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

Category: Geezer Alert!

  • “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

    I’ll add to Santayana’s much quoted aphorism: Or they must bend over and learn to enjoy  the love.

    This issue has been cussed and discussed here at TAH and elsewhere, but Ollie North puts it all together quite nicely.

    The Next War

    It is an unalterable fact of human nature that the perception of weakness invites aggression. For us, it has been that way since the founding of the republic. We disarmed after the American Revolution. That’s how we ended up with the War of 1812.

    Take the time to read the whole thing.

     

  • When is a Head NOT a Head?

    Answer: When it is just a metal room with curious seating arrangements.

    This story just cries out for bad puns, but I’ll try to stick to the facts.
    Toilet Troubles Add to Sailors’ Deployment Stress

    It may seem like a trivial inconvenience in the scheme of things, but it’s become routine enough that some sailors aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush say it’s affecting their morale, their health and their job performance: Since the ship left for its maiden combat deployment in May, its toilet system has suffered outages so frequently that crew members sometimes can’t find a single working commode.

    I’ve served on ships that ran out of fresh water, or been dead in the water, but never lacked for a place to take a dump.

    The problem lies with the vacuum system that pulls waste through the ship’s 250 miles of pipe. The Bush is the first aircraft carrier to be outfitted with a vacuum system, similar to those on commercial airplanes and cruise ships.

    So we have a systems that sucks because it doesn’t suck?

    Too many questions.  It seems someone got in trouble for taking a leak over the side? I reckon taking dump over the rail would be a hanging offense?

  • Tired of OWS Posts?

    Been under the weather a bit, but I’m feeling MUCH better now.

    H/T Maggie G. via FB

     

  • Kinda Disappointed With You Lot

    When we put together GoE we had a focus.

    We could have sat at home and bitched about those who chose to target The Wall, but they got their asses handed to them.

    Although this lot looks to be ready to self destruct there hasn’t been an organized response.

    Think about it.

    A pal of mine did this small thing, what did YOU do about OWS?

  • Portugal Has an Army

    And they are pissed!
    Portugal’s soldiers hold rare protest against cuts

    At the army protest, there was anger at government proposals to decimate armed forces numbers and cut back wages and promotions.

    Antonio Lima Coelho, one of the organisers, said servicemen and women were willing to make their share of sacrifices, but the government was taking a big risk in rushing through measures that were not properly thought through.

    “A military institution is organised in a pyramid way. If we start stopping this pyramid to be well formed, we will endanger discipline, cohesion and the mission of the armed forces,” he said.

    The military has a special place in society – and in Portuguese hearts.

    In 1974, a group of officers ended decades of dictatorship with a coup that ushered in democracy.

    But the military gradually withdrew from politics.

    So, many people were taken aback when one of the leading conspirators of 1974 said in a recent interview that another coup would be in order if the government went too far in curbing the military’s rights.

    Kinda fascinating. There are some parallels with what DC seems to be proposing for our military, of course, but I ain’t gonna push any comparisons too far.

    Frankly, I’ve never fully understood why the whole Euro-Zone business left standing national armies anyway, but that is for another discussion.

    I suspect the scenes with Portugal and their military will be playing out in several other countries across the Atlantic as more counties try to find ways to protect their heavy socialist agendas. Time will tell, but they do have a lively track record.

  • I’m Not REALLY Scared of Clowns

    Just clowns in certain contexts.

    AND it made me think of Jonn’s recent surgery… Makes one wonder a bit.

  • Are You Looking For One Single Vet to Thank?

    There are millions deserving of thanks, both past and present, then there are those who are doing things NOW?

    That list shrinks, but is still huge and a bit hard to focus on for us old folks.

    Every single one deserves our thanks, but if we need a narrower focus?

    If you are reading this you know.

    Thanks Jonn.

    You give a voice to tens of thousands,  some know it. Others will learn.

    Farm Team… my scrawny old ass!

    Gonna suffer for this post. And I ain’t gay. Yet.

    Had to change the heading. Odd that … hint to OWB?

     

  • In Honor of Jonn’s RPS – A Sea Story.

    I too have a miserable day to tell about,  sans RPS though.

    We left Subic for Hong Kong ahead of a REALLY big typhoon. I theory we were to out run the beast, but Murphy was also at sea it seems.

    Nothing quite like the feeling one gets when the waves are so high the the bow tries to become a submarine and the whole ship shudders when the screws come out of the water. Imagine a carrier taking white water over the bow… saw it happen from my ship and that was THIS storm!

    Ships have a simple little device kinda like a clock pendulum with degrees marked on it in various places aboard. I know I saw 40 plus degrees indicated more than once. I literally was able to walk on the bulkhead a time or two. I know I got rolled out of my bunk on occasion.

    Everyone was seasick except for a few. The heads were awash with vomit, any hatch that opened onto a weather deck had an arc of puke slowly being washed away by the waves. The ship stunk!

    My misery… I was one of the few not seasick. The galley was closed and all that could be had to eat was saltines and baloney sandwiches for several days.