If you've ever used one of these, we were soldiers in the same Army. They were ubiquitous in the combat arms. Supply rooms had stacks to them. Cheap, easy to use, absolutely indispensable to maneuver branches, these things were simply everywhere.
This must be a new edition. I've never seen this printing. You may have to click the picture to get the full translation.
Heh. I would have had a lot of fun with this edition.
The 25th Amendment is pretty interesting. I'm going to leave Section 4 here for quick reference.
Section 4
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
We may need to refer to this in the near future.
Checking the National Hurricane Center, we see a tropical storm that should become a hurricane very shortly. This storm seems to be following a patch that will bring it into the Gulf of Mexico by late next week. Of course, anything could happen and we'll keep checking.
We'll keep a weather eye on this one.
Asking this question 36 hours after the CNN debate, we have to wonder: Who is running the country?
What we saw was a sitting President in deep decline. He was incoherent, had trouble maintaining a line of thought and seemed to be confused and disconnected. His wife had to lead him off the stage. This was no deep fake, or crafty editing job. This was mental decline on plain display for the entire world to watch.
So, we have to ask, who is running the country?
We can draw an historical precedent to the end of the Woodrow Wilson presidency. But this is not 1919 and Dr. Jill is not an elected official. If the cabinet were not comprised of cowards and YES men, we might see the 25th Amendment invoked, but don't bet the farm on that happening. Blinken, Majors's, et al, are happy to keep things the way they are. Why upset the apple cart?
So, we ask again. Who is in charge? The nation deserves an answer.
I watched parts of the debate last night. Joe clearly did not dominate. If anything, he underperformed. Trump had a pretty good night. Last night, the buzz was about Democrat panic. We'll see how long that lasts, or if they will come together to do the right thing and put Joe out to pasture.
This one screen grab from Fox News seems to capture the concerns that the Democrats have this morning.
I understand that Trump and Biden are going to debate tonight. That's great. I won't watch it tonight, but I will check the highlight reels tomorrow.
We have some people coming over tonight, and I'm serving pulled pork sandwiches and chips. Just a light snack while we load 5000 rounds of CFDA ammo for our match in early August. It should be a lot of fun.
The trophies are ready, and I need to pick those up today.
I have places to be and people to see. I'd best get cracking.
It's a recipe I haven't played with much, but Belle wanted me to give it a try, and I did. Kind of like jambalaya, but with pasta instead of rice, it is something different. I'm not through with this recipe, so I'm not going to post it, but if you are interested, go over to YouTube and search for "platalaya". You'll get a hundred different recipes.
I need to adjust proportions, and Belle wasn't crazy about the pasta. She would prefer shells or bow-tie, but I used what was available. It's still good, just not where I want it. Next time, different pasta, less water.
I hear that some are complaining about a heat wave. Today, we had a temp of 98F with a chill factor of 109. Summer is upon is, and air conditioning is a real thing.
When I was growing up, we didn't have air conditioning. We had an attic fan and a big shade tree in the back yard. Dad didn't put central air in the house until the summer of 1973, when I left for basic training.
I asked him later about that unfortunate timing, and he said that when I left for basic, he didn't have to feed me anymore, so he thought he could afford air conditioning.
After commissioning, my first official officers' quarters at Knox didn't have air conditioning.
It's going to be a long, hot summer. As it usually is in Louisiana.
I have a large, statewide competition coming up in five weeks, and our club is the host. I'll be a bit busy until the first weekend in August, so there is that.
When I get up in the morning, I stumble into the kitchen, pour myself a cup of coffee and go outside to look at the morning. Then I go inside and look at some news sites on the computer. I fully expect to see that Joe Biden has passed away peacefully in his sleep and that Kamala has ascended to the big desk.
That is truly what I expect to see every morning, and I am a bit surprised each day to learn that Joe is still breathing.
Oh, well, maybe tomorrow.
A minor celebration to be sure, but one that i important to the people of the Deep South. Today marks the day when the first vine-ripened tomatoes come off the vines that we plant each year. Ours are a little late this year, normally coming earlier in June, but we are just as excited to see them. There is nothing like the taste of a vine-ripened tomato, one that has traveled less than fifty feet from the vine to the table.
As is our habit, closer to lunch, I will fry some nice thick-sliced bacon. These tomatoes are destined for bacon sandwiches.
