I am reminded that today is the last day of May, and that means that tomorrow is the first day of the hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center shows nothing for the next 48 hour.
We are in an el Nino pattern, which tends to suppress hurricane activity across the southern US, but that doesn't mean that we can fail to pay attention. The NOAA is saying that we have an 80% chance of an above normal season, whatever that might be.
It looks like the jury found Donald Trump guilty, as many predicted. It's the Democrats wet dream, because now they can claim that he is a "convicted felon".
From what I've heard and read, the the list of reversable error is long and tedious. The appeals will take a while, and it will certainly not be concluded before the election.
Which puts me in a position to cast a positive vote for a convicted felon.
The Democrats are playing a dangerous game here. If we make political persecutions and prosecutions part of the normal course of an election, then it should come as no surprise when the other side starts using it as well. What works for the goose also works for the gander.
But, the Democrats will be cheering tonight, partying like it is Super Bowl Sunday. Let them have their little fun, but when someone starts locking them up in January, I don't want to hear a word out of them.
The judge gave the Trump case to the jury yesterday, and deliberation began. The jury had some questions and got clarifying instructions, and eventually was sent home for the evening. They begin again this morning.
Juries normally do the right thing. Whatever that is at the time. Our jury system is both the strength and weakness of our judicial system. At the same time, and in equal measure.
I like the metaphor of the question once poised to the football coach about the forward pass. He reportedly said that "When you throw a football, three things can happen. Two of them are bad." Well, our jury system is a lot like that. We literally never know what a jury might do, and of the three possible outcomes, two of them are bad.
I personally cannot believe that the case has gone this far. There are still questions about what the underlying crime is. If you can't succinctly and simply define the crime, how can you possibly convince a jury? Yet, that is where we are.
I've often been confused about what to call a given generation, mostly because I don't really care, but I was watching a Friday with Frank video and the subject came up, so I paused everything and went to look it up.
Boomer - born between 1945 and 1964
Generation X - born between 1965 and 1980
Millennial - born between 1981 and 1996
Generation Z - born between 1997 and 2010
Generation Alpha - born between 2010 and 2024
It was a simple Google search, and now I have an idea of what we're talking about.
If you're not watching Friday with Frank, he is Pinal County AZ traffic cop, and he is a hoot.
Since Joe Biden took office, eating at restaurants has become more expensive. McDonalds is the most common example, but only because they are so ubiquitous. Let's face it, Mickey Ds is everywhere.
This one short video is an example of an alternative.
Locally, right across the street from our McDonalds is a little restaurant called The Pelican. It serves a variety of meals from a varied menu. Last week, Belle asked me to run down to the Pelican and get some fish plates. Four fried catfish plates, with fries, slaw, and hush puppies cane to just $43.00. They make a great burger there too, and a burger plate is about $10.00. Any time I can feed four people for $40.00, I'm all in.
I don't feel sorry for McDonalds. Or BK, or Wendy's. They are in a competitive market and they have had a good run. If they price themselves out of the market, that is on them. Right across the street, another restaurant is doing fine, making better burgers. They are not as fast as the chains, but they make a better burger.
Entering full time active duty in 1975, I had the pleasure of serving while the Army used a series of vehicles and equipment that seemed like a good idea at the time, but turned out to be not-so-grand. Like this abortion.
For your consideration, the M561 Gamma Goat. A six-wheel drive, semi-amphibious vehicle, it carried 1.25 tons and required a two-man crew. It was so loud that the crew required earmuffs. It steered with an articulating hinge behind the engine compartment. Which means that it had a pinch area that was dangerous to stand in.
It was supposed to be a transition vehicle between the jeep and the humvee By the time we got them, after the Vietnam war, they were mostly worn-out and a danger to anyone driving or standing near one.
A buddy recently asked me if I had ever slept in a wooden, two-story barracks.
Yeah, I've slept in those. For several years, with 40 of my closest friends.
I've slept in them at Riley, Knox, Polk, and Dix, that I can recall. At Knox, as a company commander, I was personally signed for eight of those, with a supply room, a mess hall, a day room and an orderly room. I had quite the little fiefdom.
