Let's Talk About PT Tests

 In 1973 I took my fist PT Test at Fort Knox, KY.  A trainee in E-13-4, I lost 40 pounds in basic training.

In 1998, I took my final PT test for the Army.  I passed it, just barely, but I knew that it was time to retire.

The Army PT Test is weighted for age.  Old farts like me don't have to run the two miles as fast as the kiddos in the ranks.  My last PT Test I had to run 2 miles in 19:36.  I made it in 19:30.  And damn near puked at the finish line. I knew it was time to retire. I was 45 years old.  I think that at that time an 18-year-old had to run the test in 16-something to pass, with the max score in the 12 minute mark. Or something like that.

The point is, the Army PT Test is weighted for age.  No one expects a 40-year-old to make the same times or scores as an 18-year-old.  Bust, there are standards for the old farts, and they need to meet them.

As a trainee at Knox, I was surprised one morning to a General Officer doing PT with us. Then, he got in line for breakfast. At our company mess hall we had a horizontal ladder we had to traverse before we could enter the mess hall.  The General went through the ladder with the rest of us.  That is leadership.

When I was training with the 5th Division at Fort Polk, it was not uncommon to see the commanding General huffing and puffing his tired ass around the water towers.  From tower-to-tower was a 3-mile run and the General was out there with us.  That is leadership.

If a General Officer in the Pentagon cannot pass the standard APFT, he has no business being on active duty.  It's simple, it is a bsic standard,

The Appointments

 He's naming them quicker than I can keep track, but just about the time I heard the SecDef pick, I found this  comment.

Thomas says:

Pete Hegseth as SecDef! Exactly the kind of fire-breathing shot in the arm that's needed to clean house and start rebuilding it the way it needs to be.

I concur.  Were it me, the first meeting I'd have would require every flag officer in the Pentagon to meet me at a PT Field in gym uniform.  Those officers would take the PT test that they require basic trainees to pass.  Any that failed the test would be handed retirement papers and told to report to whichever office conducts out-processing.  That would send a message that basic standards must be enforced and that leadership is top-down.

House Control

 According to 270 to win, Republicans control 219 seats, Dems control 210, and 6 are undecided.  That gives the Republicans a slim majority to keep the house.

Trump has appointed Elis Stefanik as his ambassador to the United Nations,  Stefanik is from New York and I'm not sure how that state fills House seats between elections.

Until the House is decided, Trump needs to keep a close eye on appointing Congress-critters to his administration.  We don't want to give the Dems a foot in the door. We have to keep the House, and the Senate, if we want to get the agenda fulfilled, and this is certainly something that should be considered.

If Trump is looking for a Secretary of the Army,  PawPaw is available and won't wreck the House majority.

Jus' Wonderin'

 I heard something today and went to the Google to see if it was true.

Joe Biden got just over 81 million votes in 2020.  Trump got a little over 74 million.

Kamala got 71 million votes last week, and Trump got a but more than the 74 million he got in 2020.

So, I'm wondering what happened to those 10 million Biden votes?  Did they just stay home, or did they ever exist in the first place?  Did Biden get 10 million bogus votes in 2020?

Veterans Day

 The eleventh day of the eleventh month, and we recall the Armistice that ended the Great War to end all wars. Today is Veterans Day.  You are welcome.

I see that President Trump has appointed Tom Homan to be the new Border Czar.  That's a good pick, Tom knows what he is doing and what needs to be done.

I also see that some of Harris' acolytes are asking Biden to step down and make Kamala the president for the lame duck session.  Harris has that in her power via the 25th Amendment, but of course they are calling for a man to do something for her that she is eminently able to do for herself.

I have some stuff to do today, so I'd best get after it.

Deluge

 We have an atmospheric river overhead, dropping coious amounts of heavy rain on us.

It's been raining like this for about four hours and it doesn't look like it is going to let up anytime soon. We have vertainly gootn an inch or ore since it started, and I hope I don't have to build an ark.

The 4B Movement?

 Never heard of it, until today.  Evidently it is a movement started in Korea, where the feminists vow to not date men, not have sex, not marry men, and hot have children.  It's a way to resist the patriarchy, or something.

From watching liberal tears on YouTube, I find the women who profess this movement are woefully unattractive, screeching harpies that I would not give a second look, even if I were not a happily married man. A quick introduction here.

American lefty women are so absolutely ignorant of what the Dobbs decision actually said, that they believe that we have a de-facto abortion ban in the US. That is simply not true. It has not happened and will not happen. Yet, these harpies have decided that it is true.

In short, gentlemen, it pays to remember the old adage:  "Don't stick your dick in crazy."

Utter Incompetence

 How is it possible, on Friday after the Tuesday election, we still don't know who won?

As of this posting, there are still 23 house seats that have not yet been determined.  There is no way it should have taken this long.  The only plausible answer is sheer, utter incompetence.  We do this every two years and the officials in charge of counting the votes should have figured it out by now.

Upgrade

When we bought the house in 2004, it had the old florescent tubes in the kitchen.  They worked fine for 20 years, but eventually, the ballast went out.  It was time to make  change.

I am not an electrician, but I do know how to change a socket or a switch, so I went to YouTube and started  looking around.  Watched a couple of videos then got out the ladder and some hand tools.  Found the proper breaker and turned it off. 

Total time on this job was about an hour, and that included running to town to buy the bulbs.  The kitchen is bright now, holy-moly.  It's bright.  