I've been thinking, and drinking whiskey, and those two things lead to some interesting conclusions.
This whole migrant thing is distressing, and before we can deport all the illegals (and there is huge support for that), we have to stanch the flow coming north.. Once the administration changes in January, the President should tell whoever is running Mexico to stop the flow, or we will. Give then a reasonable period, like 14 days, then start making leaflet drops along the Rio Grande. Tell the residents there to head south and do not cooperate with the cartels. We're only targeting the cartels.
The idea is to use the Israeli model, and I note that the 1st Cav and the 3rd ACR are twiddling their thumbs at Fort Cavasos. It's just a road march down to Eagle Pass. We can't use then against Americans, but we can use them against foreign nationals. Ask the Afghans about that. Or, the Iraqis.
Of course, if the Mexican government wants to clean up their act, so much the better. If they don't, well, the 1sr Armored Division is at Fort Bliss, and maybe they would like to play.
The plan is a little rough, and could use some fleshing-out. The Army has some assets that I probably didn't use when I was playing 30 years ago, so they might have better ideas, but planning operations was one of my fortes, back in the day.
I went to the bank this morning to discover it closed, only to remember that it is June 19th, a holiday of national independence, wherein slavery was abolished in the united States.
The Emancipation Proclamation was published on January 1, 1863. The 13th Amendment was passed in Congress on January 3, 1865 and ratified in the states on December 6, 1865.
So, where does June 19th come in? As history records, Union Major General George Granger, on June 19, 1865, ordered that the Emancipation Proclamation be enforced in Texas.
And now you know. Juneteenth was originally a Texas holiday. I'm just saying.
Let Freedom Ring.
It is June 18, barely starting the hurricane season, and we already have one participant. Potential Tropical Cyclone One, churning in the Gulf of Mexico.
That cone does not tell the tale. This storm is huge. The rain we got yesterday in central Louisiana is directly attributable to this system. The weather weenies are talking about rainfall concerns over a wide area, including flooding concerns in Houston and Galveston. This storm is a big mamma-jamma.
Back in 2011, Howard Silverglate published a book that details how, in our current regulatory climate, the average man commits three felonies per day. It's an interesting work, and details how easy it is for the Feds to find a crime once they have found a person to target.
Now, Fox News is reporting that "experts" say that the Trump trial in Manhattan set a dangerous precedent for future prosecutors who may want to jail ex-Presidents.
No kidding. When prosecutors pick a target and go looking for a crime, our justice system is in real trouble.
Let's talk about tipping for a moment. For those unaware, in the US tipping is the social norm where a customer gives a server a small gratuity in appreciation of service. Generally, about 20% of the bill.
It is customary to tip, and some people depend on tips to make ends meet. I get that, and I generally play along. However, what pisses me off is when an establishment decides that tipping is an entitlement. And don't get me started on the little theater where they hand you a tablet and then turn around so that you can add the tip without then seeing.
Some establishment are real sketchy about how they handle tips. Especially if you put them on the tablet where the management gets to decide who gets what. That is sketchy as hell.
President Trump has floated a campaign promise to make tips non-taxable, and I applaud the initiative. Tips should not be taxable. So, what I have started doing is paying tips in cash. Let the server decide what to do with it. If he or she wishes to share it, that's fine. If he or she decides to pocket it and keep her mouth shut, that's okay too.
This requires a little pre-planning. You need to keep a little cash on hand. But, I generally applaud the idea that tips are not taxable. It's even harder for the restaurant or government to track if the tips are in cash. Let Freedom Ring.
No, not mashed potatoes, smash taters These came about in Cajun country after a big crawfish boil. When you have leftover red potatoes and need to use them. At a crawfish boil, those little red potatoes get boiled in the crab boil and seasonings, and pick up a unique flavor.
SMASH TATERS
In a pot, boil your red potatoes in heavily flavored water, using some sort of crab boil or seasoning. Take them out of the water and cool them on a cookie sheet. Then, take a drinking glass or coffee cup and smash them. Get creative. Top with smoked paprika, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, whatever your heart desires and your taste buds crave. Then run them into a 375 oven for about a half hour.
Serve as a side dish with fried fish, or fried chicken, or whatever your main protein is for the meal.
