with these "events" that are little decisions we make along the way...
Something we say, or don't say...
Something we do, or choose not to do...
A decision we put off, for whatever reason, because we're just not comfortable taking that risk on that day.

I'm now in my 23rd year flying a helicopter ambulance. In those years I've lifted over 13,000 human beings... many of them having the worst day of their lives. Don't take me wrong now, I don't think I'm anything really special...
There are several hundred others doing this same job in airplanes, helicopters, and trucks all over the world. But I, and all those others, have played an important part in the lives of those sick and injured folks we have transported, and I wonder...
Wouldn't it be interesting to be like Jimmy Stewart's "George Bailey" character in "It's a Wonderful Life" and go back to see how life would have changed had I joined the Navy Reserve with my buddy?
How would life's "chain of events" unfold?
Where's that rewind button?

Helicopters and National Health Care

Did Socialized Medicine kill Natasha Richardson?
Some great discussion here.
(And I personally don't think a helicopter ride would have saved her.)

United Parcel Service

I've blogged in the past about Sara Jean's addiction to QVC and how she's on a first-name basis with our UPS delivery guy. That relationship will end if this turns out to be true.

Federal Express...
Don't do anything really, really stupid, okay?

(You can leave a comment on UPS's site indicating how you feel about this decision here. )
I did.

F-22 Down

We lost an F-22 Raptor yesterday. The pilot was killed in the accident. I don't think they've released much in the way of detail, but this machine is the top of the line so far as our technology is concerned, so my first question, since the airplane had to have had a Zero/Zero ejection seat installed was, "Why didn't he un-ass the airplane?"

Discussing the accident brought to mind another from years ago:
I was still flying Hueys in the ARMY Reserve. We were called to assist in the recovery of the remains of the pilot of a Fighter (for a couple reasons I don't want to go into too much detail here) that had crashed North of our base. The pilot and airplane were based at Edwards AFB and he had test-pilot credentials.
He had flown the airplane through the top of a Thunderstorm and had damaged/flamed out both engines. He stayed with the aircraft trying to restart the engines, lost control, and crashed in a near-vertical attitude going approximately 400 miles per hour. The crater formed by his collision with the ground was about 30 feet in diameter by 10 feet deep, and was adjacent to a stream which overflowed its banks during the thunderstorm, washing much of his remains and some of the aircraft debris downstream, forever lost to investigators.

Only big parts survived, both of the aircraft and the pilot. The rest was literally vaporized. Landing gear legs and engine cores remained. All that remained of the test pilot were big joints... knees, pelvis, some knuckles, bits of hair, and his entire left palm. We carried all we could find of him back to our base in a 5-gallon plastic pail covered with a towel, and it wasn't close to full.

Why did he stay in the airplane? Conjecture was that he had flown through the top of the Thunderstorm and had encountered thick hail stones, seriously damaging the engines and other parts of the Fighter. It's just not wise to fly through Thunderstorms and he knew it. Losing the airplane this way would not be a career-improving move.
Plus, he's a test pilot... if anyone can save this airplane, a pilot with his skills can!

So now we wait to see what investigators find in the loss of the newest, most expensive Fighter in our inventory. I hope they can tell us why he didn't "punch out".

Now Hold On, Pilgrim!

When our forebears got tired of too much government in their lives in England they risked their lives and sailed to a "New World" to live in freedom.

I don't want to live in the country I see just over the horizon.
Help me...
Where can I sail?

What In The World Was She Thinking?

It's my first night back to work and the phone rings at 3:15 A.M.
I'm so tired I initially incorporate the ringing phone into my dream. I think it rang three times before I hoist myself up on one forearm and grab for it, dropping the receiver to the floor.
"Sorry! Hang on, I'm gettin' there."

Knowing it's gotta be dispatch I try to sound awake...
"Whatcha got?"

"Weather check for B-Ville please. It's a standby for a trauma patient."

A standby. Good. "Let me call you right back."
I jump into my flight suit and go to the bathroom, more to give my head a chance to clear than to relieve myself. After a quick check of area weather I call dispatch and say, "Yeah, we can do it."
"Then your flight is now a go. B-Ville to ******."

In the air we get the report...
"Your patient is a 36 year old female, victim of a rollover MVA, she was ejected. She weighs 170 pounds. She has suffered compound fractures of both wrists, a tib-fib fracture, and possible head injury. She is combative."

