Flush Valve

 I don't even like to say the word "plumbing" more than once a year.  It's bad juju to call the leak demons.  But, the toilet in the guest bathroom was running and we didn't notice it for several days.  I guess. I'm sure my water bill is going to be awesome this month.  As those types of jobs go, changing the flush valve isn't bad and the YouTube University is a helpful asset to keep you current.  I don't do enough of those jobs to remember all the fine points and I'm not too proud to watch a video that saves me frustration.

The shooting match this weekend was an unqualified success, due mainly to the efforts of my club members  who worked tirelessly to erect ranges on the day before the match, and to disassemble them when the shooting was finished on Sunday.

Now all that is left to do is to unload the trailer and they will be here tomorrow to finish that.

The Trailer is Packed

I haven't been ignoring you guys.  I really haven't.  For the past few days I have been packing boxes and checking lists.  Today, the club showed up to load the trailer.  It's loaded with all the paraphernalia that I need to host a titled championship.  Tomorrow we move to the event center and erect two ranges.

Louisiana State kicks off on Friday morning.

Cassidy Is Done

 Bill Cassidy is the senior US Senator from Louisiana.   First elected in 2014, he claimed to be a staunch conservative.  In 2020, he rode Trump's coattails into a second ern, them promptly sided with the liberals to try and impeach President Trump.

Louisiana has "Jungle primaries", which tend to elect liberal RINOs.  We changed that law for some offices and yesterday had party primaries for Cassidy's Us senate seat.  He lost, big time.

When conservatives vote, RINOs get their marching papers.  All that is left for Cassidy to do is clean out his desk.  He's done in Louisiana politics, and this is the best possible answer to those who say that jungle primaries are better than party primaries.

Homeless?

 This morning, Insty highlights a problem that we have talked about before.  Homelessness.  

Homelessness is a problem that is as old as the United States.  Those of us who grew up in the last century are familiar with a demographic that we described as "hobos".  Those traveling folks without an address who went from place to place, looking fr handouts or work. The problem was the same.  Folks on the low end of the income scale, who from one reason or another had no place to call home.  Some were adventurers, some were down on their luck, others had addiction or mental health problems.  During those simpler times, the agencies responsible for dealing with hobos were the police.  Keep them moving, arrest those who could not take a subtle hint.

Come this century, and our nobler and more empathetic society wants to "solve" the problem.  throw money at it.  Hire social workers to manage it.  Then the homeless people case to be the problem, per se,  as much as the money spent and the careers launched to manage a problem.  Social workers wan continued employment and if the problem is solved, there is no reason to keep paying the social workers to manage a problem that has been solved.

Therein lies the problem.  

Another Thursday

 I'm preoccupied.  For the next 10 days i will be deep into final stages for the big match I host every year.  Ranges are being torn down in preparation for loading into a trailer.  Everything I need to make this event a success has to be catalogued, inspected, packed and loaded so that when we ge there we have everything we need.

I'm not ignoring y'all, I'm busier than a cat in a sandbox.

It will be okay.  Y'all play nice.

Louisiana Crabbing

 An interesting video from way South Louisiana,  These folks live in the marsh, they are catching crab.  While waiting on their folks to come for the crab boil, I saw then do something that I have personally never seen.  Preparing wild thistle for a salad.  Interesting.

Go watch.  I love the accent.  They sound like some of my kinfolks.

Young Warrior

 I had the opportunity t yesterday to talk with a young man who is jus beginning his military education. He had questions and I did what I could to answer them.  We talked about national strategy, failures in leadership, political will, logistics, all the big picture things that determine success or failure on a large scale. Not winning battles, but winning wars.

This was not a discussion that any soldier might have at the company, brigade or division level.  This was deeper, something that we might study ant the Command and General Staff College, or the War College. Deep questions about national resolve and logistics on a grand scale.

It was a very interesting conversation, both in the depths of his inquiries and his grasp of broad principles.  I hope that my meager efforts helped to broaden his understanding, or at least to motivate him to seek deeper understanding.

Lasers? Okay.

 So, YouTube claims that the US Navy is using lasers as weapons in the strait of Hormuz.

Go watch.

I was personally using lasers in the M60A3 in the mid-80s.  We used them for ranging and we thought that the ability to do so was high-tech, whizbang science.   Now, the Navy is shooting down drones with them.

Well, this is the 21st century.