Politics

[Ed Lally]

WTF. UNMARKED??? Almost guaranteed under contract to FEMA

 

[Red Leg]

Unmarked helicopter roto washes volunteer staging area in NC. The federal government is slow to respond. Is their purpose now to hinder volunteers.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1843207962757882203

Probably not. The simplest and I think most likely explanation would be a confused warrant officer piloting a National Guard Black Hawk or the controller who gave him that location as a supply pick-up point - a Blackhawk that pulled away immediately after seeing what his rotor downwash was doing and before it did any serious damage.

Markings are virtually invisible on an Army helicopter. See the photo in the article below. Both Blackhawks and CH-47's of the National Guard are flying relief missions in the area. A battalion out of the 82d Airborne has also been moved into the area.

Food deliveries, aerial searches and hugs: All in a day's work for National Guard after Helene

National Guard helicopter crews are playing a key role in the military's response to Helene, especially for communities that remain inaccessible by roads.

www.wfae.org

 

[Tanks]

yup,

i use a checkout with a human in it. my thought is (right or wrong) that if i keep using the auto checkout, they will realize they need one less human to do the job. also, i use cash when i can, it makes the store carry change. i would rather not go to complete digital money. cash allows me a small bit of privacy.

I use automatic checkout whenever I have items that do not need to be weighed at the counter. However, I usually use my phone to pay, much more convenient. I carry about $1K in cash on me, but that is for emergencies.

 

[Hunt anything]

yup,

i use a checkout with a human in it. my thought is (right or wrong) that if i keep using the auto checkout, they will realize they need one less human to do the job. also, i use cash when i can, it makes the store carry change. i would rather not go to complete digital money. cash allows me a small bit of privacy.

Down here many of the “dollar” type stores have quit the self checkouts. More stuff was walking out unpaid for than was being paid for.

 

[ActionBob]

I use automatic checkout whenever I have items that do not need to be weighed at the counter. However, I usually use my phone to pay, much more convenient. I carry about $1K in cash on me, but that is for emergencies.

Living in California, shouldn't you carry more like $1100 so if you are mugged it is classified as a punishable crime? Or do the thugs leave change anyway to keep their take under that $1000 threshold?

 

[sgt_zim]

To change the subject a moment, the UK MOD releases a daily update on Ukraine. This one contains the latest estimated casualty (KIA/WIA/MIA) totals for Russian forces to date. To provide some perspective, that number represents almost twice the casualties the US suffered in WWI. The total is virtually identical to all Union casualties during the American Civil War. It is five times the number of US casualties during the Korean War and three times the total US casualties of the Vietnam War.

The Telegram channels host new videos of Russian soldiers committing suicide (I could post a dozen from the last week or so alone) or anticipating their imminent deaths daily. It will be interesting to see how long they are willing to maintain this pace of self-inflicted butchery.

View attachment 638734

Additionally, battlefield executions of Ukrainian soldiers have risen dramatically, as battlefield frustration expresses itself violently on the helpless. Similar events took place among Japanese and German (particularly the Waffen SS) troops in the final months of the Second World War.

Steep rise in Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war

Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Vladimir Putin’s forces have surged this year, with a top Kyiv official warning it could indicate a shift in Russian policy.

www.yahoo.com

Good God, man, how does an army lose the equivalent of 3 divisions a month and continue to fight?

 

[Tanks]

Living in California, shouldn't you carry more like $1100 so if you are mugged it is classified as a punishable crime? Or do the thugs leave change anyway to keep their take under that $1000 threshold?

Living in California I don't leave home without my CCW. Also, mugging is still a felony the $$$ limit for misdemeanors is for theft.

Also, we have a company policy. We do not go to shady locations without at least one other person. Here is one of those locations, an employee was off, so I went to the site to provide overwatch while my technician was working on level sensors for the storm pump station.

 

[Tanks]

Good God, man, how does an army lose the equivalent of 3 divisions a month and continue to fight?

Russia would eventually win if they lost at a 3 to 1 ratio in the fight of attrition. Not to mention time is on Russia's side as they are hoping for a Trump win. Heck, already the people on the right (and some here) are conflating FEMA funds with Ukraine aid.

Troop Deaths and Injuries in Ukraine War Near 500,000, U.S. Officials Say (Published 2023)

Ukraine and Russia have lost a staggering number of troops as Kyiv’s counteroffensive drags on. A lack of rapid medical care has added to the toll.

www.nytimes.com

 

[WAB]

Good God, man, how does an army lose the equivalent of 3 divisions a month and continue to fight?

You get the impression that they’re trying to use up Ukraine’s munitions. And let’s face it, if they are not from Moscow or St. Petersburg, whether they live or die is of very little consequence to Russian leadership.

 

[Tanks]

You get the impression that they’re trying to use up Ukraine’s munitions. And let’s face it, if they are not from Moscow or St. Petersburg, whether they live or die is of very little consequence to Russian leadership.

I am seeing more attitude like that even from the left here in the USA. I have seen social media posts gloating over the Helene disaster from the liberals in the blue States. One even said the deaths did not matter as she was sure they had more cousins to have kids with. It is really sad how much political division has progressed since 9/11 where the whole country came together at that time.