Big gal, probably had her bell rung good and is now in "fight or flight" mode. Since she is restrained, her only option is to FIGHT.
The flight to get her is routine but BUMPY... winds 15 gusting to 25 from the South.
She'll need drugs to calm her and keep her from throwing up all over my crew and our aircraft.

As always I shut down the aircraft and walk into the ER after my crew has started tending to our patient. Outside the trauma room I encounter a nurse holding a baby, less than a year old. Our patient fell asleep at the wheel and left the roadway at highway speed, clipping an abutment and rolling her car several times. On board with her are her two children, ages just under a year and 28 months. She is ejected. Somehow the unrestrained children remain in the car and are bruised and confused, but appear unhurt.

What causes folks to drive unrestrained?
Stupidity? Fatalism? "It can't happen to me"?
Whichever, this woman will be away from work for quite some time while someone else tends to her (uninjured, no thanks to her) infants.


Buckle up.
Don't smoke.
Wear a helmet while riding ATV's, motorcycles, or horses.
Don't drive while under the influence.

Put me and my peers out of work.

Bush Vs. Obama- Projections

"But I inherited this mess!"
RRRRRRrrright...
It's another lie:

(Via Instapundit.)
Think we're not bankrupt?
(Remember, those are BILLIONS, with a "B"!

Neighborhood Watch, On Steroids

Paranoid?
I've been thinking about it so much lately I truly wonder if I'm a nut. I'm surrounded at work by like minds, so I may be surrounded by nuts, which only makes matters worse. I need to find an "objective" judge.

"Mike", my neighbor across the street is a really mild-mannered guy. Slight in build and quiet in speech, he's one of those guys who has no enemies. He mostly listens... but will share his thoughts when asked. I was walking Lucy when I saw him tending to his freshly tilled garden plot, so I detoured for a chat. Since he's not the type to broach the subject, I brought it up...

"Mike, how do you feel about what's goin' on in the economy?"
"We've not had a contract at work for four months now. The company is planning layoffs. We're all scared to death."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. What do you think will happen?"

Long story short, he's on the same page as me. Fearful of losing his job, he pointed out something I didn't know-
Three doors East of me my truck-driving neighbor allowed the bank to "take back" his over-the-road truck. He has a beautiful new Dodge Ram extended cab pickup and will allow the bank to "take it back" at the end of the month.
My neighbor next door to the West works for the same outfit as Mike, so he's in the same boat.
That means much of my neighborhood is on pins and needles.

"What are your plans, Mike?"
He pointed to the garden plot I had seen from the road, then pointed to two others behind his house I hadn't noticed...
"We're planning on canning beans, corn, peas, and tomatoes at the end of the year."
I told Mike about our garden plans, then mentioned my purchase of the M-1 carbine as an insurance policy. His expression changed.

"I've had a .357 Magnum pistol for years. A month ago I bought a lever-action rifle chambered for .357 ammunition... probably paid too much for it, but I can now buy .357 ammunition in bulk to use in both the rifle and pistol."
Before I left him, Mike and I discussed getting neighbors together and forming a sort of "Super Neighborhood Watch" if the economy continues to worsen.

So, am I paranoid?
Maybe. But if my neighbors are any indication, paranoia is nearly epidemic not only at my workplace, but also around my home.

Be prepared.

Netbook Notes

I'm typing this post on my new Netbook computer... the Aspire One. Others have enquired how I feel about it, having had a chance to get acquainted.
As you might expect, I like it, with reservations.

The concept... smallness... almost by definition means the keyboard will be small. Honestly, I'm surprised I maneuver over this keyboard as well as I do. I do find myself backing up and correcting more than on my normal-sized laptop, but that's not often enough to be exasperating. And I think the more I use it, the more I'll get accustomed to it.

On the minus side, I actually use it less than I imagined I would. Most everywhere I've gone so far I've had easy access to a normal sized computer, so I haven't really had the need to get this one out and fire it up.
On the plus side, when I do decide to use it, it boots up faster than lightning, and the monitor is beautiful, even if it is small. (Maybe that's because the pixels are scrunched together so much?)

I signed up for Skype. Do you use it? You should! I'm amazed. Skype-to-Skype calls via computer are free, world-wide, and my experience is that they work better than the MSN Instant messenger video calls I have experience with. The built-in camera on this little $350 Netbook computer is wonderful! We just called Big Bubba and talked for 7 minutes, free!, and were obviously able to not only hear, but see he is in good health. BB also held Desi up for us to get a look at him and that's fun. (I wish our furkids could understand the idea that it's us on the computer making all over them!)

