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

Category: Reality Check

  • A Public Service Safety Reminder

    (With appropriate apologies to the late Harry Edward Nilsson III.)

    Fuel Tank

    Someone got into de plane, de plane was short on gas
    Dey then took off in de plane, ended up in de grass

    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, dey took it right up
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, dey took it right up
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, engine start to sputter
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, call de tower, voice aflutter

    Say “Tower – ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say “Tower – de runway make it to?”
    Dey say “Tower – ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say “Tower – de runway make it to?”

    “Now lemme get this straight
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up?
    And when the engine start to sputter, call de tower, woke ’em up?

    And say, ‘Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    You say ‘Tower, de runway make it to?’
    You say ‘Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    You say ‘Tower, de runway make it to?’

    Next time you check out de plane’s fuel tank, before you take it off!
    With enough in de plane’s fuel tank, your landing should be soft.
    With no gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you in a world of hurt.
    With no gas in de plane’s fuel tank you can end up in the dirt.”

    Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
    Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
    Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

    Someone got into de plane, dey took off right away
    Not enough in the plane’s fuel tank, took off anyway.

    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, engine start to sputter
    Not enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, call de tower,voice aflutter
    And say “Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?’
    And say, “Tower, de runway make it to?”
    And say, “Tower, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”

    Then say Tower, “Now lemme get this straight –
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, but still you did take off?
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, and now de engine cough?
    Not enough in de plane’s fuel tank, you took it right up
    Without enough in de tank? You such a silly doofus!

    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank and it will fly much better.
    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you can land it on a letter.
    Enough gas in de plane’s fuel tank, you can safely bring her down.
    Enough gas in your plane’s fuel tank you won’t end up short of town.”

    “Woo, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say,”Woo, de runway make it to?”
    Dey say, “Well, woo, ain’t there nothin’ I can can do?”
    Dey say, “Woo woo, de runway make it to?”
    Dey say, “Yow, ain’t there nothin’ I can do?”
    Dey say, “Wow, de runway make it to?”
    Dey said “Tower, ain’t there nothing I can do?”
    Dey said, “Tower, de runway make it to?”
    Dey said, “Tower, ain’t there nothing I can do?”
    Dey said, “Tower, I’m in a bad position!”

    Check de gas in de plane’s fuel tank before you take it off
    Have enough in de plane’s fuel tank and de engine should not cough
    Have enough in de plane’s fuel tank it help de plane to land
    With enough in de plane’s fuel tank your landing will be grand

    You can call de airport gas truck
    You call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas
    Call de airport gas truck, dey come and sell you gas

     

    OK, time to be serious.  Errors regarding having sufficient fuel to  complete a flight safely are apparently relatively common.  In 2003, there were apparently 132 such aviation incidents   – 91 from fuel exhaustion, and another 41 from fuel starvation.  (There were a few others due to fuel contamination.)  Many of the incidents led to fatalities or serious injuries.  Here are a few other more recent such incidents.

     

    http://www.postregister.com/articles/featured-news-daily-email/2015/09/10/gov%E2%80%99t-report-plane-crash-caused-lack-fuel

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-30035659

    http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1302.pdf

    http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/jet-airways-plane-lands-with-insufficient-fuel-pilots-suspended/

    http://www.newstalk.com/reader/47.301.341/16069/0/

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-31871462

     

    Remeber:  it’s best to always check the gas, oil, and other fluid levels before you travel by privately-owned vehicle.  That’s true if you’re driving, riding – and especially if you’re flying.

    Because if you’re flying, the stakes are WAY higher.  Running out of fuel (or breaking down due to low fluid levels) while driving or riding is generally only a major inconvenience.  However, it’s often deadly when you’re flying – for both the careless pilot and other innocent parties.

    Hey, I don’t generally much care if someone I don’t know is stupid or careless and ends up offing himself/herself.  But I do care that their stupidity might take me – or someone I care about – with them.

  • Blue Water Navy & Agent Orange

    Blue Water Navy & Agent Orange

    I have this deep and inherent distrust of the government, the way I feel that way is more simplistic than most people would think. The government is made up of people, people by nature are shady as f**k. That is until they know they are being watched and there will be accountability.

    I prefaced what I really want to talk about what with the above statement because it needed to be said and this topic is somewhat controversial. I and many other who post here have always said that Jonn does not censor us. Believe me it’s the truth.  I sometime call or email him with an idea that I want to write about, several weeks ago I told him I had an idea and he asked me to hold off. I did. To tell you the truth I had forgotten about it until the other day when out of the blue Jonn told me to go ahead and publish.  This post is not directed at any one individual nor any group.  Bernath will swear this is aimed at him. It’s not, but if the shoe fits…

    Agent Orange, we all know the name and what it was for, however just in case someone has been living under a rock for the last 40 years I will give a brief explanation.  Agent Orange was one of many defoliants used in the jungles and river regions of Vietnam.  It is now know to be a carcinogen.  For many years the government denied any link between Agent Orange and cancer and other illnesses in Vietnam Vets. Study after study proved that link exist, as a result the VA now assumes a connection between these diseases and most Vietnam Vets.