 

[ActionBob]

You get the impression that they’re trying to use up Ukraine’s munitions. And let’s face it, if they are not from Moscow or St. Petersburg, whether they live or die is of very little consequence to Russian leadership.

Maybe not in our Military. But apparently if you live out in the Mountains you are of little consequence to the US current leadership in Washington DC either.

Several works of fiction come to mind.... never expected them to play out in real life.

 

[Red Leg]

I remember the Katrina fiasco very clearly because it affected family and friends in the affected area, and military colleagues were part of the relief effort. There, after a similarly bungled start, the Bush administration had the good sense to hand the actual operation off to the US Military (Army in that case). Task Force Katrina was commanded by then MG Russel Honore'. While the military is not necessarily trained to do this kind of work, it is organized and equipped to do it very well with competent leadership prepared to take charge. I am fairly certain that a military relief flight planner would not have had a Blackhawk arriving at a supply point unprepared to receive it.

 

[Datchew]

Those 50 so called “intelligence” operators have the combined intelligence of a mole rat. Wouldn’t trust any of them as far as I could throw them.

Think of all the high and mighty credentials thrown at us in signing the letter that Hunter's laptop was fake.

We can still trust them with their honor and dignity and experience right?

 

[ActionBob]

I am seeing more attitude like that even from the left here in the USA. I have seen social media posts gloating over the Helene disaster from the liberals in the blue States. One even said the deaths did not matter as she was sure they had more cousins to have kids with. It is really sad how much political division has progressed since 9/11 where the whole country came together at that time.

Started going backwards with Obama. Being a Black president, he had a unique opportunity in History when Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, Missouri. He could have pointed out that young man would not have been shot had he not been breaking the law and generally being a thug. He could have inspired the Back race and all young people to do better. Reconsider that lifestyle. Perhaps do some soul searching to change their lives and become productive members of society.

So many great things could have been said. Inspirational things. He could have stepped up to be a leader for betterment of self in all of us. He could have used that opportunity to build racial bridges. Heck he could have used that opportunity to further the goals of MLK to remove race as any kind of thing to consider.

Instead he said, "that young man could have been my son." And by saying that he condoned such behavior. Condoned those roots and burning the city. And he drove a very large wedge into 50 years of racial progress.

And Obama started the US on this downward path of splitting this County in half. And he has resurfaced as the Puppet Master pulling the strings in Washington DC.

 

[wesheltonj]

@freefall

. . . JD dealerships have been growing exponentially. We deal with a lot of them. In many cases the mergers have improved service. . .

Unfortunately, the service from my local JD dealer just get worse with each merger.

 

[Ed Lally]

“Never let a crisis go to waste. And, if one is not handy, create one.” Page 54, DNC Operations Manual.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I remember the Katrina fiasco very clearly because it affected family and friends in the affected area, and military colleagues were part of the relief effort. There, after a similarly bungled start, the Bush administration had the good sense to hand the actual operation off to the US Military (Army in that case). Task Force Katrina was commanded by then MG Russel Honore'. While the military is not necessarily trained to do this kind of work, it is organized and equipped to do it very well with competent leadership prepared to take charge. I am fairly certain that a military relief flight planner would not have had a Blackhawk arriving at a supply point unprepared to receive it.

I lived in the New Orleans north shore area, Mandeville, during Katrina. MG Honore' did a good job. The mayor of New Orleans, referred to Honore' as "That John Wayne dude." I think it helped that Honore' was from Louisiana.

The Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco, was utterly useless after Katrina. Wouldn't ask for help, because she was a Democrat and Bush was a Republican. I have no doubt that people died because of her ineptitude.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, also was a key figure during Katrina and then a year or so later on the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Admiral Allen was definitely a "John Wayne dude."

 

[jeanes]

Started going backwards with Obama. Being a Black president, he had a unique opportunity in History when Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, Missouri. He could have pointed out that young man would not have been shot had he not been breaking the law and generally being a thug. He could have inspired the Back race and all young people to do better. Reconsider that lifestyle. Perhaps do some soul searching to change their lives and become productive members of society.

So many great things could have been said. Inspirational things. He could have stepped up to be a leader for betterment of self in all of us. He could have used that opportunity to build racial bridges. Heck he could have used that opportunity to further the goals of MLK to remove race as any kind of thing to consider.

Instead he said, "that young man could have been my son." And by saying that he condoned such behavior. Condoned those roots and burning the city. And he drove a very large wedge into 50 years of racial progress.

And Obama started the US on this downward path of splitting this County in half. And he has resurfaced as the Puppet Master pulling the strings in Washington DC.

But...but...he got a Nobel Prize. For "potential".

 

[jeanes]

yup,

i use a checkout with a human in it. my thought is (right or wrong) that if i keep using the auto checkout, they will realize they need one less human to do the job. also, i use cash when i can, it makes the store carry change. i would rather not go to complete digital money. cash allows me a small bit of privacy.

Ask the folks in North Carolina how well auto check out and digital currency works during a major power and cell phone outage. Using cash is not just a privacy issue.

 

[ActionBob]

I am seeing more attitude like that even from the left here in the USA. I have seen social media posts gloating over the Helene disaster from the liberals in the blue States. One even said the deaths did not matter as she was sure they had more cousins to have kids with. It is really sad how much political division has progressed since 9/11 where the whole country came together at that time.