So the bottom line...
I heartily recommend the Aspire One. Having the chance to do it over I might consider a similar machine with a 10-inch monitor, simply because the keyboard would be correspondingly larger. But I'm perfectly happy with my purchase and think you should check Netbooks out if you are in the market for a laptop.
And check out Skype too!

Danny Bickell?

Who is Danny Bickell?

He's a clerk... a clerk for heaven's sake, that has conspired to keep you and me from knowing the truth about President(?) Bozama.

Still think there's nothing to this Birth Certificate fiasco?
Wanta buy a bridge?

Totus!

Totus (Teleprompter of the United States) now has its own blog!
Check it out here.

401k- From Embarrassing To Brilliant

I'm gonna share something that's been an embarrassment to me, but you can't make fun of me because it turned out to be an enlightened act...
Like so many others these days, I was living beyond my means.
I didn't want to change my 401k contribution, (18% of my before-tax pay goes into it every pay period), but I had more outgo than income. So out came the credit cards. It was when I started charging Big Bubba's college tuition to the credit card that I realized something had to give. I started looking for the least painless way to pay off the credit card debt. A couple quick possibilities came to mind-
A home equity loan, or a 401k loan.

A little research showed that for me, the 401k loan seemed the best alternative. I'd be borrowing the money from myself, and paying the money back to myself at 9% interest. Loan payments would be deducted automatically from my paycheck, and would not affect my normal 401k deductions. I could spread the payments out over a 36 month period, and had the option of paying off the loan in full at any time.

The downside?
-The money I borrowed would no longer be at work earning interest/dividends in the 401k.
-If I lose my job the loan must be paid off immediately or there will be substantial penalties.

So now I've nearly paid off the loan. While the rest of my 401K has lost half its value, I've been paying myself a solid 9% return. The credit card I paid off was charging me 18%, so I avoided that usury rate. Something I was forced to do because of lack of discipline and stupidity on my part ends up looking like absolute brilliance.

And here's something funny...
I'm considering doing it again. A guaranteed 9% payback to my 401K is looking mighty attractive right now.

How secure is your job?
If your prospects are pretty solid, maybe you should consider it too?

Susan Gratia-Hupp

A.I.G. Bonuses

How do you feel about your tax dollars being applied to Million-dollar bonuses for A.I.G. Executives?
Are you outraged?
Is your anger missplaced?

Who's in control?
Who authorized that boondoggle?
Who gave them the money?
Who gave them the money with no strings attached?

CONGRESS, that's who!
This whole bailout is a fiasco.
Make sure your anger is directed where it belongs.

At The Limit

The ship sank and you find yourself in a lifeboat full-to-overflowing. The sea is cold, but calm... good thing, because the weight of those in the boat has the gunwales perilously close to being overlapped. You pray the sea-state remains calm.
Now another passenger swims up and tries to hoist himself out of the life-sapping water. This simple act causes a near disaster... several gallons of water overflow into the boat.
So long as things don't change, you are safe. What do you do?

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the individual." (Didn't Mr. Spock say that when he saved the Enterprise crew from radiation exposure?)

For a while now, some economists have warned our national outgo will soon exceed our income. Entitlement programs have grown, and the number of people drawing from those funds will increase dramatically as we Baby Boomers age. We're paying a fortune to feed, educate, incarcerate, and provide health care for innumerable illegal immigrants. It's an untenable situation that politicians have ignored, postponing action until later.
Well "later" is here.

Let's assume the economists saying the U.S. was near-bankrupt two years ago were correct. What effect will come from President(?) Obama's doubling this debt load in two months? How far is the sea from overlapping the sides of our lifeboat?

Something's gotta give.
Seems to me the only questions are- how, and when.
I know how I think this will unfold and I'm buying insurance against that possibility.
I'd like to hear your prediction of how the future will unfold.

P.C.

The task? Define "Political Correctness".
Winning definition?
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end"

Thanks Mark.

Pick On Someone Your Own Size!

We had just finished a flight and were headed back to base. I was actually gonna get off work on time!
Seven minutes from landing the dispatch radio crackled...
"**** 2, are you available for a primary scene?"