Any of y'all ever sleep in these things?
I see that President Trump is going to the Bronx tonight, to rally and gauge the temperature.
No Republican has won the Bronx precincts in my lifetime. This is a bold move, and you can bet that his advance team has already done some groundwork. It will be interesting to see how he is received.
I understand that counter-organizers are on the ground as well. Trump is poking the tiger and this may get very interesting indeed.
There is a bill working its way through the Louisiana statehouse that would remove gassing as a form of execution in the state.
The Jewish community is in favor of this bill. With their history, I can see why they object to putting people to death using gas. Other folks oppose the death penalty and would remove every form of execution. For myself, I feel that the death penalty should reman an option.
There are plenty of arguments to be made on both sides of this question. Both moral and legal.
Come lunch time, I was hungry for a chicken sandwich, and I has some chicken tenders I needed to cook. So, I put them in plastic wrap and pounded them flat, the seasoned them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then, into flour, then an egg was, then into breadcrumbs. I heated the oil to 350, then dropped them until they were golden brown.
Belle decided to make a dipping sauce, based on a popular restaurant chain.
Belle's Dipping Sauce
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup catsup
5 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce (We used something they make at Angola penitentiary. Y'all probably can't get it. Use Tabasco, or Crystal, or Frannks.)
A friend dropped by for lunch, and said that the chicken was good, but that Belle had nailed the dipping sauce. Grandson Zach came out and gave the whole thing two thumbs up.
Of course, your taste buds may differ, adjust to your preferences. Some say a little celery salt is good, others might use a sprinkle of salt. Make it your own.
It looks like they have found Raisi's body. All the footage I've seen shows searchers working through dense fog. Clouds, if you will. Can't see anything past arm-length.
Chuck Schumer was quick to declare it an accident. Iranian sources say that American sanctions on aviation equipment played a large part. Linky here as my source for those two tidbits.
Terrain avoidance really is a thing.
It seems that the Iranian president's helicopter has crashed in a remote area of Azerbaijan. Reports are mixed and confused. Some reports say it a "hard landing", which may be a metaphor for a smoking hole in the desert.
I'm told that locals cautioned the rescue teams about entering the area, because bears and wolves us that area to hunt at night. Hungry bears and wolves could complicate an already confused rescue attempt.
Even if it is Sunday afternoon, I think I'll have a drink and toast this guys entrance into hell.
Not the Chevy, an exploding star. It seems we might be able to see this event in the coming months.
T Coronae Borealis is a white dwarf 3,000 light-years from Earth and will be the focal point of the highly anticipated outburst. It last flashed in the sky in 1946 and is predicted to happen again before October.
You can search YouTube, or NASA for more information.
In August we host a titled event, and I've already begun getting ready. Lots of stuff to do, and today I began target maintenance. Our targets were "thrown together" several years ago, and they have served us fine, but suffer from a lack of maintenance.
Today, I started getting them ready Degreased then, then took them to the bench, swapped hardware, Changed old bolt heads for new, countersunk screws, and found a conveniently round object to put over the glass when we paint them.
I think that is a lot better. It will certainly be easier to grease the targets between stages, and a new paint job will help make scoring easier. I got half done today, and I'm charging the batteries on the drill motors. We'll finish up tomorrow.
Newsmax is reporting that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have set the dates for two presidential debates, in June and September. This could be fun.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed Wednesday to hold two campaign debates — the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC — setting the stage for the first presidential face-off in just weeks.
With ABC Hosting, I'm not overly impressed, but if ABC steps out and gets some good moderators, this could be wonderful. I'm thinking Joe Rogan. That would be a hoot.
Who do you think might be some good moderators for this shenanigan?
Watching a news show, I learned that the Board of Trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill has decided to move the DEI funding to the campus police. Wow. That is interesting. It also sounds like a good idea. From what I've seen from the DEI movement, it is a divisive, repugnant idea that flies in the face of merit-based selection, whether in the public or private sector. It advances race over accomplishment and is diametrically opposed to the goals of a color-blind society.