    Notice I said most Vietnam Vets. There is one major subgroup of Vietnam Vets that do not get an automatic assumption of connection, Blue Water Navy.  Service members in this group must prove a connection on a case by case basis.  The Navy painstakingly compiled a list of all Ships that were exposed to Agent Orange in any way. That list includes ships that were in port or anchored for even part of a day.  Service members on those ships are not included in the Blue water Navy Group.

    The Navy did not transport Agent Orange on carriers or any other ship. With the exception of the Riverine patrol they played no part in its use. Agent Orange was applied by specially modified aircraft flying at low level.  I read many boring studies researching this. I also spoke with a Meteorologist as well a Chemical engineer. The one thing that I found to be very interesting is this. Wind Patterns.  Spraying occurred only at times when the weather would permit greater than 80 percent of the Agent to reach the ground in the target area.  The Coastal regions of Vietnam have a predominate on shore wind pattern. That is the wind comes from the ocean most of the time.  This makes the chances of Blue Water Navy exposer due to drift of overspray almost impossible. There is also the fact that the types of cancer and other illness that are occurring among the ground troops are not occurring in an increased rate among the Blue Water Vets.

    Are there Blue Water Vets that were exposed? Absolutely, but not in large numbers.  Many of the complaints that the Blue Water Group have can be linked to other causes. Ships have many different chemicals and toxins on them.  Not all illness in vets is connected to their service. We have become a culture that looks to the government for everything possible. Many Vets abuse the system. We hear about people dying while waiting on an appointment because the system is overwhelmed.  We as the veteran community bear some of the responsibility.

    If your illness of disability is linked to your service then I urge you to use the VA, that’s what it’s there for. But if it’s not, then you are taking away from your Brother’s and sister’s.  When we have VA disability claims for PMS or PTSD because you thought you might have to do what you got paid to do then we have a problem.

    Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and I bid you peace. I am heading to the TAH bunker at my place in western WV until the insanity is over, Oy Vey

  • The Latest ISIS Barbarity


    Before and after pictures of the Temple of Bel, Palmyra, Syria

    Remember the Buddhas of Bamiyan? You know, that World Heritage Site containing ancient statues of Buddah in central Afghanistan that was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 because they found the statues “offensive” to Islam?

    Anyone wanna guess what ISIS recently did? Yep – the same thing.

    This time it was the Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria that was deemed “offensive” to Islam and destroyed. Last month, the temple building and some of its close colonnade were blown to bits by ISIS/ISIL/whatever that goat-fornicating band of barbaric Islamic extremists is calling themselves today.

    Other ancient sites at Palmyra were also damaged or destroyed. This includes the destruction of the Temple of Baalshamin, which like the Buddhas of Bamiyan had been designated a World Heritage Site.

    These are hardly the only sites of historical or archaeological importance destroyed by ISIS/ISIL/whatever. The Wikipedia article on the subject gives a reasonably good rundown.

    CNN has an article giving specifics concerning these barbaric bastards’ latest crimes. If you care about history, it’s sickening.

  • We Remember, but only when it’s Politically Correct

    We Remember, but only when it’s Politically Correct

    I read an article here about how a city erected a veteran memorial that had a cross in it. That city is now being sued.

    I read another article here about a small town football team that wanted to wear the names of servicemen killed in action on its jerseys. They were denied by the school board.

    I am fed up with all of the shit stirring. I don’t, for one second, think that Jefferson would object to a soldier praying in front of a cross. I don’t think any of the founding fathers would. In the center of the dome of the Capitol building in DC there is a painting of George Washington’s assentation into heaven. If it was ok in 1865, why is the same concept not ok now? Did the constitution change? Now I know that we have changed how we think, and that many of the ideas that were fine then are not now, but I am not talking about slavery, or women’s rights or any of the other hot button issues. I am talking about simply acknowledging what we as a nation are. We are, by and large, a nation of people that believe in a higher power. By putting a soldier kneeling in front of a cross, that city is in no way saying you must worship in a certain way or even that you must worship at all. They are simply saying “We remember.”

    The football team has taken the time to learn about the men and women whose names they were going to wear. Those names were selected from not only the most current casualties but from all casualties. I have no doubt that if that team had decided to wear the names of 9/11 victims or the names of fallen civil rights activists, the school board would have been all for it. For some reason we have reached the point where it’s no longer politically correct to support veterans. I for one applaud the initiative of the coaches and players involved. All these young people are trying to do is say “We Remember.” They are doing so in a very respectful way. Are we so screwed up as a nation that if these same young people wanted to run down that same football field waving a burning flag it would be allowed, but to wear the names of the fallen is somehow taboo?