Ratz!
"Is this confirmed?"
"Yes. Are you ready for coordinates? It's on main Street in
Saint *********."
We're only 15 miles away from this little town. I turn the aircraft 40 degrees to the left and we instantly see dozens of flashing red lights.
"No, I won't need coordinates. We see the scene already."
"Roger, your contact is Unit 2600 on Fire/Mutual Aid."

I dial in the frequency and call...
"Unit 2600 this is **** 2 over."
"Go ahead **** 2"
"We have you in sight and should be overhead in 4 minutes or so. Can you update us with patient and LZ information at your convenience, please?"

"Roger **** 2, your patient is a 27 year old male, victim of an MVA. We are presently doing CPR on him. We'll land you in the Post Office parking lot just West of the scene. We're on our way to mark that area with strobes."

"No need 2600. I mailed a letter at that Post Office just last week and I'm quite familiar with it!"

"10-4 **** 2."

We land 100 feet from where the crews are doing CPR and can actually see them compressing the patient's chest as we land. My crew gets out, unloads the stretcher, and moves quickly to assist as I secure the aircraft and disembark to protect the tail.

Five minutes later my flight nurse comes back to the aircraft...
"You need to shut down. This is gonna take a while."
I shut the aircraft down and walk over to see if I can assist in any way. The patient's feet are pointed due East and West... legs obviously badly broken.
I'm always surprised at how violent CPR is...
Crews doing it properly frequently break ribs.

Under these circumstances my crew will help load the patient into an ambulance and take him to the nearest hospital. CPR can be done more efficiently in the back of the ambulance than it can in the helicopter. They actually get him aboard the ambulance and give him one last shot of adrenaline, and his heart starts beating!
... Back out of the ambulance and quickly to the helicopter, we load him and I start both engines. The flight to the level one trauma center takes 15 minutes. He survives the flight but arrests again in the ER and is pronounced dead there. Again, sometimes the best we can do just isn't good enough.

This is what it looks like when 9 people are conducting CPR and trying to keep you alive:

This Jeep Safari is the "hittee":


Unfortunately, our patient used a Pontiac Sunbird as the "hitt-er", and was the underdog in this collision:


The jeep looked like it could have been driven away if the front tire had been re-inflated.
The Sunbird?
Wow.
Lesson learned: If you ARE gonna have a collision, DO try to pick on someone your own size!

IF

If!
That huge little word.
IF... you think the economy is likely to get worse, MUCH worse before it gets better.
And IF... you think, as I do, that we are likely to face an extended period of inflation, similar to what we experienced in Carter1's administration...
The thing to do is buy things you know you will need, particularly the "big ticket" items, and buy them on credit. That way, you'll be paying those items off over time with $$$$ that have much less value than money has today.
Again, there's a great deal of talk about using "Smart Power" these days.
We need to be using it too!

"I'm Tired"

"I’m tired of being told that I have to 'spread the wealth around' to people who don’t have my work ethic. I’m tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it."

Nodding your head?
Read the rest.

Midnight Duty

At midnight, if we're not on a flight we're supposed to total and close out the daily logsheet and start a fresh one for the next day. The logbook is in the BK117 parked 75 feet from the back door of our base, so at midnight I walk out and grab it to get this task done. One night this week I stepped out the back door and in the low light caught a glimpse of subtle movement to my right.
Seeing what it was stopped me dead in my tracks. Click and big:


He/she didn't seem too disturbed by my presence. I don't know much about skunks but I assume their eyesight is good, so I can only assume he/she had great confidence in skunk defense and wasn't too concerned about anything I might do!


I stepped back through the door and grabbed my camera.
Pepe LePew was still there upon my return and ignored me as I got within 10 feet to take these pics.

What's it take to get one riled up enough to make you sorry you approached it?

My Light At The End Of The Tunnel-

Well, the image is now broken so you'll have to let me paint you the photo Camerapilot saw and commented on before it went away:
Two old geezers are sitting on a park bench next to a beautiful pond. One says,

My wife asked 'Whatcha doin' today'?
'Nothin'.
'That's what you did yesterday!'
'I wasn't finished.'

Perfect!

Go, Tiger!

Why have we not heard about this?

"ARMY Brat" Tiger Woods was asked to speak at pre-inauguration festivities at the Lincoln Memorial. I think those that invited him may have been surprised by his words:

"I grew up in a military family -- and my role models in life were my Mom and Dad, Lt. Col. Earl Woods.