In other notes, a commenter recently asked which brand of hot dog I prefer. If I'm forced to buy a hot dog, I generally buy Ball Park or Nathans. What I'm more likely to do is buy a selection of good smoked sausage, or bratwurst, or both, and serve them on a bun.
Sausage is a regional thing, but there is no reason to limit ourselves to a particular regional sausage. A good kielbasa, or andouille will fit nicely on the smoker beside a bratwurst or Hillshire Farms. If there is one place where diversity is always well appreciated, it is on the sausage grate in the smoker. Embrace inclusion.
Our backyard cat had a litter of kittens last month, and she has been hiding them under the deck. With the torrential rains we got this weekend, she moved them to the back porch, which is considerably drier than under the deck.
Belle has been taming them, one at a time. Here, she has a little blonde one in her lap. There are four kittens, which is plenty. We'll find suitable homes in a month or so.
Maybe the rain is over for a while It started raining on Saturday afternoon, rained all day Sunday, and when I awoke this morning, I was still hearing thunder. In the past hour, the skies started to clear and we have sunshine on a Monday morning. That is better. The back yard is awash, and maybe things can start to dry out.
Yesterday was Mother's Day and I am fortunate to still be able to talk to my Momma.
I have a list in my pocket of errands to run. The bank, the Post Office, the grocers. Belle wants a homemade chili-cheese dog for lunch. I've been with that woman for over 20 years and I've never had her ask for a hot dog for lunch. A good hot dog is hard to beat, and they have always been one of my guilty pleasures.
Back when we were both working, there would be times when our schedules overlapped. She'd be working and I was off. There is a little Indian casino not far from here that had a hot dog stand inthe lobby, and they made great hot dogs. Sold them for one dollar. Sometimes I'd drive up the road, just to get a hot dog. Or two. It was a cheap meal that I didn't have to cook. But, I have my list in my pocket and I guess I'd better get busy.
Y'all have a great Monday.
I was awakened last night by the god bouncing off the bedroom door. We were having a wild and wooly thunderstorm and he doesn't like heavy weather. I got up so that Belle could sleep and went outside to watch the light show. It was spectacular.
Getting up this morning, I see that the tomato plants took a beating in the storm last night. They'll be okay, and I'm looking forward to fresh, home-grown tomatoes in the coming weeks.
Scrolling through YouTube reels lately, I'm seeing something that they call First Amendment Auditors or some such nonsense. These bozos go about filming at places that attract attention to themselves. Then they get upset when the attention they attract is negative.
The law is, as yet, unsettled. We generally accept that a citizen can film police. Indeed, in my last ten years of police work, I not only assumed, but took comfort in the knowledge that my actions were being recorded. I never had any problem with being recorded, but then I am a First Amendment absolutist.
What I did have problems with are people getting in the way. If I'm working a scene and someone wants to film, that's fine. No problem, stay out of the way and film to your hearts content. Just don't get in my way. What I do not want is some bozo leaning over my shoulder trying to get a better camera angle. If you are in the way, I'll tell you to move, but I'll only tell you once.
Louisiana Law makes it illegal to interfere with a law enforcement officer while conducting official duties. What the "citizen journalist" needs to understand is that the police decide who is interfering, not the citizen. If I tell you to move, you have been warned.
Again, I don't care if you film, just don't get in the way.
Joe Biden said yesterday that he would not send munitions' to Israel of the type used offensive operations.
Biden, in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, said that the U.S. was still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply Iron Dome rocket interceptors and other defensive arms but that if Israel goes into Rafah, “we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.”
Biden acknowledged that “civilians have been killed in Gaza” by the type of heavy bombs that the U.S. has been supplying -- his first validation of what administration critics have been loudly protesting, even if he still stopped short of taking responsibility. His threat to hold up artillery shells expanded on earlier revelations that the U.S. was going to pause a shipment of heavy bombs.
Hamas must be decisively defeated. Eradicated. The fact that Hamas hides behind the civil population should have no bearing on the prosecution of the war. If Hamas wanted to protect its citizens, it could. Hamas does not want to protect the civilians.