Belle said that today, I kind of "stubbed my toe" on the seasoning, which means they were a little hot, but I didn't notice her culling them.
We're talking here about the back yard, garden variety meow cat. We had a little calico show up on the back portch last spring, and because all calico cats are female, Belle kept saying that she wanted to take her to the vets and get her neutered. Well, one thing led to another and we didn't get that done and eight weeks ago she surprised us with a litter of kittens. Four of them. Cute little buggers, but we got them weaned, and they're doing fine,
Last night, Belle got out the little animal carrier and had me catch her for a trip to the vet today. I caught her last night at about dusk, and put her in the cage. She is outraged. But, we told her that the vet had told us that she could not have any food nor water for 8 hours before surgery, and that she was getting her tonsils removed.
We took her howling to the vet this morning, and if everything goes right, we'll pick her up this afternoon.
I like having a cat in the yard. It keeps the mice nervous.
After the intriguing verdict yesterday, we're left with some questions. What next? Well, sentencing will be in about 120 days, and I don't look for Hunter to go to jail. He's a first offender and this was a non-violent crime. No one got hurt.
What we did learn is that the "laptop from hell" is a real thing. The FBI has it and it was entered into evidence We also know that Hunter has another trial on the calendar, this one dealing with tax charges. That is supposed to start in September, square in the middle of the election season, and these tax charges may fall closer to Joe than any campaign would like. I look for Hunter to try and cop a plea, which only makes sense. The FBI has the laptop and tax cases tend to grow tentacles.
This may get very interesting indeed.
News reports from all over are saying that Hunter Biden has been found guilty by Delaware jury on all counts. He was charged with three counts relating to purchasing a frearm while addicted to and using cocaine. The maximum sentence is 25 years.
The next big question is: will his dad pardon him?
We have to divide this question into two scenarios. Pre-and-post election. There is no way in hell Joe Biden pardons him prior to the election. However, once Joe is beaten and the Secret Service is packing his stuff for a move back to Delaware, it would not surprise me if Joe pardons his boy on the way out the door.
But, everyone is reporting that Hunter was found guilty by a jury. Well done.
I got down in the ditches this morning for the first time this mowing season. Finally, the rains have slacked off enough that I was blowing more dust than mud and the yard is mowed from the blacktop road to the front door.
My front yard is a mix of weeds and bahia grass. I spent the formative years of my adult life with cows and pastures, so having an immaculate front lawn has never been on my list of goals. Grass is something to mow, not fret over. It stops erosion and if livestock isn't eating it, it's more off a liability than an asset.
I have neighbors on either side of me who think that having a manicured lawn is a goal, and I suppose that I make them look good by comparison.
When we move into the place in November 2004, the realtor gave me a sheet of paper that said we had a Homeowners Association. I put the word out that I would tolerate no foolishness. I don't know if the HOA is still active, but I've never ben bothered.
But, the ditches are mowed and that is a good thing. Belle tells me that she is trying out a new recope for lunch, so I'll sit patiently in the expectation that something wonderful is about to happen.
From what I'm hearing (and I have absolutely no inside scoop) it appears that the jury will soon get the case on the Hunter Biden trial.
Probably the most interesting thing to come out of the trial was the infamous laptop, which was entered into evidence with the FBI testimony that the laptop indeed belonged to Hunter. This puts the lie to the whole "Russian disinformation" tale and makes those 31 intelligence experts to look like the political hacks that we all know they are. Every one of those fools needs their security clearances revoked, and a grand jury empaneled to see if they have violated one or more federal laws.
Of secondary interest is what the jury might find. I feel that Hunter's guilt has been established, but I have long been a fan of nullification. The jury should try both the facts and the law. Either way, it is going to be interesting.
The church hosted a youth rodeo last night, and I was in the cook shack, managing a griddle and a two-basket propane deep fryer. Mainly on that fryer.
You never know what a rodeo crowd is going to want to eat. Sometimes it's hot dogs, sometimes it's burgers, sometimes they aren't interested in french fries. Last night it was all about the fries. Oh, I cooked 100 burgers, but the fryer was running hot from 6:00 till 10:00. Only because we quit cooking at 10:00.
Running a concession stand is work. I've never been in the restaurant business, but I love to cook, so I don't mind helping out. It was interesting to push the limits of that fryer last night. It deserves further study.