My dad was a Special Forces operator and many nights friends would visit our home. They represented every branch of service, and every rank. In my Dad, and in those guests, I saw firsthand the dedication and commitment of those who serve. They come from every walk of life. From every part of our country. Time and again, across generations, they have defended our safety in the dark of night and far from home.

Each day -- and particularly on this historic day -- we honor the men and women in uniform who serve our country and protect our freedom. They travel to the dangerous corners of the world, and we must remember thatfor every person who is in uniform, there are families who wait for them to come home safely.

I am honored that the military is such an important part, not just of my personal life, but of my professional life as well. The golf tournament we do each year here in Washington is a testament to those unsung heroes. I am the son of a man who dedicated his life to his country, family and the military, and I am a better person for it.

In the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln, the man on whose memorial we stand, spoke to the 164th Ohio Regiment and said: "I am greatly obliged to you, and to all who have come forward at the call of their country."

Just as they have stood tall for our country -- we must always stand by and support the men and women in uniform and their families.

Thank you, and it is now my pleasure to introduce the U.S. Naval Glee Club."

Truth to power!
Thanks Tiger.
(I heard it on Boortz, and verified it on Snopes.com)

Dow Up 300!

The Market finds out President Bozama probably DOES NOT have the votes to pass this disastrous budget...
Presidential advisor Warren Buffet chastises the President(?) for many of his planned actions...
And the Market responds with a rise of 300 points.
Coincidence?
What will the Dow be at Friday's close?

Wrong Again, Ol' Wx Breath!

I worked last night. When I left work this morning the temperature was 67 degrees and the forecast was for temps to drop all day long, reaching a night-time low of 35 tonight. Blustery wind and the possibility of severe weather always accompanies temperature changing this quickly.

Now it's almost 1800 hours and as I'm heading back to work I'm wondering why I left the lining in my jacket. It's 75 degrees outside, and although it has been gusty/windy all day, we've not had a drop of rain.

I'm glad I don't have to depend on these guys to give me accurate information!
(What am I saying?!!)

Destroying Our Economy

Roger Kimball shares the new 12-step program to insure our economy goes into the pooper.
Has the Bozama administration missed any?
(The comments are enlightening and funny.)

Ammunition Scarcity

I've been more than a little surprised at the difficulty I've encountered finding ammuniton for my new rifle. Yesterday I bit the bullet (Ha!) and placed an order for 1,000 rounds for the gun.
(It's back-ordered and won't be delivered until late April.) Buying in bulk that way lowers the price per round considerably, but with shipping and taxes it's still expensive... almost 50 cents per round!

If our President succeeds in convincing everyone the U.S. is a horrible place to conduct business and our economy collapses, you and I will need these things to survive:
Food, water, shelter, and money.
And by money, I don't mean greenbacks. The greenback dollar will be valuable only because they're made of paper and will be convenient for starting fires for cooking or heating.
In a collapse, "money" will be material things you have that others need. You'll use those things to acquire things they have that you need. Money will be stuff like excess food, gold, or ammunition. I'm gonna continue to buy ammunition as an insurance policy, along with extra canned goods. Sister Mommanurse suggested another good idea- powdered milk.

I did a little poking around tonight, still wondering about the ammunition shortage I have encountered. While investigating, I found this article, which pretty much verifies what I had heard from others. Two things surprised me about the article:
-Specifically mentioned is the bank robbery CJ alluded to as the pivotal incident that caused local police to make the decision to increase their firepower.

-Take a look at the date the entry was published... August 2007.
This problem has been ongoing now for at least 18 months with no end in sight.
I think I'll buy stock in Remington and Winchester!

Wear Your Seat Belt!

...Especially if you're stupid enough to run from law enforcement.
(Warning- Heed the warnings.)

An Open Letter To Great Britain

I'm sorry.
Sorry for the fact that President Bozama returned the beautiful Bust of Winston Churchill you gave us after 9/11...
Sorry he gave Prime Minister Gordon a bunch of cheesy DVD's that won't even work on the players sold in your country...
Sorry his administration made comments indicating our relationship with your country is "just nothing special, really".

Please realize, almost half our voting population saw this coming.
WE DIDN'T VOTE FOR HIM!

Hang on Great Britain. All this will get better soon.

The Voice of Many Today

I put off watching this video.
I shouldn't have.



"...That I will support and defend the Contstitution of the United States agains all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC;"