We were busy yesterday entertaining Belle's older brother on the auspicious occasion of his birthday.
This morning, I'm meeting a friend at the church and we're going to do some mowing.
The news hasn't changed much lately. We're in the middle of an election and the Trump trial is proceeding apace. I did learn yesterday that my youngest son is at a Firearm Instructors Course so that he can be a police trainer in New Mexico. That's good news.
Looking at the clock, I see it is time to travel toward the church. I'll try to catch up with y'all later.
My take on the cheese steak sammich, kind of like that place on the east coast with the Liberty Bell.
Find a nice flank steak and slice it thin. I then slice the other way, cutting it into small cubes. Likewise, chop an onion and a bell pepper. In a medium skillet, melt a pat of butter and drop your steak. Salt and pepper. When the meat is about halfway done, add the onion and pepper. Continue to stir it around until the steak is done and the onion is translucent. Turn off the fire and add a layer to provolone cheese to the top, letting it melt into the mix.
Serve on a nice po'boy roll. It's what's for lunch.
Awoke this morning to fog on the back porch. Mild temps, no breeze. Still, foggy air. Went inside with my coffee and sat down at the computer. Clicked on weather. It's going to be humid today. No shit, I can literally see the water hanging in the air.
Checked the extended weather while I was there. It's probably going to rain one day this week.
The weather-weenies are on top of it this morning. Lots of radar and computer simulations, and it's going to be humid in Louisiana, and it may rain this week. That's news, right there. I bet they went to college to get those mad skills. In other news, it will get dark tonight.
I was planning to set a fence post this morning, but when I got back from the lumber yard, the bottom dropped out. It's supposed to slack up closer to noon, so I might be able to get it done today. Or not. We'll see. Nearly 20 years ago, I built a privacy fence around the back yard. The standard at that time was to use metal posts. Over the years, they have blown down during hurricanes, or rotted off at the base, and I've replaced them one at a time with 4X4 treated posts.
I really want to get this post in the ground, but I'm not willing to stand out in a thunderstorm swinging a post hole digger.
Belle says that she is hungry for crawfish today, and she will go to the boiler at noon to buy a few pounds. I'm sitting in the shop, listening to the rain on the roof, and that may be my main activity, at least for the next few hours.
**UPDATE** That job is done and the post is set. I had the opportunity to teach my grandson how to use a post hole digger. That is a skill every man should have. With the rain we had yesterday and today, the water table was high, and every time he would drop the tool into the hole, he got a splash of mud in his face. Very instructive. When he goes out tonight, he'll be freshly showered.
It's raining on the back porch, and looking at the weather radar, it looks like we'll be in the rain for most of the day.
On an earlier post, a commenter noted:
Historically speaking when cops try to arrest a determined bad guy with a rifle it often goes very badly for them.
That is a fact, and I can tell you stories from my own career about arrests that went horribly wrong. We don't yet know the details, and we may never know, but you can be assured that the investigators are still poring over the data.
Historically, the two main examples of this phenomenon are Ruby Ridge and Waco, but other less well known example abound. Those could have been handled much easier, with no loss of life, but the cops fixated on a plan that was flawed.
For example, in Waco, the FBI knew that Koresh started each morning with a jog down the road. He went running. What better place to serve the warrant than on his morning run? He's alone, easy to scoop up.
When I was running my team, back in the late 80s, I stressed to each team member that if they saw a flaw in the plan, to speak up. Everyone had the right to critique a plan before we put it into action. And there were no SOPs.
The commenter is right. A determined man with a plan and a rifle is going to cause havoc.
I paid $3.179 for unleaded fuel today. Thanks, Joe Biden. When I last filled up two weeks ago, it was $2.899.
I see that NYPD went in last night and cleared the Palestine apologists out of the building. I wonder if any of them will be prosecuted, or face any sanctions at all. I'm not holding my breath. The DA there is too busy making up stuff on Trump to actually prosecute wrongdoers.
I'm tumbling 5000 rounds of pistol brass, prior to loading them all for the Louisiana match in early August. Looking at the calendar, that is only 90 days away. It'll be here before we know it, and it's time to get busy.
