A sign of the times would probably be more like it. For instance. I just had some nice lines typed up earlier dealing with socialism and what it’s effects were on us as individuals. I hit the save button and sure enough, Lypha was out of the loop. It disappeared into thin air. No response. In the mean time (45 min.) I made a phone call to my son, put a log on the fire, and got over it. It is what it is.

I’m just a little grumpy today. Can you tell?

3 Arrested in Radioactive Sale Bid…

Neighbors Battle Over Security Cam…

High-Tech Drones Joining Miami Police Force…

Nixon Papers Recall Concerns on Israel’s nukes…

Scientists Say ‘Standing Up’ May Be as Important as Exercise… WTF?

Exploding cell phone may have killed South Korean man…

Madonna outrages animal rights group after dyeing sheep blue, pink, yellow…

NYT: As credit dries up, concerns mount about recession…

China’s fuel-supply crisis

Brazil, the New Oil Superpower

Iran Extends Submarine Range to Hit Tel Aviv and US Mediterranean Targets

US admirals criticize China over Hong Kong port calls

The Rot Continues

by J. R. Nyquist

One day the United States, as we know it, will disappear and Washington, D.C. will not be the capital of a great nation. But before history reaches this moment, millions of Americans will experience the greatest economic reversal of all time. Consider the logic of this scenario. If America is destined to disappear, the first warning signs will be on the economic front. And now we see the signs, all around. Those who favor U.S. power should be worried. America’s military advantage exists as an economic corollary, and the economic news is bad. There have been trade imbalances. An enormous amount of debt has been accumulated, and the dollar is falling fast.

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My Comment:

So what’s your take on the state of America? I like to consider myself as a spectator for the most part, but its getting really hard to ignore some of this stuff. So let’s just say that I have my opinions, and leave it at that. Right now I’ve gotta go spend some carbon credits (logs on fire). Maybe that’ll help me sort it all out.

Check them out here…..

H/T to Little Green Footballs for the link! There may be hope for both US and the UK after all……… At least somebody gets it.

Well the vacation was nice while it lasted. I’m still not sure why they call it a vacation though. Hmmmm? What’s up with that?

Anyhow, here’s a few links for ya while I try to re-adjust to my normal life cycle
Log. On. Fire……….

Cycles of History, Boom and Bust
by J. R. Nyquist

“When the economic situation changes, when peak oil has its say, when the Middle East crisis cannot be solved, when American politics reduces to a sharp ideological division, when the real estate bubble continues to burst, what will happen? What will the Russians and Chinese do? For thousands of years the world was about war and dominance, the power of oligarchies and the exploitation of peasants. Does anyone believe that the world cannot revert back? Does anyone think that the fall of modern capitalism will result in any other outcome?”

Read it here

H/T to 1913 Intell for the following links.

A Pearl Harbor without War

By Gabor Steingart in Washington, D.C.

“The dollar crisis has politicians alarmed worldwide. The US currency has lost 24 percent of its value since the introduction of the euro, and now there is even a chance that China could abandon its policy of pegging its currency to the dollar — a problem the United States should take very seriously.”

” Translated into Texan, what the Chinese politely told the Americans last week simply means: Unless something happens, all hell will break loose.”

Read the rest……….

IS CHINA BLACKMAILING AMERICA?

Geopolitics at $100 a Barrel

LGF operative This Ain’t Hell made it out to Arlington Cemetery for the “laying of the wreath” by Vice President Cheney at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. TAL managed to get some good pictures and some video, so check it out.
Wreath laying at Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

H/T to ya TAL and thanks for providing the following video: Nice job!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8je6VjeZq0

And on a related note The Gathering of Eagles folks made a stand against the Phelps wackos. Check out this post from The Mountain.

Gathering of Eagles vs. Fred Phelps Pod People

Rurik over at Veteran-American Voices put it succinctly with this post:

“Veterans Day truly honors all veterans. Some were grievously wounded, and instead of their lives, gave parts of their bodies. The others gave, at a minimum, two years of their lives in the midst of their precious youth, to serve while their friends partied or jump-started their careers. To live under abstemonious circumstances, often in inhospitable places and conditions. Those who served in the rear, always were aware that when things turn really ugly, even the clerks can be handed a rifle and told to use it, in places such as Bastogne, Pusan, and Chosin, and others. Even those who served in peacetime had to remember that peace can suddenly change, leaving them at an unprepared first line. And thanks to the Cold War, which cost some hundreds of lives apart from the various hot flare-ups, and the conflicts that have followed, there has never been real peace for America since sometime in the 1930s – and most of those vets ended up in World War II anyway.”

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Re-sinking John Kerry: Contributed by Russ Vaughn

I’ve been too busy to write anything lately but when I saw this, Kerry says he’ll be ready next time, the old animus came bubbling up once again.