If you're afraid of this job, don't be.  It really is as easy as it looks.  IF you can change a switch, you can do this.  As with all things electrical, shut off the power and proceed slowly.  This is not a bad job.

The Meltdown

The meltdown is real.  A compilation.

Well, That's Over

 It looks as if Donald Trump has pulled out an historic win for the presidency.

Somebody tell Joe. Kamala is going to be pissed, and she still wants to be the president.  SHe's probably plotting a 25th Amendment takeover.  I wouldn't put it past her.

As of this posting, she still has not conceded.  There are still votes to count and she has work to do.

Election Day

Finally, our great national spasm is nearing an end.  In a perfect world, we'd know tonight about midnite what the outcome is, who won, who lost.  But we don't live in a perfect world and it may be days until the final votes are tabulated. 

I had to run an errand this morning and drove past the polling place near my acre.  It was slammed, cars trying to get into the parking lot.  I don't know if I'll watch the returns tonight.  The polls close locally at about my bedtime.

If the election goes the way I hope, it will be fun to watch the highlight reels tomorrow morning. Watching libs bemoan their fate in the realization of perceived disaster.  It would be truly monumental if Trump flipped some states that were considered safe.  If New Jersey and Colorado turn red, would it really matter what Pennsylvania did?

If you have not yet, go vote.  It's important, up and down the ballot. Probably more so down ballot than up.

Salted Caramel

 In March of 2019, two shooters, Gentleman George, Big Bill and I were talking at a match in Oklahoma.  Gentleman George was telling us about a liquor he had sampled, Black Velvet Salted Caramel, that he really liked.

I've never been a fan of Black Velvet whiskey, considered it rot-gut.  I'm not a snob about whiskey, but Black Velvet was never in my wheelhouse.  I'll also admit that I've never been a fan of the flavored whiskeys, considering them more of a liqueur than a whiskey.  I have nothing against liqueurs and I enjoy the occasional Frangelico.  The proliferation of flavored whiskeys had me convinced that it was a way for the distillers to use barrels that didn't match a specific flavor profile.  Flavor it with apple, or blackberry, or caramel and roll it out the door.

I may have changed my mind this afternoon.  Earlier today I bought a bottle of Crown Royal Salted Caramel, purely as an impulse purchase. Recalling the conversation in 2019, I decided to give flavored whiskey a try.  At 35% ABV, it's not a whiskey.  It's a liqueur, but I cracked it this afternoon, pouned it over ice in a highball glass, and damn, that's fine sipping.

I'm on my second one now, and it's very, very nice.

Monday Morning

There is something churning int he Carribean, and they're not sure, but they have put up a warning cone.

 It may behoove us to pay attention.  Hurricane season ain't over yet.

Tomorrow is Election Day, and I'll be glad when it is over.  This isn't the most bizarre election season I can remember, but it sure comes close.  If you haven't voted yet, please go do that tomorrow.

I got to my favorite booze shop this morning and they were out of my preferred hooch.  I normally get a 1500 ml of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, but they were out.  I did find a 750 ml bottle, so I picked that up and I also noticed a bottle of Crown salted caramel.  It's seasonal and I've heard good things about it, so I picked up a bottle. I normally don't drink Canadian whiskey, but I've beard some folks really like this stuff, so what the heck.

Again, if you haven't voted yet, be sure to do that tomorrow.  It's important.

Election Violence

 Why would the governors of Oregon and Washington feel compelled to activate the National Guard for election week?  For Trump supporters?  No, silly boy, for Antifa.

Ignoring the violence in previous years, governors of Oregon and Washington failed to bring peace to the streets when it counted in 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021. 

But all of a sudden, they, like the Mayor of Washington, D.C., have called out the National Guard in 2024 because things may not go Antifa's way on Election Day. And when Antifa, anarchists, and Democrats are unhappy, then nobody's safe. 

Of course, Antifa and Democrat rioters. That tells you all you need to know about election deniers and who the real threat to democracy is. 

Vote Trump and quell the violence.  Vote Trump and close the border.

Foreign Ineterference

 It seems that a Chinese student from the University of Michigan successfully cast a vote in the US Presidential election.

He is subject to a $2000 fine and four years in prison.  That sounds about right.

This is one they caught.  How many have they not caught?  How many illgal votes are cast each year in the United States?

Election Violence

This headline says it all.

 Police brace for election violence, DC being boarded up

We have to ask ourselves which group will be committing election violence?  It ain't the Republicans, I promise you.  Who is inciting violence?  Is it the one calling the other side Nazis?  Is it the side saying that Orange Man is a threat to democracy?

I would remind everyone that the only person killed during the Jan 6 riot was a protester who was shot by the Capitol police.

Appointments

 On Monday, we talked about my internet service provider and how terrible their customer service response time is.  I found a line down in the yard on Monday and the appointment for a tech to show up and fix it is today at 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.  You can bet that I'll be sitting in the driveway at 5:00, probably with a cocktail, watching the show.

Sunset today is at 6:20 pm, so if they are late, there is a chance that they will be working during what I used to call Civil Twilight, but now I simply call Happy Hour.

In a perfect world, they will roll up in the driveway, fail to notice the hanging wire, and snatch it down with the front bumper.

I was a cop for 37 years and our response time was measured in minutes.  If I took five days to get to a call, the world would have ended on my shoulders.

I have registered a complaint with the Public Service Commission.  We'll see how that goes.