    God Help us all.

  • Interesting . . . .

    Fox News’ psychiatrist and columnist Dr. Keith Ablow has written an interesting article today. If you’re interested, you can read it here.

    Yeah, it’s about Brian Williams and his apparent very public “liberties” with the truth. But I’ll be damned if I didn’t think of a few others we all “know and love” when I read it.

    YMMV, of course.

  • Yeah, This IS Getting Interesting

    Remember that IRS scandal? You know, where the IRS was blatantly playing politics with nonprofit group applications for tax-exempt status – slow-rolling those from conservative groups, and fast-tracking those from liberal groups?

    Remember how that was supposed to be “IRS only”, with no involvement from the White House?

    Well, in response to a suit filed by Cause of Action (a government transparency watchdog group), the Treasury Department IG has apparently located a few relevant documents. Those documents apparently show that, “Yes, Viirginia – taxpayer info was sent to the White House by the IRS.”

    How many documents, you ask? Don’t worry; only a handful.

    Handful, as in around 2,500.

    This is in addition to the 30,000 “lost” emails to/from Lois Lerner, former head of the IRS Tax-Exempt Division and key player in the scandal, that have recently been discovered. Maybe now we’ll find out why she “pleaded the Fifth” when subpoenaed to testify before Congress.

    Stay tuned. This does seem to be getting quite interesting. It’s probably also getting quite uncomfortable for a number of folks in the current Administration, too. And that last . . . is a good thing. (smile)

    But I do have to wonder why all of this is coming to light right after the election this month – as opposed to before.

    Nah, I’m kidding. I don’t wonder much at all about the reason behind the timing.

  • Well, Well, Well . . .

    The irony here is indeed delicious.

    US group CAIR named terrorist organization by United Arab Emirates

    The linked story is worth reading.

    This shouldn’t really be a surprise, though.  In 2007, CAIR was named (along with a sh!tload of others) as an unindicted co-conspirator in a plot to funnel money to Hamas.  They’ve also long been accused of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

    Maybe one day our government will one day wake up and treat them accordingly. To paraphrase the little kid from Angels in the Outfield: “Hey – it could happen!”

    Unfortunately, that day won’t be today.  The US Department of State reportedly had “no comment” when queried about the matter.

  • Well, There He Goes Again . . . .

    Remember the POTUS Twitter account scandal? You know, where nearly 53% of the followers of the Twitter account belonging to the POTUS were determined to be something other than real people – e.g., artificial entities there for no other reason than to puff up the numbers and create an “echo chamber” to make it appear the account was more popular than it really was?

    To borrow a famous phrase: “There he goes again”.

    It seems there is an ObamaCare Facebook page. And, yeah – you guessed it. Just like the POTUS’s Twitter account, it’s also little more than an echo chamber driven by deception.

    The ObamaCare Facebook page has somewhere around 227k comments since September 2012. Sounds good, right? Well, yeah, it does.

    It does until you check into what’s actually going on a little more closely.  When you do that, you find that about 60% of those comments originated from a set of no more than 100 distinct Facebook profiles.

    Yep: 100 Facebook profiles made about 136,000 of the roughly 237,000 comments on to the ObamaCare Facebook site.  That’s certainly a “broad cross-section” of public opinion, isn’t it?

    But wait, it gets even better when you dig a bit deeper.  That’s the upper estimate for the number of actual people making those 136,000 comments. Multiple Facebook profiles appear to be in use. Indications are that many (if not most or all) human owning one of those 100 Facebook profiles has multiple Facebook profiles – 3 or 4 profiles seems to be common.

    They’ve already found one such frequent commenter who admits to having 4 Facebook profiles in order to “make her voice heard better” (or words to that effect). I’m sure she’s not the only one – even Lone Ranger had Tonto, Silver, and Scout with him.

    Another high-volume commenter isn’t even American; she’s from Canada.  Several seem to comment only during working hours – but not on weekends.  Hmm.

    And since word got out that people were watching this, some formerly high-activity Facebook profiles commenting on the ObamaCare Facebook site have “magically” disappeared. So we may be talking about a small group of 25 and 40 actual people making 60% of those roughly 227,000 comments.

    Oh, and that ObamaCare Facebook page?  It’s also done by Organizing for Action – the same folks that did the POTUS’s Twitter account.  Really makes you go, “Hmm” – doesn’t it?

    The Washington Times has a decent article on this little issue. It’s a bit long, but it’s IMO well worth a read.

     

    Yeah, your leg’s getting wet again. And I don’t think it’s rain this time, either.