From Davy Jones’ locker a zombie emerges,
A Purple Heart phony with political urges;
Assuring the press he regrets his Swift boating,
John Kerry believes his boat is still floating.
He readily admits that he got torpedoed,
But he’s up on his sail board, defiant and Speedo’d.
The arrogant fool believes his wife’s riches
Is enough to trump all of us Swift sons-of-bitches.

But John is a zombie, a dead sailor walking,
His brain is long dead but his mouth is still talking.
He needs a torpedo through his political heart,
Reducing his speeches to a bubbling fart.
Though Kerry pretends that his life isn’t haunted
By Vietnam vets he slandered and taunted,
The younger among them will bury this knave,
And stand waiting in line to piss on his grave.

If I were John Kerry I’d consider cremation,
Lest I lie in the soggiest grave in the nation.

Russ Vaughn
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Posted at Old War Dogs originally and shamelessly reproduced here with a hat tip to my good friend Russ Vaughn and BDFaith for keeping the ball moving down court.

It was a perfect week to take a break from the oil field. No consultants, engineers, or malfunctioning equipment to deal with, and that’s always nice once in a while. The weather has been top notch, with high temps around 60 and lows of 32 with lots of sunshine. Very nice indeed.

I got caught up with all of my environmental projects around here, and went “green” in the process. I cut, split, and stacked a bunch of wood (I call them carbon credits) and did a little yard work to boot. I’m ready for “global warming” when it arrives in a couple of weeks. No what I mean ALGORE?

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in front of a computer monitor this week, but that’s second nature and can’t be avoided. I’ve also been following a lot of the issues facing humanity and the world as we know it today, and reading as much I can. From where I’m sitting it all kind of looks like a Twilight Zone episode in a way. To use an electrical metaphor: This whole damn thing is 180 degrees out of phase, ass backwards, and has way to much input. The “it” is no longer connected to the “that” and the big red button may be our only option, if some wacko doesn’t push it for us first. Sheesh, what a mess….

Anyhow, I figure it’ll all work out in the long run. Heh, if we can’t fix the problem what good are we in the first place? If you have no faith, you are destined to fail.

Some would call all of this simple physics and I guess it is in a way if you just leave out the human element. The problem is that sometimes we can’t seem to make the connection between “it” and “that” or understand what has to exist to make it all happen in the first place. We are one and the same and don’t even realize it…………

So there you have it folks. That’s my excuse for not posting much lately. Honestly I don’t understand why they call it a “vacation” in the first place. But its still freedom so it can’t be all that bad. Sometimes it just requires a little effort to hold on to.

Remember that on Veteran’s Day this Sunday folks and if nothing else say a prayer for those that have and continue to serve for your right to exist as a free nation. Ya, I know, Monday is when most will pay tribute but Sunday the 11th seems more appropriate IMO.

“In 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, after four years of bitter war, an armistice between the Allied powers and Germany went into effect, bringing the fighting of World War I to a close. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of that cessation as Veterans Day.”

Here’s a picture of some really big “carbon credits” I found while I was taking a break this week. Each weighs about 80-100 lb and split into 10-12 smaller credits.

I put those in my carbon credit bank account for next year. Heh, saving for the future, what a concept………

This may prove to be a bad omen for the Middle East and the rest of the world, but it doesn’t surprise me much. Pakistan is “the canary in the coal mine” after all.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence.

Eight Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. The government blocked transmissions of private news channels in several cities and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut.

“The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order,” a newscaster on state Pakistan TV said, adding that Musharraf, who took power in 1999 coup, would address the nation later Saturday.

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Pakistan plans all-out war on militants

An all-out battle for control of Pakistan’s restive North and South Waziristan is about to commence between the Pakistani military and the Taliban and al-Qaeda adherents who have made these tribal areas their own.

According to a top Pakistani security official who spoke to Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity, the goal this time is to pacify the Waziristans once and for all.

More>>>>

This one deserves a repeat.

I’m fortunate in having had the opportunity to use some of the best of our military small arms and other assorted hardware. The good old M2 50 cal. is a fine example IMO. As a matter of fact I’ve got a picture around here someplace of a quad setup firing. Hmm… Now where did I put that?
Anyhow, check out the following videos if you are so inclined. If not, please ignore my self-indulgence. I’ll try not to bore you in the future.

Machine Gun Alley: You’d probably have to be there to really enjoy this one.

This is how it works.

I found the “quad” 50 Cal. pic by the way.

Fighting wars is serious business folks and it requires the proper tools, but it can’t be done without the human element becoming involved at some point. That’s the real problem, and one that can’t be avoided. You either win or you lose in the long run now don’t you?

Heh, my dreams alone would scare most people to death. That’s the real difference between Illusion and Reality.

The MK 19 belt fed 40 mm grenade launcher rocks also.

Video Here

Wikipedia