This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Zero Ponsdorf

  • The Way It Aughta Be.

  • Isn’t It Ironic – Don’t Ya think?

    With apologies to Alanis Morissette.

    This particular story ain’t really new, or news. TAH has already covered parts of the debacle that is the ongoing neutering of our country’s defenses. At all levels really – from our back doors to the international arena.

    Panetta, Dempsey List Consequences of Sequestration

    One paragraph from the link rattled my cage just enough to bring it to your attention:

    “This is not something that should be done as a way to blame the other party for what happens,” Panetta said. “This is going to hurt the United States and hurt our defense.”

    I’m at a loss here. It seems to be the PC mindset writ large.  I reckon both parties in a rape are at fault?  The store owner who shoots a robber pointing a gun at him while demanding the money from the register is part of the problem? Shutting down Head Start could save billions, but it is a (failed) well meaning program. The list of PC things that I can’t seem to understand grows everyday.

    Folks, I dunno where this will end… Well, I AM kinda old and paranoid so maybe it is just me?

  • An Old Guy Speaks

    Our pal Larry Bailey says stuff:

    Feeding our avowed enemies?

    Struggled a bit to get the link right.

  • For an Otherwise Kinda Grim Day – A Sunday Funny

    Stolen from my own FB post.  Please keep in mind that the local weather on my ridge is spawning cabin fever here.

    Okay, apparently there is some sort of sporting event later today. There seem to be gangs of mercenaries preparing to do “battle” for cities they mostly don’t live in sponsored by folks who really could care less about who wins?????

    Someone PLEASE take moment and explain.

    I DO feel my depiction is accurate, but think about the outrage this can/has/will engender in many other contexts.

    Have fun.

    ETA: From the comments because I think I hurt myself :

    I asked the sergeants guarding the beer,  It was Super Bowl Sunday 2005. This is the most important holiday in the US Army. The Marines have the Marine Corps Birthday, I’m not sure what the Navy and Air Force have, but the Army has Super Bowl.

    You Army guys crack me up.

  • Sandy Hook Explained…

    Our pal CJ put this up on FB. I don’t want this to go un-noticed.
    The ugliest truth about Sandy Hook

    Guns are part of the right-wing lunatic fringe of fear, the Obama-loathing, government-hating, minority-despising, science-scoffing quarter of Americans existing in a shadowy permanent grief state over the 1950s, over a white-bread America where they were king that never was and never will be. Guns are the talismans that ward off change in the world, that protect them from all their stalking fears, the wand of hope that someday society will indeed break down — isn’t it fracturing already, with gay marriage? — and they will assume their rightful place as unquestioned kings once more, with their AK-47s set proudly on their kingly hips and their freeze-dried meals nourishing them through the long night of the tardy Mayan zombie apocalypse.

    Aside: This IS from Chicago?  And I have read and re-read this article looking for a hint of irony.

    High-capacity clips? Gun checks? Mass shootings? Slaughters like Newtown catch our fleeting attention, but they are only the daily gun death toll concentrated in one spot at one time. The problem is handguns.

    There you have it TAH readers.

  • Note to Women From The DIA

    This has been making the rounds. Cracked me up.

    File under mixed messages or DOH!
    Fashion Advice at the DIA: ‘Makeup Makes You More Attractive’

    A week after women were cleared to serve in combat, Defense Intelligence Agency employees got a different message. “Makeup makes you more attractive.” “Don’t be a plain Jane.” “A sweater with a skirt is better than a sweater with slacks.” “No flats.” “Paint your nails.” “Don’t be afraid of color.” And, “brunettes have more leeway with vibrant colors than blondes or redheads.”

    The linked article DOES offer an oops from the DIA brass,  but…

    I’m wondering if I should start following these guidelines?  Jonn, TSO?

  • I’m So Thrilled I Just HAD to Share

    Senate confirms Kerry nomination for State Dept.

    Someone mentioned this in a comment below….But I had to verify.

    The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama‘s choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and Democrats praising him as the ideal successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

    Of course I feel betrayed… but, sadly, not surprised.

    I just broke my alcohol fast. Queries about my blood sugar and/or rage can be addressed to: Nothing much matters on FB.

  • Where No Man Has Gone Before ‘n Stuff

    We all have anniversaries of events that impacted our lives in some way. This time of year is an odd sort of trifecta for me.

    January 23, 1968: The USS Pueblo was attacked.

    January 30, 1968: The Tet offensive kicked off.

    I was deployed and involved in both, although time and fading memories (and THIS venue) preclude me from offering up iffy details and/or even good Sea Stories.

    The third item is bit clearer and far more recent…

    On Jan. 28, 1986, 19 years and a day after the Apollo 1 fire, NASA’s space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff due to an O-ring failure in one of the orbiter’s twin solid rocket boosters. The malfunction allowed hot gas to escape the rocket booster, ultimately causing the shuttle’s external fuel tank to explode.

    While working at the NASA Tracking Station on Kauai during the early ’80s I worked on the first 8 or 9 Space Shuttle missions. In the run up to one of those launches we were visited by a team of astronauts for a “meet ‘and greet”. One of those visiting was Ellison Onizuka.  I knew from his bio that he had been an AF test pilot before becoming an astronaut so I asked him, after more than two adult beverages apiece, how he thought it would feel to just ride the shuttle after flying jets.

    He paused and offered this: ” How would YOU feel if YOU sitting on top of a huge potential bomb waiting for someone to light the fuse?” Okay, that IS a paraphrase rather than a direct quote, but the gist is valid. We all laughed.

    So every year about this time it is hard to ignore the flood of memories, and memories of memories. I’ll be breaking my alcohol fast one day this week and raise a toast to those who dared and for those who did their duty.