Now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, it appears that the NYPD is going to revoke his concealed carry license. I screen-capped this from the Gutfeld! show.
Wow! I get it, but it begs the question: Would you rather have a President who is competent to stand trial, or a President who most folks believe is incompetent to stand trial? It's an interesting question.
While I am a staunch 2A advocate, I do note that Trump has Secret Service protection, and is a resident of Florida. He may simply be ineligible for a NY permit. It's an interesting question.
I am reminded that 80 years ago today, the western Allies launched Operation Overlord and hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen launched the largest amphibious assault in history to wrest Europe from the grip of the Nazis.
It is stunning to realize that the 18-year-old private who waded from the surf and was lucky enough to make it to seawall would be 98-years-old today.
I am in awe of such men.
Did y'all see this? A truck had a meat spill on a California highway and the traffic never let up.
Oh, that is enough to knock a buzzard off a gut wagon. Enough to gag a maggot. Enough to give a coyote the dry heaves.
Interestingly, in this year of political trials, we see the tragic clown, Hunter Bidden on trial in a Delaware court for the offense of lying on a Form 4473 to purchase a firearm while an addict. This is patently against the law. It should be a slam-dunk for the prosecution.
One of the first pieces entered into evidence was a laptop computer, the infamous "laptop from hell" that Huter left in a computer shop. We've all heard the story. This is the same laptop that Biden apologists said was a fake, the same laptop that 51 intelligence experts claimed had all the earmarks of Russian disinformation, and the same laptop that the FBI claimed they could not find. Yet, an FBI agent sat on the witness stand and declared that this particular laptop did in fact belong to Hunter Biden and is strong evidence that Hunter was an addict during the time in question.
This is a very interesting turn. Were I the defense attorney, I would spend some time plumbing the "chain of custody" on this computer. This would be a very interesting line of questioning, and might prove useful at other trials.
Next, we turn to the jury. A collection of Delaware residents who live in a town where Biden is the favorite son. Some wags are already pointing out the fact that jury nullification is a real thing. That a jury can look at all the evidence and simply decide that the law is unreasonable on its face and refuse to convict. As a strong advocate of the 2nd Amendment, some might say an absolutist, I believe that filling out a Form 4473 is an infringement. A minor infringement, but an infringement, nonetheless. So, I admit that I am conflicted on this point.
Regardless, this is an interesting case. A laptop that the FBI could not find for several years is now being used as evidence for a crime that may infringe on a basic constitutional right. The defendant is a huge sleazebag, an entitled son of a corrupt politician. I hold no sympathy for Huter Biden. I believe that he is a huge dirtbag who deserves the scorn of polite society. He is guilty in my eyes, yet it would not bother me if the jury nullified. Either way, it is a win.
We are given to understand that President Joe is going to sign an executive order today that will fix the border problem. He's pissed off at Republicans for not giving him a legislative solution that the really doesn't need.
All he really need do is to inform DHS to start enforcing current law. Start locking up illegals and generally put out the message that the joyride is over. No amnesty, no asylum, and no staying here illegally. Just go home, wherever that might be. Put enough pressure on illegals that they flow south across the border just like they came north.
But, he won't do that. It will be left to the next president to clean up the mess.
I am reminded that 82 years ago today, Chester Nimitz fulfilled Isoroku Yamamoto's prediction that Japan could run wild for six months, but after that had no expectation of success.
There are several reasons why Nimitz won this match, not the least of which is the fact that we had broken the Japanese naval codes.
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry. If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die. That's the refrain of an old hilbilly song, and I believe that everyone needs a little rye whiskey in their liquor cabinet.
Today, at the liquor store, I picked up a bottle. Bulleit 95 Rye, which I think is the quintessential rye whiskey on the market today.
This is quintessential rye whiskey, not because I think that Bulleit makes good whiskey. I'm not convinced that Bulleit makes any whiskey, but they sure do bottle good whiskey. The juice in the bottle is distilled by Midwest Grain Products (MGP), which is a huge distiller and makes whiskey for a number of brands, both large and small. This whiskey is 95%rye and 5% msled barley. It has no age statement and is bottled at 90 proof.
Locally, this bottle runs ~$26.00. A great value.
